In the present day,U.S. SenatorRobert Kelly attempts to pass a "Mutant Registration Act" inCongress, which would force mutants to reveal their identities and abilities. Nearby,telepathic mutantCharles Xavier sees Lehnsherr, who now goes by the name "Magneto", in attendance and is concerned with how he will respond to the Registration Act.
InMeridian, Mississippi, seventeen-year-oldMarie accidentally puts her boyfriend into acoma after kissing him, because of her mutant ability to absorb the power and life force of others. Adopting the name "Rogue", she flees toAlberta, where she meetsLogan, also known as "Wolverine", a mutant with superhuman healing abilities and metal claws that protrude from between his knuckles.Sabretooth, a member of Magneto'sBrotherhood of Mutants, attacks them on the road, but two members of Xavier'sX-Men,Cyclops andStorm, save them. Logan and Rogue are brought toXavier's school for mutants inWestchester County, New York. Believing that Magneto is interested in capturing Logan, Xavier asks him to stay while he investigates the matter. Meanwhile, Rogue enrolls in the school as a new pupil and develops a crush on cryokinetic mutantBobby Drake.
Brotherhood membersToad andMystique abduct Senator Kelly, bringing him to their hideout on the uncharted island ofGenosha. Magneto uses Kelly as atest subject for a machine powered by his magnetic abilities that generates a field ofradiation, which induces mutations in normal humans. Taking advantage of his newfound mutation, Kelly later escapes. Rogue visits Logan during the night while he is having a nightmare. Startled, he accidentally stabs her, but she manages to absorb his healing ability and recover. Mystique, disguised as Drake, later convinces Rogue that Xavier is angry with her and that she must leave the school. Xavier uses his mutant-locating machineCerebro to find Rogue at a train station, and the X-Men go to retrieve her. Meanwhile, Mystique enters Cerebro and sabotages it.
Having left ahead of Storm and Cyclops, Logan finds Rogue on a train and convinces her to return. Before they can go, Magneto arrives, incapacitates Logan, and subdues Rogue, revealing it was she whom he wants rather than Logan. Although Xavier attempts to stop him by mentally controlling Sabretooth, he is forced to release his hold when Magneto threatens the police who have converged on the station, allowing the Brotherhood to escape with Rogue.
Kelly arrives at the school, and Xavier reads his mind to learn about Magneto's machine. Realizing the strain of powering it nearly killed him, the X-Men deduce he intends to transfer his powers to Rogue and use her to power it at the cost of her life. Kelly's body rejects his mutation, and his body dissolves into liquid. Xavier attempts to locate Rogue using Cerebro, but Mystique's sabotage incapacitates him, and he falls into a coma. Fellow telepath andtelekineticJean Grey fixes Cerebro. She uses it, learning that the Brotherhood plans to place their machine onLiberty Island and use it to "mutate" the world leaders meeting at a summit on nearbyEllis Island. The X-Men scale theStatue of Liberty, battling and overpowering the Brotherhood while Magneto transfers his powers to Rogue and activates the machine. As Logan confronts and distracts Magneto, Cyclops subdues him, allowing Logan to destroy the machine. He transfers his powers to Rogue, rejuvenating her while incapacitating himself.
Xavier and Logan recover from their comas. The group also learns that Mystique escaped the island battle and is impersonating Kelly. Xavier leads Logan to his past at an abandoned military installation in Canada before visiting Magneto, now imprisoned in apolycarbonate complex. Magneto warns him that he intends to escape one day and continue the fight; Xavier replies that he will always be there to stop him.
Hugh Jackman asLogan / Wolverine: A Canadian loner who has lived for fifteen years without any memory of his past, apart from his dog tags and anadamantium-encased skeleton. His powers include enhanced animal-like senses, an accelerated healing factor granting him virtual immortality (which makes his age impossible to determine), and three claws extending past the bridge of each knuckle.
Ian McKellen asErik Lehnsherr / Magneto: AnAuschwitz survivor who was friends with Xavier until his belief that humans and mutants could never co-exist led to their separation. His powers include the ability to generate powerful magnetic fields and a sophisticated knowledge in matters of genetic manipulation, which he uses to attempt to mutate the world leaders to allow mutant prosperity.
