From ‘X-Men: First Class’ to ‘Logan’ and more, here’s how to watch the 'X-Men' movie franchise in order
In 2000, X-Men became the first live-action adaptation of the iconic Marvel superhero team. The movie was followed by two sequels in 2003 and 2006, and in 2009 X-Men got its first prequel with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. From there, the franchise became a web of more prequels, spinoffs, sequels, and even movies that were part-prequel and part-sequel, taking place in the past and future.
The main overarching plotline of the entire franchise is the battle between the X-Men and their nemesis Magneto. But the movies also have become known for their undertones of diversity and inclusion. The X-Men’s fight for “mutant rights” has been seen as a metaphor for marginalized groups fighting for civil rights.
In 2000, Stan Lee himself said that he created the series as a way to promote diversity. “What if I made other people fear and suspect and actually hate them because they were different,” Lee, who died in 2018, told The Guardian. “I loved that idea; it not only made them different, but it was a good metaphor for what was happening with the civil rights movement in the country at that time.”
Whether you want to watch the X-Men movies for their great superhero action or its deeper, more meaningful undertones, you can view the franchise in two ways: in release order or chronologically. Here’s your guide to watching the series both chronologically and by release date.
X-Men Movies by Release Date
X-Men (2000)
X2: X-Men United (2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
The Wolverine (2013)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Deadpool (2016)
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Logan (2017)
Deadpool 2 (2018)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
The New Mutants (2020)
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
X-Men Movies in Chronological Order
X-Men: First Class
The 2011 prequel X-Men: First Class gives the backstory to Charles Xavier (aka Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (aka Magneto), showing their childhood, adolescence and transition into adulthood. The film explores how the two became enemies and reveals that Magneto might not actually be the supervillain he’s portrayed as, but is someone deeply hurt by a society that has shown him nothing but cruelty. First Class also introduced audiences to younger versions of other famous characters including Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult).
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Next chronologically is 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. The movie partially takes place much later in the X-Men timeline, in a dystopian alternate 2023. But a majority of the movie unfolds in 1973. In the film, robotic sentinels have been constructed to kill all mutants and any humans harboring them. To prevent this from happening, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman reprising his iconic role) goes back to 1973 to alter the future. Halle Berry also reprised her role as Storm in the film, as did Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen and James Marsden in cameo appearances.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Though some scenes are set in the 1800s, most of X-Men Origins: Wolverine takes place in the late 1970s, making it the third film chronologically. As its title implies, the film dives into the backstory of Wolverine (Jackman). The movie follows Logan throughout his life and includes his infamous adamantium surgery and reveals that that character is more than 100 years old. Ryan Reynolds also has a small role, introducing his Deadpool character almost a decade before getting his own film.
X-Men: Apocalypse
2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse takes place in the early 1980s during the Cold War. In the movie, the supervillain Apocalypse finds Magneto and takes him to the Auschwitz concentration camp, reminding him of how horrific humans can be. The trauma makes Magneto want to destroy mankind once again, and only the X-Men can stop him. X-Men: Apocalypse had mixed reviews but became a box office hit, grossing almost $544 million globally.
Dark Phoenix
Sophie Turner first took on the role of Jean Grey in Apocalypse, but her starring moment came in the 2019 follow-up, Dark Phoenix. The movie serves as the final prequel film (so far) and centers around Grey, beginning with a flashback showing how her telekinetic powers accidentally caused her parents’ death when she was just a child. The rest of the film takes place in the early 1990s as Grey’s telekinetic powers begin to amplify, causing her to become more and more unstable, eventually unleashing the destructive Phoenix force.
X-Men
The original X-Men movie is actually sixth chronologically. The film was released in 2000 and is set in the present day, making it take place sometime around then. X-Men begins with Rogue and Wolverine getting rescued by the X-Men and being brought to the Xavier Mansion, where they meet the rest of the team. From there, the group must fight to save the world from Magneto. X-Men has a fantastic cast, with Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, and Paquin, Berry, Janssen and Jackman all originating the roles they reprised in the prequel films.
X2: X-Men United
After the success of the first film, a sequel followed that brought back the entire original cast, as well as additional stars including Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Kelsey Grammer as Beast and Shawn Ashmore getting his small role as Iceman bumped up to a starring part. In the movie, a military scientist is trying to use DNA from his mutant son to kill all other mutants on the planet. To stop him, Magneto needs to team up with the X-Men. Once again taking place in the present day, X2 would have been set around 2003.
X-Men: The Last Stand
After a tragic finale in X2, Jean Grey emerges in The Last Stand as the destructive Phoenix. This was originally the first time audiences ever saw Grey as the Phoenix, but after the 2019 film, it chronologically is now the second time. The X-Men must fight her off while also trying to stop the government from forcing mutants to be injected with a “cure” that will take away their powers. Released in 2006, the movie is also set in the present day. The Last Stand has tons of shocking moments and surprise deaths which polarized critics and audiences.
The Wolverine
The Wolverine is a somewhat standalone sequel that takes place after The Last Stand. The movie shows Logan still suffering from visions of Jean in his head, but the story takes on its own life and follows Wolverine as he is brought to Japan to save a dying man. The catch is that to do so, he must sacrifice his powers. After refusing to give them up, Logan needs to fight his way out, all while he’s losing his powers after being poisoned.
Deadpool
Seven years after appearing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Reynolds finally got his own spinoff with 2016’s Deadpool. The first Deadpool movie doesn’t have many connections to the main X-Men plot line, but considering his first appearance and the sequel Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s worth watching. The movie follows the wisecracking, foul-mouthed antihero who proves that superhero movies can be for grown-ups too. The film is set in the present, taking place around 2016.
The New Mutants
Being very much a standalone spinoff, The New Mutants takes place in the present day, which would be sometime between 2017 and 2019 based on when the movie was originally set to be released. The film follows a group of young mutants who find themselves trapped in a highly secure mental institution. The New Mutants makes a direct connection to the X-Men by referencing the team multiple times. But aside from that, the movie isn’t connected to the main timeline, and considering its poor box office performance, there’s no plan for a sequel. So it can easily be watched or skipped.
Deadpool 2
Deadpool returned in 2018’s Deadpool 2. In the film, he ends up at the Xavier Mansion, bringing the spinoff series closer to the mainline franchise. The movie also features some cameos from the prequel series X-Men, including a brief glimpse of James McAvoy’s Professor X and Hoult’s Beast. The film doesn’t give specific dates and its timeline is a bit murky. It’s presumably set in the present day, but it features the prequel X-Men cast and it makes some sly references to the film Logan, which takes place much later. But with Deadpool, the timeline doesn’t really matter. Just sit back and enjoy the meta and raunchy comedy.
Logan
Taking place in the future around the year 2029, Logan sees a world where mutants are virtually extinct because of genetically modified food that’s been distributed across the globe. Even worse, Wolverine’s powers are wearing out and he’s faced with battles he might not be able to win. Logan has western and noir vibes, giving it a much different feel from previous X-Men movies, and its finale is a tearjerker for many fans.
Deadpool & Wolverine
The third installment of the Deadpool series, which hit theaters on July 26, 2024, also marks the X-Men franchise's entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it is the franchise's first film since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019. The movie sees Wolverine, who is recovering from injuries, meet up with Deadpool — and the two decide to join forces to defeat a common enemy.
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