61 Mighty X-Men Facts: Learn All About These 'Marvel-ous' Heroes

The 'X-Men' film series comprises 13 films; these include the 'X-Men Trilogy,' the 'Wolverine Trilogy,' four X-Men prequel films, two 'Deadpool' films, and 'The New Mutants.'

These superheroes were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and appeared in the 'X-Men' comic books published by Marvel Comics. 20th Century Fox obtained the film rights for this franchise in 1994.

Since their appearance in the first comic book in 1963, these fictional superheroes have prompted the production and creation of many television shows, video games, and merchandise. The X-Men are supposed to be humans with superhuman abilities that they are born with due to certain genetic mutations.

These superhero films have grossed more than $6 billion worldwide, making this film franchise fall among the top 10 highest-grossing film series.

X-Men Films

Here are a few interesting facts about the films.

The script of the first 'X-Men' movie was written in 1984 by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. The script was written for Orion Pictures. However. This script was never developed further.

This script featured Professor X before he was in a wheelchair, Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, and Colossus going up against an organization known as Proteus.

Neil Patrick Harris auditioned for the character Nightcrawler in the second film.

Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, was an associate producer on 'X-Men' and also had played a small part as a Weapon X technician. However, he wore a hood, mask, and gloves and was quite unrecognizable.

Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder were asked to direct 'X-Men: The Last Stand.' However, both declined due to prior commitments.

'X-Men: The Last Stand' was the franchise's first movie to have post-credit scenes.

The series made more than $2 billion for the first six movies.

Many directors were considered to direct the first of the 'X-Men' movies, including Tim Burton.

There was a comic book crossover between 'Star-Trek: The Next Generation' and 'X-Men' in 1998.

Two years later (the year 2000), Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Picard in the former, acted as Professor X in the first 'X-Men' film.

Did you know many well-known celebrities wanted to be a part of 'X-Men,' including Michael Jackson and sister Janet?

Michael wanted to be Professor X, and Janet was keen on the role of Storm.

The first movie premiered in 2000 and was a box office success earning more than $296.3 million globally. It got positive reviews for both the storyline and performance.

The first film's success led to many spin-offs, sequels, and prequels and the revival of the superhero film genre.

At the time of its release in 2006, the third movie, 'X-Men: The Last Stand,' was the most expensive film made.

'Dark Phoenix,' which was released in 2019, grossed $252 million worldwide, making it the lowest-grossing film in the main 'X-Men' film series.

'Dark Phoenix,' along with 'The New Mutants,' which was released in 2020, are the last films in this series produced by Fox.

Marvel Studios will produce future films in this series.

A video game was released as a spin-off of the 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' film.

The film version of 'The New Mutants' was criticized by Bob McLeod, the co-creator of the comics, who stated that the depiction of certain characters was inaccurate.

An unrated extended version of 'The Wolverine' film called the 'Unleashed Extended Edition' was released on Blu-ray. This had more violence and action scenes.

'Logan,' released in 2017, was the best-reviewed film in this franchise and was called the greatest superhero film ever made by most critics.

It was among the top ten films of 2017 chosen by the National Board of Review.

It was the first live-action superhero film to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Academy Awards.

The 'Deadpool' movie got many nominations and awards, including two Golden Globe nominations.

'Deadpool 2' is the highest-grossing movie of this franchise earning more than $785 million worldwide.

Main Characters Of The 'X-Men'

Check out these astonishing facts about the characters in the comics and movies.

Wolverine's powers keep evolving and changing; Logan's healing factor can adapt to his lifestyle.

Russell Crowe was asked to play the part of Wolverine. However, he could not and recommended Hugh Jackman instead.

Another choice for the role was Dougray Scott. However, as the filming of 'Mission Impossible 2' overran, he too could not do the role, and it finally went to Hugh Jackman a few weeks before filming commenced.

January Jones, who played Emma Frost in 'X-Men: First Class,' was best known for her role as Betty Draper in the television series 'Mad Men.'

She said she took the role only because it was so different and didn't realize that just like 'Mad Men,' it would be set in the '60s.

James McAvoy shaved his head to play the role of Xavier without realizing that he was playing a young Xavier and did not have to be bald. He had to wear hair extensions for the film.

Olivia Munn, who plays the part of Psylocke in 'X-Men: Apocalypse,' was also offered the role of Vanessa in 'Deadpool.'