Brett Morris as young Magneto
Halle Berry asOroro Munroe / Storm: AMaasai woman who teaches calmly and caringly at Xavier's school but has become bitter with other people's hatred for mutants, sometimes making her hate humans in return simply because she is afraid of them. Her powers include the ability to manipulate the weather and create lightning storms.
Famke Janssen asJean Grey: The medical doctor of the X-Mansion and romantically involved with Cyclops. Her powers includetelekinesis and telepathy.
James Marsden asScott Summers / Cyclops: Xavier's second-in-command and an instructor at the institute who serves as the X-Men's field leader. He is seeing Jean Grey. His powers include a strong, uncontrollable red beam of optic energy produced from his eyes, which is only held in check bysunglasses or a specialized ruby-quartzvisor enabling him to control the strength of the beam to fire when in combat.
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos asMystique: Magneto's cold and ruthless second-in-command, who seems completely facile with respect to modern technology. Her powers includealtering her shape and voice to mimic any human being, and high agility.
Ray Park asToad: A snide and cocky member of the Brotherhood. His powers include a prehensile tongue, a slimy substance that he spits onto others, and enhanced agility.
Tyler Mane asSabretooth: A brutal and sadistic member of the Brotherhood. His powers include a ferocious, feline-like nature, enhanced animal-like senses, fangs and healing abilities similar to Wolverine's, and claws extending past the tip of each finger.
Anna Paquin asMarie / Rogue: A seventeen-year-old girl forced to leave her home inMeridian, Mississippi when she puts her boyfriend into a coma by kissing him. Her powers include absorbing anyone's memories, life force, and – in the case of mutants – powers through physical touch.
Additionally,Shawn Ashmore portraysBobby Drake / Iceman, a mutant student at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters who takes a liking to Rogue. His powers include generating ice.
Laeta Kalogridis was brought on for a subsequent rewrite in 1995.[15][16] An early script kept the idea of Magneto turning Manhattan into a "mutant homeland", while another hinged on a romance between Wolverine andStorm.[12]Michael Chabon hadpitched a six-pagefilm treatment to Fox in 1996. It focused heavily on character development between Wolverine andJubilee and included Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey,Nightcrawler, Beast, Iceman, and Storm. Under Chabon's plan, the villains would not have been introduced until the second film.[17]
Fox consideredBrett Ratner, who would later directX-Men: The Last Stand (2006), as a director[18] and offered the position toRobert Rodriguez, but he turned it down.[19] After the commercial success ofMortal Kombat (1995) in the United States,Paul W. S. Anderson was offered the position but turned it down, wanting to shift away from making another PG-13-rated film in favour of making an R-rated horror film,Event Horizon (1997).[20] Following the release ofThe Usual Suspects (1995),Bryan Singer was looking to do a science fiction film and Fox offered himAlien Resurrection (1997), but producerTom DeSanto felt he would be more appropriate forX-Men.[9] Singer was hesitant to direct a comic book film, but changed his mind after DeSanto presented the themes of prejudice in the comic that resonated with Singer.[3]
In August 1996,Ed Solomon began work on the script. By December 1996, Singer was in the director's position, while Solomon completed a rewrite that month.[21] Solomon's hiring was publicly revealed in April 1997, and Singer went on to filmApt Pupil (1998). Fox then announced a Christmas 1998 release date.[22][23]John Logan andJames Schamus provided script revisions, with the latter focusing solely on fleshing out the characters.[3][24][21] In late 1997, the budget was projected at $60million.[4] In 1998, Claremont returned to Marvel and, seeing how Fox was still struggling with the script, sent them a four-page-long memo where he explained the core concepts and what differentiated the X-Men from other superheroes.[25] In late 1998, Singer and DeSanto sent a treatment to Fox, which they believed was "perfect" because it took "seriously" the themes and the intent of the Xavier and Magneto comparisons toMartin Luther King Jr. andMalcolm X, unlike the other scripts.[3] They madeRogue an important character because Singer recognized that her mutation, which renders her unable to touch anyone, was the most symbolic of alienation. Singer merged attributes ofKitty Pryde and Jubilee into the film's depiction of Rogue. Magneto's plot to mutate the world leaders into accepting his people is reminiscent of howConstantine I's conversion to Christianity ended thepersecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire; the analogy was emphasized in a deleted scene in which Storm teaches history.Senator Kelly's claim that he has a list of mutants living in the United States recallsJoseph McCarthy's similar claim regarding communists.[3]
