Before the DCEU and MCU, comic book fans had to get their fix through any means necessary. Thus, it was a breath of fresh air that the X-Men movies tried to establish some form of continuity and shared universe principles long before it became the in thing in Hollywood.
In many ways, this franchise is one of the major reasons that we have so many comic book movies today.
From Hugh Jackman’s definitive Wolverine performance to Michael Fassbender’s pitch-perfect Magneto, there are so many things to cheer and enjoy in these movies.
In fact, even their weakest efforts, such as X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, haven’t been completely unwatchable and contain some redeeming quality.
All things considered, now is a good time to go back through the franchise and look at some of its major mistakes and bloopers. Also, no, this isn’t in an attempt to devalue the franchise, or to earn that Disney paycheck as the trolls in comments section will undoubtedly say. This is purely to look back at some of the more puzzling moments from these movies and discuss them.
With that said, here are the 15 Huge Mistakes You Completely Missed In X-Men Movies.
Wolverine’s Magical Claws
X-Men: Days of Future Past reset the universe. It course corrected the missteps and brought back a new world of possibilities for the franchise. However, one of its biggest mistakes is actually in the beginning of the movie before the history was changed.
When we spot the older, grayer Logan from the future, he unsheathed his claws – and, lo and behold, they were made of adamantium. What’s the problem, you might be asking?
Well, in the previous movie, 2013’s The Wolverine, the Silver Samurai severed Logan’s adamantium claws and we saw the return of the bone claws.
Now, from that movie to the glum future of Days of Future Past, a lot could’ve happened and probably did – but there’s no explanation for how Wolvie got his shiny stabbers back.
Xavier’s Paralysis Is Gone
While we’d all prefer to forget that X-Men Origins: Wolverine exists, we can’t. It’s still part of canon – even if it’s probably the biggest reason that X-Men: Days of Future Past was necessary.
Nonetheless, this particular gaffe isn’t this movie’s fault, but a subsequent one’s. In X-Men: First Class, which is set in the ’60s, we got to see how Professor Xavier (with a full head of lush hair) lost his ability to walk.
Then, how is it possible that a bald Xavier walked around just fine at the end of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which took place in the ’70s? It’s entirely possible that this version of Xavier was a projection, à la Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, but this was never hinted to or explained. Sounds like a mistake to us.
When Erik And Charles First Met
Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier are the friend goals we should aspire to. Even when they’re fighting for different causes (and against each other), these two still possess a respect and unwavering appreciation for one another. We could think of a few world leaders who could learn a thing or two about diplomacy and manners from these two mutants.
When Erik and Charles became BFFs, though, is a point of contention. In 2000’s X-Men, Charles explained that he met Erik when he was 17 years old, when they were both teenagers.
However, in X-Men: First Class, Charles met Erik in the ’60s, when he was already in his 20s. Considering the power of their friendship across all the movies, we’re willing to let this slight indiscretion slide.
Cyclops’ Revealing Glasses
You have to feel sorry for Scott Summers. The poor guy always needs to have a pair of glasses or his visor on, or else he’ll murder everyone around him. Shame, it must be terrible when he hits the beach and has to suffer through the indignity of an awful sunglasses tan afterwards.
In X-Men, though, his sunglasses ended up revealing a huge part of the movie magic.
When Cyclops went into Wolverine’s room and said, “Oh, and, Logan, stay away from my girl,” you could spot the reflection of the camera crew as they filmed the scene.
It’s not instantly noticeable – and most of us missed it the first time we watched it – but do yourself a favor and pause the scene the next time you watch the movie.
Beast’s Surprise At The Mutant Cure
In X-Men: Days of Future Past, Hank McCoy, AKA Beast, created a special serum that could suppress mutant powers, which he utilized to treat Xavier’s paralysis. It was a major discovery and something that could’ve transformed the lives of mutants with “difficult” powers, such as Rogue.
Fast-forward in the timeline to X-Men: The Last Stand and Beast was shocked when his hand transformed into its original human form after he encountered Leech. More worrying, he seemed to have completely forgotten about the serum he’d created decades before.
Keep in mind that this all happened before the timeline changed, so there’s no reason for Beast not to have a clue about the serum. Was Hank just playing stupid because he didn’t want to create the serum again?
Emma Frost’s Disappearing Super-Strength
Emma Frost is one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe, but we really haven’t seen the full potential of her powers in cinema yet. Her appearance in X-Men: First Class, as portrayed by January Jones, started off with a bang but unfortunately lost steam halfway through.
In the movie, she possessed a low level of super-strength, but enough to keep her out of harm’s way. Well, you’d think so. After displaying her strength earlier on, she quickly forgot she had it and turned into a damsel in distress when chased down.
It’s inexplicable why this decision was made. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction when she was introduced as Sebastian Shaw’s second-in-command and then this happened. Maybe Frost will get a second chance in the MCU?
Who Built Cerebro?
A couple years ago, the Batman: The Animated Series Writer’s Bible was released and we all witnessed the level of detailed planning that went into the show. Looking back at it, it’s something that should be applied to any franchise that attempts to keep things connected.
In fact, the X-Men films could’ve greatly benefited from this, too. For example, in X-Men, Charles Xavier revealed it was Magneto who helped him build Cerebro.
However, then in X-Men: First Class, it’s evident that Hank McCoy was responsible for the creation of this device – not Charles nor Erik.
It’s possible that Xavier could be one of those guys who do nothing in a group project and then claim to have done the whole thing themselves. We wouldn’t put it past him, really.
