1X-Men (2000)
20th Century StudiosThis is the first major motion picture that introduced the X-Men as we know them to film audiences: Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Ian McKellan as Magneto and Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier. The film mostly follows Wolverine and Rogue as they join up with the X-Men for the first time and get pulled into a conflict between Magneto and Professor X.
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2X2: X-Men United (2003)
20th Century StudiosThe series goes deeper into Wolverine's backstory when the X-Men go up against a villain, Colonel William Stryker, who's crossed paths with Wolverine in the past. Most of the original cast returns, along with the addition of some new team members, like Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler.
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3X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
20th Century Studios 4X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
20th Century StudiosIf X2 left any lingering questions about how Wolverine became the mutant that he is, this movie removes all doubt. It tells his whole story, going all the way back to 1845. (And man, he looks good for being 164 years old.)
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5X-Men: First Class (2011)
20th Century StudiosThis is where we have our first big shift in personnel: Since this one is mostly set in the '60s, younger actors had to be cast for roles like Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Professor X (James McAvoy) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). It goes back to the founding of the X-Men, and the fledgling friendship between Magneto and Professor X that goes awry. This one is not on Disney+ yet, so Disney fans have to stream it elsewhere.
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6The Wolverine (2013)
20th Century StudiosMiss Hugh Jackman during First Class? Well, he's back! This time, he goes off on a mostly solo adventure in Japan. It's directed by James Mangold, known for introspective movies like 3:10 to Yuma. This one has bounced on and off the Disney+ service, but it's not available there right now.
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7X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
20th Century Studios 8Deadpool (2016)
20th Century StudiosDeadpool makes an appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but don't expect him to pal around with Wolverine or Professor X. Instead, actor Ryan Reynolds spun his character off into its own series, which is simultaneously more joke-filled and much more R-rated. This one is not on Disney+, and probably won't be because of its adult-oriented material.
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9X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
20th Century Studios 10Logan (2017)
20th Century StudiosAnd from the past to the future again, with Logan as an older man caring for Professor X, who's nearing the end of his life. But, with such strong mental powers, Charles Xavier's decline is actually pretty dangerous. Things get more complicated when a young girl who has nearly the same powers as Wolverine shows up and needs to be escorted to safety. Also directed by Mangold, this one is sadder and bleaker than the others, which may be why it's not on Disney+.
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11Deadpool 2 (2018)
20th Century StudiosIf you think Deadpool has toned it down between Deadpool and Deadpool 2 — he didn't. This time, he teams up with Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead to fight a time-traveling Cable. A PG-13 version of the film came out under the title Once Upon a Deadpool, but it's mostly the same film with the naughtiest bits removed.
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12Dark Phoenix (2019)
20th Century StudiosThis is the second time the X-Men series have taken a stab at the popular "Dark Phoenix" storyline from the comics — it's also covered in X3. In both cases, Jean Grey's powers become amplified until she has a hard time controlling them, and doesn't feel so inclined to use them for good. This title is not available on Disney+ right now, but it will be returning to the service in September 2021.
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13The New Mutants (2020)
20th Century StudiosThis was a first attempt to start telling new stories in the X-Men universe without using the characters that have been in the mix since the year 2000. (Now that Disney has acquired 20th Century Fox, this plan may be scrapped entirely.) It follows five mutants who are waylaid in a hospital until they can get a better grip on their mutant powers — which gets complicated when some supernatural beings start attacking them one-by-one, horror-movie style. This one is taking a spin on HBO Max before going to Disney+.
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14And a Possible Chronological Order
20th Century StudiosPutting the X-Men movies in chronological order is tricky, because some of the movies hop around in time. X-Men: Days of Future Past, for example, mostly takes place in the '70s, which means it should go towards the beginning — but also has some scenes set in the future, so maybe it should go last? Not to mention that some of the events of Days of Future Past affect the timelines of the other movies. So there's arguments to be made for other orders, but this is one way to do a chronological series.
- X-Men: First Class
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
- X-Men
- X2
- X-Men: The Last Stand
- The Wolverine
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
- X-Men: Apocalypse
- Dark Phoenix
- Deadpool
- Deadpool 2
- The New Mutants
- Logan

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
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