Today marks the 20th anniversary of X-Men's release in theaters, and while it's certainly fun to look back at the past, most fans are more interested in what Marvel Studios has planned for these mutants. Following the Disney/Fox merger, the rights to these iconic heroes and villains are now in Kevin Feige's hands, and that's exciting for a lot of reasons.
For starters, we can finally expect to see a comic accurate take on the characters, and based on what we saw in the "Infinity Saga," plenty of moments lifted straight from the source material.
With that in mind, we're now counting down the twenty moments we most want to see in the eventual X-Men reboot, with entries 20 - 11 in this feature, and 10 - 1 in a post we'll be sharing tomorrow.
We think you'll agree that there are some memorable battles, interactions, and pieces of imagery here which would be truly amazing on the big screen, and while we could be waiting several years before seeing them all, there are plenty of ways for Marvel Studios to make them happen.
So, to check out these moments, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button down below!
20. Magneto Tears Out Wolverine's Skeleton
With Magneto once again planning to attack Earth, the villain hopes to use an EMP to cause mass panic and wipe out thousands of humans. After a number of failed past endeavours, he was more determined than ever this time, and didn’t hesitate to take down the X-Men.
However, when Wolverine delivered a near fatal blow to the Master of Magnetism, the villain lifted him into the air and proceeded to tear the Adamantium from his bones in front of his horrified teammates.
Magneto has always had the ability to overpower Wolverine, but to tear him apart like this was a shocking development which no one ever imagined actually happening. This changed Wolverine’s life for a long time (he was now more vulnerable than ever without an indestructible skeleton), and this obviously has the potential to make for an incredible visual on the big screen.
19. Cyclops Marries Jean Grey
Younger versions of both Cyclops and Jean Grey were reintroduced in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse, but the romance between the two was never fully explored (at least Wolverine wasn't around this time even if we did have that creepy scene in Weapon X where he seemed enamoured by her).
Arguably one of the most iconic comic book couples of all-time, these two tying the knot may not be as exciting as some of the action-heavy suggestions elsewhere in this feature, but it would be very rewarding for comic book fans, and generally just a really cool moment to see play out.
However, throw Emma Frost into the mix somewhere a little further down the line and this loved up couple won’t stay happy for long, and it's possible Marvel Studios will choose to avoid Jean for a while.
18. Schism
Cyclops and Wolverine always had something of a difficult relationship, but Scott and Logan later became close friends and the latter soon became happy to follow the lead of Charles Xavier’s first student.
However, when Cyclops chose to send some of the younger members of the X-Men into a particularly dangerous battle, Wolverine wouldn’t allow it and years of resentment and frustration finally reached a head. A "Schism" between the X-Men formed, and two separate teams emerged with very different ideas about how to protect mutantkind from humans.
Before that, the two engaged in a violent battle which would ultimately see them forced to team-up one final time to take out a Sentinel. That battle alone would be epic in a live-action setting.
17. The Death Of Wolverine
The fact that Bryan Singer’s big screen adaptation of X-Men: Days of Future Past didn’t include this key scene is a crime, and a real missed opportunity considering just how damn iconic it is.
Given the structure of the movie, it might have been hard to include, but Wolverine being taken down by a Sentinel (even if he doesn't die) in this exact way is now a must. In this alternate future, though, the hero is one of the few mutants who haven’t been taken out by the Sentinels, and sacrifices himself in one last heroic act with only his Adamantium skeleton left after he's obliterated.
The Sentinels are a must for the MCU, and this would be a great way to establish them as a true threat.
16. Angel's Crucifixion
During Chris Claremont’s critically acclaimed X-Men run, the writer didn’t shy away from killing mutants when the story called for it. The "Mutant Massacre" was a one of those hard hitting events which saw a group known as the Marauders head underground to slaughter the deformed mutants known as the Morlocks.
While attempting to save one young mutant in peril, Angel was captured and crucified in a shocking visual which also proved to be somewhat controversial due to its religious connotations. Regardless, this had huge ramifications for one of Charles Xavier’s original X-Men, and it would be a bold move for Marvel Studios to head down a similarly dark path with Warren Worthington III.
After all, this leads to some big changes for the hero, but we'll get to that a little later in this feature...
15. Meet The Uncanny X-Men
The X-Men movies have always been very different to the comic books in terms of their rosters, not to mention when certain mutants ended up joining the team. When the times does now come to reboot the franchise, though, following the direction of Giant-Size X-Men #1 could be a clever way of doing that and giving this franchise a fresh new feel.
With many members of the original group trapped on the living island, Krakoa, Cyclops and Xavier have no other choice than to turn elsewhere for help and assemble a new team of X-Men to mount a rescue mission. This was where the likes of Wolverine and Storm were first introduced and it really shook up the comic books at the time, even if it did put some fan-favourites on the back-burner.
We would also be shocked if the reboot doesn't end up being dubbed Uncanny X-Men by Marvel Studios.
14. Wolverine Battles The Hellfire Club
We met the Hellfire Club in X-Men: First Class, but whether this particular moment includes them might not actually matter. This story went a long way in cementing Wolverine’s status as a fan-favourite character and a stone cold badass, but it was the final page reveal – where we learned the presumed dead mutant was still alive – that should make it to the big screen one day.
It's fair to say that Logan striking this pose is something only comic book fans would pick up on and appreciate, but those are often the best kind of Easter Eggs. Interestingly, this is also a scene which has been affectionately replicated a number of times over the years, including during Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run when he switched Wolverine for Kitty (now Kate) Pryde.
If the MCU's X-Men do battle the Hellfire Club and this isn't included, though, we riot!
13. Jean Grey's Death
We obviously got to see Jean Grey "die" in X2: X-Men United, but if and when we get a much more faithful adaptation of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" (because that certainly wasn't in last year's Dark Phoenix), it will hopefully stick a lot closer to the comic books.
Overwhelmed by her new power, Jean chose to sacrifice herself rather than risk losing control even though Cyclops believed she could learn to master her newfound abilities.
It’s a heartbreaking moment and though it sounds like a future movie would be retreading old ground by revisiting these events, the Marvel Studios creative team could bring something new to this beloved story arc which Fox failed to do right again and again.
12. Archangel Rises
Following the events of the crucifixion we mentioned a little earlier in this feature, Warren Worthington III had no choice but to have his wings amputated. Permanently grounded and in control of a company circling the drain, the original X-Man flew his plane into a mountain and committed suicide. Or so it seemed.
In reality, he had made a deal with Apocalypse in exchange for new razor sharp metal wings. However, the now almost unrecognisable Angel had no choice than to become the leader of the villain’s four horsemen (Death), and thus Archangel was born!
Even after escaping the ancient mutant’s clutches, Warren constantly battled with his dark side and ultimately gave into it, attempting to become a new Apocalypse himself in the process. This could all work really well in the MCU, and prove to be a fascinating direction to take a character overlooked by the original movies.
11. Professor X Dons A New Helmet
This isn't necessarily a single moment, but it is a direction we would definitely be on board with Marvel Studios taking the X-Men franchise in. These days, the heroes live on Krakoa, a sovereign nation established by a Professor X who has moved on from past ideals and decided that he will do whatever it takes to protect mutantkind.
He's become something of a master manipulator, and has even discovered a way to help mutants cheat death, a true game-changer for the characters which is already shaking up their adventures.
Both Sir Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy delivered plenty of great work as Charles Xavier, so it's now time to take the character in a new direction, and placing that already iconic helmet on his head just makes sense. Krakoa would also make a nice change from that familiar mansion!
Make sure to check back here tomorrow for the second part of this X-Men feature!