The Best Order to Watch the X-Men Movies

The X-Men universe is slowly seeping into the MCU, making its project from the early 2000s the focus of attention for Marvel fans.

As mutants continue to pop up throughout the multiverse saga, the relevance of the X-Men movies is on the rise again, but for anyone looking to revisit the Fox flicks, there are a few possible viewing orders to choose from. The Fox Marvel Cinematic Universe contains thirteen different films, the oldest being 2000's The X-Men and the most recent being 2020's The New Mutants. The films cover the stories of many of the X-Men characters from the comics, including some focused on mostly fan favorites, Wolverine and Deadpool.

Thirteen X-Men films contain multiple time jumps, starting in 1944 and going back more than 80 years to 2029. The number of prequels and reboots this timeline includes makes it difficult to keep up with the continuity of Fox's X-Men films. The content of these movies is complicated in terms of time travel and different versions of characters appearing, but these movies do a great job of focusing on developing the entire X-Men universe. Here are two different ways to watch the X-Men movies based on release date order and movie schedule.

How To Watch X-Men Movies In Release Order

The order of release of these films is Once X-Men Origins: Wolverine came along, the timeline got a bit messed up. It's also often the case in larger franchises like the MCU, and the original trilogy of the Star Wars franchise took place after the prequels, despite appearing before them. The standalone films featuring Wolverine and Deadpool have ties to the X-Men universe as a whole, but their stories don't really continue the storylines of the ensemble films. Especially Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool movie, since his character doesn't appear in any other movies. However, Reynolds did appear in Wolverine's first solo movie as a much less comic-accurate variant of Deadpool, but the solo movie didn't follow that version of the character.

It is worth noting that following the first X-Men trilogy, the subsequent X-Men films kept most of the original characters, but placed more emphasis on their early years and the X-Men team. form on. They focus more on the past and how mutants came into this world. Hugh Jackman really shines in Days of Future Past, as does Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen's characters Magneto, but otherwise, most of the characters are portrayed by new actors or don't appear at all.

How To Watch X-Men Movies In Chronological Order

Following the franchise chronologically does offer a different viewing experience, as it starts with the early years and origins, and then continues into the massive battles between the mutant armies. The first half of the list shows the formation of the X-Men until their final stand in X-Men: The Last Stand. After that, it mostly focuses on the characters of Wolverine and Deadpool, and doesn't necessarily move forward with the entire team. Despite being in chronological order, the timeline of these films is still difficult to follow.

The New Mutants is the latest non-MCU Marvel movie of 2020, and it doesn't really affect the franchise's overall timeline. It focuses on its own story outside of the X-Men, much in the same way the two Deadpool movies have done in this universe. These three movies can be watched anytime without spoiling the rest.

The Best Viewing Order For X-Men Movies

Ultimately, it comes down to preference. Some people like to watch movie franchises in chronological order so that the storytelling flows smoothly. On the other hand, some people like to watch Movies in a particular universe, like Marvel, are based on release dates. A big part of watching movie franchises in release order is that the quality of the movies usually improves as the list goes on. Not necessarily plot or storytelling, but at least something to do with on-screen visuals in HD, color, etc. These 13 films came out over a 20-year period, and their visual identities have certainly improved over that time.

All X-Men movies are available on Disney+ except The New Mutants and the first two Wolverine movies, which are available on Amazon Prime Video and a few other streaming platforms. There's no right or wrong way to watch them again, it all comes down to preference. Maybe there's a different way to watch these movies that aren't based on release date or chronological order. Deadpool 3 is the next installment in the X-Men universe, but will be the first film in the franchise to officially be part of the MCU. With Hugh Jackman back in that movie, it might be a good idea to catch up on the X-Men timeline.