‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Asks if Michael Fassbender’s Magneto Killed JFK
This past week saw the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, an event that has left many still pondering what really happened at Dealey Plaza, and if Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. The latest conspiracy theory is completely fictional, but believable in its way: 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' character Magneto (Michael Fassbender) caused the bullets to behave as they did.
Let's just say it's good of Fox and the film to wait until after the anniversary to release this video and website The Bent Bullet about Magneto's involvement in the assassination, as there's something bordering on tacky about evoking a national tragedy to sell a movie (then again, how many times in this year alone have movies evoked 9/11 to help sell the scale of a summer blockbuster?). That said, fiction has spent many an hour and many words on revisionist history regarding the assassination. It might be more offensive if the Warren report hadn't come up with the single/magic bullet theory, which is one of the biggest points of contention for conspiracy theorists. The idea that it was Magneto making the bullet act the way it did is sickeningly clever.
This also looks to be the first bit of viral marketing for 'Days of Future Past,' which has recently been revealed to be one of the most expensive films Fox has ever made. Though the film won't be released until May 23, why not start building the hype now?