Summary
In the team’s live-action history, eight different versions of theX-Menteam have been featured, some of which have been immensely powerful compared to others. While Marvel Studios is expected to completely revamp the X-Men in theMCU, there have already been many incarnations of the mutant superhero team in live-action.20th Century Fox’s two-decade-longX-Menfranchise, now revealed to have been taking place on Earth-10005, introduced eight different X-Men line-ups, featuring the likes of Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Wolverine and many more.
Fox’sX-Menfranchise comprised 13 feature films released between 2000 and 2020, most of which introduced new heroes to the titular superhero team.Originally built of only five heroes in 2000’sX-Men, the team’s line-up reached its peak in 2014’sX-Men: Days of Future Past, with six other variations in between. Not all of these line-ups were as effective and powerful as others, however, but Fox’s mistakes present Marvel Studios with the opportunity to introduce the most formidable and faithful version of theX-Men team in the MCU.
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8Deadpool’s X-Men Duo Was All They Could Afford
Deadpool (2016) & Deadpool 2 (2018)
Fox’sDeadpoolfranchisewas always kept separate from the main continuity of theX-Menmovies, though it did take place in the same universe. This allowed Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson to make many jokes about the X-Men team, and enabled a few members of the team to appear inDeadpooland its 2018 sequel. However, as Deadpool repeatedly joked about,it seems the smaller budgets of theDeadpoolmovies only allowed two members of the X-Men to consistently appear: Stefan Kapičić’s Colossus and Brianna Hildebrand’s Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
Wade Wilson opted to build his own team inDeadpool 2in lieu of the X-Men, but X-Force’s superhero career was cut short due to high winds.
Shioli Kutsuna’s Yukio joined them inDeadpool 2, butthe fact that the X-Men only comprised two or three heroes in theDeadpoolfranchise makes this the weakest version of the team by default. This line-up lacked the incredible powers of mutants such as Professor X, Jean Grey and Storm, but still managed to effectively bring down Ajax, Juggernaut and the evil Headmaster of Essex House. The largerX-Men team does have a funny cameo inDeadpool 2, but choose to avoid spending time with new X-Men trainee Deadpool.
7X-Men: The Last Stand’s Team Lost Three Powerful Mutants
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
While a number of the younger mutants from previous films were promoted to official X-Men in 2006’sX-Men: The Last Stand,the fact that three of the most powerful mutants on Earth were removed from the team made them significantly weaker. The original X-Men team from 2000’sX-Menwas strengthened by the inclusion of Rogue, Iceman, Kitty Pryde and Colossus. Even so, losingJean Grey to the Dark Phoenix, and having Professor X and Cyclops be killed by Jean, meant thatThe Last Stand’sX-Men paled in comparison to other iterations.
6 Reasons Why X-Men: The Last Stand Isn’t As Bad As People Say It Is (& 4 Reasons It Is)
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This version of the X-Men team also didn’t get enough of a chance to show off their individual abilities, asX-Men: The Last Standonly saw them come together for an action-packed but hard-to-follow final battle. Rogue had her powers removed by the “cure,” while Angel was barely seen, despite his crucial role inThe Last Stand’scure storyline.Wolverine, Storm and Beast were definitely the stars of the show here, but they weren’t enough to makeX-Men: The Last Stand’sline-up of any great significance.
6Dark Phoenix’s X-Men Team Was Strong, But Divided
Dark Phoenix (2019)
2019’sDark Phoenixis considered to be one of theweakest links in theX-Menfranchise, which has been attributed to the difficult production taking place during the period of Disney acquiring Fox. Most of the principal cast ofFirst Class, Days of Future PastandApocalypsereturned forDark Phoenix, contributing to a pretty strong iteration of the X-Men team. However,the lack of care shown to the team, unnecessary deaths and division among the team meant that this was one of the weaker line-ups seen in the franchise.
The surprising death of Mystique at the hands of Jean Grey took her out of commission fairly early, and Quicksilver’s injury meant that he also couldn’t contribute toDark Phoenix’sfinal battle. Mystique’s death also divided the team, as Beast approachedMichael Fassbender’s Magnetoin hopes of taking down Jean Grey.This was yet another failed attempt at adapting Marvel Comics' epicDark Phoenix Saga, though Jean Grey did eventually show off her powers by eliminating the D’Bari with the help of the combined X-Men team, though this was too little, too late.
5Professor X & Magneto Teamed Up In X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class (2011)
After the end of the originalX-Mentrilogy and the disappointing performance of 2009’sX-Men Origins: Wolverine, which didn’t feature an X-Men team, Fox usedX-Men: First Classas a prequel and soft-reboot, introducing the X-Men team of the 1960s.First Classrevealed thatthe very first X-Men team had been built by the young Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr before they became enemies, and the team-up of these two powerful mutants made this team very strong indeed. Alongside them were some less-powerful, but still impressive, heroes.
Rose Byrne’s Moira MacTaggert also helped the original X-Men team inFirst Class, despite being a simple human.