After the disastrous reception ofBatman & Robin (1997), the release ofBlade (1998) convinced some film studios that a Marvel character "could carry on" a movie.[26] Fox, who had set the budget at $75million, rejected the treatment, which they estimated would have cost $5million more. Beast, Nightcrawler,Pyro, and theDanger Room had to be deleted before the studiogreenlightedX-Men.[12][27] Fox headBill Mechanic argued that this would enhance the story,[12] and Singer concurred that removing the Danger Room allowed him to focus on other scenes he preferred. Elements of Beast, particularly his medical expertise, were transferred toJean Grey.[3] In mid-1998, Singer and DeSanto broughtChristopher McQuarrie fromThe Usual Suspects and together they did another rewrite.[28][29] McQuarrie was initially slated to work on the script for only three weeks but had not yet delivered his draft by October 1998.[21]Joss Whedon was brought in during production to rewrite the last act. Whedon was highly critical of the script and instead performed a "major overhaul".[30] Whedon's draft featured the Danger Room and concluded with Jean Grey dressed as thePhoenix.[31] According toEntertainment Weekly, this screenplay was rejected because of its "quick-witted pop culture-referencing tone",[32] and the finished film contained only two dialogue exchanges that Whedon had contributed. Whedon also claimed to have been invited to the table read, completely unaware that his script had been thrown out.[33]
Actor and producerDavid Hayter, who at the time was working as Singer's assistant, was brought in for rewrites due to his extensive knowledge of the original comics.[34] Hayter took great pride in retaining much of the core elements from the source material, such as Wolverine's Canadian background, as the studio wanted to make him American.[35] He received solo screenplay credit from theWriters Guild of America, while Singer and DeSanto were given story credit.[12] The WGA offered McQuarrie a credit, but he voluntarily took his name off when the final version was more in line with Hayter's script than his.[36] In July 2020,The Hollywood Reporter revealed that McQuarrie and Solomon both removed their names from the film due to the studio's "tortuous process". Solomon would later express regret towards removing his name. Hayter claims that 55 percent of his script ended up in the finished film, while other insiders claim that the majority of what is onscreen was written by McQuarrie and Solomon with only small contributions from Hayter.[34]
Glenn Danzig was invited by Fox to audition for the role of Wolverine in 1995, as his height and build closely resemble that of the film's protagonist, as described in the original comic books. However, he declined due to scheduling conflicts with his band.[37] With Singer taking over as director,Russell Crowe was the first choice to play Wolverine, but he turned it down,[3] instead recommending his friend, actorHugh Jackman, for the part.[38] Jackman was an unknown actor at the time, while a number of more established actors offered their services for the role.[39] Jackman's wifeDeborra-Lee Furness told him not to do it after reading the three pages he was given.[40] Jackman was initially rejected as he was deemed "too tall" for the role.[41] Singer broughtViggo Mortensen to view storyboards, but Mortensen's son was vocal about the character's imposing appearance. Mortensen was also apprehensive of signing on for multiple films.[42]Dougray Scott was cast as Wolverine in a multi-film deal but was forced to back out due to scheduling conflicts withMission: Impossible 2 (2000) in early October 1999 and sustaining injuries in a motorbike accident.[39][43][44] Scott also said thatTom Cruise made him drop out of the role as well.[45] Jackman was then cast three weeks into filming, based on a successful audition.[46]
