The X-Men movie universe may not be as vast as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it sure is at least ten times more confusing. Even if you exclude the Deadpool movies completely, you're still left with at least two different timelines which make less and less sense the longer you think about them. We still can't tell for certain which timeline Logan takes place in, a lot of the characters' histories stopped making sense a long time ago. More often than not, even the characters themselves seem to have forgotten past events. As if things weren't confusing enough, two different actors might even play the same character in the same universe at the same time. But it is what it is.
And precisely because there are multiple actors playing characters such as Professor X, Magneto, Mystique and Cyclops, there have been a lot of actors who have been part of the X-Men movie universe. Not to mention that there have also been 11 movies thus far that are part of the X-Men movie franchise. So, today, we decided to honor the actors who have portrayed some of our favorite or least favorite X-Men characters on the big screen by sharing their yearbook photos.
17 KEVIN BACON
Sebastian Shaw was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, making his first appearance in the Uncanny X-Men #129 in January 1980. Shaw owns the multi-billion-dollar corporation Shaw Industries, and he’s acted as the leader of the nefarious Hellfire Club. This iconic comic book villain has appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, Wolverine and the X-Men, as well as the live-action movie X-Men: First Class. On the big screen, Sebastian Shaw was portrayed by one of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes' favorite actors, Kevin Bacon. Yes, that is an Avengers: Infinity War reference, we couldn’t resist.
In X-Men: First Class, Shaw was the leader of the Hellfire Club, until the Division-X stopped put a stop to his endeavors to take over the world. He was then killed by Erik Lehnsherr, who took his telepathy-blocking helmet and adopted the name Magneto. The rest, as they say, is history. Speaking of history, Kevin Bacon made history with the blockbuster musical drama Footloose. At the time, the actor was in his 20s, but we found a photo of an even younger Kevin Bacon. Here’s what the actor looked like back in his teens. He’s definitely got the classic 1970s hair down to a "T."
16 ANNA PAQUIN
Rogue is one of the most popular X-Men characters. Created by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden, the gorgeous southern belle made her first appearance in Avengers Annual #10. If you grew up in the 1990s you probably have fond memories of Rogue from the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series. Rogue has also appeared in a number of other animated series, as well as the X-Men movie franchise. Unfortunately, Rogue is one of those characters the X-Men movies didn’t quite get so she wasn't given the opportunity to shine on the big screen. This, of course, has nothing to do with the actress Anna Paquin, who portrayed the popular mutant in the original X-Men trilogy and X-Men: Days of Future Past and did the best she could with what she was given.
At age 11, Paquin earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Piano.
We don’t know exactly how old Anna Paquin was when she took her yearbook photo, but the Canadian-born, New Zealand-bred actress hasn’t really changed that much. Another fun fact about Anna Paquin is that she married her True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Moyer now plays Reed Strucker on Fox’s The Gifted, which is loosely based on the X-Men movies.
15 HUGH JACKMAN
Wolverine is an absolute fan-favorite who's one of the most popular mutants, X-Men and comic book characters in general. Wolverine was created by Len Wein, Roy Thomas and John Romita and made his first appearance in Incredible Hulk #180 in October 1974. Wolverine’s popularity in the comics, on television and on the big screen cannot be overstated. The clawed mutant has made numerous appearances in animated television series, but the most iconic iteration of the character is without a doubt Hugh Jackman's Wolverine from the X-Men movie franchise. Jackman first appeared as Wolverine in X-Men, which was 18 years ago. In 2017, Jackman starred in the third solo Wolverine film titled Logan, which concluded his run as Wolverine.
There’s been a lot of discussion about who should take on the role of Wolverine next, but honestly, it’s hard to imagine anyone ever replacing Jackman. Whoever does end up getting the part will certainly have some big shoes to fill. The first thing the studio (whichever one that may be) will have to get right is casting a younger actor that has the right look. In hopes of guiding the pursuit the right direction, here’s Hugh Jackman’s yearbook photo.
