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Ranking All X-Men Movies From Worst to Best

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Ignacio Weil

TV Shows & Movies - August 20th 2024, 11:30 GMT+2

14. The New Mutants (2020)

If you feel like The New Mutants isn't an X-Men movie, you're not alone. In fact, it's a terrible horror production that had the X-Men label slapped on it at the last second. It's a shame, considering that mixing superheroes with horror is a novel idea that could have worked. Beyond that, Anya Taylor-Joy does a good job as Magik, and it would be great to see her return in that role. | © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

13. X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

It's a shame that the "new" X-Men trilogy held so much promise, but as often happens with trilogies, the final installment is not only the worst movie of the saga, but one of the worst in the entire franchise... wait, is this the fourth movie? Well, if the rule holds true for the third, imagine for the fourth. It's a disaster where plot holes are filled with lots of explosions. A real shame that they fell so low... | © 20th Century Fox

Apoclaypse — 12. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Now, let's talk about the third one. The truth is that this film gave us one of the most iconic scenes in the superhero genre, with Quicksilver saving all his fellow mutants from the explosion at the mansion, combining slow motion with his super speed. However, the scene outshines the movie itself, which is filled with forgettable villains and a plot that focuses on a simple "end of the world" scenario, when X-Men can be so much more than that. | © 20th Century Fox

Wolverine 2 — 11. The Wolverine (2013)

The Wolverine saga has the worst possible titles, and it's often impossible to keep track, but at least they're separate stories, so it doesn't really matter. And maybe that's for the best, because you wouldn't want to taint other films with this mess that starts off very promising, with a great villain, but by the time you're done watching it, you realize it was all for nothing. It's so unmemorable that I had to watch it again just to write about it... and I still don't remember it. | © 20th Century Fox

Wolverine 1 — 10. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Although the previous entry on the list is more coherent and commits fewer "sins," X-Men Origins: Wolverine is so terrible that it actually becomes entertaining. We get to see the origin of one of the franchise's most beloved characters and his strange relationship of hatred and familiarity with his brother. But what they did to the character of Deadpool... thank goodness we live in a timeline where he was erased from this saga. | © 20th Century Fox

9. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

Of the original trilogy, the third is the weakest, but not a bad movie by any means. As always, the duo of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart will save any film in this saga, and although it has its somewhat ridiculous moments, they also feel like part of the 2000s era. The film delivers a rather raw ending for many of our favorite mutants that we had come to love in their previous movies. | © 20th Century Fox

8. X: First Class (2011)

I think X: First Class has many flaws, and one could argue that it’s not a good movie (watching young mutants hang out and party will always be cringe). However, it was tough to bring us a good Magneto after Ian McKellen crushed it in the previous saga, but Michael Fassbender does an excellent job portraying a young version of the villain, and Kevin Bacon works well as a middle-ground villain between Magneto and Charles Xavier. | © 20th Century Fox

X men — 7. X-Men (2000)

We have to pay tribute to the very first one, the original that introduced us not only to Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart as Magneto and Professor X, respectively, but also to Hugh Jackman in a role he wouldn’t abandon until today (and still represents brilliantly). Not only that, but it also helped revive interest in the superhero genre, creating two decades (and now heading into a third) of dozens of movies. Although the plot is a bit clunky and simple as an entry point to the franchise for all audiences, it still holds a value that is very much of its time. | © 20th Century Fox

6. X2 (2003)

But if I have to be honest, I think the best and most memorable of the original trilogy has to be the second movie. Not only does it feature that brilliant opening scene with Nightcrawler fighting against the Secret Service agents, but it also gives us a deeper backstory for Logan, showing his origins and a complicated relationship with Stryker, his creator. | © 20th Century Fox

5. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

But to be honest, out of these "trilogies," I think the most conceptually interesting one has to be *X-Men: Days of Future Past*, where we get a glimpse into the future, a terrifying and dystopian one for our heroes, bringing together actors from both trilogies and uniting them in a single movie. Although it might have been too ambitious, and there’s a lot of content that could have been cut, having Wolverine as the protagonist and connection between the two timelines makes the journey more enjoyable, and we definitely give it full marks for being the most original idea in an X-Men movie without resorting to allegories about racism in a social context, but rather in a political one. | © 20th Century Fox

4. Deadpool 2 (2018)

Did you forget that the Deadpool movies count as part of the X-Men franchise? And although the worst of the trilogy is the second one, it's still a very fun movie, with meta-jokes that work well for fans of both cinema (like the inclusion of Brad Pitt) and comics (like the inclusion of Black Cassidy). Plus, it managed to incorporate an emotional storyline with Cable that, while it may not work perfectly, adds a bit more depth to the film. | © Marvel Entertainment

Deadpool 1 — 3. Deadpool (2016)

It seems like the first Deadpool movie was born out of an idea to revive an X-Men franchise that was failing terribly with its new trilogy, setting aside serious themes and simply having some fun. We can even make fun of some past mistakes (like the inclusion of Deadpool in the Wolverine movie), why not? Deadpool was enough to make a beloved comic book character transcend into a beloved global icon. | © Marvel Entertainment

Deadpool Wolverine — 2. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

If you haven't seen the latest Deadpool movie yet, go watch it because you'll love it whether you're a fan of Marvel, just X-Men, or just Deadpool. The third installment, known as Deadpool & Wolverine, brings together two legendary actors from the franchise in a single film packed with references, forgotten characters, jokes, and action to keep you entertained for the rest of the summer. | © Marvel Entertainment

1. Logan (2017)

But the number 1 has to be something different from the good times Deadpool has given us or the social themes of the past trilogies, and it's the wonder that is the *Logan* movie. It's rare for a superhero movie to aim to be more art than entertainment, and even rarer for it to succeed. This timeline is devastating for our beloved mutants, showing all that’s left of an old and tired Logan, giving us just subtle hints of the fate of the most well-known characters. Truly, it’s a worthy and surprisingly emotional ending, even if you’re not a superhero fan. | © Marvel Entertainment

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Within the hundreds of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is a separate sub-franchise that has captured the attention of a different kind of fans, and that is X-Men. Unlike other Marvel superheroes, these characters are born with a genetic mutation, so saving the world (or becoming a villain) is a decision imposed upon them.

This has led to films with a social commentary on feeling alienated from the rest of humanity and making the right decisions even when the world is against you. That's why we decided to take a look at all the X-Men movies and rank them from worst to best. Can you guess which one is number 1?