Patrick Stewart was first approached by Singer to play Xavier on the set ofConspiracy Theory (1997), which was directed byX-Men executive producerRichard Donner.[47]Michael Jackson actively campaigned for the role of Xavier but was never seriously considered by the studio.[34]Jim Caviezel was originally cast as Cyclops but backed out due to scheduling conflicts withFrequency (2000).[48]James Marsden was unfamiliar with his character, but he soon became accustomed after reading various comic books. Marsden modeled his performance similar to aBoy Scout.[49]Anna Paquin dropped out of the lead role inTart (2001) in favor ofX-Men.[50]Rachael Leigh Cook was considered for the role of Rogue. Cook later admitted that she regretted her decision to turn the role down.[51]Janet Jackson was offered the role of Storm, but she turned it down due to tour obligations.[52] Singer and Hayter originally offered the role of Jean Grey toCharlize Theron but she turned it down.[53] Singer castBruce Davison andIan McKellen, both had acted in his previous filmApt Pupil. McKellen responded well to the gay allegory of the film, "the allegory of the mutants as outsiders, disenfranchised and alone and coming to all of that at puberty when their difference manifests", Singer explained. "Ian is an activist and he really responded to the potential of that allegory."[47]
The original start date was mid-1999,[54] with the release date set for Christmas 2000, but Fox movedX-Men to June.Steven Spielberg had been scheduled to filmMinority Report (2002) for release in June 2000, but he had chosen to filmA.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), and Fox needed a film to fill the void.[55] This meant that Singer had to finishX-Men six months ahead of schedule, although filming had been pushed back.[56] The release date was then moved to July 14.[57]
During production, Singer would allegedly arrive late and experience mood swings and "explosive" tantrums. At the time, Singer claimed to be taking medication for back pain. Cast and crew members found Singer's drug use too "problematic".Kevin Feige, the film's associate producer, was flown on-set to ensure that Singer was kept in line. Singer was alsoaccused of giving small roles to younger actors and minors in exchange for sex. A source forPyro actor Alex Burton says Burton was told the role was created for him by Singer andMarc Collins-Rector. Burton was also flown from Los Angeles to Toronto for filming, an unusual occurrence for an actor with a minor role. Several sources close toThe Hollywood Reporter claimed that story meetings were "unprofessional, even by eccentric auteur standards", with Singer allegedly bringing "young guys", who were not involved with the project, to the meetings.[34] Singer also banned the comics on set, and Feige had to sneak them in for the actors to understand their roles.[62]
The filmmakers decided not to replicate the X-Men costumes as seen in the comic book. Stan Lee andChris Claremont supported this decision. Claremont joked, "you can do that on a drawing, but when you put it on people it's disturbing!"[9] Producer/co-writerTom DeSanto had been supportive of using the blue and yellow color scheme of the comics,[3] but came to conclude that they would not work onscreen.[63] To acknowledge the fan complaints, Singer addedCyclops' line "What would you prefer, yellow spandex?"—when Wolverine complains about wearing their uniforms—during filming. Singer noted that durable black leather made more sense for the X-Men to wear as protective clothing,[3] and Shuler Donner added that the costumes helped them "blend into the night".[64] The black leather outfits were inspired byThe Matrix (1999), as studio executives felt it would help for the film's success.[65]
Oakley, Inc. provided the red-lensed glasses worn by Cyclops, a customized version of the company's own X-Metal Juliet.[66] Wolverine's claws required no cast of Hugh Jackman's hands, and were built so he could easily put them on and take them off for safety reasons. Production had insisted that they be attached at all times under a full prosthetic sleeve but designer Gordon Smith refused to do it. Production also insisted on real metal blades, which Smith also refused to do, making injection-moulded plaster blades instead. Hundreds of pairs were built for Jackman and his stunt doubles.[67]
Rebecca Romijn wore 110 individual silicone prosthetics on her body to portray Mystique; only the edges were glued, the rest were self-sticking. The prosthetics were built flat and wrapped her body. They were internally colored with food coloring and needed additional makeup or paint. The original agreed-to and tested design was to color her skin withcosmetic-grade food coloring as well, but at the last minute Bryan Singer insisted on painting her skin to look opaque, as in the comic book, which added six hours to the time needed to apply Romijn's makeup, making the ordeal very difficult for her. There were also no facilities provided to exhaust paint fumes, during one of Canada's colder winters.[68] Romijn reflected, "I had almost no contact with the rest of the cast; it was like I was making a different movie from everyone else. It was hell."[12]
