Given the consistent success that Marvel has mostly had over the past decade in the film industry, it can be tough to remember that some of their franchises had problems. 15 years ago, in 2011, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was just starting to become a monster hit. We were a year away from The Avengers, which crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and the franchise was on the verge of truly taking off. Since then, there haven’t been many misses for Marvel. Some films bombed at the box office, while others were poorly received by critics, but it has mostly been a strong run. However, back in 2011, one of the biggest properties owned by Marvel was in dire need of something to save it on the big screen. It was a film series that had some successes, only to be followed by some huge misfires that left it ailing by the time the 2010s rolled around.
That franchise is the X-Men. Many people forget that, before the days of the MCU, the X-Men ranked near the top alongside the likes of Spider-Man when it came to Marvel’s most popular characters. Yet, a few disappointing movie installments left the franchise up in the air entering a new decade until one 2011 film changed everything.
X-Men: First Class was something totally different for the X-Men on the big screen. The franchise was a rousing success in the ’90s thanks to X-Men: The Animated Series and it first came to theaters in 2000 with X-Men. That first installment was a hit and many still hold up its sequel, X2, as the peak of X-Men movies. It seemed like the series could do no wrong and the future looked bright, yet that’s where the franchise started running into trouble. X-Men: The Last Stand was a massive disappointment as an end to the trilogy that Fox had produced.
While that movie was a misfire, everyone loved Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, so he was given his own solo film. Alas, X-Men Origins: Wolverine ended up being an even bigger critical flop than X-Men: The Last Stand, giving the franchise two bad entries in a row. Thankfully, X-Men: First Class came around to right the ship. Instead of picking up something new with these characters, the franchise went back to the ’60s for a prequel that showed how Professor X, Magneto, and other characters first met and came together.
The ’60s setting was a great way to do something unique with mutants and the time period was almost a character of its own in X-Men: First Class. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender proved to be incredible casting choices as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, while Jennifer Lawrence stole the show as Raven/Mystique. The rest of the cast, from Kevin Bacon to January Jones to Rose Byrne to Zoë Kravitz, was also great. X-Men: First Class was beloved by critics, earning an impressive 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The combination of great casting, a fun setting, well-crafted action, and well-written characters made X-Men: First Class into just what the franchise needed. It was in desperate need of a shot in the arm after its previous two movies flopped, so going down a different and unexpected route was a smart move. The end result actually helped save X-Men on the big screen. Had this film flopped commercially and critically, it might’ve been the end of the X-Men in cinema for a long time.
The only member of the original X-Men movie cast to appear in X-Men: First Class was Hugh Jackman, who popped up in a cameo. The timing made sense due to his aging process, as he could look the same in the ’60s and the 2000s. However, more actors returned for the sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past. This film used time travel to bring both eras together as the characters from the ’60s crossed over with those from the 2000s. Jackman’s Wolverine was front and center, but the film also brought back the original Magneto and Professor X, among others.
Rogue, Iceman, Storm, and several others also appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which wouldn’t have been possible without the success of X-Men: First Class. That 2011 film worked so well that it gave these characters another chance at a proper sendoff after the disappointment of X-Men: The Last Stand. Although many of them are getting another opportunity in Avengers: Doomsday, what X-Men: First Class set up and delivered with its sequel was incredibly special. In many ways, X-Men: First Class is the franchise’s best film, and it’s almost its most important.
