Episode 293 - X-Men (2000)

“The future is coming.” Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting trio – Ian, Liam & Megs – for our 293rd episode as we pop our claws, don our leather suits, and revisit the film that redefined the superhero genre for the new millennium: X-Men (2000). Kev and Georgia? They’re cage fighting in Northern Alberta—because of course they are.

This week we discuss:

• Ian and Liam get into a dust-up about what constitutes a gang—whose side are you on?
• What's with all the wavering accents in this film?
• How on earth did Magneto know that Rogue had her powers when Rogue, Wolverine, and even Professor X didn’t?
• Ian delights in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by a Canadian Prime Minister (true patriot love).
• We reflect on Auschwitz as a tourist destination and Ian shares a story about a fashion faux pas that might have landed him on the wrong tour.
• Was Anna Paquin actually the biggest star attached to the film at the time of its release?
• You won’t guess what Bryan Singer banned from the set—and no, it wasn’t claws.
• Our favourite ghostwriter pops up once again—this time with a surprising link to X-Men.
• Alternate casting choices: the Wolverine that makes us laugh out loud, and a Professor X that would’ve been a disaster… but we still want to see it, even if the studio told him to “beat it” (not like that).
• How do superheroes actually get their names? That’s the class we wanted to see at Xavier’s.
• What exactly are the rules of Mystique’s powers again—and why is Toad weirdly overpowered?
• Which character has the worst trash talk despite having the perfect set-up? (Spoiler: lightning shouldn’t strike twice.)
• We talk about meeting up with two Friends of the Podcast this week and drinking pints no matter the occasion.
• One cast member opens up about a wardrobe malfunction that made mutant fashion even harder to pull off.
• And finally, whether X-Men (2000) is the Best Film Ever—or just the first stepping stone on the path to superhero dominance.

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We are extremely thankful to our following Patrons for their most generous support:

• Juleen from It Goes Down In The PM
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Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of Mistake by Luckydog. Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor, at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor.

Also, massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song. You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/.