Digital Domain's technical director Sean C. Cunningham and leadcompositor Claas Henkemorphed Bruce Davison into a liquid figure for Kelly's mutation scene. Cunningham said, "There were many digital layers: water without refraction, water with murkiness, skin with and without highlights, skin with goo in it. When rendered together, it took 39 hours per frame." They considered showing Kelly's internal organs during the transformation, "but that seemed too gruesome", according to Cunningham.[71]
Singer initially approachedJohn Williams to compose thefilm score who turned down the offer because of scheduling conflicts.[72] Later, he roped in his usual composer,John Ottman.[73] However, once Fox pushedX-Men from December to July, Ottman's commitment to directUrban Legends: Final Cut made him unable to work with Singer.[74] Instead,Michael Kamen was commissioned to compose the film's score in February 2000.[75] This marked the first time that a different composer produced a score for any film directed by Singer instead of Ottman.[76] Kamen had provided his scores for various Fox projects in the past, most notably the threeDie Hard films.[76] As forX-Men's score, he recorded it in Los Angeles instead of London, as the producers abandoned it due to time constraints.[61] The soundtrack to the film was released by Decca Records on July 11, 2000. A 2-CD expanded and remastered release of the album was published by La-La Land Records on May 11, 2021.[77]
Fox aired a special entitledMutant Watch to promote the film that partially includes in universe scenes of a senate hearing featuring Senator Robert Kelly. This featurette was included as a bonus feature on some of the video releases. On June 1, 2000, Marvel published a comic bookprequel toX-Men, entitledX-Men: Beginnings, revealing the backstories of Magneto, Rogue and Wolverine.[78] There was also a comic book adaptation based on the film.[79] A console video game,X-Men: Mutant Academy, was released on July 6, 2000, to take advantage of the film's release, featuring costumes and other materials from the film.[80]
X-Men had its premiere atEllis Island on July 12, 2000,[81] two days before a wide opening in 3,025 theaters in North America. It would also debut in Australia that weekend to take advantage of the school holidays, while most other territories would get the film in August.[82]Marvel Studios was depending onX-Men's success to ignite other franchise properties (Spider-Man,Fantastic Four,Hulk, andDaredevil).[83]
X-Men was originally released onVHS andDVD on November 21, 2000, by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, to take advantage ofThanksgiving in the United States. In its initial home video weekend, the film earned $60million in rentals and direct sales alongsideGladiator, making them earn more than all films in theaters outside from leaderHow the Grinch Stole Christmas.[84][85]X-Men finished as the seventh highest-grossing home release of 2000 with $141million, with 78% being earned through sales.[86] A new two-disc DVD was released three years later on February 11, 2003, in anticipation to the theatrical release of sequelX2, titledX-Men 1.5.[87] It includes the theatrical version of the film along with the option to adddeleted scenes and several new additional features.[88] ThisTHX certified DVD release also features audio commentary of directorBryan Singer with actor and friendBrian Peck,[89][90] sneak peeks forDaredevil andX2, aDTS 5.1 audio track, enhanced viewing mode and behind-the-scenes footage.[91] The first disc has animated menus with four multi-colored orbs and the second disc has two separated sections, which areX-Men 2 andEvolution X.[91]
X-Men was released onBlu-ray in April 2009, with bonus features reproduced from theX-Men 1.5 DVD release.[92] Unlike the US edition, the UK release of the Blu-ray includes a picture-in-picture mode called "BonusView" and an in-feature photo gallery.[92][93]
