Here’s how all the X-Men movies fit together, by order of the events that happen in the films.
Why you can trust Pocket-lint (Pocket-lint) — It’s hard to believe, but the X-Men Cinematic Universe (XCU) began two decades ago — with the release of X-Men in 2000. Although the XCU technically concluded with 2019’s Dark Phoenix, the only thing that’s truly ended is 20th Century Fox’s involvement with producing the popular mutant franchise. Marvel acquired the rights to X-Men, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is rebooting it and teasing future inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It even looks like we could see the first mutants appearing in the MCU soon, as the most recent Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer features the familiar voice of Patrick Stewart. He plays Professor X across five X-men films. There are also rumours the film will feature a new actor playing Wolverine. To help you prepare for the debut of X-Men in the MCU, we’re combing through all the X-Men films to figure out the best way to watch all the existing films. It’s difficult to do, considering the X-Men timeline constantly jumps. Nevertheless, here’s how all the X-Men movies fit together, by order of the events that happen. squirrel_widget_187869 The best X-Men movie order: Chronological Our guide below has some spoilers, so be sure to jump to the bottom to check out the spoiler-free version of this X-Men chronological movie order. And, for those of you who’d prefer to watch all the films in order of release, we’ve included that at the bottom, as well. NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW. 20th Century Fox X-Men: First Class (2011) squirrel_widget_167932 X- Men: First Class is actually the fifth X-Men film released by Fox, but it’s first on our list, as it’s the origin story for some of the most important characters in the X-Men Cinematic Universe. The story follows James McAvoy’s Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender’s Erik Lehnsherr as they become Professor X and Magneto. It’s set primarily in 1962, as the two assemble a team of mutants to stop another mutant, the energy-absorbing Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who wants to trigger a nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union. 20th Century Fox X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) Days of Future Past begins in the dystopian future of 2023 — when mutants are hunted down and murdered by indestructible robots known as Sentinels. Kitty Pryde (Elliott Page) uses their powers to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to 1973 to stop the assassination of the inventor of the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), by the mutant Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). We put this film at No.2 on our list, as the events that matter most to the timeline take place in the 70s, while the events happening in 2023 are all part of a future that’s avoided. 20th Century Fox X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) This film is considered one of the worst superhero films of all time. That said, we learn important things about Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). It spans Wolverine’s life, from his childhood in the 1840s in Canada, before he and his brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) are forced to run away. A short montage reveals the brothers, who are nearly indestructible, thanks to their healing-factor mutation, have fought in every American war up until Vietnam — when they’re recruited by William Stryker (Danny Huston) to join a special task force known as Team X. 20th Century Fox X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) Oscar Isaac plays the first mutant ever, Apocalypse, who awakens in 1983 after being entombed in ancient Egypt. The arrival of Apocalypse causes disturbances that alert James McAvoy’s Charles Xavier to his presence, and soon, the X-Men realise that the mutant-being is intent on destroying the world as we know it, with the help of his own team of mutants, called The Four Horsemen.
