Which X-Men characters have made the most movie appearances? Now that Dark Phoenix serves as the final film of Fox's 19-year mutant franchise that has spanned 12 movies, it's time to see which of the X-Men have been most prominent throughout.
The original X-Men trilogy - X-Men, X2: X-Men United, and X-Men: The Last Stand - ran from 2000-2006. Following the Logan-centric spinoff X-Men Origins: Wolverine (the first of three solo films for Hugh Jackman's clawed hero, including The Wolverine and Logan), the X-Men continuity was rebooted by X-Men: First Class in 2011. This new series spanned four mainline X-Men movies, including X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, each set about a decade from each other. Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds launched the wildly successful spinoffs Deadpool and Deadpool 2. All throughout, nearly all of the X-Men have been played by more than one actor and, in most cases, two (or more) different versions appear across various timelines - which is certainly confusing!
Even with so many mutants spread across different, sprawling and contradictory timelines, the X-Men continuity is still remarkably sturdy, all things considered. However, there are a number of strange contradictions. For example, Emma Frost (January Jones) appears in X-Men: First Class, despite a completely different and younger Emma Frost appearing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine set 20 years later (this Emma was later retconned to no longer be Emma Frost). There's also the case of Trask: Bill Duke portrays Secretary Trask in X-Men: The Last Stand, but this is an entirely different character (who happens to have the same last name) from Boliver Trask, who was played by Peter Dinklage in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Having said that, here are the 33 X-Men characters who have appeared at least twice throughout the X-Men movies.
11 X-Men Movie Appearances
Professor X - Whether he's portrayed by Patrick Stewart or James McAvoy, Charles Xavier has fittingly appeared in the most X-Men movies. Xavier starred in every mainline X-Men film, and Stewart's Professor X also appeared in all three Wolverine spinoffs. Both the young and old incarnations of Professor X even came face-to-face in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but Stewart's old Xavier has died twice: in X-Men: The Last Stand and in Logan. Meanwhile, McAvoy's Professor X had a cameo in Deadpool 2.
9 X-Men Movie Appearances
Wolverine - Hugh Jackman's Logan has been in nearly every X-Men movie, counting his cameos in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse. Wolverine is the main character of the original X-Men trilogy and he's the only mutant to star in three spinoff films. While Logan has 9 official appearances, it actually becomes 10 if you count the footage from X-Men Origins: Wolverine in Deadpool 2's post-credits scene. (The number even rises to 11 to tie Professor X if you count the scene in Deadpool where Wade Wilson wears a mask of Logan's face.)
8 X-Men Movie Appearances
Magneto - Though he occasionally fights alongside the X-Men, Magneto is the undisputed top villain of the X-Men franchise, whether he's played by Ian McKellen or Michael Fassbender - and they both played Erik Lensherr in X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, because the older Magneto appeared in the end-credits scene of The Wolverine, McKellen edges out Fassbender 5/4 for appearances as Magneto.
Cyclops - The optic-blasting Scott Summers has been a key member of the X-Men, but he's actually been played by 3 different actors: James Marsden played Cyclops in the original X-Men trilogy and X-Men: Days of Future Past, Tye Sheridan played Scott in X-Men: Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix, and Deadpool 2, while Tim Pocock played a young Cyclops in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
7 X-Men Movie Appearances
Mystique - The mutant shapeshifter portrayed by Rebecca Romijn and Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most pivotal characters of the X-Men franchise, especially in the rebooted timeline. Interestingly, Romijn and Lawrence are tied for 4 appearances apiece because Mystique briefly took Romijn's form in X-Men: First Class.
Jean Grey - Played by Famke Janssen and Sophie Turner, Jean Grey has turned into the Dark Phoenix in two different movies, X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix, respectively. However, Janssen has played Jean in 5 X-Men movies - the original trilogy, The Wolverine, and X-Men: Days of Future Past - compared to Turner's two appearances.
Storm - One of the most powerful and prominent X-Men, Storm was played by both Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp. Berry made 4 appearances and her version eventually became Headmaster of Xavier's School in X-Men: The Last Stand. Shipp's younger incarnation of Storm began as a villain and one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) before she joined the X-Men. Shipp's Storm cameos in Deadpool 2 and stars in Dark Phoenix.
6 X-Men Movie Appearances
Beast - The older version of the furry, blue mutant genius was played by Kelsey Grammer in X-Men: The Last Stand and in a cameo at the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past. Meanwhile, Nicholas Hoult played Beast in all four films set in the X-Men: First Class timeline and in a Deadpool 2 cameo.
Colossus - The X-Man made of organic steel has been mostly wasted in his four mainline X-Men film appearances, where he was played by Donald McKinnon (in an X-Men cameo) and Daniel Cudmore. Thankfully, Deadpool and Deadpool 2 made Colossus (played by Stefan Kapicic) more comic-accurate and a major player.
