When the X-Men comics first premiered in the 1960s, many connections were drawn between the mutant struggle and the civil rights movement in America. The impressive social consciousness in books seen largely as child's play was quite impressive and earned the series quite a lot of respect. When Bryan Singer directed the first X-Men live-action feature film in 2000, however, many, including star Ian McKellan, saw the story as an allegory for the lives of many homosexuals, a scene in X2 when a father asks his son, "Have you ever tried... not being a mutant?" proving to be quite poignant. The new clip from X-Men: First Class suggests that the established theme will continue.

In the video, Xavier (James McAvoy), Erik (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), and Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) are introduced to Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult), a mutant that comic fans recognize as Beast. The catch? The man from the CIA, known only as Man in Black (Oliver Platt), has no idea that Hank is a mutant. So what's Hank's excuse? Don't ask, don't tell.

Check out the clip below.



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