Top 4 Reasons Why the Original X-Men Movies' Universe is the Best

Collectively, the X-Men movie franchise is a mess, especially when compared to the MCU. There are two main timelines, each with several retcons and soft reboots. However, in my opinion, the world presented in the three original X-Men movies is one of the best superhero cinematic universes. While the movies themselves may have some flaws, the world they build is immensely fascinating. I even like it better than the comic book universes. Why? Here are the top 4 reasons why the original three X-Men movies' universe is the best X-Men universe.

1. No Other Superheroes

There is no such thing as a superhero in the original X-Men universe. (It is sort of like in The Walking Dead television show. In that universe, there is no such thing as a zombie). There are mutants and there are Homo-Sapiens. That's it. The only people who have ever had superpowers in this world are mutants. The mutants in this universe are hated and feared because of this. And I honestly think that putting the X-Men in the MCU with other superheroes kind of takes the punch out of it. Why are mutants so feared if other superheroes like Ant-Man, Captain America, and the Hulk exist? If the X-Men were in the MCU, the whole "mutant vs human" plot of the franchise starts to not make as much sense. In my opinion, a mutant's powers would only seem scary if you had never heard of a superhero before.

2. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

In the 60's comics, the students at Professor Xavier's School are also a superhero team called the X-Men. The only teacher was Professor X, and there were about six students. In the original movie universe, the X-Men are the teachers instead of the students. Making the superhero team the teachers is one of my favorite parts of the movies. You do not officially get to do superhero stuff until you graduate. And even then, you do not have to become a superhero when you graduate. In fact, most of the mutant graduates, such as Beast, pursue other careers, such as politics. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters is not built solely around being a superhero. Sure, there are superhero classes that you can take, but not at the expense of world literature and history. Professor X's School prepares students for the real world. Mutants may not be respected, but the school is. The graduates go on to live and work in society, showing that while although mutants have superpowers, they are people just like humans are.

3. Magneto

Ian McKellen as Magneto

The 60's comic book world is a bit more "good v.s evil". In it, Magneto is the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. With a name like that, it is obvious that Magneto sees himself as a villain. However, things are not so black and white in the original X-Men movie universe. Magneto's cinematic counterpart was a professor at Xavier's School for years, if not decades. Magneto's falling out with the school did not happen after one mission, like in First Class. Rather, it took Magneto years to decide to leave the X-Men. You can actually understand why Professor X and Magneto were such good friends in this universe. They had years to build it up.

This version of Magneto is by far the most interesting. At one point, all of the X-Men looked up to Magneto as a superhero rather than a supervillain. So when magneto eventually had his falling out, the ones who left the school with him actually makes sense. Mystique had a crush on magneto, both physically and ideologically. Toad was kinda ugly and really weird, so it would make sense that he probably never fit in at the school. And Sabertooth (the original, not the one seen in X-Men Origins) had zero social skills. The only thing that I would have done differently is have had more mutants in Magneto's army early on.

4. Restrained Superpowers

In X-Men Origins, Wolverine survives a firing squad execution unharmed. In X2: X-Men United, Wolverine is knocked out cold for at least a minute when he is shot with a bullet in the head. I am not saying that I dislike Wolverine's retconned healing factor. However, I do find his original, more restrained healing powers more interesting. Many of the characters in the comics can fly, such as Jean and Rouge. However, in the movies, only Storm and Magneto can fly. And even then, it is more so levitating than flying. And in my opinion, this is for the better. In the original X-Men movie universe, homo-sapiens were mutating into homo-superiors. It would, therefore, make more sense if your mutation was limited. Too many powers would make this plot point unrealistic, in my opinion. Otherwise, the mutants the politicians are trying to outlaw could just easily demolish them. By having one or two powers, the mutants are seen as scary by society at large, but not too uncontrollable or realistic.

The original X-Men movies' universe may not make the best superhero universe, but I think it does make the best X-Men universe.