When X-Men was released in the summer of 2000, it redefined action films and jumpstarted the superhero trend. It was sleek and stylish, proving that comic books could be adapted in a way that wasn't silly or campy. Despite taking liberties with the source text, X-Men stayed true to the essence of the comics. Mutants were presented as outcasts who are feared and hated by the general public. Its subsequent sequel X2 continued that trend and is considered by some to be one of the best comic book adaptations.
With the release of X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006, everything fell apart. The fidelity towards the comics slipped away and subsequent prequels made this even more evident. To make matters worse, continuity between the films in the franchise became a muddled mess and each entry was bloated with running times that were much longer than necessary. Sadly, every X-Men film after X2 had simply lost their way.
This list explores the many ways in which 20th Century Fox has failed the X-Men and has managed to disrespect one of the most beloved comic book teams in history.
10. Continuity Errors
On the lesser end of the mistakes made in adapting the X-Men is the overabundance of continuity errors between the films in the series. Though it may be small, this lack of attention to detail signals greater issues at play and hinder the cohesion of the franchise.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men: First Class are the worst perpetrators of continuity errors. Cyclops appears in the former as a teenager, which is an impossibility since he would have been an infant at the time the film takes place. In the latter, Emma Frost is used as one of the primary antagonists even though she'd appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which takes place a decade after First Class. Moira MacTaggert's appearance in First Class further messes up the continuity. In X-Men: The Last Stand, Moira is adapted faithfully as a Scottish doctor yet she's portrayed in First Class as an American government agent. Tragically, the list goes on.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men: First Class are the worst perpetrators of continuity errors. Cyclops appears in the former as a teenager, which is an impossibility since he would have been an infant at the time the film takes place. In the latter, Emma Frost is used as one of the primary antagonists even though she'd appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which takes place a decade after First Class. Moira MacTaggert's appearance in First Class further messes up the continuity. In X-Men: The Last Stand, Moira is adapted faithfully as a Scottish doctor yet she's portrayed in First Class as an American government agent. Tragically, the list goes on.
08. Bad Writing and Poor Character Choice
X-Men and its sequel X2 can be celebrated for their straightforward narratives. Unfortunately, later entries bog down their narratives with unnecessary subplots, which cause the films to run longer than they need to be and complicate the story too much. Much of this can be attributed to bad writing and poor character choice.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is the worst film in the franchise for this. First of all, the storyline itself is heavily altered from its source text. In the comics, it is Kitty Pryde that goes back in time to prevent an assassination. In the film, it was impossible for Kitty to go back because she has not been born yet. This dilemma is "solved" by making up an unnecessary reason for Wolverine to go back in time. It would have been better for them to eschew this explanation and have Xavier go back instead.
Furthermore, DOFP introduces a subplot of Xavier and Beast using a drug to suppress their mutant abilities. It's incredibly pointless and is only there because the filmmakers were too lazy to find a way of choreographing Xavier's wheelchair and spending time on Beast's makeup.
Lastly, the film introduces Quicksilver. Aside from the fact that Evan Peters is a terrible actor and his hair looks like a cheap Halloween store wig, his character provides absolutely nothing to the movie. If they had eliminated the drug subplot, then Quicksilver could have been eliminated and Xavier could have broken Magneto out of prison, thereby providing more room for other characters to shine.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is the worst film in the franchise for this. First of all, the storyline itself is heavily altered from its source text. In the comics, it is Kitty Pryde that goes back in time to prevent an assassination. In the film, it was impossible for Kitty to go back because she has not been born yet. This dilemma is "solved" by making up an unnecessary reason for Wolverine to go back in time. It would have been better for them to eschew this explanation and have Xavier go back instead.
Furthermore, DOFP introduces a subplot of Xavier and Beast using a drug to suppress their mutant abilities. It's incredibly pointless and is only there because the filmmakers were too lazy to find a way of choreographing Xavier's wheelchair and spending time on Beast's makeup.
Lastly, the film introduces Quicksilver. Aside from the fact that Evan Peters is a terrible actor and his hair looks like a cheap Halloween store wig, his character provides absolutely nothing to the movie. If they had eliminated the drug subplot, then Quicksilver could have been eliminated and Xavier could have broken Magneto out of prison, thereby providing more room for other characters to shine.
