All 15 X-Men Movies Ranked

Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe wrapped up The Infinity Saga with “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (and Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox) in 2019, Marvel Studios has slowly started to introduce the X-Men into the MCU. Characters with mutant connections such as Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine have been popping up in the phases that followed. Plus, True Believers were able to return to the fan-favorite world of “X-Men: The Animated Series” thanks to “X-Men ’97” on Disney+. Now, after the initial casting announcement for the highly anticipated “Avengers: Doomsday,” the mutant presence is about to increase exponentially.

But before we enter a new era for the X-Men and a thriving cinematic future for mutantkind, let’s look back on the legacy that previous X-Men movies have left behind. Here is /Film’s ranking of X-Men movies that have been theatrically released so far.

Hugh Jackman has been playing Wolverine for the past 25 years. While you have to admire his commitment, it’s okay to admit that not all of Wolverine’s appearances were winners. For example, kicking off our ranking at the very bottom of our list is “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

Director Gavin Hood and writers David Benioff and Skip Woods are responsible for what is widely considered to be the weakest point of the X-franchise. While it was meant to explore the events that turned James Howlett into Wolverine, the prequel flattened the beloved character into a conduit for subpar action sequences and one-liners. It presented previously established details like Wolverine’s history with Sabretooth and their involvement with the Weapon X program, then filled in the space by shoehorning characters that were largely unnecessary (like Gambit and Blob).

On top of that, after fans had been anxiously awaiting Deadpool’s big screen debut, Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson is stripped of all his defining characteristics and turned into an superpowered henchman. Luckily, both Jackman and Reynolds were able to course correct in later films.

Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s Dark Phoenix Saga is an iconic comic book storyline, so any adaptation would have a lot to live up to. However, when Brett Ratner’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” premiered, no one could have predicted just how far from the mark it would land. Instead of making the Phoenix Force a cosmic entity, Jean Grey has possessed the god-like power the whole time. She just couldn’t access it due to Professor Xavier’s mental blocks. With those obstacles eliminated after her sacrifice in “X2,” Jean’s dark side was unleashed just in time to target those responsible for a new “mutant cure.”

In the end, many beloved characters were done so dirty. James Marsden and Rebecca Romijn’s roles as Cyclops and Mystique were unceremoniously cut short by executives. Rogue, Shadowcat, Colossus, and Angel suffered from a severe lack of screen time. Even Phoenix herself barely got enough spotlight in what was meant to be her movie. At least we were introduced to Kelsey Grammer’s Beast. But the less we say about Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut, the better.

After “X-Men: Days of Future Past” altered the timeline and erased the events of “X-Men: The Last Stand,” series veteran Simon Kinberg was allowed to take another stab at the Dark Phoenix storyline thanks to “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” This time, he would be doing it as the writer and director in charge of the younger X-Men team led by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender’s Professor X and Magneto. But despite being a slightly more faithful adaptation of Claremont and Byrne’s work, the first-time director still couldn’t successfully tell this story on the big screen.

The biggest issue with this movie is that it really tries to squeeze far too much plot and character development into only 114 minutes (and it almost had Skrulls on top of that). Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey barely had enough screen time in “X-Men: Apocalypse” for the audience to really connect to her. Considering that there are decades of stories to draw from, it would have made more sense to see more adventures with Jean, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, and Storm before circling back to this one. Instead, the team rushed into production shortly after its predecessor premiered and produced one of the more forgettable Fox Marvel movies.

While Bryan Singer worked wonders on other X-projects, “X-Men: Apocalypse” was a hollow shell of a movie compared to his previous work. Just like the prior entries on this list, this film tried really hard to pack in as much plot as possible. Though it was relatively more successful at doing so, the story being told wasn’t exactly a memorable one, despite featuring one of the most fearsome comic book villains of all time.

Award-winning actor Oscar Isaac plays the titular villain, an all-powerful mutant from Ancient Egypt who remerges in the present to recreate the world in his image. However, the script doesn’t actually give Isaac much to do. He’s severely underutilized to the point that the role could have basically been played by anyone in the costume without much difference. Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Nightcrawler have just as little to do, even though they’re meant to carry the torch of the franchise from this point forward. 

With leads Jennifer Lawrence and Michael Fassbender merely going through the motions as much as their director, the result is a mid-tier summer blockbuster that’s largely forgettable as soon as the credits roll. Had “Apocalypse” been given to a younger, hungrier filmmaker, it might have lived up to the scale the story called for.

Listen, if kids want to see a superhero movie, there’s a good chance that they’re going to see it no matter what the rating is. Half the time, if there’s a character with a cape or a mask on the movie poster, parents will just blindly buy the tickets without asking questions. But in an effort to make things a little easier for a subsection of their audience, Fox decided to release a PG-13 version of theatrically R-rated “Deadpool 2” in late 2018 under the moniker “Once Upon A Deadpool.”

