'X-Men' writer 'really happy' that 'X2' was referred to as the 'gayest film' — claims the movie was about 'exclusion'

Writer David Hayter reacted to the remarks of actor Alan Cumming, who said that the second X-Men movie was the "gayest film" he'd ever worked on.

Hayter cowrote "X2: X-Men United" and was the sole screenwriter for the original "X-Men" movie. He is also known as an iconic video game voice actor, playing the role of Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series.

Cumming, who played the mutant named Nightcrawler in the second X-Men film, told Entertainment Weekly that he thought "X2" was the gayest film he had ever worked on due to the themes and the crew members.

"Oh, I think the X-Men film I'm in is the gayest film that I've ever done, and that's me saying that. It's got a queer director, lots of queer actors in it. I love the fact that something so mainstream and so in the comic book world is so queer," Cumming told the outlet.

'Those sorts of films really help people understand queerness.'

Hayter told TMZ Cumming's comments thrilled him.

"I was thrilled Alan Cumming called ‘X2’ the gayest film he'd ever worked on. It made me really happy," Hayter explained. "I'm so glad we did right by him. He's such an icon for gay rights. Ian McKellen also really recognized the allegory of it from a gay perspective."

Hayter continued and said the X-Men movies were about appealing to "anyone who faced hatred or exclusion or judgement and still felt compelled to do the right thing."

While the beginning of "X-Men" clearly alluded to a Holocaust-like scenario of mutants, Hayter now claims that there was a gay "element" on the filmmakers' minds.

"We had the Holocaust in the opening of [‘X-Men’] and Magneto paraphrases Malcolm X at the end. It's really for anyone who feels exclusion. ... But we had a number of key creatives behind the camera and on camera who were gay, so obviously that element was on our minds. The fact that came through and felt fulfilling for Alan meant a lot to me personally."

Hayter's retcon of the X-Men allegories mirrors that of "The Matrix" creators Andy and Larry Wachowski. The two brothers both came out as transgender and then said the Matrix movies were metaphors for transgenderism.

Cumming did not reprise the role of Nightcrawler but is rumored for possible future appearances.

"I think, in a way, those sorts of films really help people understand queerness, because you can address it in an artistic way, and everyone is less scared of the concept," Cumming added. "It's an allegory about queerness, about people having these great gifts and really great, powerful things that they have to hide to exist. Queer people understand what that's all about."

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