08. Too Many Mutants
It's not easy juggling an ensemble cast, but 20th Century Fox made it that much harder for themselves by throwing just about every mutant imaginable at audiences. The first film kept things simple by sticking to a core cast of three X-Men, Professor Xavier, two new mutants, and four antagonists. These numbers would swell to enormous proportions with its sequels and made it difficult to properly develop the characters used. The two worst films for committing this mistake are X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Both films introduce multiple new mutants to the franchise, but both fail to develop them beyond their powers.
07. Rogue
As one of the greatest X-Women in the comics, Rogue is beloved for her transition from villain to superhero. With her signature sass and iconic Southern accent, she's easily one of the most recognizable Marvel characters.
Despite this, Rogue's treatment in the films is abysmal. The first film depicts the character as a timid damsel in distress, while X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand limit her screentime and usefulness. There is so little development made with her character that she merely fades into the background. If this weren't bad enough, all of her scenes were cut for the theatrical release of X-Men: Days of Future Past with the exception of a cameo in the end.
The tragedy in all of this is that Anna Paquin is actually a fantastic actress and should have nailed this role. In fact, she's pretty much made a career out of playing sassy Southerners (see: True Blood) and yet she's completely abandoned by the directors and writers for the franchise.
Despite this, Rogue's treatment in the films is abysmal. The first film depicts the character as a timid damsel in distress, while X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand limit her screentime and usefulness. There is so little development made with her character that she merely fades into the background. If this weren't bad enough, all of her scenes were cut for the theatrical release of X-Men: Days of Future Past with the exception of a cameo in the end.
The tragedy in all of this is that Anna Paquin is actually a fantastic actress and should have nailed this role. In fact, she's pretty much made a career out of playing sassy Southerners (see: True Blood) and yet she's completely abandoned by the directors and writers for the franchise.
06. Professor Xavier is a Jerk!
As the patriarch of the X-Men, Professor Xavier helped shape the team and was responsible for giving them their mission to create peace between humans and mutants. Xavier and his dream have been canonized in the comics as the ultimate symbol of hope. He is a champion for all those who have been outcast, perhaps because he knows what it's like having been bullied as a child and been bound to a wheelchair.
With X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men First Class, Xavier's character is completely undermined by transforming him into a commanding, sexist jerk. The Last Stand gives us a glimpse of an Xavier who wishes to control Jean Grey, while First Class characterizes him as a superficial womanizer who believes in homogenization instead of integration. This is detrimental to the character and spits in the face of who he is supposed to be. Professor Xavier should be viewed as a Martin Luther King-style leader, not some kind of shallow dictator.
With X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men First Class, Xavier's character is completely undermined by transforming him into a commanding, sexist jerk. The Last Stand gives us a glimpse of an Xavier who wishes to control Jean Grey, while First Class characterizes him as a superficial womanizer who believes in homogenization instead of integration. This is detrimental to the character and spits in the face of who he is supposed to be. Professor Xavier should be viewed as a Martin Luther King-style leader, not some kind of shallow dictator.
05. The Marginalization of Cyclops
For many diehard fans of the X-Men, Cyclops is the greatest leader the team has ever had. He's smart, resourceful and complex, possessing a tortured quality that keeps him from indulging in his arrogance. He's also proven himself to be more dedicated to bringing about human-mutant equality than most of his fellow teammates. Of course, you'd never know this from the movies.
Even with the talented James Marsden at the helm of the character (perfect casting, by the way), Cyclops is pushed to the margins of the films and is relegated to playing the role of a cuckold. This de-valuing of the character has altered the audience's perception of him and harms the franchise.
Even with the talented James Marsden at the helm of the character (perfect casting, by the way), Cyclops is pushed to the margins of the films and is relegated to playing the role of a cuckold. This de-valuing of the character has altered the audience's perception of him and harms the franchise.
04. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
'Nuff said.
