I'm noticed a bit of a trend beginning with X2. In the past, it's been the norm for the grunts in comic books adaptations to be humanely disposed of, usually by being humorously knocked unconscious. For evidence, look no further than the training montage in Spider-Man. It's the same case with Daredevil and even the first X-Men to some extent, where Singer couldn't even bring himself to kill off bad guys that weren't returning e.g. Sabretooth & Toad. I supposed that the rationale goes that the 'grunts' mercy' will make the ultimate destruction of the arch-nemesis that much more powerful. It also allows no feelings of sympathy for the bad guys, a la the steamrolled henchman in Austin Powers.

Yet all this appears to be coming to an end with X2. Within the film, we see Wolverine brutally (and I mean brutally) despose of a goodly number of bad guys with his adamantium claws when Stryker's force invades the X-Mansion. Similarly when Magneto 'pulls the pin' on the soldier blokes guarding the Bizarro Cerebro. It this sort of brutality that's going against the trend.

On the other hand, when Pyro goes berserker in Boston after Wolverine gets shot and blasts a couple of cops, Singer carefully includes a shot of one of the cops peering over a hedge with an intact, albeit singed, head. Is this a sign of indecision on Singer's part? Is Wolverine with his 'boiling kettle' routine the only one allowed to kill people?

Any thoughts?