Aside from a framing device paying homage to “The Princess Bride” (complete with Fred Savage), this version of the Merc With A Mouth’s second feature film is just recut to meet the lower ratings’ parameters. The bit would be amusing as a home release or streaming extra, but it doesn’t necessarily warrant paying for another night at the theater. Although, at the end of the day, it’s still “Deadpool 2,” so it’s generally a good time.

Wade Wilson’s second solo cinematic outing is all about friendship. Not only do we finally get the live-action debut of his comic book bestie Cable (portrayed by “Avengers: Endgame” star Josh Brolin), we’re introduced to their X-Force teammates, including Zazie Beetz as Domino, Rob Delaney as Peter, and (this shockingly is not a joke) Brad Pitt as Vanisher. However, this sequel is hardly a traditional buddy movie. Cable and Deadpool are actually at odds for most of this film. But as we witness punches and pop culture references being thrown around with equal frequency and vigor in all its R-rated glory, the real “Deadpool 2” is the friends Wade makes along the way.

“Deadpool 2” delivers more outlandish, meta humor and more exciting superhero action. However, what it doesn’t give us is nearly enough time with Cable and Deadpool being friends. Hopefully this can be remedied in the future as Reynolds and Brolin have some great chemistry together.

Just like “Deadpool” before it, “The New Mutants” was meant to take X-Men fans to a completely new corner of their cinematic universe. “The Fault In Our Stars” filmmaker Josh Boone channeled John Hughes, Stephen King, and Wes Craven to deliver an adaptation of Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod’s landmark X-book with a heavier lean on the horror elements than Marvel movies had previously explored. Boone certainly followed through by creating an interesting amalgamation of “The Breakfast Club” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” with an astonishing cast that includes Anya-Taylor Joy, Maisie Williams, and Charlie Heaton, but it never fully comes together.

Based on the MCU’s direction on the road to “Avengers: Secret Wars,” it seems unlikely that we’ll see any of Sam Guthrie, Illyana Rasputin, Bobby da Costa, Rahne Sinclair, or Dani Moonstar any time soon. But hopefully these awesome characters can be revisited at some point in the future, because this movie was quite ambitious, especially when factoring in all the delays it faced from its inception in 2015 to its release in 2020.

While we may still crave the possibilities that would have come with Darren Aronofsky’s version of the film, bringing James Mangold on board to helm “The Wolverine” was an excellent move for the X-franchise. The filmmaker was definitely interested in exploring the inner turmoil of Hugh Jackman’s Logan, so by pulling the curtain back on the character’s history in Japan, it cleared the way for him to deliver what is arguably one of the best superhero movies, let alone X-Men or Marvel movies made up until this point. But we’ll get there later.

Based on the seminal work of Chris Claremont and Frank Miller from 1982, the production design, the costumes, and the action sequences beautifully showcase the Japanese culture and flawlessly incorporate them into the themes of legacy and duty to one’s family, both found and blood. The film accomplishes this by reuniting Wolverine with a Japanese soldier that he saved during the bombing of Nagasaki during World War II. But when the titular hero finds his healing factor on the fritz in the Land of the Rising Sun, he has to battle samurai warriors as he continues to fight the guilt inside himself due to Jean Grey’s death at his own hands.

Many people are critical of the third act’s CGI-heavy climax as being typical comic book movie fare. Although, considering that Mangold, Jackman, and company deliver both an entertaining comic book movie and an intimate examination of poignant themes without sacrificing substance for style, it feels much more than your run of the mill superhero offerings.

When people say “fan service,” it often sounds like a negative thing. But wouldn’t you want to serve the fans who have loyally stuck by you through thick and thin? While some may label “Deadpool & Wolverine” as an overabundance of fan service, others could say that it’s an epic, long-awaited crossover featuring two of the most popular X-Men characters ever that also serves as a love letter to the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel movies. But above all, it’s just a really fun superhero team-up, especially if you’ve been following these films for the past 25 years.

In the first official X-Men movie of the MCU, Wade Wilson finally joins forces with Logan after many years of joking about it. But it’s no joke when a rogue TVA agent aims to eliminate Deadpool’s world from the multiverse. So to save his universe from extinction, he and this Wolverine variant travel from Earth-10005 to The Void to The Sacred Timeline to save the day while battling forces from many different universes and their own crippling regret from their pasts. Not only do Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds absolutely shine in their roles, but Emma Corrin, Channing Tatum, and the returning alumni from past Marvel movies all contributed to making Shawn Levy’s R-rated multiversal romp a bona fide blockbuster.

2000’s “X-Men” was truly a game changer. This film proved that superhero movies didn’t have to be hokey, cartoony, or solely aimed at a younger audience. Comic book stories could be adapted with the same gravitas and respect as the other popular movies of the time. And although it took the franchise some additional time to fully embrace the source material (particularly the costumes), this first step proved that the modern audience was ready for a grittier, more realistic portrayal of these beloved characters.

