Eruption Averted

So I finished my second run-through on Marvel Ultimate Alliance last night. I really only had one reason for doing it - to see if the game really was saying Jean Grey was more important than Nightcrawler. I better explain. Spoilers if you haven't gotten to Mephisto's Realm yet.

Within Mephisto's realm, you face his "son", Blackheart. He's keeping Jean and Kurt prisoner, Kurt having been abandoned there by Doom after he used Kurt to get to Mephisto's Realm (I'm guessing Mephisto gave Doom an exit), Jean having been captured in the realm while trying to help Xavier protect Kurt from Blackheart. Blackheart tells you that only one can be saved, and naturally, each one tells you to save the other.

Faced with that, it was left in my hands, where there is one immutable truth: Nightcrawler is one of my favorite X-Men, while Jean (or the maybe the way X-writers use her) annoys/bores the hell out of me. Bye Jean!

After you beat the game, Uatu tells you what will happen as a result of your choices. For not saving Jean, I ensured that the Dark Phoenix would rise again and wreak terrible havoc. To which I say, what the hell? Letting Nightcrawler die was the right choice? Why? Because he's not as strong or psychotic as Jean?! That's bullcrap!

Thus I set out to beat the game, saving Jean this time, certain Uatu would tell me that was the proper choice and I could get my anger on. Except...

Kurt's death spurs Mystique to infiltrate the X-Mansion, and beat Xavier into a coma, which he eventually dies in, leading to the X-Men's disbanding. Huh. Well, that's pretty significant, I guess. OK, never mind the anger then.

For the record, the voice acting outtakes that run during the credits were outstanding. Reed and Sue arguing over the pronunciation of "nuclear", the fact even Jean knows she dies too damn much, Loki gluing Thor's hammer to the floor, Nick Fury fighting ninjas in the soundbooth, Bob telling Xavier that he needs "to get more in character". Good times.

Plus, Deadpool's line to Black Widow: 'I gotta know - are those real? What? Your teeth, are they real? They're just so straight and white.'

For that line, Deadpool got to fire the shot that finished Dr. Doom. He deserved it.