What you are about to read, is no means make this entirely FACT, but an honest and respected opinion of thus said franchise and in no means directly means that this implies any critical or hard daring analysis of film franchise as this is an opinion based in a FUN viewing of the franchise. You may or may not agree, and that's OKAY.
X-MEN TIMELINE
As stated, X-Men is a very hard film franchise to follow if you are a nut to want to understand how exactly everything fits together. However some of the pieces of the puzzle are more complicated than others from execs to director changes. What may have been ignored, maybe there is a direct correlation between each film that we have yet to directly unlock. Here is the basis and new look of the timeline.
For lack of confusion we will be using the identity of both franchises through terms such as
Astonishing & Uncanny to better understand the timelines as we go through the course of the films.
ASTONISHING
X-MEN FIRST CLASS
At this point this is pretty much the starting point of both universes respectfully. This is the movie that features both Charles Xavier & Erik Lehensherr. The beginning of the film highlights the first X-Men film where Erik is using his powers at full force bending a gate, which we all know but the film goes along smoothly. We now have the relationships all set, the implication of said events that shaped the future relationship and strain of Professor X & Magneto as now enemies. Now, here is the tricky and crux of this timeline at this point
X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
The film while begins in the future, we are going to look directly into the past in 1973 rather than start this in 2024. So at this point, Bolivar Trask has already built Sentinels and has prepared these machines to combat mutants since the events of First Class, again the existence of mutants is not known till later on with Beast, Magneto & Mystique. However one said character is on a mission that could change the timeline, that is to kill Trask for killing her fellow comrades in the past 10 years for mutant testing. At this point Mystique is blinded by anger and needs to set her plan in motion for revenge. Logan (future) must stop her with the Hank & Charles to stop said events to stop a future where it is dark and mutants are being killed off. At the end, Trask is not killed, the Sentinel program is discarded and the future is different. However...Logan from the future wakes up to a future where everything is normal. Logan in the past is taken by Mystique to an undisclosed location.
THE WOLVERINE
This you can consider X-MEN 4. I say this because it matches directly with the events of X-Men 3 The Last Stand, especially with what happened with Jean Grey and her death which is directly implied that he is responsible for her death. From 2006-2013 it seems that Jean is still dead, as for Professor X he happens to be alive, which could mean a big event happened after X-Men 3 that resurrected Professor X, after all the end credits do imply that he moved his consciousness to another body. At the end of it, we are given the after credits scene implying the Sentinels and Professor X & Magneto appearing asking for help.
X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
At this point we need to go back and speak of the future where all mutants are hunted and killed. Lets say Mystique does end up killing Trask ASTONISHING timeline proceeds and this is the conclusion of it. Onward we are looking at the end of the X-Men franchise, all over, however we still have Logan who went back to change everything which opened up a new timeline all together entirely. Which is what I call,
THE UNCANNY, meaning this at the end of the film the Logan from the future goes back to his original
ASTONISHING timeline, which would see an end to that timeline which consisted of
X-Men FC, X-Men 1-3, The Wolverine, Days of Future Past. So where do future sequels begin after this?
THE UNCANNY
X-MEN APOCALYPSE
By now 10 years have passed, we are greeted with Jean Grey, Storm & Cyclops before they were ever apart of the X-Men. Mystique is now good, but doesn't meddle in mutant affairs, Professor X doesn't want to start the X-Men and finds the idea silly, and Magneto has a wife and child (who die) but now the merge of Apocalypse begins. This points out that the original trio from X-Men 1, are now different, they were not found anymore but thrust into battle to save Apocalypse. Not only that, we are shown Angel who is a cage fighter alongside Nightcrawler, who only appeared in X-Men 2 & 3 respectfully. That directly implies the timeline changed in this story rather than the further stories. At the end, Mystique has joined the X-Men, also establishing costumes which are vastly different than the X-Men 1 film, not only that Logan is shown to receive is adamantium claws in 1983 as opposed to 1970's. Also Magneto does imply maybe this won't be the last time they see, as always Professor X does always say "Goodbye Old Friend" The after credits scene manages to incorporate Essex Corp which is said to be a looming presence through the next set of films.
X-MEN 1-2
Now the first film begins, which this one we don't know for sure, but given the Logan film directly hinting at the Statue of Liberty incident. This does make sense with Magneto as this could of actually been why he wanted to attack Senator Kelly with his machine and to show the world how it feels to be a mutant. However it isn't known if Magneto died in this incident or not, we are not sure for of that point of time. Same could be about the sequel and how it directly correlates with the film.
DEADPOOL
This is the only film I have a hard time classifying, however given the recent trailer and the film, it seems this exists maybe in a separate universe than the other films all together. Given how Logan was playing in the trailer for DP2 and how the X-Men are vastly different with costumes I might add, there is no direct correlation. Not to mention the off hand remarks of the X-Men timeline are mocked, at this point it doesn't seem like it does fit with the continuity. However I do see X-Men appearances from all over but done in a way that possibly could fit the world Deadpool is building.
LOGAN
This one seems to be the one that confuses most X-Men fans, and I see why, it doesn't really give us any implication what to really understand how it happened. As always we are looking back at the Astonishing universe, but as I said maybe this is the Uncanny universe I'm speaking of. Maybe they don't correlate with the previous timeline due to the Sentinel attack. Again it has all changed, and it is possible this Professor X is more vulgar maybe because McAvoys performance which does give Professor X a bit of an edgy ness to him. As for the mutants not appearing in 25 years, that could mean X-Men 2 did not end well. Not to mention Essex Corp has yet to have been mentioned, but this could imply something a lot more Sinister has happened.
AS FOR OTHER FILMS?
Like I said, we don't know the difference in time between Apocalypse and X-Men and only the obvious years, X-Men Supernova is meant to have the Dark Phoenix sage take place 10-15 years early as opposed to 2006 and this implies Professor X does survive the ordeal with Phoenix and so could possibly Cyclops or other X-Men members if they do appear. We also don't know what is after Logan either but presumably Alpha Flight is the next film after Logan with X23. As for X-Force, this seems to be in the Deadpoolverse rather than the X-Men universe because of how different in tone and style they both are. Simply stating, they don't work well. There is also the next film The New Mutants, which could take place in the 90's as well or possibly an extension of the 80's X-Men.
THANKS FOR READING!