Ignition Creative hired Hutch to help create content for an ambitious and immersive magazine-style website set in the dystopian setting for the blockbuster film X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Inspired by the iconic comic storyline of the same name, parts of Days of Future Past are set in a nightmare alternate future in which X-Gene mutants (such as X-Men members Wolverine and Charles Xavier, and the villainous Magneto) are hunted and imprisoned by government forces. In this alternate timeline, mutants are now an endangered species, and will soon make a final stand against their oppressors.

How was this tyrannical alternate Earth created? How did history unfold differently? Ignition Creative explored this in its multi-website campaign; Hutch contributed to its Bent Bullet experience. The Bent Bullet’s website revealed a radically different cause for the Nov. 22, 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, inspired by moments seen in Days of Future Past and its prequel, X-Men: First Class.

Working from an outline provided by Ignition’s creative team, Hutch immersed himself in JFK assassination history, lore and conspiracy theories. He also deep-dived into X-Men canon. Leveraging his skills as a former newspaper and magazine writer, Hutch crafted a 5,000-word investigative journalism-style article and other text to accompany the site’s numerous engaging multimedia assets.

The end result: A plausible alternate history (and in-canon) explanation for the JFK assassination, presenting the diverse agendas and ruthless personalities surrounding the killing. The story culminated with Erik Lehnsherr — Magneto himself — named as the assassination’s prime suspect by the Warren Commission, and his subsequent trial and conviction. But as with all conspiracy theories, the “official” story isn’t the only one. Did Magneto really kill Kennedy? The Bent Bullet article hints at something more...

The attention to historical detail and nods to X-Men canon weren’t unnoticed by the entertainment and industry press. “It’s surprisingly fun, and when you dig in, there are actually some intriguing revelations about Days of Future Past,” wrote Entertainment Weekly. Added MediaBistro’s Agency Spy: “Well worth the time of even casual fans or curious parties... An immersive, intriguing, and just plain fun web experience.”

Hutch worked closely with Ignition’s team to ensure the alternate history he helped create in The Bent Bullet was plausible and compatible with the story seen in director Bryan Singer’s film.