X-Men Film Series in Release Order
The X-Men film series began with 20th Century Fox and spans 13 theatrically released films from 2000 to 2020. The original trilogy directed by Bryan Singer started with X-Men in 2000, followed by X2: X-Men United in 2003 and X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. The prequel trilogy included X-Men: First Class in 2011, X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014, X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix in 2019. The Wolverine solo series comprised X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, The Wolverine in 2013, and Logan in 2017, with Deadpool in 2016 and Deadpool 2 in 2018 completing the Fox X-Men library. According to box office data, the franchise grossed over $6 billion worldwide across these films. The complete list of X-Men movies in order by release date is now fully cataloged as the series transitions to Marvel Studios under the Disney acquisition completed in 2019. More details on the franchise history are available at Forbes.
Marvel Studios has confirmed the X-Men integration into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the multiverse saga providing the narrative bridge. The first MCU X-Men film is currently in development, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige overseeing the project. The transition means future X-Men movies will be produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The financial terms of the Disney-Fox deal valued 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets at approximately $71.3 billion. This acquisition gave Marvel Studios full control of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool properties. The strategic move allows Marvel to integrate mutant characters into the existing MCU timeline, with Deadpool already confirmed to join the MCU in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars films. Information on the MCU integration plans is detailed at SEC filings.
X-Men Movies in Chronological Story Order
For viewers seeking the list of X-Men movies in order by in-universe timeline, the chronological sequence starts with X-Men: First Class set in 1962, followed by X-Men: Days of Future Past which jumps between 1973 and 2023. X-Men: Apocalypse takes place in 1983, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix is set in 1992. The original trilogy films X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand occur in the early 2000s within the Fox timeline. The Wolverine films are set across multiple decades, with X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 1979, The Wolverine in 1979 and 2000s Japan, and Logan in 2029. Deadpool is set in 2016 and Deadpool 2 in 2018 within the Fox universe. The chronological viewing order places the prequels first, followed by the original trilogy, the Wolverine films, and the Deadpool entries last, providing a cohesive narrative experience from the emergence of mutants to the dystopian future.
The chronological order reveals key narrative connections between the films, particularly the time travel mechanics