In North America,X-Men opened on Friday, July 14, 2000, and made $21.4million on its opening day.[95] This made it the third-highest opening day of any film, behindStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace andThe Lost World: Jurassic Park. It also had the third-highest Friday gross, just after the latter film andToy Story 2.[96] The film earned $57.5million in its opening weekend,[97] averaging $18,000 per theater,[95] and having the highest-grossing opening weekend for a superhero film (surpassingBatman Forever's $52.8million),[98] a non-sequel and a July release (surpassingMen in Black's $51.1million).[99][100][101] At the time of its release,X-Men had the sixth biggest opening of all time and marked the first time in history that three pictures had consecutive opening weekends above $40million in North America, afterThe Perfect Storm's $41.3million andScary Movie's $42.3million.[100] Moreover, it had the second-highest opening weekend of that year, behindMission: Impossible 2.[102] Upon its debut, the film would reach the number one spot at the box office.[103] During its second weekend, the film was overtaken byWhat Lies Beneath, but made a total of $23.5million.[104]
X-Men grossed $157.3million in the United States and Canada and $139million in other territories for a worldwide total of $296.3million, against a production budget of $75million, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2000 domestically and ninth worldwide.[2] The success ofX-Men started a reemergence for thecomic book andsuperhero film genre.[105]
Upon release,X-Men received generally positive reviews from critics.[106][107] Onreview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 82% of 174 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Faithful to the comics and filled with action,X-Men brings a crowded slate of classic Marvel characters to the screen with a talented ensemble cast and surprisingly sharp narrative focus."[108]Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[109] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[110]
Kenneth Turan found "so much is happening you feel the immediate need of a sequel just as a reward for absorbing it all. WhileX-Men doesn't take your breath away wire-to-wire the wayThe Matrix did, it's an accomplished piece of work with considerable pulp watchability to it."[111] ReelReviews.net'sJames Berardinelli, anX-Men comic book fan, believed, "the film is effectively paced with a good balance of exposition, character development, and special effects-enhanced action. Neither the plot nor the character relationships are difficult to follow, and the movie avoids the trap of spending too much time explaining things that don't need to be explained. X-Men fandom is likely to be divided over whether the picture is a success or a failure".[112] Marc Salov ofThe Austin Chronicle wrote, "Of course, the wide-open ending practically shrieks "sequel," so rest assured this is only the beginning of a new super-franchise. Here's hopingJoel Schumacher doesn't get his hands on it."[113]David Sterritt ofChristian Science Monitor gave it a two-out-of-four rating and said, "Die-hard action fans may cheer, but if you're looking for the romantic verve ofSuperman or the dreamlike edginess ofBatman, this isn't the comic-book movie for you."[114]Desson Thomson ofThe Washington Post commented, "[T]he movie's enjoyable on the surface, but I suspect many people, even die-hards, will be less enthusiastic about what lies, or doesn't, underneath".[115]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times said he "started out liking this movie, while waiting for something really interesting to happen. When nothing did, I still didn't dislike it; I assume the X-Men will further develop their personalities if there is a sequel, and maybe find time to get involved in a story. No doubt fans of the comics will understand subtle allusions and fine points of behavior; they should linger in the lobby after each screening to answer questions."[116] He also gave it a "thumbs down" onEbert & Roeper.[117][118]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone noted, "Since it's Wolverine's movie, any X-Men or Women who don't hinge directly on his story get short shrift. As Storm, Halle Berry can do neat tricks with weather, but her role is gone with the wind. It sucks that Stewart and McKellen, two superb actors, are underused."[119]
