Before the MCU, there was X-Men.

Released in 2000, X-Men helped prove that comic book movies could be taken seriously—and its impact can still be felt 26 years later. In this episode of Before Doomsday, Vactor and DoomsTim revisit the movie that introduced audiences to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Ian McKellen's Magneto, and an entire generation of X-Men characters.

We talk about why Marvel chose X-Men as the starting point for its Essential Viewing list before Avengers: Doomsday, how the movie helped launch the modern superhero movie era, why Wolverine became the center of the franchise, and why Cyclops deserved more to do.

We also look at what makes the movie's grounded approach work, its practical effects, the importance of the X-Men's mutant allegory, the first modern Stan Lee cameo tradition, and how much comic book filmmaking has changed since 2000.

And there's one huge reason to revisit X-Men now:

Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijn are all returning for Avengers: Doomsday.

So 26 years after X-Men changed superhero movies, its stars are heading back to the big screen.

This is Before Doomsday, where we're watching Marvel's Essential Viewing movies one film at a time as we count down to Avengers: Doomsday.

Next up: X2: X-Men United.

X-Men, X-Men 2000, X-Men movie, X-Men 2000 review, X-Men review, X-Men explained, Avengers Doomsday, Avengers Doomsday X-Men, X-Men Avengers Doomsday, Hugh Jackman Wolverine, Patrick Stewart Professor X, Ian McKellen Magneto, James Marsden Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn Mystique, X-Men Fox, Fox X-Men, Marvel, Marvel Studios, MCU, X-Men MCU, mutant Marvel, Marvel mutants, superhero movies, comic book movies, Stan Lee cameo, X-Men legacy, Bryan Singer, Wolverine, Cyclops, Magneto, Professor X