14 HALLE BERRY
Storm is one of the best-known and most popular members of the X-Men. Ororo Munroe was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, making her debut in Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975. Storm is full of contradictions and inner conflicts, which allowed writers to write a wide range of stories about her without it feeling out of character. But Storm is a popular character outside of comics as well. She’s appeared in a number of animated series, as well as the X-Men movie franchise. Currently, Storm is portrayed by Alexandra Shipp, who is set to appear in X-Men: The Dark Phoenix. However, before Shipp took on the mantle of Storm, Halle Berry portrayed the popular mutant in the original X-Men trilogy at the height of her popularity.
In the 2000s, Berry portrayed two iconic comics characters, Storm and Catwoman, on the big screen.
However, we’re certain that Berry would rather forget about her role in Catwoman, as would we. While not everyone was too happy with the movie version of Storm, Catwoman is pretty much universally regarded as one of the worst on-screen iterations of comic book characters. Still, we wonder if the teenage Halle Berry, pictured above, ever imagined she’d get to portray two comic book characters?
13 REBECCA ROMIJN
Nowadays, the actress immediately associated with the comic book character Mystique is Jennifer Lawrence, who currently portrays the younger version of Raven Darkholme. Lawrence appears in X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse and X-Men: Dark Phoenix. Rebecca Romijn, on the other hand, portrayed the shape-shifting mutant in the original X-Men trilogy. She did have a brief cameo in X-Men: First Class in that infamous “real Raven” scene, and she almost reprised her role in X-Men: Days of Future Past as well, but that ending was scrapped.
Here’s something you may not know about the movie version of Mystique. Jennifer Lawrence wears a very thin blue suit that goes up to her shoulders. However, when Rebecca Romijn was playing the character, she was actually naked with layers of blue paint and a few very small costume pieces covering her up. Apparently, Lawrence had a severe allergic reaction to the paint so they decided to use a suit. But, enough of that. Way before she rose to fame, Rebecca Romijn was a high school student like the rest of us. According to Romijn, due to her height, she was often bullied in school and referred to as the “Jolly Blonde Giant.”
12 OSCAR ISAAC
X-Men: Apocalypse was definitely not a shining moment in the X-Men movie franchise, especially arriving on the heels of X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, our job today is not to discuss the shortcomings of X-Men: Apocalypse. Still, we do need to talk about its villain – Apocalypse. Apocalypse was created by Bob Layton, Louise Simmons and Jackson Guice and made his debut in X-Factor #5 in June 1986. The ancient mutant is a force to be reckoned with, and he has played an important role in X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men: Evolution. In X-Men: Apocalypse, the supervillain was portrayed by Oscar Issac.
Oscar Isaac is best known for his portrayal of the Rebel pilot Poe Dameron in Star Wars.
His roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi helped make him a huge star. On the other hand, he’d probably be glad if we were to forget all about X-Men: Apocalypse. In 2016, Isaac was one of the most influential people on the Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2016 list. In 2017, Vanity Fair listed Isaac as one of the best actors of his generation. But, back in high school all this must have seemed like a dream to the young Oscar, who still makes the same pose when taking a photo.
11 PATRICK STEWART
Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and made his first appearance in X-Men #1 in September 1963. Professor X has been synonymous with the X-Men. After all, it’s Xavier’s Dream that the X-Men are following, and the X-Men were named after him and wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for him, and he created Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Sometimes he loses his way or leaves his team but his core beliefs never change. Professor X has appeared in countless Marvel animated series. In the X-Men movie franchise, he’s been portrayed by James McAvoy and Sir Patrick Stewart.
Stewart portrayed Charles Xavier in seven movies, with Logan marking his last appearance in the role of the telepathic mutant. Professor Charles Xavier is one of Stewart's two most recognizable roles, the other one being Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. And while Stewart was significantly younger in Star Trek, he was still well into his 40s when the show started. But, if you wanted a photo of a younger Stewart, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a very, very old picture of Sir Patrick Stewart before he was Picard, Professor X, or a Sir for that matter.
