The X-Men Movie Retrospective Series by Now Playing Podcast Retrospective Series

X-Men Series Episode 2

When you think of superhero movies, you probably don’t think of concentration camps, civil rights allegory, and moral philosophy. But in 2000, Bryan Singer’s X-Men changed the conversation. Bringing Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, Magneto, and Rogue to the big screen for the first time, the film grounded comic book spectacle in themes of prejudice and identity. Anchored by a cast that included past and future Oscar winners, it treated its source material with an unusual seriousness for the era. More than just launching the X-Men franchise, the film helped kick off the modern wave of Marvel adaptations that would soon dominate Hollywood.

Over a decade later, does it still feel like the beginning of something bold, or a stepping stone to bigger things? Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob as they revisit the movie that helped usher superheroes into the 21st century.

X-Men Series Episode 1

Before Hugh Jackman’s claws, before billion-dollar box office, there was… Generation X. In 1996, Fox aired a made-for-TV movie intended as a backdoor pilot for an X-Men series that never materialized. Based on the comic spin-off, the film follows a new class of teenage mutants at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, this time led by Emma Frost and Banshee. With Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) chewing the scenery as dream-invading villain Russell Tresh, this oddball entry feels worlds away from the sleek superhero cinema that would arrive just a few years later. Is this forgotten TV experiment a fascinating relic for hardcore X-fans, or a mutant misfire best left buried in the ’90s? Listen and find out.