New Mutants Trailer Reveals X-Men's Alien Dragon Lockheed

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New Mutants Trailer Reveals X-Men's Alien Dragon Lockheed

A new teaser for Josh Boone's The New Mutants is out, and it offers the first-ever look at the live-action version of a fan-favorite alien dragon, Lockheed. The notorious, long-developing superhero feature, which serves as a disengaged, horror-tinged extension to 20th Century Fox's treasured X-Men film franchise, was initially supposed to launch back in April 2018. But due to its studio's desire for reshoots, the subsequent acquisition of Fox by Disney, and an outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was pushed back repeatedly until it finally landed its present August 28 release date. Despite the precariousness of the pandemic, The New Mutants is staying committed to its release calendar, and it has even started selling tickets.

When it was first being developed, The New Mutants was primed for a tie-in with the convoluted X-men universe and timeline, but that idea was scrapped during the early writing stages. Boone, however, affirmed that he would honor all the mythology from the comics, although the origins of some characters, like Lockheed, would be tweaked to make the film more comprehensible. In the original X-men comics, where Lockheed first appeared in Uncanny X-men #166, the alien dragon served as a sidekick to Kitty Pryde/ Shadowcat, before being adopted by Illyana/ Magik (played by Anya Taylor-Joy). In the comics, Lockheed stowed to Earth with Kitty Pryde after saving her from a parasitic Brood attack. But since that backstory is too complex, it has been altered in the movie to make it more grounded.

Recently, The New Mutants Updates posted a new teaser for the movie to Twitter, and it contains the first glimpse of Lockheed's lifelike version. In its brief appearance, the purple alien dragon is seen perching on Illyana's shoulder, before it takes off with its glistening azure blue eyes to (probably) combat an enemy. Before this first-look, a silhouette of a fluttering Lockheed was teased in The New Mutants' Comic-Con trailer. But this is the first instance where the full, CGI-generated form of the winged reptilian has been revealed. In the teaser, it appears that Lockheed assists Illyana in her battles, which closely relates to Boone's former description of the characters' role in the film.

Earlier Josh Boone revealed that he had manipulated Lockheed's alien backstory to link it with Illyana's powers and history, but the alterations were in line with the spirit of Lockheed's origins. In The New Mutants, Lockheed is connected to Illyana's access to an alternate dimension, alluded to in the movie as 'The Limbo.' Illyana's special abilities allow her to create portals that enable her to enter and exit alternate dimensions. And while Boone hasn't mentioned if Lockheed hails from such a universe, it can be inferred from his description.

The initial disassociation of The New Mutants from the X-Men universe had disillusioned some fans who were anticipating potential crossovers. But Boone's dedication in retaining the authenticity of the comics' narrative and its characters is tangible from the earnest characterization of Lockheed. Boone had envisioned a stand-alone disposition for The New Mutants to develop a new franchise, and Lockheed's appearance, although with an altered backstory, is simply a glimpse of his vision. Lockheed's realistic, reformed appearance in The New Mutants proves that the movie will be inventive, but also faithful to its source material.