10 LUCAS TILL
Alex Summers, a.k.a. Havok, was created by Arnold Drake and Don Heck. As Alex, he made his first appearance in X-Men #54 as in March 1969. And in X-Men #58, he made his debut as Havok. Alex Summers is the younger brother of Scott Summers and has always been stuck playing second fiddle to his more famous brother. Struggling to find his place under the Sun, Havok bounces from group to group, hoping to get his brother’s approval. While not as popular as Cyclops, Havok is still a well-liked X-Men character. He’s made appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution, and the X-Men movie franchise.
Portrayed by Lucas Till, Havok made his cinematic debut in X-Men: First Class.
Till reprised his role in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. At the moment, Lucas Till is starring as Angus MacGyver on CBS' MacGyver reboot. When he was younger, Till could be seen in Hannah Montana: The Movie and Taylor Swift’s "You Belong With Me" music video – you know, the one that made many of us fall in love with him. In the video, Till plays a high school student and looks a lot like his yearbook photo, which is to say adorable.
9 TAYLOR KITSCH
Remy LeBeau, better known as Gambit, was created by Chris Claremont, Mike Collins and Jim Lee in 1990. Gambit made his first cameo appearance in Uncanny X-Men Annual #1990, and he made his first full appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266. After joining the X-Men, Gambit fell in love with Rogue and the two still remain one of the most iconic comic book couples. In X-Men: The Animated Series, Gambit was one of the starring characters, and he appeared in a few episodes of X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men. On the big screen, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Gambit was ruined and is still waiting to be redeemed. Actor Tyler Kitsch portrayed the mutant in Wolverine, and Channing Tatum has been rumored to take on the role in a possible upcoming Gambit movie.
To put the blame entirely on Taylor Kitsch for the bad portrayal of such a beloved comic book character would be unfair. After all, it’s not like X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a monumental cinematic achievement in any other aspect. In a better movie, Taylor Kitsch might have made a good Gambit, but we’ll never know. On the other hand, we can get to know Taylor Kitsch a bit better. A good place to start is this very 1990s yearbook photo of Kitsch.
8 JESSICA CHASTAIN
X-Men: Dark Phoenix is slated for release on February 14, 2019. The upcoming sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse is directed and written by Simon Kinberg and it stars the new, younger cast of X-Men. The movie will be set in the 1990s, and it will adapt the iconic X-Men comic book storyline "The Dark Phoenix Saga." X-Men: Dark Phoenix reportedly opens with the X-Men in the unexpected role of national heroes. However, during a rescue mission in space, a solar flare hits the X-Jet and the surge of energy ignites a malicious new force within Jean Grey – the Phoenix. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan and many others will reprise their roles from the previous X-Men films.
In X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Jessica Chastain will be playing a mysterious character known as "Smith."
This otherworldly shape-shifter is the one who’s in control of Phoenix. In an interview, Jessica Chastain described her character as “quiet but brutal” and cynical. Chastain is best known for movies like Zero Dark Thirty, Interstellar and The Martian, so we have no doubt she’ll do an amazing job as the mysterious Smith. Jessica Chastain’s yearbook photo, on the other hand, is no mystery since the actress shared it three years ago. Unsurprisingly, she looks beautiful.
7 JANUARY JONES
Emma Frost is one of those comic book characters that usually wears such ludicrous costumes that you can’t help but wonder who came up with them. Well, various artists have, of course, used their considerable skills to create Emma’s numerous costumes. But Emma Frost, a.k.a. White Queen, was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne and she made her debut in X-Men #129 in January 1980. Being an immensely powerful telepath but with tendencies to lean towards the dark side every now and then, Emma Frost is somewhat of an evil version of Professor X. The character has appeared in a number of animated series, the X-Men: First Class live-action film, and her clone daughters the Stepford Cuckoos played a huge role on the first season of The Gifted.
In X-Men: First Class, Emma Frost was portrayed by January Jones. Sadly, this version of the character will go down in history as one of the worst live-action iterations of a comic book character. But we’re not here to discuss whether the character was poorly written, or whether the unenthusiastic performance by January Jones ruined it. So, instead of beating a dead horse, let’s just enjoy January Jones' beautiful yearbook photo.
