We know that the next X-Men movie is going to be called ‘Days of Future Past’, and that it’s going to be directed by Bryan Singer. That’s pretty much all we know so far. But have we really already forgiven Singer for abandoning the X-Men franchise in order to make the crummy Superman Returns? I haven’t. Especially not after new director Matthew Vaughn did such an amazing job with X-Men: First Class. I loved that movie and I want to see more of Vaughn’s First Class world. But I’m not in charge of Hollywood – yet – so it looks like Singer is in the director’s chair and the next sequel begins filming next year-ish.

Let me first say that I think adapting ‘Days of Future Past’ is a bad idea. Dystopian futures, parallel dimensions and time travel may be staples of X-Men comics, but I just don’t think they’re going to translate as well on the big screen.

Days of Future Wolverine

This is just my own personal preference, but when it comes to superhero movies, I strictly adhere to the ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’ rule. The comics are full of wild and weird stories like ‘Days of Future Past’, but that’s comics. We comic book fans are used to that kind of storytelling. I find that when it comes to movies, adding too many weird shenanigans just mucks up the whole show. It adds confusion for an audience that is already trying to keep up with all the different mutants on screen. People respond to the X-Men films because they have strong themes like acceptance of minorities and heroism. Adding time travel and parallel dimensions on top of that is just going to complicate the story.

But again, that’s just me. Maybe people will love it. And after the greatness of X-Men: First Class, I’m definitely in favor of more X-Men movies. Plus somebody requested this list. So here are 6 things I want to see in X-Men: Days of Future Past the motion picture.

First off, what is ‘Days of Future Past’? It’s very well known to us comic book fans, but perhaps some of you have no clue what I’m talking about. Don’t worry! You can count on your old blogging pal Sean to keep you informed.

‘Days of Future Past’ was a two-issue storyline published in X-Men comics in 1981, written by legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont. It’s one of the most popular storylines from that era, when the X-Men were skyrocketing towards the top of everybody’s favorite comic list. The story deals with a dark future, where the giant Sentinel robots have taken over and mutants are forced to live in internment camps. Most of the X-Men are dead or apprehended, and only a small band of resistance fighters is left. For reference, remember the opening training sequence from X-Men: The Last Stand? With all the explosions and fire and a city in ruins? That was based on the Days of Future Past. So at least it already has a place in movie continuity.

From this dark future, an adult Kitty Pryde travels back in time to the present to try and prevent this catastrophic future from happening. Adult Kitty possesses the mind and body of her teenage self to warn the X-Men, and together they stop the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly. However, given the way that time travel and parallel dimensions work in Marvel Comics, Kitty didn’t actually prevent her dark future from happening. She just ensured that it wouldn’t happen for the present day X-Men. So she was kind of screwed when she went back to her own time.

So as you can see, this is one very complex, timey wimey story. I hope Bryan Singer knows what he’s doing. In interviews, he’s said that the sequel will include elements of Day of Future Past, and will also include some new ideas of his own. So he’s clearly got some idea. But if he doesn’t, he can always refer to this list!

6. Sentinels

Purple is the ultimate robot color

Based on the story description, you’d think that Sentinels would be a must for this story. But considering we’ve barely seem them in any X-Men movies so far, Sentinels are definitely not a given – though I want them to be! Giant, death-dealing, mechanized robots designed for killing mutants; this was made for Hollywood! Just look at how much fun Hulk and the Avengers had taking down those giant worm alien monsters. The CGI worked fine. So bring on some full-sized Sentinels! I want some X-Men on robot action!  And what better way to explain why we never saw Sentinels in the earlier X-Men movies than to say that they only exist in this dystopian future.

5. Mimic

I’m a man of simple tastes

What can I say? Mimic is one of my all-time favorite X-characters. And considering Multiple Man has already appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, that leaves the Mimic as the #1 character I want to see make an appearance in the new film. Each new X-Men film has to include new mutants. It’s part of the fun. So bring on the Mimic! Personally, I would want Mimic to be as awesome as possible, so definitely put him on the X-Men. But that’s just me, and my opinion is incredibly biased. I might also suggest Bishop, who would fit perfectly with the time-traveling aspects of the story, and Maggot, simply because I’m a Maggot fan, and I think he’d look neat on the big screen. I’m also not ruling out an appearance by a younger, teenage Multiple Man. Just sayin’.

