The Gay Love Story in X-Men: First Class was Never Between Professor X and Magneto

It was between Alex Summers and Darwin - two characters you probably forgot existed!

10 years ago, X-Men: First Class brought the seemingly dead franchise back to life. After the critically panned X-Men: The Last Stand five years prior, many wondered if the series could ever bounce back from it’s failures. To get viewers and long-time fans back on board, Matthew Vaughn injected life back into the franchise, and along with this life came queerness. While you may know the X-Men franchise as being overtly queer now, before First Class, any subtext was driven out to focus on the (ridiculous) love triangle between Wolverine, Jean Grey and Cyclops. The chemistry between the newcomers was undeniable, and with the help of queer Tumblr users (hi!), the X-Men franchise was reborn as the queer series we now love.

Now, I know you may be thinking, “who the hell are Alex and Darwin?” Well dear reader, I’m glad you asked, because I’ve been wanting to talk about them for a hot minute! Alex Summers and Armando Muñoz (Darwin) are two dudes who Professor X and Magneto recruit to join their team of mutants in 1962. When First Class premiered, yes, I was struck by the chemistry between Xavier and Magneto - who wasn’t? But, because I have a severe case of brain rot, I like to focus on characters who have a maximum of 30 minutes of screentime. Truthfully, when watching the film a decade ago (I’ve been on the internet for far too long), I was far more enamoured by whatever Alex Summers (Lucas Till) and Darwin (Edi Gathegi) had going on. 

Throughout the film, these two clash and seem more like adversaries than allies. Before meeting Darwin, Alex handed himself over to the police because his powers were out of control. He had no means to control them, and wanted to lock that part of himself away… I mean hello? We all know by now that mutants are an allegory for queerness, so we could also view Alex’s willingness to lock away his powers as a reflection of his homosexuality. When he meets Darwin after they’re both recruited by Professor X and Magneto, Alex disregards him. It’s like meeting Darwin ignites a desire within him that he was able to push down in his time in solitary confinement, but now, out in the open, he can’t control. 

As the two get to know each other, Alex begins to open up. He shows the rest of the “first class” just what his powers are capable of, with Darwin leading a chant of “Alex, Alex!”, egging him on to break out of his shell and shed this animosity he has not only for himself, but also for people just like him. Once a truce is reached, these guys go from enemies-to-lovers real quick. After they get over their initial quarrels, Alex and Darwin trade animosity for flat-out homoeroticism. They’re always sitting next to each other, and when the X-Kids are fooling around in the compound they’re being kept in, Alex and Darwin are playing an innocent game of pinball. You know, like guys do! They continue to play and the camera pans away from them, but not before Alex moves his fingers towards Darwin’s, gently caressing his hand. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of tenderness, but what are Tumblr teens good for if not over-analyzing media? 

This small moment of tenderness quickly moves on to another as the compound they’re staying in becomes disrupted. When it’s clear something isn’t right, Darwin, the eldest of the group, goes to check out the commotion. On his way there, he passes Alex and gently touches his stomach. This was enough evidence on 2011 Tumblr to convince thousands of teenagers that these two were a bit fruity, sending that sector of the website into shambles. It’s a signal of “It’s ok, you stay here and I'll go,” and a symbol of trust.

Many fans on Tumblr began using a particular Richard Siken quote to describe the two: “The entire history of human desire takes about seventy minutes to tell. Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time.” Yes, it’s dramatic, but it is also true! The two were leading very different lives before they met: Alex was voluntarily in prison and Darwin was a cab driver. With their exposure to this new world of mutants, one that could also double as a family, the two men were able to finally be themselves. Unfortunately, this time is cut short as Darwin and Alex quickly plan to sabotage the villain Shaw’s plans. Alex uses his powers - red light shooting from his body, similar to his younger brother Cyclops’ powers - to immobilize Shaw, but the tyrant simply absorbs it into the palm of his hand. Then, the villain turns to Darwin and injects Alex’s radiation into Darwin’s mouth. As Darwin’s power is essentially to… adapt to anything, this shouldn’t have been a problem. But, it’s the X-Men franchise! Nothing makes sense when it should.

As Darwin’s body tries to evolve and adapt to Alex’s powers, Shaw and company vanish. By this point, the other X-Kids have fled, so all that remains in the courtyard is Alex and Darwin. Finally, when it’s clear Darwin is going to die, he reaches out to Alex and the two stare at each other. The screen fades to white, symbolizing Darwin’s death. Again, that use of Richard Siken’s words are perfect for this short-lived romance. The two mutants perfectly convey human desire, despite being side characters who barely get any screen time. The roughhousing upon their meeting that quickly turns into unabashed tenderness shows two men who finally get to be themselves for the first time in their lives, just for this connection to be cruelly ripped away from them. And that’s what this newsletter is about isn’t it? Sad gays, men who stare longingly at each other, and characters that make you scratch your head and go “Did Kaiya make these people up?”