GameTimeline

Watch order

X-Men watch order

Fox’s X-Men theatrical films from X-Men (2000) through Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)—US release order on one tab, a practical chronology on the other. Days of Future Past soft-reboots continuity; TV shows are optional.

Updated August 2026

Release order

When each X-Men film opened in US theaters—from X-Men (2000) through Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). This is the path that matches how Fox shipped jokes, casting changes, and the DOFP reboot.

  • Recommended first path → Release tab start to finish
  • Chronology-curious → Story tab, then reread FAQ on DOFP
  • Wolverine focus → Origins (optional) → The Wolverine → Logan
  • Deadpool lane → Deadpool → Deadpool 2 → Deadpool & Wolverine
Story order tips

A practical chronological pass (First Class → DOFP → … → Logan → Deadpool & Wolverine). Fox continuity is messy on purpose—FAQ covers dual timelines and what to safe to skip.

  • Earliest → First Class (1962)
  • Reboot hinge → Days of Future Past (1973 past)
  • Revised 80s/90s → Apocalypse then Dark Phoenix
  • Finale flavors → Logan (~2029) then Deadpool & Wolverine (multiverse)

Timeline

When each season premiered in the US. Expand a row for dates and where it fits in your watch order.

Release order

  1. X-Men

    X-Men

    TheatricalStreamingOriginal trilogyLive-action

    Logan joins Xavier’s team as Magneto’s Brotherhood and a mutant-registration fight collide—the film that made modern X-Men feel political and cool. Practical suits and a sober tone launched Fox’s two-decade mutant slate.

    Overview
    Bryan Singer’s grounded ensemble established Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Cyclops, and Jean Grey for a generation. Practical suits, political allegory, and a sober tone set Fox’s mutant house style for two decades of theatrical films—and still reads as the franchise’s public on-ramp.
    Related games
    No MCU prerequisite and no required series. TV like The Gifted is optional. Sibling watch-order pages: MCU movies, Spider-Man movies.
    Where it fits
    Start of the Release tab. On Story, it sits in the early-2000s original-trilogy block after the revised-timeline 1960s–90s films.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release July 14, 2000 (20th Century Fox).
  2. X2

    X2

    TheatricalStreamingOriginal trilogyLive-action

    William Stryker turns government fear into a direct assault on Xavier’s school while Magneto’s schemes escalate. Often called the strongest pure sequel in the original trilogy for stakes and character work.

    Overview
    Often ranked the peak of the original trilogy—tighter stakes, richer Mystique and Magneto politics, and deeper Wolverine/Stryker mythology. The White House raid and school assault still define Fox X-action for many fans.
    Related games
    No series required. Stryker threads echo into Origins: Wolverine—treat that prequel as soft canon after Days of Future Past rewrites the board.
    Where it fits
    Watch after X-Men (2000). Same trilogy position on Story once you reach the early-2000s block.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release May 2, 2003.
  3. X-Men: The Last Stand

    X-Men: The Last Stand

    TheatricalStreamingOriginal trilogyLive-action

    A “cure” divides mutants while Jean’s Phoenix power detonates the original trilogy’s endgame. Messy, spectacular, and later softened by Days of Future Past’s timeline rewrite.

    Overview
    Brett Ratner closes the first trilogy with cure politics, Phoenix spectacle, and controversial character exits. Later films treat some outcomes as timeline-mutable once Days of Future Past soft-reboots continuity for the revised path.
    Related games
    Dark Phoenix later retells a Phoenix crisis in the revised timeline—FAQ covers living with both without forcing one “true” cut.
    Where it fits
    Trilogy closer on Release. Story still parks it as the original-present finale before The Wolverine.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release May 26, 2006.
  4. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

    X-Men Origins: Wolverine

    TheatricalStreamingWolverineLive-action

    Hugh Jackman’s Logan traces Weapon X, brotherhood with Victor, and Stryker’s experiments—a prequel packed with cameos and continuity landmines. Fun character color; fragile hard-canon after DOFP.

    Overview
    A Wolverine-centric prequel that fills Weapon X and Stryker lore but conflicts with later continuity resets. Useful as Hugh Jackman character color; shaky as hard canon after the DOFP soft reboot clears space for First Class casting.
    Related games
    The Wolverine and Logan continue Jackman’s Logan with very different tones. Origins’ Deadpool depiction is superseded by Reynolds’ R-rated films.
    Where it fits
    Release order after Last Stand. Story often slots ~1979; safe to skip OK if you only follow post-DOFP casting—FAQ explains.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release May 1, 2009.
  5. X-Men: First Class

    X-Men: First Class

    TheatricalStreamingPrequelLive-action

    In 1962, Charles and Erik assemble a young team against Shaw’s nuclear brinkmanship—Cold War style with a cleaner ideological split. The stylish origin that later fuels the revised timeline.