Bolivar Trask Looks Different
In the world of cinema, it’s not unusual to recast characters. Actors leave franchises for a variety of reasons, and the show must go on. Unlike the MCU that replaced Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, however, the X-Men movies took a whole different approach with Bolivar Trask.
In 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, Trask was portrayed by Bill Duke. He was African American and the head of the Department of Homeland Security. His role wasn’t major, but he did have a part to play in the proceedings.
When you look at X-Men: Days of Future Past, though, Trask was portrayed by Peter Dinklage, who served as the main antagonist of the movie and was responsible for the Sentinels creation. Dinklage’s version of the character was more in tune with comic book origin of Trask, even if he and Duke looked nothing alike.
How Does Wolverine Remember World War II?
One of the crucial aspects of Wolverine’s arc is that he suffers from amnesia. He doesn’t know much about his past and has the occasional flashback as he tries to piece together his past. It’s pretty much in line with his character’s storyline in the comic book series.
Yet, in James Mangold’s The Wolverine, Logan suddenly had memories of World War II, the man he saved, and the atomic bomb. It’s possible that Xavier helped him unlock memories during their time together, but this one seems far too convenient.
A traumatic event, such as war or the dropping of the atomic bomb, would likely be repressed even further. Why doesn’t he remember what Silver Fox or Sabretooth meant to him instead of this specific event?
Cyclops’ Age
We all know that Wolverine doesn’t age because of his mutant healing factor, but what’s Scott Summers’ excuse? This guy always looks like he’s the varsity football captain, no matter which era he’s living in. This isn’t a soap opera – he’s meant to age.
If you think back to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it was set largely in the ’70s. There, we met a young Scott who was still in high school and not yet an X-Man.
However, in 2000’s X-Men, which takes place in the ’00s, Scott was in his late 20s/early 30s. This doesn’t match up with Origins’ timeline.
Surely, he should’ve been a lot older than this? Or did he take a sip from the Fountain of Youth to shave off a couple of years?
Logan’s Vest Heals
Ah, X-Men: The Last Stand, we meet again. You know how Wolverine can heal his body from any injury? Apparently, Brett Ratner thought this extended to his clothing, too.
In the woods scene where Wolverine was attacked by Spike, he got two spikes to the stomach for his trouble. As expected, the wounds healed and you clearly saw the bloody holes in the vest he was wearing. That sounds right, doesn’t it? Well, someone screwed up what came afterwards because the holes were suddenly gone – as if they’d miraculously healed themselves.
Now, Wolverine is a powerful mutant, but if his powers extend to fixing clothes, we think he’s in the wrong industry. He’d make a killing as a tailor. Certainly far more than this superhero gig offers.
Angel Dies, But Comes Back?
Warren Worthington III is an original member of the classic X-Men team; however, in the film series, he’s never been a big part of the affairs. In X-Men: The Last Stand, he was pretty much a weeping bystander. Then, in X-Men: Apocalypse, they skipped right to his Archangel arc and killed him off when all was said and done.
Now, we know the timeline was reset after X-Men: Days of Future Past, but how does that affect his age to the point where he was born much earlier than before? All the other X-Men seem to be around the right age and no one’s path has deviated too much from the expected.
Additionally, if Worthington turned into Archangel immediately that means he was never a part of the X-Men, which is a huge departure from the character’s origin story.
How Are Alex And Scott Summers A Similar Age?
In X-Men: First Class, Xavier formed his first team in the ’60s, which included a young Alex Summers. A lot of people were disappointed that it wasn’t his brother, Scott, introduced first, but hey, we lived with it and all the other liberties taken by the filmmakers.
X-Men: Apocalypse threw a spanner into the works by introducing Scott, who was portrayed as the younger sibling in this continuity. Do keep in mind that this movie took place in the ’80s – two decades after the events of X-Men: First Class.
Amazingly, Alex and Scott looked roughly the same age.
There was never a major age gap between them. So, how did Alex manage to look like he was 20 years old for two decades? Did he drink Jared Leto’s blood or something?
Xavier Reborn
X-Men: The Last Stand messed up a lot. After supposedly killing off Professor Xavier in the movie, the post-credit scene indicated that he’d somehow survived Jean Grey’s onslaught and was very much still alive – thanks to Moira MacTaggert.
In the DVD commentary for the movie, it’s revealed that the patient was actually P. Xavier, Charles’ brain-dead twin brother, and that the powerful mutant had transferred his conscious mind to a new body. Okay, it sounds like a wonky explanation, but it’s entirely possible in this world.
So, if he transferred himself to his twin’s body, why is he still paralyzed? If he’s capable of moving his mind into another vessel, why is he still limited by his previous body’s damage? Unless the other body also suffered from paralysis, we can’t think of a reason for him to not be able to walk again.
Wolverine Can Heal From Anything… Except Electrode Pads
We saw Logan recover from some horrific injuries in the X-Men movies. From multiple stab wounds to an atomic bomb blast, the Ol’ Canucklehead survived a lot before finally meeting his demise in James Mangold’s Logan.
The one thing that Wolvie struggled to heal from was actually in X-Men. After he’s brought the X-Mansion, Jean Grey checked him out to make sure he was okay – part of this included sticking electrode pads on him.
When he awakens and rips them off his body, he goes on a run. However, you can still spot the red marks on his body where the pads used to be. If he can heal from gunshot wounds so fast, why does he struggle with these things? We’d hate to see what Lego would do to him.
Did we miss any other obvious mistakes in the X-Men movies? Let us know in the comments section!
