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The X-Men Movies in Order

By the Bingerun team · How we choose the order →

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The Fox/20th Century X-Men saga runs 13 films from X-Men (2000) to The New Mutants (2020). Release order is the safe watch; chronological order is the deep-dive. But Days of Future Past splits the timeline, so any in-universe ordering is approximate.

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  1. X-Men 2000

    The one that launched the modern superhero era; sets the Xavier vs. Magneto core.

  2. X2: X-Men United 2003

    Direct sequel; widely rated the high point of the original trilogy.

  3. X-Men: The Last Stand 2006

    Closes the original trilogy; later partly undone by the Days of Future Past fork.

  4. X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2009

    Wolverine standalone prequel covering his backstory and Weapon X.

  5. X-Men: First Class 2011

    Soft reboot set in 1962; recasts young Xavier and Magneto.

  6. The Wolverine 2013

    Logan-in-Japan solo film set after The Last Stand.

  7. X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014

    The timeline fork, splits past (1973) and future (2023) casts and rewrites history.

  8. X-Men: Apocalypse 2016

    Young-cast sequel set in 1983 in the rewritten timeline.

  9. Deadpool 2016

    R-rated spin-off; loosely tied to the series, watchable by release.

  10. Logan 2017

    Near-future (2029) Wolverine finale; standalone, elegiac tone.

  11. Deadpool 2 2018

    R-rated comedy sequel; adds Cable and X-Force.

  12. Dark Phoenix 2019

    Final main-series entry; young cast, set in 1992.

  13. The New Mutants 2020

    Horror-tinged spin-off and the last Fox X-Men film released.

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Why this order?

For most people, release order is the right way in. The series was built that way: each film assumes you've seen the ones before it, callbacks and casting gags land in sequence, and the tonal jumps (gritty 2000 origin, swashbuckling First Class, R-rated Deadpool) make sense as the franchise evolved. Start with X-Men (2000) and go straight down the release calendar and you'll never be confused. Chronological order is the deep-dive, and it's genuinely tangled. The prequels reboot the cast in the past (First Class lands in 1962, Days of Future Past in 1973, Apocalypse in 1983, Dark Phoenix in 1992) while the original trilogy and The Wolverine sit in the early-2000s "present." The two Wolverine solo films and Deadpool float around the edges, and Logan jumps all the way to 2029. The big asterisk is Days of Future Past. Its whole plot is Wolverine being sent back to 1973 to rewrite history, which erases the future depicted in X-Men, X2, and The Last Stand and forks the series into a new timeline. So no chronological list is "correct": the originals happen in a future that the prequels undo. Treat the chronological order below as one reasonable reading of the in-universe setting years, not canon law. Practical takeaway: watch by release for a clean first run, then revisit chronologically if you want to untangle the timeline. Deadpool and Deadpool 2 are loosely connected R-rated comedies you can slot in by release without spoiling the main saga, and Logan works as a near-future capstone either way. If you landed here after Deadpool & Wolverine, note that it's an MCU film (part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not this Fox X-Men series), so it isn't on the list below.

Two 2026 reasons this saga is suddenly homework again. Avengers: Doomsday (December 18, 2026) brings the original film cast back, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer and Channing Tatum's Gambit, so the Fox films are about to matter to the MCU's biggest event; the original trilogy plus Days of Future Past is the efficient prep path. And on the animated side, X-Men '97 season 2 is airing weekly on Disney+ right now through its August 12 finale, continuing the 1992 Animated Series directly.

Timeline 2000-2020

Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.

  1. 2000 X-Men
  2. 2003 X2: X-Men United
  3. 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand
  4. 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine
  5. 2011 X-Men: First Class
  6. 2013 The Wolverine
  7. 2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past
  8. 2016 X-Men: ApocalypseDeadpool
  9. 2017 Logan
  10. 2018 Deadpool 2
  11. 2019 Dark Phoenix
  12. 2020 The New Mutants

Where to play it today

Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for X-Men (20th Century Fox film series).

Cameos & crossovers

Characters from X-Men (20th Century Fox film series) who also show up elsewhere. see the full character atlas →

Frequently asked questions

How many X-Men movies are there?

In the Fox/20th Century series there are 13 films, from X-Men (2000) through The New Mutants (2020). That count includes the two Deadpool movies and the Wolverine and New Mutants spin-offs. It does not include Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which is a Marvel Studios/MCU film.

What order should I watch the X-Men movies in?

For a first watch, use release order: X-Men (2000), X2, The Last Stand, Origins: Wolverine, First Class, The Wolverine, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse, Deadpool, Logan, Deadpool 2, Dark Phoenix, New Mutants. It's the simplest and avoids timeline confusion.

Why is the X-Men timeline so confusing?

The prequels (First Class onward) recast the team in the past, and Days of Future Past sends Wolverine back to 1973 to rewrite history. That erases the future shown in the original trilogy and forks the series into a new timeline, so no single chronological order is fully canon.

Where does Logan fit in the timeline?

Logan is set in 2029, the furthest-future point in the series, and works as a standalone near-future capstone. It's deliberately disconnected from the rewritten prequel timeline, so it sits at the end of most chronological orderings.

Are the Deadpool movies part of the X-Men series?

The first two Deadpool films (2016, 2018) are R-rated Fox spin-offs loosely connected to the X-Men world: they reference the team and feature mutant characters. You can watch them by release date without affecting the main saga. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) is a separate MCU film, not part of the Fox series.

Do I need to watch the X-Men movies before Avengers: Doomsday?

Increasingly yes: Doomsday (December 18, 2026) brings back the original film cast, including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, Kelsey Grammer and Channing Tatum's Gambit. The efficient prep path is the original trilogy plus Days of Future Past, with Deadpool & Wolverine for the handoff.

Do I need to watch X-Men: The Animated Series before X-Men '97?

Ideally yes: X-Men '97 is a direct continuation of the 1992 Animated Series, picking up after its finale. Season 2 is airing weekly on Disney+ through August 12, 2026. It is watchable cold thanks to recaps, but the payoffs are built on the old show.

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