Hugh Jackman agreed to do a cameo in 'X-Men: First Class' if he was allowed to swear and if the studio made a donation to his child's school.

Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender made a pact after 'X-Men: Apocalypse' that they would only return to the series together.

Wolverine, one of the most popular of all the X-Men and featured in almost every X-Men film, did not exist till the '70s.

Wolverine appeared for the first time in late 1974 in a Hulk comic and joined the X-Men a year later.

Logan or Wolverine's real name is James Howlett.

Both James Howlett (Wolverine) and Scott Summers (Cyclops) are in love with Jean Grey. This is why they both hate each other.

Scott Summers, Cyclops, has not only been in love with Jean Grey but with Emma Frost (another character from the comics) as well.

The Beast has an evil version of himself known as the Dark Beast.

Storm was one of the first female Black superheroes ever introduced.

Did you know that Storm was married to another well-known superhero, the Black Panther, but the two divorced?

'X-Men' writers try to keep the names of the superheroes simple, and most often, you can guess their superpower from their names, such as Storm.

Did you know that the beams that Cyclops shoots from his eyes are not lasers? Lasers produce heat. The beams Cyclops shoots are concussive force beams.

Also, he is not able to control his power because of brain damage that he suffered when young.

Jean Grey is said to be among the most powerful of this team of mutants because of her psychic powers.

Wolverine first appeared in 'The Incredible Hulk Comic, Issue 180,' in 1974.

Taylor Lautner, who has starred in the 'Twilight' films, was considered for the role of Beast; however, he didn't have the time.

One of the most popular characters, Nightcrawler, was first pitched to DC comics. However, they thought the character was too strange and weird and rejected it.

As the comic series was created in the '60s, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Professor X was based on Martin Luther King Jr. and Magneto on Malcolm X.

The healing factor of Deadpool is more powerful than both Wolverine and Hulk. He can not only survive a nuclear blast but also reattach his head if beheaded, live in space, and claims that he can also survive it if he were to be thrown into a supernova or exploding star.

Audience Reception

Here are a few facts on how audiences reacted to the films and comics in this franchise.

In the early comics, Professor X was said to be in love with a teenage Jean Grey.

However, this did not go down well with readers, and Marvel discontinued the storyline.

The X-Men were initially called the Merry Mutants. However, Stan Lee, the creator, was asked to change the name.

A few action scenes and violent shots were cut in many films to obtain a PG-13 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Due to the popularity and success of the first move, the 'X2' film that premiered in 2003 had the widest release ever.

It opened on over 7,300 screens worldwide and 3,741 cinemas in the United States and Canada in May.

Art Direction

These art direction facts will surely make you appreciate the movies much more.

After the first 'X-Men' movie, the wheelchair used by Professor X was auctioned off.

The prop department realized that it might be cheaper to rent a chair than make another one for the second movie.

Black leather clothing was used in the films instead of the blue and yellow color scheme of the comics as it worked better onscreen.

The red glasses worn by Cyclops were the X-Metal Juliet by Oakley Inc., a company that manufactures sports and lifestyle products.

The claws used by Hugh Jackman for his Wolverine character could be easily put on and taken off and do not have any real metal blades. The blades are made of injection-molded plaster.

The extensive and elaborate visual effects used in the third film were created by 11 different agencies located in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the US, and Canada.

'X-Men: Days of Future Past' was nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Visual Effects.

It was the first 'X-Men' movie to get an Oscar nomination.

To build up his muscles for his role of Wolverine, Hugh Jackman consumed six meals a day that included lots of chicken, brown rice, and steak.

It took up to eight hours to complete the makeup of Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Mystique.

It has been revealed by Sir Patrick Stewart that the chair used by Professor Xavier was able to levitate a few inches in the story.

However, it was not explained how it was done. Some fans believe it was through the use of magnets.

FAQs

How did the X-Men get their name?

There are various explanations for this. One of the most popular is that they were named after Charles Xavier, and the 'X' stands for Xavier. Another is that the X-Men get their name after the X-factor, a gene that results in mutant abilities or evolution.

Who was the very first X-Men?

The first team of X-Men was made up of the Beast, Iceman, Angel, Cyclops, and Marvel Girl.

Who are the main X-Men?

The main or most important X-Men characters are Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Wolverine.

What is 'X-Men 8' called?

The eighth movie in this franchise is 'X-Men: Apocalypse' (2016).

What universe is 'X-Men' in?

The X-Men are a part of Marvel Comics, set on Earth-10005.