While Fox's X-Men movies are clearly inspired by the comics, they exist in their own universe and aren't a continuation of stories from the comics. So, they have their own timeline.
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Admittedly, this movie timeline is pretty inconsistent due to many casting changes and narrative choices. Yet, all of the movies do technically take place in the same universe, so it is possible to watch them in some form of chronological order. However, if you've not already seen the films, figuring out that order is tricky since it's very different from the release order. So, here it is all laid out.
X-Men: First Class
First Class is the earliest film in the X-Men movie timeline. Outside of a 1940s flashback, it's set in 1962.
So, the likes of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, are still fairly young men. They haven't even formed their respective groups yet. In fact, it's sort of an origin story for both characters and factions. The villains of the tale are the Hellfire Club, led by Sebastian Shaw. Their goal is to start a new World War and have mutants take over.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Days of Future Past has an awkward fit in the timeline since it takes place in two different time periods. In a messed-up version of 2023, mutants are being systematically eliminated. This stems from an incident that occurred in 1973. Therefore, Charles Xavier sends Wolverine back in time to change history.
As a result, most of the film occurs in 1973, where Wolverine meets the younger versions of the X-Men, primarily Charles Xavier. So, the movie works as a crossover of the two eras of X-Men movies.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Wolverine clearly gets special treatment, as not only does he get his own collection of Funko Pops, but he also gets his own films. The first part of this one is set before most of the other movies. It flashes back to Logan's formative years and shows his participation in various wars.
Most of the movie, though, follows his life after the wars and after his time in the Black Ops mutant outfit known as Team X. It's 1979, and he's living peacefully with his girlfriend. Things go south quickly, though, and he ends up on a violent revenge mission.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Most of X-Men: Apocalypse takes place in 1983, but the titular villain is certainly from long before that. He is an ancient mutant who has been revived and intends to rule over the modern world.
Naturally, the X-Men are the ones tasked with attempting to stop him. Magneto also finds himself involved in the conflict, as always. Despite Wolverine's origin story having already taken place, he is not yet part of the X-Men team in this movie.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
This is the last movie of the X-Men reboot era in both release and chronological order. It's an attempt at re-telling the famous Dark Phoenix story from the comics. As such, Jean Grey takes center stage as she battles her mental illness and increased psychic powers, which were brought on by a cosmic force.
In the process, she becomes a very dangerous individual, and as a result, she becomes a target of various groups. Almost all of this story takes place in 1992.
X-Men
While it serves as close to a mid-way point of the X-Men movie timeline, X-Men was the first film in the series. As such, it wasn't created with the prequels in mind, so it doesn't really follow on from them.
Instead, it tells the tale of Wolverine and Rogue meeting Charles Xavier and visiting his mutant school. Elsewhere, Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants devise a plan to turn all humans into mutants. These events occur in the early 2000s.
X2
X2 doesn't take place too long after the previous X-Men movie. However, the situation is very different in this one. After all, the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants are actually on the same side this time.
This is because they're dealing with Colonel Stryker, a known mutant-hater and generally bad guy. His goal is to eliminate all mutants. So, the two usually warring factions have to come together for their own survival. It's one of the most beloved movies in the series and likely one of the reasons why manufacturers have released so many fantastic X-Men action figures over the years.
X-Men: The Last Stand
No movie proves how odd the X-Men movie timeline is than The Last Stand. After all, it's another re-telling of the Dark Phonix saga. This time, Famke Janssen's version of Jean Grey is transformed into Phoenix and becomes very dangerous for everyone.
That isn't the only problematic thing going on, though. A cure for mutants is also being developed, and Magneto wants to stop it, as he believes it could be weaponized. So, he rallies the Brotherhood of Mutants.
The Wolverine
The first Wolverine solo movie takes place before the events of the original trilogy, while the second one takes place after. In fact, this film follows on from The Last Stand and is set in around 2013.
The story follows the titular hero as he attempts to get over the events of The Last Stand, particularly what happened to Jean Grey. He lives as a hermit until he's invited to Japan to meet with a man he crossed paths with years ago.
Deadpool
Deadpool isn't quite a fully-fledged X-Men movie, but it is set in the same universe and includes a few members of the X-Men team. The film revolves around the wise-cracking titular anti-hero.
He goes on a revenge mission to take out the man who gave him his mutant abilities and physically disfigured him, too. Along the way, Deadpool meets the likes of Colossus and a moody X-Men trainee. It seems to take place in 2016.
Deadpool 2
The second Deadpool movie takes place two years after the first. In this one, the time-traveling soldier known as Cable comes back in time to eliminate a young mutant, Russell. Russell is also a fugitive, so his circ*mstances aren't great.
Yet, he has a chance at survival due to Deadpool. The anti-hero forms his own team, known as the X-Force, in an effort to help the kid. Once again, the movie features a few X-Men characters, including Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus. The X-Mansion also makes an appearance.
The New Mutants
It's easy to forget that The New Mutants movie exists, as it went a bit under the radar upon release and didn't get the greatest reviews. Its place in the timeline is pretty tricky to decipher. It definitely takes place after Deadpool and before Logan.
The events seem to take place sometime in the mid-2020s. The said events revolve around a collection of young mutants who are being kept in a hospital. This isn't the nicest of hospitals, though. In fact, the mutants are more prisoners than patients.
Logan
Logan serves as the end point of the X-Men movie timeline, as it's set in 2029. At this point, the world is very different, as not many mutants remain, and none have been born in many years.
An aging Wolverine and a very ill Charles Xavier are two of the few who are left. Yet, during the movie, they meet a young mutant who is being hunted. So, being the heroes they are, they swear to protect her with whatever they have left.
Where To Watch The X-Men Movies
The easiest way to watch all the X-Men movies is through Disney Plus, as they're all on the service.
Alternatively, you can purchase some of the movies through Amazon Prime Video or buy some of them on YouTube. However, if you prefer physical media, there are still plenty of DVDs and Blu-rays available to buy at the likes of Amazon and other retailers.
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