X-Men and Wolverine Film Series Overview
The X-Men film series, produced by 20th Century Studios and Marvel Entertainment, includes multiple interconnected franchises featuring the Wolverine character. The series began with X-Men in 2000 and expanded through numerous sequels, prequels, and spinoffs. Hugh Jackman portrayed Wolverine across nine films, starting with X-Men (2000) and concluding with Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). The franchise generated over $6 billion in global box office revenue across 13 mainline X-Men films and multiple Deadpool entries. The timeline spans from the 1960s-era X-Men: First Class to the present-day Deadpool & Wolverine, which integrates characters from the X-Men universe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Forbes reported that Deadpool & Wolverine set multiple opening weekend records.
Wolverine solo films include X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), The Wolverine (2013), and Logan (2017). Logan grossed over $619 million worldwide and received critical acclaim for its R-rated narrative. X-Men Origins: Wolverine grossed approximately $373 million globally. The Wolverine (2013) earned $414 million worldwide. These three films form a loose chronological arc for the character, with Logan serving as a direct sequel to The Wolverine and a prequel to Deadpool & Wolverine. The timeline placement of these films within the broader X-Men universe is complex, with Logan set in 2029 and Deadpool & Wolverine bridging multiple timelines.
Complete Chronological Release Order
X-Men Original Timeline Films
The original X-Men film series released in the following order: X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019). Each film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and produced by various Marvel Entertainment entities. The series featured ensemble casts including Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, and James McAvoy. Marvel.com provides official character and film data for the X-Men franchise. The original timeline concluded with Dark Phoenix, which grossed $252 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million.
Deadpool and Wolverine Timeline Integration
The Deadpool films inserted a comedic, meta-narrative into the X-Men universe. Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018) starred Ryan Reynolds as the titular character and earned $783 million and $785 million worldwide respectively. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) merged the Deadpool and Wolverine characters with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring cameos from multiple X-Men actors. The film was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures after Disney acquired 21st Century Fox. SEC filings confirm Disney's acquisition of