03. The Dark Phoenix Saga
The Dark Phoenix Saga is regarded as one of the best X-Men stories ever told. It is a masterpiece delivered by the legendary Chris Claremont and John Byrne. It tells the story of Jean Grey's struggle to control a cosmic entity known as the Phoenix and her touching sacrifice to save the life of the man she loves (Cyclops, not Wolverine).
When translated to the big screen, this galaxy-spanning storyline is relegated to a subplot. This was a huge misstep on the part of the filmmakers and was truly the biggest downfall when it comes to the execution of X-Men: The Last Stand. Instead of being treated as the Big Bad she deserves to be, the Dark Phoenix largely stands around looking blankly at things. While X-Men: Days of Future Past would similarly fail its source text (another Claremont-Bryne collaboration), the mistreatment of this story robbed audiences of one of the most touching and epic narratives in the X-Men's history.
When translated to the big screen, this galaxy-spanning storyline is relegated to a subplot. This was a huge misstep on the part of the filmmakers and was truly the biggest downfall when it comes to the execution of X-Men: The Last Stand. Instead of being treated as the Big Bad she deserves to be, the Dark Phoenix largely stands around looking blankly at things. While X-Men: Days of Future Past would similarly fail its source text (another Claremont-Bryne collaboration), the mistreatment of this story robbed audiences of one of the most touching and epic narratives in the X-Men's history.
02. The Treatment of Characters of Colour
If the hatred for mutants is an allegory for racism and homophobia, then why is it that the films spend the most time developing straight, Caucasian characters? The franchise's treatment of its characters of colour is sadly quite atrocious.
Storm, easily one of the most iconic X-Men and one of its most prominent leaders, plays second fiddle to the men in the films. In fact, were it not for Halle Berry's insistence on exploring the character's powers further on film and her Oscar win in 2001, it's doubtful that she would have been utilized very much in X2 or X-Men: The Last Stand. She was also vastly under-utilized in X-Men: Days of Future Past, with those involved blaming Berry's pregnancy on how much she could have been involved.
Another trend within the franchise is the tendency to kill off characters of colour. Lady Deathstrike is killed in X2, Callisto, Arclight, Psylocke, Kid Omega and Dr. Kavita Rao are killed in X-Men: The Last Stand, Kayla Silverfox and John Wraith are killed in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Darwin is killed in X-Men: First Class, Angel in the interim between X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, the Silver Samurai is killed in The Wolverine, and Storm, Bishop, Blink, Sunspot and Warpath are killed in X-Men: Days of Future Past. This distinct lack of respect towards these characters shows a surprising racist undercurrent to the films, especially since there are far fewer deaths among Caucasian characters. This ultimately destroys the entire thematic premise for the X-Men.
Storm, easily one of the most iconic X-Men and one of its most prominent leaders, plays second fiddle to the men in the films. In fact, were it not for Halle Berry's insistence on exploring the character's powers further on film and her Oscar win in 2001, it's doubtful that she would have been utilized very much in X2 or X-Men: The Last Stand. She was also vastly under-utilized in X-Men: Days of Future Past, with those involved blaming Berry's pregnancy on how much she could have been involved.
Another trend within the franchise is the tendency to kill off characters of colour. Lady Deathstrike is killed in X2, Callisto, Arclight, Psylocke, Kid Omega and Dr. Kavita Rao are killed in X-Men: The Last Stand, Kayla Silverfox and John Wraith are killed in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Darwin is killed in X-Men: First Class, Angel in the interim between X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, the Silver Samurai is killed in The Wolverine, and Storm, Bishop, Blink, Sunspot and Warpath are killed in X-Men: Days of Future Past. This distinct lack of respect towards these characters shows a surprising racist undercurrent to the films, especially since there are far fewer deaths among Caucasian characters. This ultimately destroys the entire thematic premise for the X-Men.
01. Everything About Mystique
Despite being one of the most beloved characters from the film franchise, Mystique represents everything that is wrong with the X-Men movies.
