'X-Men': Everything You Need to Know Before Seeing 'Apocalypse'

By
20th Century Fox

2016 is quickly shaping up to be the year of epic superhero battles.
Following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America:
Civil War
, comic book fans everywhere can rejoice at the impending release
of X-Men: Apocalypse, which X-plodes into theaters on May 27.

“Only the strong will survive,” the film’s tagline reads concerning the
fate of our favorite X-Men, and the same could be said about audiences looking
to check the film out for themselves. Here are the seven most crucial facts
every moviegoer needs to know in order to successfully survive this apocalyptic
ride.

MORE: Olivia Munn Reveals How Much Weight She Lost on 'X-Men' Diet

1. The Timeline of the X-Men Cinematic History

The franchise first began back in 2000 with Bryan Singer’s aptly
titled, X-Men, boasting an all-star cast that included Patrick Stewart,
Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Rebecca Romijn and the relatively unknown at the
time Hugh Jackman in the iconic role of Wolverine. It spawned two sequels,
2002’s highly-praised X2: X-Men United, and 2006’s widely-disappointing
X-Men: The Last Stand
.

Jackman became a bona fide action-star and reprised his role in two spinoff
films, 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, often cited as the worst film in
the whole franchise (it has a staggeringly low 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes),
and the 2013 sequel, The Wolverine, considered a vast improvement over
its predecessor.

Which brings us to the prequel trilogy beginning with 2011’s X-Men:
First Class
, remaining in the same timeline as the originals, but
essentially a reboot with a brand new cast of Hollywood A-listers including
Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. It was followed by
2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, viewed by many as the best in the
series with an astounding 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With the inclusion of
time travel, it also featured the cast of the original trilogy, acting as a
bridge between all of the films. Another advantage of time travel? Director Singer
was able to alter the series’ timeline and completely erase all the events of
the original trilogy.

20th Century Fox

2. Which of These Do You Actually Need to See?

With so many entries in the X-Men universe, (nine films in total
including spinoffs), it would be hard for anyone to go back and watch all of
them. Of course, true devoted fans should see them all, but just in case you
don’t have time to sit in front of a screen for close to 24 hours straight,
let’s break down which are required viewing for the latest entry.  

With the exception of a small but memorable cameo from Jackman in this
year’s Apocalypse, neither of Wolverine’s standalone films have a solid
connection to the latest X-film, so you can easily avoid them both.

Similarly, while the R-rated smash hit Deadpool starring Ryan
Reynolds is a must-watch for any superhero fan, besides taking place in the
same cinematic universe as the other films, it can also be skipped as the plot
has no relation to Apocalypse.

What about the original trilogy that started it all? Nope, you can skip
all of those as well thanks to the time-traveling plot of Days of Future
Past
, the first three X-Men films are no longer relevant.

So, luckily for anyone under time constraints before the release of Apocalypse,
out of all nine movies, viewers only need to watch First Class and Days
of Future Past
to fully understand the characters and plot.

MORE: Jennifer Lawrence Pretended to Be Nicholas Hoult in Epic Text Message Prank With 'X-Men' Co-Stars

3. Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique Is One of the Good Guys Now

Fans were first introduced to shape-shifting Mystique in the original X-Men
trilogy when she was portrayed by Romijn. Most memorable for her
physical appearance, Romijn sported bright red hair, yellow eyes, blue skin and,
lest we forget, she was completely naked. She was also one of the X-Men’s
deadliest adversaries. The ultimate femme fatale, Mystique was undoubtedly
evil.

But that all changed in X-Men: First Class with the introduction
of Lawrence in the role. Physically, she looked very much the same, but
internally, the character was vastly different. Instead of working against the
X-Men, she was one of them. She was even the surrogate sister of X-Men leader
Professor X. However, by the end of the film, her alliances shifted towards the
much darker Magneto, and by X-Men: Days of Future Past, she returned as
the villainous assassin that fans were familiar with. Once again though, by end
of that movie, she found her way back to the side of good.

