10 Great Marvel Characters Failed By X-Men Movies

Fox’s franchise of X-Men movies may have brought many of Marvel’s mutant characters to life before the birth of the MCU, but it also failed to do justice to some of the comics’ most exciting characters. First beginning in 2000 with X-Men, the franchise of movies based on Marvel’s eponymous mutant heroes undeniably helped to shape modern superhero cinema. However, the consensus on Fox’s X-Men movie franchise is that it was inconsistent at best, and entirely underwhelming at worst. Despite there being several well-considered entries into the franchise, it’s also renowned for the ways it failed the beloved source material.

Perhaps one of the most significant failings of the X-Men franchise was its handling of important Marvel characters. Across the X-Men movie timeline, many mutant heroes and villains were introduced, a number of which played key or exciting roles in the comics. Unfortunately, due to issues such as poor writing or misguided design choices, the X-Men movies were unable to adequately adapt these characters to the big screen, leaving many feeling underwhelmed at Fox’s handling of the source material. With that in mind, here are 10 great Marvel characters who were completely failed by the X-Men movies.

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10 Psylocke Was Far Less Interesting Than She Deserved

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Of the many characters introduced as part of X-Men: Apocalypse’s cast, few did justice to the comic book character they were based on. One such example is Psylocke, who was robbed of any of her most interesting qualities for the film. X-Men: Apocalypse simply used Psylocke as a largely unimportant lackey of its main villain, and as a result it failed to explore any of the more noteworthy aspects of Psylocke’s backstory. By taking a compelling character with a rich Marvel background and reducing her to a two-dimensional underling, X-Men: Apocalypse failed Psylocke completely.

9 The Wolverine Made Viper A Human-Snake Hybrid

The Wolverine (2013)

Though The Wolverine’s failure of the character of Viper was partly down to rights issues, the film still thoroughly disappointed in its depiction of a great Marvel character. In the comics, Viper – also known as Ophelia Sarkissian – is also known as Madame Hydra, and has important ties to the villainous organization. She has appeared as an antagonist in stories involving Spider-Man, Nick Fury, Shang-Chi, Captain America, and more, giving her a particularly rich comic book history. Unfortunately, Viper was instead made into a skin-shedding snake woman, and didn’t even survive to see The Wolverine’s ending.

8 Toad Wasn’t Used As Effectively As In The Comics

X-Men (2000)

Toad might never have been the most beloved Marvel character, but he has featured in countless X-Men stories over his tenure in the comics. He was one of the characters adapted to the screen in 2000’s X-Men, serving as a member of Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants. Instead of the unique and often disgusting character he is in the comics, X-Men made Toad a slimy-skinned martial artist, robbing him of one of his most significant qualities in the process. Failing to make Toad as repugnant and hilarious as possible was a fundamental failure of the character and his potential.

7 Gambit Was Teased, But Thoroughly Wasted

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

When it comes to X-Men characters who need a solo movie, few names stand out as obviously as Gambit’s. The beloved mutant hero has long been one of the most awaited X-Men, and he finally made his live-action debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The fanfare regarding Gambit’s appearance didn’t match up to his role in the movie, though, which was little more than a glorified cameo. By only featuring Gambit for a brief moment, the movie wasted his potential, and subsequent movies failing to bring Gambit back to the screen only highlight how badly he’s been treated by the franchise.

6 Jubilee Wasn’t Given A Single Line Of Dialogue

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Despite being a prominent member of the X-Men in both the comics and in various animated series, Jubilee was far from a mainstay of the movie franchise. She did appear in four separate movies, however, even though she never actually uttered a single word in Fox’s film canon. In fact, Jubilee’s most prominent role in the entire franchise was in one of X-Men: Apocalypse’s deleted scenes, highlighting just how much the movies failed her promising and interesting character by barely featuring her at all.

5 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Practically Butchered Deadpool

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

It’s possibly one of the more notorious failures of a comic book character ever committed to film, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s handling of Deadpool remains abhorrent even more than decade after its release. Instead of delivering a faithful adaptation of the iconic Merc with a Mouth, the movie sewed Deadpool’s mouth shut, took away his red and black costume, and changed the fundamental nature of his powers for the worse. Thankfully, Deadpool was given a do-over in his own movie where he was represented much more faithfully, but the X-Men movies still failed him long before they got him right.

4 Oscar Isaac’s Apocalypse Was A Poorly Written Villain

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

The X-Men comics are full of villains, and morally gray characters can be found in abundance among them. Apocalypse is one of the more outright evil characters, and one of the most powerful villains in the entire Marvel pantheon. Despite the narrative promise of such a villain, X-Men: Apocalypse failed Apocalypse entirely, making him an underwhelming and relatively easy-to-defeat antagonist that only featured in a single movie. It was hardly indicative of his importance in the comics, marking another major failure of the X-Men movie franchise.

3 Jean Grey’s Arc Was Failed Multiple Times

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Dark Phoenix (2019)

When listing iconic X-Men stories, the Phoenix Saga is one of the most impactful in Marvel’s comic book history. Unfortunately, the X-Men movies failed to adapt it on two separate occasions, thereby failing the character of Jean Grey. Taking her from an important member of the mutant team of heroes to a conduit for a dangerously powerful cosmic force, the story is key to Jean Grey’s character arc, but both X-Men: The Last Stand and Dark Phoenix’s adaptations of the story were thoroughly unimpressive, sabotaging Jean Grey’s arc by being unable to communicate the true weight and importance of the narrative.

2 The X-Men Movies Made Juggernaut A Walking Punchline

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Deadpool 2 (2018)

In the comics, Juggernaut is a complex character with a rich backstory. The X-Men movies opted not to explore this, however, and instead made him a human battering ram who spews unintelligent one-liners. Both uses of the character, in The Last Stand and Deadpool 2, make Juggernaut far less interesting than he is in the comics, failing to even hint at the complexity of his character arc as he turns from villain to antihero to eventual hero. Instead, the movies used him as a quick joke, completely wasting the huge potential he has for narrative depth.

1 Cyclops Was Never Done Justice By The X-Men Franchise

X-Men (2000) – Dark Phoenix (2019)

Though Cyclops may not have been failed as obviously as other Marvel characters in the franchise, the ways in which the X-Men movies mishandled him were numerous and consistently frustrating. As the traditional leader of the X-Men, Cyclops is one of the most important mutant heroes in the entire Marvel pantheon, but the early movies instead made him somewhat insufferable. Later appearances showed a teenage Cyclops, one unable to control his powers or too young to lead his fellow mutants, with each appearance he made highlighting just how much the X-Men movies were wasting an iconic Marvel character.