    Overview
    Matthew Vaughn’s stylish 1960s prequel recasts Magneto and Xavier’s origin and becomes the springboard for the revised timeline after Days of Future Past. Cold War chic, younger casting, and a cleaner ideological split than the 2000s films.
    Related games
    Leads into DOFP’s 1973 mission; Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix continue this younger cast on the revised path.
    Where it fits
    Mid-franchise on Release; Story starting line for most chronological guides. Leads toward DOFP’s 1973 mission.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release June 3, 2011.
  6. The Wolverine

    The Wolverine

    TheatricalStreamingWolverineLive-action

    Logan travels to Japan, faces the Yashida clan’s immortality schemes, and confronts a quieter, wounded version of himself. Samurai-tinged standalone that deepens guilt after the original trilogy.

    Overview
    James Mangold’s samurai-tinged standalone deepens Logan’s guilt after the original trilogy. Quieter character study that sets Mangold up for Logan’s elegiac finale—less team soap, more wounded samurai noir.
    Related games
    Watch Logan afterward for the emotional endpoint of this Wolverine lane. Soft ties to broader X-continuity; fine as a character study alone.
    Where it fits
    Best after the original trilogy on Release. Story keeps it as the Japan bridge toward Logan.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release July 26, 2013.
  7. X-Men: Days of Future Past

    X-Men: Days of Future Past

    TheatricalStreamingTimeline bridgeLive-action

    Future Sentinels hunt surviving mutants; Wolverine’s mind is sent to 1973 to stop the path that creates that apocalypse. Soft reboot hinge—after this, revised-timeline films rule.

    Overview
    The franchise’s soft reboot—bridging original-trilogy futures with the First Class cast via time travel. Continuity after this film is the “revised” timeline most later Fox entries follow, including Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix.
    Related games
    Explains why Last Stand outcomes may not “stick.” FAQ details dual-timeline viewing without forcing one pure path for newcomers.
    Where it fits
    Release hinge after The Wolverine. On Story it sits early (1973) right after First Class—do not skip if you care how Apocalypse/Dark Phoenix connect.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release May 23, 2014.
  8. Deadpool

    Deadpool

    TheatricalStreamingDeadpoolLive-action

    Wade Wilson becomes an unhinged mercenary after Weapon X abuse—R-rated meta comedy outside the PG-13 X-house style. Fourth-wall chaos that still knows mutant trauma.

    Overview
    Ryan Reynolds’ R-rated meta comedy breaks the fourth wall and proves Fox mutants could thrive outside the PG-13 house style. Weapon X trauma stays in the bones, but the voice is pure Wade from minute one.
    Related games
    Deadpool 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine continue Wade. Origins’ Deadpool is a different depiction—treat Reynolds as the default.
    Where it fits
    Release order after DOFP. Chronology treats it as modern-day and loosely tethered—watchable almost anytime after you know Wolverine exists.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release February 12, 2016.
  9. X-Men: Apocalypse

    X-Men: Apocalypse

    TheatricalStreamingRevised timelineLive-action

    Ancient mutant En Sabah Nur rises in 1983 as Xavier’s young team faces a godlike threat—and a transforming Jean Grey. Revised-timeline spectacle carrying First Class casting forward.

    Overview
    Continues the revised timeline’s younger X-Men against En Sabah Nur in 1980s spectacle. Mixed reception, but it carries First Class/DOFP casting forward into Dark Phoenix without requiring the original trilogy first.
    Related games
    No series required. New Mutants is a separate horror-tinged lane with low saga dependency—skip-safe for mainline watchers.
    Where it fits
    Watch after Days of Future Past on either tab. Dark Phoenix follows this era next on the revised path.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release May 27, 2016.
  10. Logan

    Logan

    TheatricalStreamingWolverineLive-action

    A weary Logan protects young Laura in a near-future wasteland where the X-Men are gone—Mangold’s elegy for the character. R-rated Western gravity instead of team soap opera.

    Overview
    R-rated Western drama that treats mutants as fading myth—widely considered the artistic peak of Fox’s Wolverine films. Laura’s arrival and Logan’s weariness close Jackman’s classic arc with unusual gravity for a comic brand.
    Related games
    Emotionally follows The Wolverine more than Apocalypse. Deadpool 2 jokes about it—optional meta before the MCU bridge.
    Where it fits
    Release order after Apocalypse. Story places it near the end (~2029) before Deadpool & Wolverine’s multiverse hop.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release March 3, 2017.
  11. Deadpool 2

    Deadpool 2

    TheatricalStreamingDeadpoolLive-action

    Wade builds X-Force to protect Russell while Cable arrives from a grim future—larger set pieces, same meta voice. Found-family comedy with time-travel winks at X-lore.