So, which side does the ravenous blue beauty find herself this
go-around? Mystique is very much a hero in this film, even spending much of her
time rescuing other mutants around the world. It's definitely a refreshing take
on the dangerous and complex character we have known for over 15 years on screen
(and much longer in the comics, of course). Whether she remains on the good
side by the end of the film? You’ll have to wait and see for yourself.

20th Century Fox

4. There Are Dozens of Characters in Apocalypse -- Here's Who
You Need to Remember

In the X-Men franchise, there is no shortage of fan-favorite
characters. Whether it is Wolverine (Jackman) or Magneto (McKellen), everyone
has a preference. Despite all of this, the series has always been first and
foremost an ensemble. And in X-Men: Apocalypse, each individual
character gets their own moment to shine.

But it’s important that even with all the new and flashy characters
like Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) or Psylocke (Olivia Munn) joining the series,
viewers should not forget about the important emotional history our returning
characters have with each other.

The complex relationship between Mystique (Lawrence), Magneto
(Fassbender) and Xavier (McAvoy) is once again the main focal point of the
film. In First Class, we got to see these characters meet for the first
time and form immensely powerful bonds, only to have them broken by the film’s
finale when Mystique and Magneto abandoned a handicapped Xavier. In Days of
Future Past
, both Xavier and Magneto joined forces to stop Mystique from
making a terrible mistake that would change the rest of their lives. They both
had different methods in reaching Mystique, Xavier attempting to get inside her
head and control her while Magneto tried to get her to embrace her dark side
and cause havoc on the rest of the world. In the end, Mystique shocked everyone
when she turned on Magneto and thwarted his assassination attempt on the
President of the United States.

X-Men: Apocalypse is set 10 years after these events, which were
crucial in shaping who these characters have come to be when we catch up with
them.

MORE: James McAvoy Talks 'X-Men: Apocalypse' Battle, Getting Into the 'Patrick Stewart' Zone

5. Rose Byrne's Moira MacTaggert Returns in This One, but Her Memory
Still Hasn't

Another returning character is Rose Byrne’s CIA agent, Moira MacTaggert.
However, one thing missing is her memory. She was critical in First Class
as the sole human supporter of the mutant movement, and also served as a love
interest for McAvoy’s Xavier. But after the catastrophic events she witnessed,
Xavier used his telepathy to wipe away her memories of everyone and everything
she saw.

After being completely absent and not even mentioned in Days of
Future Past
, she makes a welcome return in Apocalypse and quickly
finds herself right back in the mix of the mutant world, but with no prior
knowledge of any of these characters she has spent so much time with in the
past. She is the same person, but also different in many ways. A true testament
to Byrne as an actress.

MORE: Famke Janssen Slams 'X-Men' for Lack of Older Women, Expresses Her Hopes for Dark Phoenix Film

6. Magneto Is Quicksilver's Father

Remember when we said the X-Men series is an ensemble despite
fan-favorite characters? That all goes out the window when Evan Peters’
Quicksilver graces the screen. He stole the show in Days of Future Past
with the one major sequence he had, and this time around, he is given much more
to do and once again steals the spotlight.

His character also has a lot more emotional punch than before due to a subplot
involving our anti-hero, Magneto. While fans of the comics know that Magneto is
Quicksilver’s father, it was only subtly referenced in Days of Future Past,
almost as a passing joke. But now, it is fully addressed and adds a thick layer
of context to a character that was previously only used for comic relief. But
fear not – he’s still incredibly entertaining in Apocalypse.

20th Century Fox

7. Cyclops and Jean Grey Are the Ultimate Relationship Goals

Yes, this is a superhero film. Yes, there is tons of action. But
there’s also a lot of heart in this -- particularly when it comes to X-Men’s
#OTP (One True Pairing) -- Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner).

We met them in the original trilogy as adults (portrayed by James
Marsden and Famke Janssen, respectively), and while they were very much a
couple, the majority of the films were spent focusing on their love triangle with
Jackman’s Wolverine.

But in Apocalypse, we finally get to see these young and
powerful mutants meet and we get a front-row seat to the beginning sparks of
what will eventually become X-Men’s super-couple. Watching these two
learn and harness their powers together will give you serious
#RelationshipGoals.