This article contains references to prejudice, discrimination, and genocide
Marvel and MCU fans have been patiently waiting for the day when the X-Men are back on the big screen, ever since Kevin Feige first teased them post-Avengers: Endgame. While they will still have to wait patiently before they are given any news of whether they will appear yet, at least fans can find some solace in knowing that Avengers: Secret Wars will be released November 7th, 2025.
It might not be life-changing news, but at least it gives some fans something to look forward to. However, while everyone waits, then maybe they might take comfort in knowing that there are still many beloved X-Men movies and tv shows to enjoy (and available to watch now). From Fox’s X-Men franchise to the fantastic animated shows, these projects are where the X-Men as a whole shine the best according to IMDb reviews.
X-Men: Apocalypse - 6.9
Available To Stream On Disney+
The X-Men franchise has a strange space in the scope of superhero movies. Some are considered to be in the upper echelon of the genre while others, like Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants, are generally reviled. Unfortunately, X-Men: Apocalypse is often considered to be more on the lower side, earning a 6.9. Regardless of the lower rank, there are still some great things to appreciate about X-Men: Apocalypse.
Many of the performances were rightfully praised, especially Michael Fassbender’s as Magneto, but the film was overloaded with convoluted action and a lackluster villain in Apocalypse (thankfully Oscar Isaac struck gold as a different Marvel character with Moon Knight). It is best remembered for the arrival of Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, which could still translate into the MCU.
Marvel Anime: X-Men - 7.1
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Animation has always been a fantastic way to showcase the true capabilities of superheroes, loosening the rules of reality that can sometimes limit live-action programs. Specifically, Japanese anime is a perfect fit for these characters, and in 2011 the X-Men got their own season of Marvel Anime. Other characters who got their own season are Wolverine, Iron Man, and Blade.
Earning a 7.1, the styling works well in showing the heroes’ full scope of powers and the bloody violence they face as heroes. Marvel Anime: X-Men features the classic team of Professor X, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Beast, but they are also joined by lesser-known hero Armor (who, interestingly enough, served as inspiration for Kamala Khan’s updated powerset in Ms. Marvel).
Astonishing X-Men - 7.2
Available To Buy On Amazon
One interesting subset of the plethora of Marvel animated series is their motion comics. They take the panels and images directly from the comics and give them movement and sound. It’s a format that can be off-putting to some viewers based on reviews throughout IMDb, yet if that’s not a hurdle there are many exciting options available to experience, including Astonishing X-Men.
The miniseries was released in 2009 and adapts the “Gifted” storyline from the Astonishing X-Men comics, which also served as inspiration for X-Men: The Last Stand. It entails the X-Men being confronted with the notion of a mutant cure, with some seeing it as a welcome escape from the torture their mutations inflict while others view it as a form of racial and cultural extermination. When the X-Men do arrive in the MCU, this is a story element that could surely find a place there, especially since Ms. Marvel laid a significant foundation for stigmas against powered people.
X-Men - 7.3
Available To Stream On Disney+
It’s only a slight over-exaggeration to say that 2000s X-Men changed the course of Marvel entertainment. Of course, it launched Fox’s X-Men franchise, which spanned still to 2022 with the return of Patrick Stewart as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. On top of that, it played a significant role in priming audiences for the rise of the MCU and the dominance of superhero films.
DC Comic excelled in this department for years with Superman and Batman years earlier, but Marvel hadn’t had such success on the live-action front until X-Men. This film and what it wrought, are still so prevalent in the collective mind of Marvel fans that it’s hard to see any other possibility for Wolverine in the MCU (other than Hugh Jackman).
X2: X-Men United - 7.4
Available To Stream On Disney+
It’s a difficult feat for a sequel to top its predecessor especially if the first film created an incredibly high hurdle to overcome. Nevertheless, X2: X-Men United has seemingly exceeded X-Men. The film was praised for its impressive action sequences and the emotional storyline as it presents a plot of mutants against humans.
The film is remembered well for the introduction of Beast and Nightcrawler – and while Alan Cumming only appeared in this one film, X2: X-Men United is still one of his best – along with Iceman taking on a larger role. The story explored some elements of Wolverine’s past through the main antagonist, William Stryker, and it also sets the stage for the franchise’s first destructive attempt at adapting the Dark Phoenix saga.
X-Men: First Class - 7.7
Available To Stream On Disney+
X-Men: First Class was released after Fox decided to effectively reboot the franchise due the consecutive negative response to X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which turned out to be the right decision). It was able to emulate the early days of the X-Men in the comics, setting the film in the 1960s, while still keeping the characters modern and updated.
They found great fits for the younger versions of the main cast with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as Professor X and Magneto, respectively. Overall, X-Men: First Class helped reinvigorate interest in the X-Men films, though some of what it set up didn’t pan out with much of the cast getting killed off-screen before the next movie.
X-Men: Evolution - 7.8
Available To Stream On Disney+
Most of the X-Men animated series are all among the very best for Marvel overall, including X-Men: Evolution. This was the first show to follow X-Men: The Animated Series, debuting on Kid’s WB in 2000. In fact, with four seasons, it is one of the longest-running Marvel shows. To give a fresh perspective, X-Men: Evolution poses most of the X-Men as high schoolers.
Interestingly, the classic roster, including Jean Grey, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Kitty Pryde are joined by an original character, Spyke. In later seasons, the team expands exponentially to also include Iceman, Magma, Jubilee, and more. X-Men: Evolution is also important for the creation of Laura Kinney (aka X-23), who would eventually make her live-action debut in Logan.
X-Men: Days of Future Past - 7.9
Available To Stream On Disney+
In order to help condense the confounding timeline and many conflicting plot points after X-Men: First Class, Fox chose to reset to a new continuity with X-Men: Days of Future Past. It is best remembered for uniting the casts from both the original trilogy and X-Men: First Class as Wolverine from a dystopian future has his consciousness sent back in time to stop it all from happening.
The film received instant praise and recognition, and was considered to be one of the best films in the franchise at the time (remaining as such for a few years until Deadpool and Logan). It is still considered the best X-Men movie overall and rightfully so for its fantastic action, performances, and especially the scene of Quicksilver running.
Wolverine and the X-Men - 8.0
Available To Stream Disney+
Television has been where the X-Men have continually dominated (hence the high raking for Wolverine and the X-Men). This is the third major animated series and though it only ran for a single season in 2009, it certainly made a memorable impression on viewers, earning a solid 8 on IMDb. Unlike other shows, Wolverine and the X-Men finds the team at an unexpected moment – an explosion destroyed their headquarters, and both Professor X and Jean Grey have seemingly disappeared.
It follows the team as they try to regroup and deal with their falling out with Emma Frost joining the new team, Magneto leading the nation of Genosha, and Professor X trapped in a dystopian future. It could’ve run for longer, teasing an adaptation of the “Age of Apocalypse” storyline, but that was halted by Disney’s purchase of Marvel, thus putting X-Men’s rights in question.
X-Men: The Animated Series - 8.5
Available To Stream Disney+
Even after nearly three decades since its conclusion, X-Men: The Animated Series is still the highest-ranking X-Men project and Marvel animated series. It is iconic for its catchy theme song, which is now being used in the MCU as a theme for mutants. Thankfully, there is going more great shows joining X-Men ’97 on Disney+ soon (which could hopefully introduce other prominent characters like Kitty Pryde or X-23).
It shows a perfect formula for a superhero tv show in adapting all sorts of different storylines and arcs from the comics over the course of a few episodes – rather than overcomplicating things by mixing or stretching out the storylines. At this point, only X-Men ’97 could attempt to unseat X-Men: The Animated Series.