THE X-Men have a long and turbulent cinematic history, and many decisions made in the films starring the characters have aged poorly. First adapted for live action in Fox's X-Men film franchise, Marvel's eponymous mutants have proven to be some of its most prolific protagonists. First appearing in 2000 X-Menthey've remained a staple of the superhero genre ever since, making regular appearances in Marvel films across three distinct decades.
Considering the length of the X-Men movie timeline on the big screen, it only follows that some decisions may not have aged very well. Some of these are behind-the-scenes decisions related to how the films themselves were made, while others concern more specific character choices that later backfire. Regardless of the specifics of each example, each came to be considered poor in retrospect, aging poorly as a result. With that in mind, here are 10 X-Men Movie Decisions That Aged Poorly.
10
Manipulating Logan into giving up his healing factor
Yashida, The Wolverine (2013)
Launched in 2013, The wolverine follows the titular mutant as he travels to Japan to confront a figure from his past. Having saved the life of a Japanese officer named Yashida in World War II, Logan responds to his summons under the pretense that Yashida wants to repay his life debt. Yashida asks Logan to transfer his healing factor, saving his own life and relieving Logan of his curse. When Logan refuses, Yashida infects him with a parasite that suppresses his ability.
The decision turned out to be incredibly bad. The attempt to manipulate Logan into compliance backfires spectacularly, turning him against Yashida in a way he wouldn't have done otherwise.. Either way, it ended with Yashida's death, but risking the life of the man whose abilities he was trying to harvest wasn't the best idea in the first place.
9
Lying to Sabretooth
William Stryker, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Of all the X-Men movie villains, X-Men Origins: Wolverine by far the worst. The film's iteration of Deadpool may remain one of the most infamous in comic book movie history, but he's not the only aspect of the film that has aged poorly. The film's plot revolves around Sabretooth murdering the other members of Team X, with it being revealed that William Stryker commissioned him to do so.
At the end of the film, Stryker reneges on his deal with Sabretooth to subject him to the same procedure as Wolverine. The decision to attack Victor Creed aged poorly for Stryker, as it turned his former minion against him, with Sabretooth and Wolverine joining forces to destroy Deadpool, defeating Stryker in the process. If Stryker hadn't alienated Sabretooth by going back on his word, he likely would have wonwhich means the decision hasn't aged well for the character at all.
8
“Do you know what happens to a frog when it’s struck by lightning?”
Storm, X-Men (2000)
The cast of the 2000s X-Men deliver many lines throughout the film, but only one stands out from the rest as the film's most memorable, albeit for all the wrong reasons. In the film's final act, the X-Men battle the Brotherhood of Mutants on Liberty Island, and the action sees Storm face off against Toad. This makes her utter the immortal phrase: “Do you know what happens to a frog when it is struck by lightning?”
The decision to include this line in the film has aged more poorly than any other element of the film. Decades later, the dialogue is still ridiculedbecoming famous for his clumsiness. Considering the superhero genre was still relatively young at the time, it's understandable that such a line would seem appropriate, but the choice to put it in the script certainly hasn't aged well.
7
Telling Magneto that the Nazis were “just following orders”
Charles Xavier, X-Men: First Class (2011)
Throughout his live-action history, Magneto has had many incredible moments in his various appearances. X-Men: First Class introduced a new, young Magneto into the franchise, establishing his friendship with Charles Xavier and the formation of a feud between them that would eventually make them enemies. At the end of the film, the Marines have all their guns trained on the mutants, and Magneto expresses his dislike of humanity's threats against mutants, comparing it to his experience as a Jewish boy during the Holocaust.
Xavier responds by telling Magneto that those men were “just following orders”, which naturally does nothing to calm the friend down. In truth, Xavier's choice of words aged poorly as it only alienated Magneto furtherconfirming to him that Charles would never understand his attitude towards prejudice and persecution. This caused the duo to grow further apart, later causing a full-scale conflict between them and their respective followers.
6
Killing the main X-Men heroes
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
From the cast of X-Men: The Last Standnot that many of them actually survived the events of the film, especially in a way that would allow their story to continue. The film adapted several stories from the comics and saw the deaths of Cyclops, Professor X and Jean Grey, as well as names like Mystique, Rogue and Magneto losing their mutant abilities. The decision to include so many apparent endings in the film ended up not being a good idea.