    Overview
    Expands Deadpool’s found family, builds X-Force chaos, and leans into time-travel gags that wink at X-continuity without requiring homework. Larger set pieces, same meta voice, stronger supporting cast.
    Related games
    Leads into Deadpool & Wolverine’s MCU handoff years later. Fine before or after Logan; jokes land better if you know both.
    Where it fits
    Watch after Deadpool. Fine before or after Logan; jokes land better if you know both.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release May 18, 2018.
  12. Dark Phoenix

    Dark Phoenix

    TheatricalStreamingRevised timelineLive-action

    In 1992, Jean’s cosmic power overwhelms the revised-timeline X-Men as space tragedy turns intimate betrayal. Fox’s second Phoenix swing closes the First Class-era film arc.

    Overview
    Fox’s second theatrical swing at the Phoenix saga inside post-DOFP continuity. Closes the main First Class-era film arc before New Mutants and the Deadpool bridge era—intimate betrayal over cosmic tourism.
    Related games
    Conflicts tonally with Last Stand’s Phoenix story—FAQ explains living with both without merging plots into one canon cut.
    Where it fits
    Watch after Apocalypse. Release sits late in Fox’s run; Story places it in 1992 before the 2000s trilogy block.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release June 7, 2019.
  13. The New Mutants

    The New Mutants

    TheatricalStreamingSpin-offLive-action

    Young mutants held in a hospital-prison face horror-tinged trauma and reality-bending threats. A late Fox spin-off with low dependency on the main team soap opera.

    Overview
    A late Fox spin-off with a darker, horror-tinged genre tilt, loosely attached to Xavier’s world rather than the main team soap opera. Standalone vibes over saga homework—useful completionism, not a hinge film.
    Related games
    Skip-safe if you only want Wolverine, Deadpool, or mainline X-arcs. Chronology guides often park it in a vague modern slot beside Wade.
    Where it fits
    Optional for saga completionists. Release parks it before Deadpool & Wolverine; Story uses a vague modern slot.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release August 28, 2020.
  14. Deadpool & Wolverine

    Deadpool & Wolverine

    TheatricalStreamingMCU bridgeLive-action

    Wade drags a Wolverine variant through TVA/void chaos—a love letter to Fox mutants that docks with the MCU multiverse. Legacy cameos first; Sacred Timeline homework second.

    Overview
    Disney-era bridge film packed with legacy cameos—continuity is intentionally elastic. Sacred Timeline rules stay secondary to character reunion energy, Fox-mutant farewell jokes, and void-set mayhem.
    Related games
    Also listed on MCU movies in order for Multiverse Saga context. No required Disney+ series before this movie; cameos reward Fox homework.
    Where it fits
    Release-order finale for this page. Also listed on MCU movies—here it closes the Fox X/Deadpool lane.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release July 26, 2024 (Marvel Studios / Fox legacy).

FAQ

Release vs chronology, DOFP reboot, Origins skip debate, and the MCU handoff.

Watch order

Open the Story tab for a practical film chronology:

1. First Class (1962)
2. Days of Future Past (1973 past / future frame)
3. Origins: Wolverine (~1979, optional)
4. Apocalypse (1983) → Dark Phoenix (1992)
5. Original trilogy present (X-Men → X2 → Last Stand)
6. The Wolverine → Deadpool films → New Mutants → Logan → Deadpool & Wolverine

Guides disagree on Origins after DOFP—see the Origins FAQ.

Timelines

Days of Future Past sends Wolverine to 1973 to alter history, creating a revised timeline where younger First Class-era casts continue into Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix. Some original-trilogy outcomes no longer “stick,” which is why Phoenix happens again in different form. Treat DOFP as the hinge—not a reason to delete the 2000 trilogy from Release order.

Many fans safe to skip it on chronology passes after Days of Future Past because its Deadpool depiction and some Weapon X beats clash with later films. On Release order, keep it—it is how Fox expanded Wolverine in 2009. If you only want Hugh Jackman’s best Logan work, prioritize The Wolverine and Logan.

What’s included

Both lanes claim it. This page lists it as the Fox X/Deadpool finale. For Avengers-era Multiverse Saga context, see the MCU movies in order page—same film, different neighbor list.

More timelines

Other release-order and story-order guides on this site.