Several journalists and film critics have creditedX-Men with helping reinvent the modern superhero film by revolutionizing the genre and reviving public interest in superheroes.[121][122][123][124][125] At the time of its release,X-Men was the most critically and commercially successful comic book adaptation to not featureBatman orSuperman.[53]Den of Geek's Don Kaye and Eric Diaz ofNerdist believe the film proved that even lesser-known comic book characters could potentially headline successful franchises.[107][126][127] While the X-Men had already been popular among comic book readers and fans of the animated series,[107] the film elevated its team members to mainstream popularity.[122] Anthony Orlando ofDigital Trends said the film's impact is still apparent as of 2025, having "set the stage for comic book movies to dominate theaters throughout the 21st century, launching a successful franchise with its thrilling story, compelling characters, talented cast, and thought-provoking themes".[122] Jesse Hassenger ofPaste and Stacey Henley ofSyfy.com concurred that while many films helped bring superhero movies into the mainstream, the modern lineage of the genre really begins withX-Men, which established the basic formula that contemporary successes have since borrowed from.[128][129] In 2020, Hayter credited the film with unleashing a "legion of superhero movies upon the world, for better and for worse".[53]
According to Brandon Katz ofThe New York Observer,X-Men, along withBlade (1998), "helped to legitimize the genre as a bankable lane for Hollywood that could expand beyond the cartoonish sensibilities of older comic book films".[53] Orlando andSalon's Matthew Rozsa creditX-Men with salvaging the superhero genre after a period of poorly-received superhero films towards the end of the 1990s that soured the genre's reputation.[122][130][121] Rozsa said that, prior toThe Dark Knight trilogy, theSpider-Man trilogy, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe,X-Men proved that the genre could be profitable while lending itself to "intelligent, complex stories" about social and political issues, while establishing that a larger cinematic universe was possible for superhero flicks.[130] It arguably launched Marvel's first cinematic universe.[122] Tom Breihan ofThe A.V. Club said that while several superior superhero films have been released sinceX-Men, "none of those later Marvel movies could exist without X-Men".[125] Similarly, Eric Diaz ofNerdist argued that whileX-Men might not be the "best" superhero film, it is inarguably "the most important comic book superhero movie ever made" because "it was certainly the comic book movie that changed how the genre was perceived from that point on, and helped launch the current superhero movie Golden Age we live in".[107]
X-Men also inspired later comic book adaptations and superhero films to adopt a darker, more serious tone grounded in aspects of reality, both in their themes and aesthetics.[122][129] Diaz noted that, unlikeSuperman and Batman adaptations, the film is almost completely devoid of "camp or tongue-in-cheek humor ... It treated its world with complete seriousness, and hammered home the sociopolitical underpinnings of the original comic without pulling any punches".[107] Kaye acknowledged that while subsequent comic book films would learn several positive examples fromX-Men, they also borrowed their fair share of "wrong" lessons, notably the film's aversion to the bright, colorful costumes of the comic books in favor of all-black leather.[131] The film also influenced the careers of its principal cast, elevating several actors into box-office draws and closely associating them with their roles—most notably Stewart and McKellen.[122] Diaz theorizes that McKellen's performance inspired other serious actors of his caliber to accept superhero roles, notably Alfred Molina in theSpider-Man trilogy and Josh Brolin in the MCU.[107] Jackman, in particular, rose from relative obscurity to become “one of the biggest movie stars in the world”.[121][122] Meanwhile, Marvel Comics themselves began taking advantage of Wolverine's marketability by featuring the superhero outside of the immediateX-Men comics, due in part to Jackman's popularity and longevity in the role.[121] Justin Carter ofPolygon observed that, after Jackman's success, both the MCU and DCEU would reuse the formula of using superhero movies to launch the careers of relatively unknown actors into superstardom, notablyChris Evans,Chris Hemsworth, andGal Gadot.[121] However, Carter noted that Jackman also suffered from typecasting for much of his post-X-Men career.[121]
^abBoss, Nate (April 30, 2009)."X-Men Blu-Ray".High Def Digest.Internet Brands. RetrievedOctober 12, 2014.The entire supplement package is a rehash from the 'X-Men 1.5' DVD release, so much so that the features function the exact same way, as Fox didn't take the time to create a Picture in Picture track. Wait, I take that back....they did. It's on the UK version of the disc.
^Grierson, Tim;Leitch, Will (July 29, 2024)."All 14 X-Men Movies, Ranked".Vulture. Archived fromthe original on July 22, 2025. RetrievedSeptember 12, 2025.Forget 2002's Spider-Man, 2005's Batman Begins, or 2008's Iron Man: [X-Men] is probably the true starting point for our current superhero-movie mania.
