The X-Men Film Universe in Chronological Order
The X-Men film series stands as a convoluted, magnificent achievement in superhero cinema. Spanning 24 years, two distinct timelines, and multiple reboots, it tracks the ideological war between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr across nearly a century. This guide navigates the "Fox Universe" (Earth-10005) from the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis through the revised timeline created by time travel, culminating in the multiversal crossover of 2024.
Note: The timeline was "soft rebooted" in 2014, meaning events in films set after 1973 diverge into two separate realities.
Era I: Origins and The Divergence (1962–1992)
The prequel films that established the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. This era serves as the foundation for both the "Original" and "Revised" timelines.
1. X-Men: First Class
Set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film reveals the origin of the "X-Men" name and the paralysis of Charles Xavier. It introduces the Hellfire Club, led by Sebastian Shaw, who manipulates nations toward nuclear war. The climax sees Magneto kill Shaw and embrace his helmet (which blocks telepathy), officially creating the ideological split between the X-Men and the Brotherhood.
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
The fulcrum of the entire franchise. In a dystopian 2023 where Sentinels have exterminated mutants, Kitty Pryde sends Wolverine's consciousness back to 1973 to stop Mystique from assassinating Bolivar Trask. This assassination is the key event that originally authorized the Sentinel program. By stopping it, Wolverine erases the "Original Trilogy" timeline (X-Men, X2, The Last Stand) and creates a new, hopeful future.
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
A look at Logan's life before the X-Men, covering his time in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and Vietnam alongside his half-brother Victor Creed (Sabretooth). The core plot details his time in "Team X" under William Stryker and the painful procedure that bonded adamantium to his skeleton. It culminates in a fight against "Weapon XI" — a butchered, mute version of Deadpool.
4. X-Men: Apocalypse
Set in the new timeline created by Days of Future Past. The ancient mutant En Sabah Nur awakens and recruits Four Horsemen (including Magneto) to cleanse the earth. The film re-introduces younger versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler. It features a pivotal scene where a feral Wolverine escapes the Weapon X facility, gifted a small memory restoration by Jean Grey.
5. X-Men: Dark Phoenix
The final chapter of the prequel quadrilogy. During a space rescue mission, Jean Grey absorbs a massive cosmic entity. The power corrupts her, leading to the accidental death of Mystique and a fracture within the X-Men. The film ends with Xavier retiring and the school being renamed the "Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters."
Era II: The Original Trilogy (Early 2000s)
These films take place in the original timeline that was eventually erased/overwritten by the time travel in Days of Future Past.
6. X-Men
The introduction of mutants to the wider public. Rogue runs away from home after nearly killing her boyfriend with her power absorption abilities and meets Logan. They are taken in by the X-Men, who are fighting Magneto's plan to use a machine on the Statue of Liberty to forcibly mutate world leaders.
7. X2: X-Men United
Widely considered the peak of the original trilogy. Colonel William Stryker attacks the X-Mansion to kidnap students and use Xavier's powers (via a duplicate Cerebro) to telepathically kill all mutants. The X-Men and Brotherhood form a temporary alliance. Jean Grey seemingly sacrifices herself at Alkali Lake to stop a massive flood.
8. X-Men: The Last Stand
The darkest chapter of the original timeline. A "mutant cure" is developed, sparking a war. Jean Grey returns as the Dark Phoenix, killing Cyclops and Professor Xavier. The film ends with Wolverine being forced to kill Jean to save the world, a trauma that haunts him for years.
Era III: The Modern Era & The End (2013–2029)
The films that deal with the aftermath of the timeline reset, the solo adventures, and the final conclusion of the Fox Universe.
9. The Wolverine
Set years after The Last Stand, Logan lives as a hermit in the Yukon, hallucinating Jean Grey. He travels to Japan to say goodbye to a dying soldier he saved in WWII, only to be stripped of his healing factor and hunted by Yakuza. He regains his spirit but loses his adamantium claws (regrowing his bone ones).
10. Deadpool
Wade Wilson, a mercenary diagnosed with cancer, undergoes a rogue experiment to cure himself, leaving him disfigured but immortal. He hunts down Ajax, the man responsible. The film ignores the "Weapon XI" version from Origins entirely.
11. Deadpool 2
Deadpool forms the X-Force to protect a young mutant, Russell, from Cable, a time-traveling soldier from the future. Cable's future is different from the Days of Future Past Sentinel future, indicating the timeline has indeed shifted. Key plot involves the use of a Time Travel device.
12. The New Mutants
Five young mutants are held in a psychiatric hospital that is revealed to be a facility run by the Essex Corporation. They must face their fears (manifested by the Demon Bear) to escape. It's a contained horror story that highlights the corporate exploitation of mutants.
13. Logan
The tragic finale. In 2029, no new mutants have been born for 25 years due to genetically modified food. The X-Men are dead, killed by a seizure-induced telepathic blast from an aged Charles Xavier in Westchester. Logan, dying of adamantium poisoning, makes one last run to save his clone daughter, Laura (X-23). He dies protecting her, marking the end of the Wolverine.
14. Deadpool & Wolverine
Six years after Deadpool 2, Wade Wilson is detained by the Time Variance Authority (TVA). He learns that his universe (Earth-10005) is decaying because its "Anchor Being" (Logan) died in 2029. To save his world, Deadpool travels the multiverse to find a replacement Wolverine. He teams up with a "failed" variant of Logan to stop Cassandra Nova in the Void.
Multiverse Incursions: X-Men in the MCU
Following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, classic X-Men actors began appearing in Marvel Cinematic Universe projects via the multiverse.
WandaVision
Evan Peters, who played Quicksilver (Peter Maximoff) in the Fox prequel films, appears at Wanda Maximoff's door claiming to be her lost brother Pietro. While initially seeming like a massive multiverse crossover, it is later revealed he is a resident of Westview named Ralph Bohner under a spell, serving as a meta-commentary on the audience's expectations.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange visits Earth-838, where he stands trial before the Illuminati. The group is led by Professor Charles Xavier, played once again by Patrick Stewart. This version utilizes the classic yellow hoverchair from *X-Men: The Animated Series* and quotes dialogue from *Days of Future Past* before being killed by the Scarlet Witch.
The Marvels
In the post-credits scene, Monica Rambeau wakes up in a parallel universe where her mother, Maria, is the hero Binary. She is treated by none other than Dr. Hank McCoy (Beast), voiced and played by Kelsey Grammer in his classic blue fur form from *X-Men: The Last Stand*, confirming the X-Men are active in this reality.