Related: The Complete X-Men Movie Timeline Explained
4 X-Men Movie Appearances
Quicksilver - Played by Evan Peters, Peter Maximoff is Magneto's son (but he never revealed it to Erik Lensherr). Quicksilver debuted in X-Men: Days of Future Past, joined Xavier's squad in X-Men: Apocalypse, starred in Dark Phoenix, and cameoed in Deadpool 2.
Nightcrawler - Alan Cumming debuted as the blue BAMF Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men: United before ceding the role to Kodi Smit-McPhee, who played Kurt Wagner in X-Men: Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix, and a cameo in Deadpool 2.
Kitty Pryde - The young mutant who can phase through walls is a major X-Men character in X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past, where she was played by Ellen Page. Otherwise, Kitty cameoed in X-Men and X2: X-Men United where she was played by Sumela Kay and Katie Stuart, respectively. A girl who walks through a wall also appeared at the end of Dark Phoenix; this could be the fourth version of Kitty Pryde but that's unconfirmed.
Iceman - Shawn Ashmore portrayed the ice-powered mutant in all four of his appearances in the original X-Men trilogy and in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Rogue - Anna Paquin is the only actor to portray Rogue in her four appearances in the original X-Men trilogy and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Jubilee - The colorful young student at Xavier's School has been played by three different actresses; she cameos in the original X-Men trilogy and is played by Katrina Florece and Kea Wong. Jubilee gets a bigger role in X-Men: Apocalypse, where she's played by Lana Condor.
William Stryker - The villain who turned Logan into Weapon X was introduced in X2: X-Men United, played by Brian Cox. Danny Huston played a younger Stryker in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Josh Helman played him in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse.
Related: Dark Phoenix Improved On X-Men: The Last Stand (So Why Isn't It A Better Movie?)
3 X-Men Movie Appearances
Deadpool - Ryan Reynolds portrayed a version of Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine before he successfully rebooted the Merc With a Mouth as the star of Deadpool and Deadpool 2.
Pyro - After Alexander Burton played the flame-throwing mutant in X-Men, Aaron Stanford portrayed Pyro in X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand where he joined Magneto's Brotherhood.
Havok - Lucas Till played Alex Summers, the older brother of Cyclops and one of the original group of X-Men in X-Men: First Class. Havok returned in X-Men: Days of Future Past before he died in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Moira McTaggert - Olivia Williams played Moira in X-Men: The Last Stand before the character was rebooted as a CIA agent in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse, where she was played by Rose Byrne.
2 X-Men Movie Appearances
Psylocke - Olivia Munn portrayed the psychic ninja in X-Men: Apocalypse but a version of Psylocke with different powers also appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, where she was played by Mei Melancon.
Angel - The winged mutant debuted in X-Men: The Last Stand and was played by Ben Foster. In X-Men: Apocalypse's rebooted timeline, Angel became one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen and was played by Ben Hardy. The two versions of Warren Worthington III are not to be confused by the winged mutant named Angel played by Zoe Kravitz in X-Men: First Class.
Negasonic Teenage Warhead - The sullen young X-Men was memorably portrayed by Briana Hildebrand in Deadpool and Deadpool 2.
Juggernaut - Vinnie Jones portrayed the Juggernaut in X-Men: The Last Stand but the character returned as a more comics-accurate version in Deadpool 2, where he was played by David Leitch.
Sabretooth - Tyler Mane portrayed Sabretooth in X-Men before Victor Creed was reintroduced as Logan's half-brother in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, played by Liev Schreiber.
Toad - Ray Park played Toad in X-Men (where fans learned what happens to a Toad when he's struck by lightning) but the character reappeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past, where he was played by Evan Jonigkeit.
Blob - Kevin Durant played Blob in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but the obese mutant, now played by Giant Gustav Claude Ouimet, was briefly seen in X-Men: Apocalypse when he was carried out on a stretcher after losing a cage match to Angel.
Sentinels - The robotic mutant-killers first appeared in the Danger Room sequence in X-Men: The Last Stand but they were major antagonists in both the 1973 and 2023 timelines in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Vanessa - Morena Baccarin plays Vanessa, Wade Wilson's doomed love interest, in Deadpool and Deadpool 2.
Yukio - Rila Fukushima plays the mutant ninja in The Wolverine but Shiori Kutsuna plays a teenage version of the same character who is Negasonic Teenage Warhead's girlfriend in Deadpool 2.
Weasel - T.J. Wilson plays Wade Wilson's best friend who owns a bar frequented by mercenaries in Deadpool and Deadpool 2.
Blind Al - Leslie Uggams plays Blind Al, Wade Wilson's roommate, in Deadpool and Deadpool 2.
The Vanisher - Brad Pitt had a hilarious cameo as The Vanisher in Deadpool 2 but a different version of Vanisher also appeared as part of the Brotherhood in X-Men: The Last Stand.
