Let’s be real for a second. Trying to make sense of the list of x men movies is basically like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while riding a roller coaster. You think you’ve got the colors lined up, and then Bam!—someone travels back to 1973 and resets the entire universe. It's a mess. A glorious, leather-clad, adamantium-clawed mess that spans over a quarter of a century.
Honestly, if you're looking for a simple 1-2-3 progression, you're in the wrong place. This franchise doesn't do "simple." It does retcons, alternate futures, and Ryan Reynolds making fun of himself in a different movie's timeline.
But here’s the thing: despite the headaches, these movies essentially built the blueprint for the modern superhero era. Before the MCU was even a glimmer in Kevin Feige’s eye, Hugh Jackman was already calling people "bub" and Patrick Stewart was making us believe a bald man in a wheelchair could be the most powerful person on Earth.
The Release Order: How We Actually Lived It
If you want to watch these the way we did back in the day, you start in the year 2000. It was a simpler time. Yellow spandex was a joke, and everyone wore black Matrix-style leather.
The original trilogy—X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and X-Men: The Last Stand—is a pretty straight shot. Well, until The Last Stand decided to kill off basically everyone, which forced the studio into a corner. They tried to pivot to solo stories with X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. That... didn't go great. It gave us a version of Deadpool with his mouth sewn shut. Yeah, we don't talk about that one much at parties.
Then came the "Soft Reboot" era. X-Men: First Class (2011) took us back to the 60s, introducing James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. It breathed new life into the thing. But then the producers realized they missed the old cast, so they made X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) to smash the two generations together.
This is where the list of x men movies gets spicy. Days of Future Past literally erased the bad movies from existence within the story. It was a genius move, really. If you don't like a plot point, just send Wolverine back in time to fix it.
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The Fox-Verse Final Stretch
After the timeline reset, we got a mixed bag. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) felt a bit like a Saturday morning cartoon with a huge CGI budget, while Dark Phoenix (2019) tried to redo the Jean Grey story and kind of fumbled the landing again.
But tucked in between those were the gems. Logan (2017) isn't even a "superhero movie" in the traditional sense; it’s a neo-Western. It’s brutal, sad, and perfect. And of course, the Deadpool movies (2016 and 2018) proved that R-rated comedies about guys in red suits could make a billion dollars.
Why the Chronological Order is a Trap
You’ll see a lot of guides telling you to watch the list of x men movies in "story order."
Don't do it.
If you start with First Class (set in 1962) and then jump to the 1979 sections of Origins: Wolverine, you’re going to be so confused by the internal contradictions that your brain might actually melt. For example, Emma Frost is a teenager in 1979 but a fully grown woman in 1962. It makes zero sense.
The only way to truly enjoy the chronology is to accept the "Multi-Timeline" theory.
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Timeline A (The Original):
- X-Men: First Class
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- X-Men
- X2
- X-Men: The Last Stand
- The Wolverine
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (The "Future" segments)
Timeline B (The Reset):
- X-Men: First Class
- X-Men: Days of Future Past (The 1973 segments)
- X-Men: Apocalypse
- Dark Phoenix
- Deadpool
- Deadpool 2
- The New Mutants
- Logan
And now, as of 2024 and 2026, we have the MCU Integration. Deadpool & Wolverine basically blew the doors off the whole thing by confirming that these characters exist in the "Void" and the Multiverse.
The MCU Era: What’s Happening Now?
It’s 2026, and the rumors are finally becoming reality. We’ve seen the cameos. We saw Beast in the post-credits of The Marvels. Patrick Stewart showed up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But the big one is Avengers: Doomsday.
The industry word right now is that Avengers: Doomsday is going to be the official "bridge" for the X-Men. We aren't just getting one or two mutants; we're getting a massive chunk of the Fox-era cast interacting with the main MCU. Sir Ian McKellen is reportedly back as Magneto, which is wild considering he’s in his 80s, but honestly, nobody else can do that role like him.
There’s also heavy talk about an X-Force movie being developed by Ryan Reynolds. It's separate from the "main" X-Men reboot that Kevin Feige is planning. Marvel is essentially running two tracks: the nostalgia track (bringing back the old actors for the Multiverse Saga) and the reboot track (casting a brand-new Cyclops, Storm, and Jean Grey for the post-2027 era).
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The "Doomsday" Factor
Why does Avengers: Doomsday matter for the list of x men movies? Because it’s the movie that finally "saves" them. For years, these characters were stuck in a licensing limbo. Now, they are being positioned as the anchors for the next decade of Marvel storytelling.
Rumor has it that James Marsden’s Cyclops might actually be one of the few Fox characters to survive the events of Doomsday and make it into Secret Wars in 2027. If that happens, the "list" effectively becomes infinite.
Practical Steps for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning a marathon, don’t try to be a completionist. Some of these movies are, quite frankly, skippable if you value your time.
Start with the "Core Experience":
- X-Men (2000): You have to see where it started.
- X2: X-Men United: Still one of the best sequels ever made.
- X-Men: First Class: The 60s aesthetic is unbeatable.
- X-Men: Days of Future Past: The "Rogue Cut" is better if you can find it.
- Logan: Keep the tissues handy.
- Deadpool & Wolverine: The perfect bridge into the current MCU.
Skip Dark Phoenix and Origins: Wolverine unless you’re a glutton for punishment or want to see what bad CGI claws look like.
The most important thing to remember is that the list of x men movies is about the themes, not the continuity. It’s about being an outsider. It’s about finding a family when the world hates you. Whether it’s 1962 or 2026, that part never changes.
Go watch Logan again. It’s better than you remember.
Next Steps:
- Check Disney+ for the "X-Men Legacy" section to find most of these in 4K.
- Look for the "Rogue Cut" of Days of Future Past specifically; it adds about 17 minutes of vital subplots.
- Keep an eye on the Avengers: Doomsday trailers dropping later this year to see which original cast members are officially confirmed.