4. Professor X’s Big Yellow Wheelchair

He’s handi-tanked

Whatever happened to Professor X’s big, honkin’ yellow wheelchair-tank? This was his ride back in the 90s, when I was getting into the X-Men. He used it in the classic 90s cartoon, in comics at the time and in all the various action figures and collectibles I had. But then modern day sensibilities had to intrude to give him normal-looking wheelchairs. Where’s the fun in that? If he’s going to be dealing with Sentinels and time travel, give Chuck this Battle Bot of a ride. It even matches the First Class uniforms.

3. Apocalypse

Subtlety is not really his thing

It’s a sure bet that any new X-Men films are going to feature Magneto, especially now that he’s played by the sexy Michael Fassbender. But as several X-films have showed us, Magneto doesn’t need to be the only villain. And while the X-Men have more than a few super-villains just lying around waiting for the big screen treatment, I think Apocalypse is the best bet for Days of Future Past. Apocalypse is big, he’s evil and he wants nothing short of world domination. But better than all of that, he’s also quite famous for his own dystopian parallel reality. Age of Apocalypse, anyone? I don’t see any reason why Singer can’t combine the Days of Future Past dystopian future with the Age of Apocalypse dystopian future. And again, this could explain why we’ve never heard of Apocalypse before in the movies, because he only comes to power in this dark future. Maybe the X-Men could even meet and stop present-day Apocalypse, who hasn’t come to power just yet.

2. Transition Team

I’d like to thank the good people of random Internet photoshop

A quick word on movie continuity: I don’t care one bit that X-Men: First Class doesn’t match up perfectly with the rest of the X-Men movies. Nor does it match what happened in the comics. I learned long ago to put those kind of worries behind me. It’s just going to lead to a bunch of geek headaches. As long as the movies themselves are awesome, I don’t care that the Charles Xavier in First Class conflicts with the Charles Xavier at the start of The Last Stand, who conflicts with the Charles Xavier cameo at the end of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. All of that being said, I wouldn’t mind if they at least tried to unite the various films.

The best way to do this, I think, is by showing a blending of the teams. Have Cyclops, Storm and Jean Grey as junior members of the X-Men alongside Havok, Beast and Banshee. Or maybe they’re just students at the school aspiring to be X-Men. Likewise, show a transition with Magneto’s Brotherhood. Add Toad and Sabretooth to the team, perhaps with references to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And perhaps even, if I can dream, find a way to include the Blob from that movie as well. Creed only said he killed Blob off-screen, after all. And we all know that if there isn’t a big fat body, then he’s not really dead.

1. Old Man Wolverine

Hugh Jackman can’t stay young and sultry forever

What better way for Fox to get Hugh Jackman back into the X-Men films than by having him play the older, dystopian future version of Wolverine? The character was a big part of the original Days of Future Past story, and that look has actually become kind of iconic in its own right. So if the X-Men do indeed travel into the future (or whatever the plan is), old, white-haired Wolverine has to appear.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big fan of Wolverine appearing in everything. But I have nothing but the utmost respect for Hugh Jackman as an actor. This is a guy who has embraced the role of Wolverine and fully acknowledges that Wolverine gave him a career. He does great justice to the character, and loves it enough that he’s still starring in all these Wolverine spin-off movies. I hate actors who view themselves as bigger and better than their roles. They play these awesome characters and then complain afterwards how it was beneath them. Not Hugh Jackman. He sang about playing Wolverine when he hosted the Oscars. Hugh Jackman is the best thing that ever happened to the X-Men films. So I say bring him back for more!

So that’s my take on the next sequel. What about you guys and gals? Any new mutants you really want to see? Plots? Scenes? What parts of the original Days of Future Past that you definitely want to see? Let me know in the comments!