First of all, she is completely misunderstood by the writers. In the comics, Mystique is an enigmatic individual whose motives are known only by herself and is characterized as being opportunistic, misandric and extremely untrustworthy. She's also known as a leader, having been responsible for the creation of several iterations of the Brotherhood of Mutants. When translated to film, she is portrayed as a devoted henchman to Magneto in the initial trilogy and is later a weepy victim caught in the middle of Xavier and Magneto's opposing views in the prequel films. In fact, the only way she can define herself is through Xavier and Magneto. Whatever actions she may take are negated by the fact that she has become dependent on the actions of the men in her life. She isn't narcissistic at all or even remotely mysterious. The prequel films make her transparent, so much so that her codename becomes a misnomer. A well-written Mystique would be her own woman and would have originated as such. She is self-made and does not rely on men, she uses them. She wouldn't be some tragic victim. Mystique should be more Amy Dunne than the Females Are More Innocent trope. We should never be able to say this about Mystique, "behind every bitch, there's a man who made her that way."
Secondly, Mystique's body is sexualized to be easily objectified by the male gaze. Whatever agency she may have is diminished by the fact that her body is filmed in seductive poses meant to titillate the viewer. While Mystique may wield her sexuality as a weapon in the comics, she still manages to kick ass with her clothes still on.
Lastly, the character is watered down and made more palatable for audiences by eliminating one of her most notable characteristics -- she is bisexual. In the comics, Mystique is one of the pioneering queer characters whose relationship with Destiny helped to set a precedent for the depiction of same-sex families in superhero comics. As arguably the only person Mystique loved more than herself, Destiny was a compassionate woman who brought a dimension of humanity to the mysterious shapeshifting mutant through their relationship with one another. When it came to men, they were pawns in Mystique's schemes and were rarely anything more than notches in her lipstick case. Her queerness is completely ignored in the film franchise, a further example of the white-washing of the X-Men, and she is transformed into a woman who defines herself through her relationships with men.
Her entire translation to the films suggests that in order for a woman to be marketed to an audience, they must be white (let's face it, they spend a whole lot of time focusing on J-Law outside of her makeup), they must be a good girl deep down, they must be straight and they must be comfortable with revealing as much of their body as possible.
First of all, she is completely misunderstood by the writers. In the comics, Mystique is an enigmatic individual whose motives are known only by herself and is characterized as being opportunistic, misandric and extremely untrustworthy. She's also known as a leader, having been responsible for the creation of several iterations of the Brotherhood of Mutants. When translated to film, she is portrayed as a devoted henchman to Magneto in the initial trilogy and is later a weepy victim caught in the middle of Xavier and Magneto's opposing views in the prequel films. In fact, the only way she can define herself is through Xavier and Magneto. Whatever actions she may take are negated by the fact that she has become dependent on the actions of the men in her life. She isn't narcissistic at all or even remotely mysterious. The prequel films make her transparent, so much so that her codename becomes a misnomer. A well-written Mystique would be her own woman and would have originated as such. She is self-made and does not rely on men, she uses them. She wouldn't be some tragic victim. Mystique should be more Amy Dunne than the Females Are More Innocent trope. We should never be able to say this about Mystique, "behind every bitch, there's a man who made her that way."
Secondly, Mystique's body is sexualized to be easily objectified by the male gaze. Whatever agency she may have is diminished by the fact that her body is filmed in seductive poses meant to titillate the viewer. While Mystique may wield her sexuality as a weapon in the comics, she still manages to kick ass with her clothes still on.
Lastly, the character is watered down and made more palatable for audiences by eliminating one of her most notable characteristics -- she is bisexual. In the comics, Mystique is one of the pioneering queer characters whose relationship with Destiny helped to set a precedent for the depiction of same-sex families in superhero comics. As arguably the only person Mystique loved more than herself, Destiny was a compassionate woman who brought a dimension of humanity to the mysterious shapeshifting mutant through their relationship with one another. When it came to men, they were pawns in Mystique's schemes and were rarely anything more than notches in her lipstick case. Her queerness is completely ignored in the film franchise, a further example of the white-washing of the X-Men, and she is transformed into a woman who defines herself through her relationships with men.
Her entire translation to the films suggests that in order for a woman to be marketed to an audience, they must be white (let's face it, they spend a whole lot of time focusing on J-Law outside of her makeup), they must be a good girl deep down, they must be straight and they must be comfortable with revealing as much of their body as possible.
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