Avengers: Doomsday (2026) is set to be a massive next step for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, bringing back Captain America, Thor, and the classic X-Men for a new adventure. Given the scope of The Avengers films and Doomsday’s position as one of the two concluding chapters of the current MCU multiversal phase, it seems likely that the returning X-Men characters (like Cyclops, Professor X, and Magneto) are set for one final adventure on the biggest stage possible.
With Avengers: Doomsday coming down the pipeline and the X-Men poised to play a major role, now is the time to revisit the X-Men film series. While the Fox franchise had some real ups and downs over the years (the less said about X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), the better), the highlights of the franchise seem to be having a major impact on the next entry in the MCU. Here are the most important X-Men movies to revisit ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, which can all be found on Disney+.
X-Men (2000)
The cinematic introduction of Marvel’s merry mutants, X-Men is the best place to start with the heroes. Taking some big liberties with the source material, but retaining a lot of the narrative core that has always helped make the franchise stand out from other superhero franchises. While it has some of the dated qualities that can also be found in Blade (1998) and Spider-Man (2002), it also has the same sense of charm that pervades those movies.
X-Men really cements its central themes of survival against a world that hates and fears them. The best strength of the film can be found in its casting. While veterans of the stage and screen like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen lend the film a natural gravitas, it also establishes Hugh Jackman, James Marsden, and Oscar-winning Anna Paquin as key figures within the superhero genre and the series as a whole.
X2: X-Men United (2003)
The success of X-Men set up a direct sequel just a few years later, with X2: X-Men United escalating the action and drama in some key ways. By retaining the moral complexities of sympathetic villains like Magneto but introducing other threats like Brian Cox’s Col. Stryker, X2 finds the right balance between the movie franchise’s focus on Wolverine and the growing cast of X-Men. Fan favorites like Alan Cumming’s tragic take on Nightcrawler and Aaron Stanford’s surprisingly compelling Pyro helped lend the film a greater sense of moral depth.
A strong sequel that continued this era’s solid streak of superhero follow-ups like Blade 2 (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004), X2 took everything that worked about the first film and amplified it in the best of ways, standing shoulders above the subsequent sequel, X3: The Last Stand (2006). That core thematic arc will likely be at play in any subsequent X-Men stories, especially if they take a starring role in Avengers: Doomsday.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
A prequel to the original trilogy, X-Men: First Class uses the period setting to great effect to deliver one of the most charming entries in the X-Men series. Shifting to the early days of Magneto and Professor Xavier’s relationship, First Class tweaks and ret-cons a lot of the established lore of the previous films.
With the X-Men-centric teaser for Avengers: Doomsday incorporating a lot of focus on Xavier and Magneto amid a game of chess and reflecting on their morality, First Class is likely one of the most important movies to check out beforehand. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender might not be returning as Xavier and Magneto, but the importance of that dynamic seems to have an impact on how the two older men confront the potential end of all things in the next Avengers film.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The movie that truly bridges the original X-Men movies with the First Class prequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past takes a time-hopping approach to the X-Men. With the future seemingly doomed by the mistakes of Mystique in years prior, Wolverine is sent back to the days of First Class to try and prevent the eradication of the mutant race.
With the Multiverse Saga incorporating dimension-hopping elements, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the tension inherent to Days of Future Past have an impact on how the mutants are presented in the MCU’s next big epic. However, time travel works differently in this film than how the MCU established it in Avengers: Endgame (2019), which could create a greater difference between the two universes.
Logan (2017)
A tragic and fitting finale for the Wolverine sub-series of the X-Men cinematic franchise, Logan is one of the best possible endings for any superhero series. Taking place in a dark future where the X-Men have largely died off and even Wolverine’s healing factor is weakening, Hugh Jackman’s take on the character gets a proper send-off by trying to rescue a young clone of himself that is quickly dubbed Laura.
Since this variant of Wolverine doesn’t survive the end of his film (and gets the kind of farewell that only some characters like Christian Bale’s Batman got in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises), the sense of closure inherent to the story makes it an interesting parallel to how Avengers: Doomsday seems to be setting up fitting thematic conclusions for the heroes. Given the teaser’s hints of a bittersweet finale for the classic X-Men, Logan might be the most thematically important entry in the series.
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
The most overt comedy in the franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine does a great job of establishing the X-Men’s place in the current MCU multiverse ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. The sequel to Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018) escalates the stakes by putting Wade Wilson’s entire reality at risk, forcing the Merc with a Mouth to hop realities in a desperate bid to find a Wolverine who can help save the day.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the best example yet of how the X-Men’s classic sense of tragedy can fit into the MCU’s multiversal stakes, which makes it a key film to check out before Avengers: Doomsday and its upcoming inclusion of the X-Men. It’s even possible that the film’s apparent grim vision of an ending for the X-Men could tie into how Deadpool & Wolverine established a tragic possible ending for the heroes.
Honorable Mention: The Marvels (2023)
Likely the least necessary of the X-Men-related movies to check out ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, The Marvels’ post-credits scene could be the key to bridging the mutant heroes to the larger MCU. The Marvels brought together three heroes—Captain Marvel, Spectrum, and Ms. Marvel—for a universe-spanning adventure that is best when it lets its charming leads bounce off one another in comedic beats, dramatic moments, and action set pieces.
The post-credits scene sends Spectrum into another reality after her heroic sacrifice, which is a world where the X-Men are major heroes instead of The Avengers. This could be one of the key ways that Avengers: Doomsday connects the universes, laying the groundwork for established MCU heroes to fight alongside a version of the X-Men.