Not only did Bryan Singer’s seminal movie set the bar for the House of Ideas’ live-action productions for decades to come, but it firmly introduced the world to Hugh Jackman as big time star and elevated the more established cast members with some iconic roles. After the success of “X-Men,” the floodgates were truly opened for a whole new trend in entertainment (for better or worse, depending on who you ask).

Remember when “X-Men” didn’t fully embrace all aspects of the comic book medium? Well, by the time “Deadpool” came out, that hesitation was fully out the window. After years of developing this project on the down low, star Ryan Reynolds, director Tim Miller, and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick delivered one of the most faithful adaptations of a comic book character to ever exist. The crude, raunchy humor. The self-referential fourth-wall breaking. The unrelenting graphic violence. But also the beating heart at the center of it all. 

Everything that makes Deadpool who he is was carried over during the transition from the pages of his Marvel Comics to the big screen for this highly anticipated spinoff. Though “Deadpool” might get written off by some detractors as simply silly, vulgar chaos, the film stands out as one of the best X-Men movies thanks to a tight story, excellent performances, and top-tier action. At the end of the day, fans of the Merc With A Mouth appreciate the reverence given to such an irreverent character. 

The team behind “X-Men: Days of Future Past” had quite the tall order to fill with this project. Inspired by the legendary “Uncanny X-Men” storyline, this film unites the original X-Men movies with the rebooted franchise that kicked off with “X-Men: First Class.” But with Bryan Singer back at the helm of the franchise with a story developed by Simon Kinberg, Jane Goldman, and Matthew Vaughn, as well as many members of both star-studded casts returning, the team managed to pull things off.

In a way, they really pulled it off twice. On top of the theatrical version that saw Jackman’s Wolverine travel from a bleak dystopian future to the 1970s to change the history of the world, Fox also debuted an alternate version of the film dubbed “The Rogue Cut” for the home release. This version expanded the role of Anna Paquin’s Rogue, gave Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen’s Charles and Erik an interesting side quest, and created a more devastating sacrifice from Shawn Ashmore’s Iceman. But no matter which version you pop on, you’re sure to be enamored by the time travel antics, the high-stakes battles, and the marriage of these previously separate timelines.

During their theatrical debut in 2000, despite kicking a fair amount of ass, The X-Men looked much sleeker and futuristic than their comic book counterparts. When Fox was looking to reboot the franchise in 2011, Matthew Vaughn brought a brightness to the characters that not only resembled the classic source material more closely, but also the new 1960s aesthetic that brought about much younger versions of characters that we’ve come to know and love like Professor X, Magneto, Beast, and Mystique played by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, and Jennifer Lawrence.

This new approach reinvigorated the franchise, which had become quite stale after the releases of “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Now with a deeper understanding of Charles and Erik’s motivations and relationship, as well as a whole new energy powering what was essentially a sinking ship of a film series, the franchise was powered up to launch into the future where exciting new possibilities were awaiting these beloved characters.

With “Deadpool” entering the zeitgeist and succeeding a year prior, audiences were primed and ready for another R-rated X-Men movie when “Logan” came out in 2017. Not only did True Believers get an uncaged Wolverine that didn’t pull punches or curse words, but the audience was gifted with arguably one of the best superhero movies ever made.

In James Mangold’s follow-up to “The Wolverine,” we find an older, more haggard Logan who has been ravaged by the many years of his existence. While he’s attempting to care for an elderly and extremely ill Charles Xavier in a world that no longer holds space for them, the duo crosses paths with a young mutant that shares many traits with the wayward ronin.

A bittersweet sendoff for two of the most cherished characters of the franchise, “Logan” evokes visceral emotions as the filmmaker uses strokes from the noir, superhero, and action genres to paint a stunning picture of hope and resilience in the face of insurmountable odds. Truly an outstanding film on so many levels.

After “X-Men” set the bar so high, “X2: X-Men United” raised it once again as the sequel was free to explore the classic themes of the series, particularly the acceptance and empathy towards outsiders. Whether it’s the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, or any other marginalized group, a wide variety of people can find solace in the House of Ideas’ mutants. Bryan Singer’s second outing with the X-franchise showed just how radical prejudice and persecution could drive opposition to the extreme.

“X2” delivers a timeless message that remains as relevant today as it was when the film was released and when the X-Men were introduced in 1963. Somewhat surprisingly (since many didn’t acknowledge the legitimacy of comic books at the time), it was delivered by super-powered individuals wearing matching costumes in a summer blockbuster. It also helped that the stellar returning cast was joined by incredible newcomers to the series including Alan Cumming as teleporter Nightcrawler and Brian Cox as the nefarious Colonel William Stryker. 

Created with cutting-edge special effects, impressive action sequences, and one hell of a cliffhanger ending, this film became the benchmark for X-Men/comic book movie excellence for years.