It has perhaps been a long time since anyone has thought of the original X-Men trilogy that started it all. But one anti-hero has come to change it all.
Premiering in the early days of the superhero franchise, X-Men featured the now classic team-up of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), and Scott Summers (James Marsden). All under the tutelage of the wise and powerful Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the team gets past their differences to fight Magneto (Ian McKellen). Since the Fox merger, X-Men has, regrettably, not been a priority for the MCU. We have instead been getting critically panned series like Secret Invasion instead of what the people really want on the roster.
Thankfully, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is here to fix everything. There were many revelations in the Deadpool 3 trailer, including the surprise arrival of nostalgic X-Men characters. Deadpool & Wolverine won’t just see the return of Jackman in the role of Logan. Tertiary character Pyro (Aaron Stanford) is also set to return after almost 2 decades of absence between X-Men the Last Stand and Deadpool 3.
Who is Pyro?
In the comics, Pyro appears to be just another member of the Brotherhood of Mutants — the team that is the antithesis of the X-Men. Where Xavier’s group wants to try and co-exist with humanity, the Brotherhood believes humanity will never accept them. Born in Australia as St. John Allerdyce, he was a novelist before joining the Brotherhood as Pyro. He has the impressive ability to manipulate fire, but he cannot create it. Because of this, he is always prepared with a flame thrower to have fire handy at a moment’s notice.
In the original X-Men trilogy, Pyro has a different background, though he still ends up aligning himself with Magneto’s team. An American, Pyro starts under the guidance of Xavier at his school. And while it seems as though he is a traitor in X2: X-Men United, he is much more complex than that. In fact, he is one of the only characters in the film with a substantial character arc.
As established in the film, Pyro feels like an outsider. Even among mutants of his age, he never fits in with anyone else, harboring feelings of inadequacy. This is only exacerbated by seeing those around him with established relationships. When William Stryker (Brian Cox) invades the X-Mansion, and Pyro escapes with Wolverine, they make it to Bobby Drake’s (Shawn Ashmore) house in Boston. Pyro sees what should be a loving family. The implication is that Pyro never had support, even when around people with abilities like himself. When Bobby’s brother Ronny (James Kirk) calls the police on them, this only adds fuel to the fire. Pun intended.
Pyro’s rage at humans causes him to lash out. This decision is not received well by the X-Men. The only person to give him the acceptance he craves is Magneto. The sometimes-villain vindicates Pyro’s feelings, and doesn’t make him feel like a freak. Pyro is framed as a tragic character who joins the Brotherhood out of a need for understanding. X-Men: The Last Stand didn’t exactly stick the landing with Pyro and the rest of the mutant characters, but he still has a special place in our hearts.
And Deadpool’s, apparently. Wade Wilson’s third feature film unites the Fox and MCU versions of mutants with a glee unseen before. Though there is no real confirmation of when the MCU will officially tackle X-Men, we can anticipate some cameos in Deadpool 3. Shown briefly in the trailer, Stanford reprises his role of Pyro in a brief frame, giving nostalgic fans what they want.
