Supermanstar Edi Gathegi looks back on hisDarwinrole from Fox’sX-Men: First Classand voices his disappointment at the mutant’s quick and unfair death. Fourteen years before he played Mister Terrific in James Gunn’sSuperman, Edi Gathegi made his superhero movie debut in Matthew Vaughn’sX-Men: First Class, which served as a soft reboot for Fox’sX-Menmovie franchise, drawing inspiration fromMarvel Comics' first X-Men team, but replacing some of Professor X’s first recruits with different mutants.
In an interview withEW,Edi Gathegi describes Darwin’s abrupt death inX-Men: First Classas"a case of bad representation and missed opportunity.“Since Darwin’s mutant power is precisely an extremely high adaptability, the fact that he was killed off as soon as he met the movie’s main villain seems contradictory to his abilities. Gathegi admits he hoped Darwin survived the encounter with Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw, but he was disappointed once again when Fox’sX-Menmovies simply moved on and ignored Darwin altogether. Read Gathegi’s full comments below:
“They’re not wrong. I think it is just a case of bad representation and missed opportunity. There was a lot that they could have done with that character, probablyshouldhave done with the character.”
“I was waiting to be brought back [afterFirst Class] because, as you know, the character doesn’t die. The fact that he died in the first one isn’t that big of a deal if he does what he does in the comics, which is come back. Every movie that came out and the character didn’t come back, it solidified that it was a misrepresentation and a missed opportunity.”
Edi Gathegi’s Darwin Received One Of The Worst Movie Adaptations In Marvel History
Darwin’s Death Was Completely Contradictory To His Powers
Many Marvel characters have failed to be translated to live-action accurately, and this initially wasn’t the case with Edi Gathegi’s Darwin. Gathegi’s Darwin seemed like the most promising hero in Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr’s first class of X-Men students due to his impressive powers.In theory, Darwin could adapt to any attack from Sebastian Shaw and his allies, but Darwin only got to show off her adaptability powers as party tricks before Shaw simply made him explode with a bolt of energy.X-Men: First Classnever explained why Darwin couldn’t adapt to Shaw’s attack, and no otherX-Menmovie brought him back afterward.
In the comics,Darwin’s adaptability powers are virtually flawless.If Marvel Comics' Darwin is disintegrated like his live-action counterpart, he simply evolves into a living energy bolt until his original body regenerates. Darwin’s mutation prioritizes his survival, meaning that he can’t shapeshift or develop other character’s powers at will, like Mystique or Morph. However, the essence of Darwin’s unique power is that he’s basically immortal. While he isn’t nearly as powerful as most Marvel mutants, not even the most dangerous Marvel villains could kill him.
Darwin Deserves Better Treatment In Marvel’s X-Men Reboot
Darwin’s Accurate Movie Adaptation Is All But Guaranteed If The MCU Introduces Him
There are few ways Marvel Studios could present a worse adaptation of Darwin in the MCU. Darwin may not be part of Charles Xavier’s first team inthe MCU’s X-Menmovies, but whenever he makes his MCU debut, his abilities will probably be consistent and useful.The MCU’s potentially stronger focus on lesser-known mutants could allow Darwin to do much more alongside an X-Men team, or perhaps even on his own, than mere party tricks. Encounters with other Marvel characters like the Avengers and their enemies would also giveDarwinthe chance to show off his unique abilities in a variety of scenarios.