X-Men: First Class’team lacked the sheer power of heroes such as Jean Grey, Storm and Wolverine, but still introduced some exciting mutants. Beast’s genius aided the team’s technological innovations, Mystique’s shape-changing powers came in handy, and the likes of Banshee and Havok proved themselves worthy in battle. Of course,Professor X and Magnetowere the stand-outs, however, and it seemed as though they, alone, could have brought down Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw and the Hellfire Club.
4X-Men Introduced The First Live-Action Mutant Superhero Team
X-Men (2000)
Although depicting the smallest version of theX-Men team in Fox’s franchise, 2000’sX-Menintroduced one of the most powerful versions of the group, though these mutants had little idea just how powerful they could be. Led by Professor X, Jean Grey, Storm, Cyclops and Wolverine banded together to stop Magneto’s attack on government officials gathering on Ellis Island, and save Rogue.X-Menincluded some incredibly cringe-worthy moments for the titular team, but they all had the chance to show off their remarkable gifts.
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Wolverine proved pivotal in destroying Magneto’s machine, with Cyclops' help, of course. Jean Grey helped Wolverine complete this mission, too, and proved her strength when redirecting Cyclops' laser beam. Storm absolutely destroyed the Statue of Liberty gift shop with her weather-manipulating powers, and easily took out Toad in one of theX-Menfranchise’s most memorable and quotable moments.The intimacy of this line-up meant that everyone had their time to shine, which some of Fox’s later movies lacked.
3X2: X-Men United Added Nightcrawler To The Roster
X2: X-Men United (2003)
X2: X-Men Unitedmarked the return of the original team from 2000’sX-Men, but included the addition ofAlan Cumming’s Nightcrawler. This increased the team’s power somewhat, though Nightcrawler had a comparatively small role in the 2003 sequel.The biggest power upgrade for this X-Men team was the brief inclusion of Magneto and Mystique, who sided with the X-Menon their mission to infiltrate the base at Alkali Lake and take down William Styker. This team was as successful as they were in 2000, but demonstrated their abilities much more effectively.
Magneto has sided with the X-Men several times in Marvel Comics, mostly when it suits him, but has more recently been depicted as an avid hero and steadfast leader of the X-Men team, as he was inX-Men ‘97.
The X-Men were simply given more to do inX2: X-Men United, which is widely considered to be a far stronger movie than its predecessor. Jean Grey and Storm form a close bond with Nightcrawler, while Wolverine saves the children in Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters during Stryker’s invasion. Nightcrawler and Storm are pivotal in ending Jason’s onslaught on Professor X’s mind, while Wolverine takes on Lady Deathstrike in an epic battle. The most wasted member of this team is Cyclops, as he only engages in battle with his own team after being mind-controlled.
2X-Men: Apocalypse’s Team Took Down One Of Marvel’s Strongest Villains
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
While 2016’sX-Men: Apocalypseis considered to be one of the weaker projects in Fox’sX-Menfranchise,the movie did introduce an incredibly powerful line-up of X-Men. This marked the debut for the younger iterations of Jean Grey, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and Storm, who proved pivotal in bringing down Oscar Isaac’s powerful but not-comic-accurateEn Sabah Nur, a.k.a. Apocalypse. While Professor X was taken out of commission for most of the movie, the returning Mystique, Quicksilver and Beast made this X-Men team very effective.
Magneto, after being enhanced by En Sabah Nur, also sided with the X-Men team inX-Men:Apocalypse’sfinal moments. The team’s final attack on the ancient villain was spectacular, with Magneto, Cyclops and Storm bombarding Apocalypse with their respective abilities, but it was Jean Grey who dealt the final punch.Unleashing her Phoenix powers, Jean Grey cemented herself as one of the most significant and substantial heroes in the X-Men team, though this teased her evolution into a villain in 2019’sDark Phoenix.
1The Future’s X-Men Team In Days Of Future Past Was The Biggest Line-Up Yet
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
X-Men: Days of Future Pastis usually referred to as the strongest installment in Fox’sX-Mentimeline, and it’s no wonder, as the X-Men line-up in the movie is remarkable and expansive.Days of Future Past’sfuture-set scenes take place in 2023, and introduce the likes of Bishop, Warpath, Blink and Sunspot as members of the X-Men alongside the combined forces of Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine and many more.2023’s X-Men team is, by far, the most powerful ever depicted in live-action, especially given Kitty Pryde’s new time-travel abilities.
Some of 20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise movies didn’t include an X-Men team, includingX-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, LoganandThe New Mutants, though these projects did feature other mutant teams, including Team X and the eponymous New Mutants.
In the past-set scenes taking place in 1973, the X-Men is disbanded, but somewhat reformed thanks to Wolverine’s persistence. The beloved clawed mutant teamed up with Charles Xavier, Beast, Quicksilver and Magneto to track down Mystique and save the world, which ultimately allowed the original X-Men team from 2000 to be reintroduced, dead members returned safe and sound.X-Men: Days of Future Pastwas at the height of Fox’sX-Menfranchise, and the sheer strength and determination of itsX-Menteam embodied this completely.
Booboo Stewart
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