This effectively forced the franchise into a soft reboot, with previous films picking up the characters' stories from a much younger age. This resulted in a confusing and often inconsistent schedulewhich in the long run only served to damage the franchise's reputation. In addition to being a generally unpopular choice upon release, the decision to kill off and render so many X-Men characters powerless has also aged poorly.
5
Publicly Demonizing Mutants
Senator Robert Kelly, X-Men (2000)
The 2000s opening scene X-Men introduced Marvel's mutants to the big screen, immediately establishing the prejudice they face from humanity. The mutants' most vocal opponent in the film is Senator Robert Kelly, a politician who expresses concern about their abilities and suggests that they be forced to register their powers. The decision to take such a firm and public stance against powerful mutants has aged rather poorly for Senator Kelly within the film's narrative.
By publicly establishing his opposition to mutants and directly promoting fear of them, Senator Kelly has effectively become a target. The decision to label all mutants as dangerous only radicalized them against himwith Magneto choosing to test his machine on Kelly, causing her painful and horrific death. As such, Kelly's decision hasn't aged well at all, especially since it led to him being turned into a mutant.
4
Not questioning Bobby's sudden personality change
Rogue, X-Men (2000)
While it's a relatively minor moment in the film's larger story, there is one specific scene in particular. X-Men introducing Rogue which sees her make a decision that ages poorly. After forming a relationship with Bobby Drake, she finds him following her by accidentally using his powers on Logan. Bobby, acting out of character, convinces her to flee the Xavier Institute, and Rogue accepts his manipulations at face value. It is then revealed to be Mystique, acting on Magneto's behalf.
Rogue's decision not to question the sudden radical change in Bobby's personality ages poorly, as he sees her leave the safety of the Institute and play into Magneto's hands. This allows Magneto to use it on his machine and forces the X-Men to act against him, with several heroes being injured in the process. If Rogue had simply expressed her confusion about Bobby's sudden change, none of this could have happened.
3
Activating the mystique
Magneto, X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Although Magneto's moral compass is often slightly skewed, X-Men: The Last Stand sees him make a decision that ends incredibly badly for the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants. During the attack on a mobile prison while investigating reports of a mutant cure, Mystique sees a soldier trying to shoot Magneto. She saves him by catching the dart herself, which takes away his abilities. Instead of showing gratitude, Magneto brushes her aside, dismissing her as a mere human.
So quickly attacking one of his most loyal followers is a decision that doesn't age well for Magneto. Rejected by her former master, Mystique then freely offers information about him, resulting in the invasion of his camp. This pushes Magneto into battle sooner than expected and disrupts his plans to attack Alcatraz. Ultimately, If he hadn't turned so quickly against Mystique, he wouldn't have been such a formidable enemy. from a former friend.
2
Introducing the Gambit
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Of the many mistakes made by X-Men Origins: Wolverineperhaps what has aged the worst is the decision to include Taylor Kitsch's Gambit. The film saw the live-action debut of the fan-favorite character, although it actually left a lot to be desired. Gambit's inclusion wasn't necessary to the film's plot, and Kitsch's take on the character received frustratingly little screen time.
Not only did this not do Gambit justice, but it also set the character back in a way that could not have been predicted. After the disastrous reactions to its appearance in X-Men Origins: WolverineGambit has been absent from the live-action X-Men films for 15 years, with much of that time seeing his solo film languishing in development hell. As Gambit didn't really need to be in the moviethe decision to wear it has aged incredibly poorly.
1
Enslaving and torturing a fellow mutant
Sebastian Shaw, X-Men: First Class (2011)
X-Men: First Class explores Magneto's origins, portraying the childhood trauma that turned him into one of the X-Men's most complex characters. The film's opening shows a young Erik Lehnsherr entering the Auschwitz concentration camp and demonstrating his powers by being separated from his family, then being taken aside by Klaus Schmidt, a Nazi who is later revealed to be Sebastian Shaw. Shaw insists that Magneto move a coin using his abilities, killing his mother in front of him to force him to act.
Shaw's decision to treat a powerful mutant in this way has aged singularly poorly. Not only did it serve as a formative moment for young Magneto, but it also sealed the death of Shaw himself, delivered in a deliciously ironic manner. The decision to treat others with such contempt ended up backfiring spectacularly on Shaw, making her perhaps the worst age choice in the history of X-Men films.