In 2000, audiences met Professor X (also known as Professor Charles Xavier) for the first time in the initial X-Men movie, and nothing was ever the same. The franchise that effectively kicked off superhero fever began with a school for mutants and a fight for tolerance.
Over the years, 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise attracted with a variety of A-list stars. Over 13 films, Marvel Comics fans fell in love with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, been electrified by Halle Berry’s Storm and flipped for Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool.
However, it can be hard to know where to start with X-Men. If the goal is to view the films chronologically, it might prove difficult due to inconsistencies and plot holes, and many of the movies rely heavily on flashbacks, jumping forward and backward in time.
While it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact timeline of X-Men movies in chronological order, this list is a good start:
- X-Men: First Class (2011)
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
- X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
- X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
- X-Men (2000)
- X2: X-Men United (2003)
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
- The Wolverine (2013)
- Deadpool (2016)
- The New Mutants (2020)
- Deadpool 2 (2018)
- Logan (2017)
On the other hand, if fans want to watch by release date — so they can see the CGI get better in every film — that answer’s a little more straightforward. Keep reading to see which movies came out first and get the details on each.
X-Men (2000)
The first X-Men film explains that mutants walk among humans and that Professor X (the incomparable Sir Patrick Stewart) has created a school to help them hone their powers. Magneto (Ian McKellen) acts as the villain in this film — and the entirety of the original trilogy — advocating for a war between humans and mutants.
This film was positively reviewed and became the best-performing superhero film in box office sales at the time, and can now be viewed on Disney+.
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Three years later, the X-Men were back. Brian Cox played Colonel William Stryker, an anti-mutant military scientist whose evil plan includes brainwashing Professor X into killing every mutant on the planet. Surprisingly, the X-Men need to team up with Magneto to bring down Stryker’s plan.
The second of these movies improved on the first, both commercially and critically, and it’s also available to stream on Disney+.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
The third film in the original trilogy came out in 2006 with Magneto back in power. After a pharmaceutical company comes up with a so-called cure to suppress the mutant gene, Magneto renews his mission to take down the human race.
X-Men: The Last Stand was also the first time Jean Grey’s other persona, Phoenix, hit the silver screen. While the movie shattered box-office records, it wasn’t received as warmly as the original two films, and it can be argued that the 2014 movie X-Men: Days of Future Past basically rendered this plot non-canon.
Watch X-Men: The Last Stand on Disney+.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
By the time the third X-Men movie was released, the franchise had covered the mutant vs. human plot line pretty comprehensively. The franchise’s future depended on coming up with a different storyline, and Jackman’s hugely popular turn as Wolverine was just the ticket.
In the franchise’s first spinoff film, fans see everything from the origins of his powers to an explanation for his amnesia. This prequel movie also introduced Reynolds’ first iteration of Deadpool, complete with a sewn-up mouth.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine tends to fall to the bottom of fans’ best-of lists, but no one can deny it did well at the box office.
Catch it on Hulu during your X-Men marathon.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
X-Men: First Class marked a new phase for the X-Men franchise, essentially serving as a soft reboot. Rather than taking place in the 21st century like the original movies, X-Men: First Class went back in time to 1962.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender took on the roles of Professor X and Magneto, and fans saw the introductions of Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, January Jones as Emma Frost, and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy and Beast.
You can stream this fan-favorite on Disney+.
The Wolverine (2013)
The next Wolverine spinoff film jumped forward in time. Rather than treating it as a wider story, The Wolverine focused instead on a single plot line, based on a beloved 1982 limited comic-book series where Wolverine goes to Japan.
The movie didn’t necessarily do well in America, but it became a huge success overseas, cementing the X-Men franchise as a global phenomenon.
Learn more about Logan’s last stand on Hulu.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The next X-Men installment arrived in 2014 with X-Men: Days of Future Past. This movie featured cast members from both the original trilogy and the new reboot as Jackman’s Wolverine travels back to 1973 to prevent a future disaster involving the Sentinel robots and a villain named Bolivar Trask.
This flick was a roaring success, featuring fan-favorite characters from each film in the franchise. In a world where The Avengers reigned supreme, X-Men: Days of Future Past delivered a much-hyped cinematic mash-up (and a massive box-office hit).
See your favorite characters save the day once again on Disney+.
Deadpool (2016)
Between Deadpool’s introduction in 2009 and his spinoff film finally coming to fruition, Reynolds became a household name. After a nearly 15-year pre-production process, the Deadpool spinoff arrived in 2016 — and became the most successful X-Men film, earning a spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Disney bought 20th Century Fox, ending most other existing X-Men titles.
Among the mostly tame, kid-friendly superhero movies of the time, Deadpool was a breath of fresh air for adult fans. The foul-mouthed Wade Wilson won over audiences and critics alike.
Stream Deadpool on Disney+.
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Building off the success of Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse brought the focus back to the new cast.
Largely taking place in 1983, an ancient mutant awakes and threatens to wipe out civilization — but the X-Men arrive to save the day. It was to be the final installment for the mainline cast, with spinoffs to come.
This film marked the new Jean Gray’s introduction, with Sophie Turner taking on the iconic character (previously played by Famke Janssen) in her first big role outside of Game of Thrones. The sequel was also the first appearance of Oscar Isaac in the X-Men Universe, playing the titular villain.
While it wasn’t as well received as Deadpool or its predecessor, X-Men: Days of Future Past, it’s still worth a stream if you have Disney+.
Logan (2017)
By 2017, Jackman had been playing Wolverine for almost 20 years. After all that fighting, the star decided it was finally time to hang up his claws.
Logan was the Aussie actor’s last performance as Wolverine — and a fitting way to go out. The film took place in 2029 when an aging Logan began to lose his healing abilities and mutants slowly stopped being born. He must find his way through this dystopian future to protect a young mutant girl named Laura (Dafne Keen).
Tonally, it was a far leap for the X-Men franchise … and it paid off in spades. R-rated and cinematically praised, Logan was even nominated for an Academy Award.
You can watch Logan on Disney+.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Following the mega-success of the first Deadpool movie, producers didn’t wait long to release its much-anticipated sequel. The film introduced Josh Brolin’s Cable, a muscular soldier time-traveling from the future.
Deadpool 2 returned with all the humor of the first installment, including an over-the-top mid-credits scene in which the Merc With a Mouth travels back in time and kills the speechless version of himself that appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Naturally.
Check this one out on Disney+.
Dark Phoenix (2019)
Dark Phoenix was the final film in the X-Men: First Class trilogy, adapting the beloved “Dark Phoenix Saga” from the Marvel comics into blockbuster movie format.
Taking place in 1992, Dark Phoenix focused on Turner’s Jean Gray as she gained more psychic ability and descended into madness. The film bombed at the box office, becoming one of the biggest losses in 20th Century Fox’s history.
The end of this chapter of the X-Men franchise is available to stream on Disney+.
The New Mutants (2020)
The New Mutants‘ horror tones gave way to a new direction for the X-Men franchise. Delayed several times due to re-shoots and lacking any of the X-Men characters that had previously been introduced, The New Mutants had a tough time getting to the big screen.
The film also had to go up against 2020’s unprecedented times. Despite theaters being re-opened at the time of its release, movie-going had not returned to its pre-pandemic numbers.
The cast was geared towards a younger audience, with Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton starring. Still, the movie failed to make an impact, and it’s looking unlikely that fans will ever see these characters again.
The New Mutants is available to rent on Amazon for $3.99.
From Deadpool to Logan, the X-Men movie installments have taken the genre in a variety of directions, and there really is something for everyone.