6 PETER DINKLAGE
Any X-Men fan knows all too well who Bolivar Trask is and how important he is in the X-Men lore. Bolivar Trask was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, appearing first in X-Men #14 in November 1965. Bolivar Trask’s greatest accomplishment is the creation of the mutant-hunting Sentinels. Trask and his Sentinels appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution, and Wolverine and the X-Men. In the X-Men movie franchise, Trask was portrayed by Peter Dinklage in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Fun fact, Bolivar Trask also appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, played by Bill Duke, but he’s now considered a completely different character. The X-Men movie timeline is a true wonder.
With a cameo in Avengers: Infinity War, Dinklage just joined the list of actors who've played two Marvel characters.
Peter Dinklage recently helped Thor, Rocket Raccoon and Groot forge the Stormbreaker in a cameo as Eitri the Dwarf King. Dinklage achieved mainstream and critical success with Game of Thrones and received numerous nominations and awards for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. Dinklage is known for being extremely private when it comes to his personal life, so much so that the names of his children were never published. Surprisingly enough, we did find his awesome yearbook photo.
5 EVAN PETERS
Pietro Maximoff, a.k.a. Quicksilver, was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, making his first appearance in X-Men #4 in 1964. Quicksilver is one of the most popular X-Men characters, Avengers members, and Marvel characters overall. Quicksilver appeared in a number of animated series, but most importantly he’s had two live-action adaptations that are very fresh in our memory. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Quicksilver appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. In X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, Evan Peters portrayed the silver-haired speedster. Peters’ Quicksilver also had a cameo in Deadpool 2 and is set to appear in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Before he donned on the Pink Floyd t-shirt and the silver leather jacket, Evan Peters appeared alongside the other Quicksilver actor in Kick-Ass. Peters often plays younger characters because he has one of those faces that makes him look a lot younger than he really is. The 31-year-old actor still looks like a teenager, and it got us thinking what Peters actually looked like in his teens. So, here’s Evan Peters’ yearbook photo, proving that he was always adorable. We’re looking forward to seeing Quicksilver once again in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
4 WILL.I.AM
John Wraith was created by Larry Hama and Dave Hoover and he made his first appearance in Wolverine Vol 2 #60 in September 1992. John Wraith is not among the most popular X-Men characters, and for many people, the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine was their introduction to the character. John Wraith’s comic book history is similar to what we saw in the movie. Just like Wolverine, Wraith was part of Team X. However, the other members were Sabertooth, Maverick, Mastodon and Silver Fox in the comics. In the movie, John Wraith was portrayed by the Black Eyed Peas musician will.i.am. and X-Men Origins: Wolverine was supposed to be his big acting break. Well, we all know how that turned out, but don't feel too sad.
While his acting career didn't take off, will.i.am is still a Grammy Award-winning musician.
He’s also been a coach on The Voice UK and Australia. Plus, in 2017, he was awarded Honorary Fellowship by the Institution of Engineering and Technology for his outstanding contribution to the profession of engineering. The photo you see above obviously wasn’t taken on the day will.i.am received his Honorary Fellowship. This is the yearbook photo of William James Adams Jr., who we now know as will.i.am.
3 JENNIFER LAWRENCE
Mystique, a.k.a. Raven Darkholme, was created by Chris Claremont and Jim Mooney in 1978. She made her first cameo appearance as Raven in Ms. Marvel #16, and her first full appearance as Mystique in Ms. Marvel #18. Mystique is a very popular character, and unsurprisingly she’s appeared in various animated series as well as the X-Men movie franchise. In the original trilogy, Mystique was portrayed by Rebecca Romijn, however, the current version of the character is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence made her debut as the blue-skinned shape-shifter in X-Men: First Class and is set to return in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.
Jennifer Lawrence is one of today’s biggest stars with roles in franchises such as X-Men, Hunger Games, and award-winning films like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. And she’s not even 30 years old yet. With (mostly) great movies in her filmography and the girl-next-door look and personality, it’s hard not to like Jennifer Lawrence. When she gives interviews it’s easy to relate to her, even if she is a huge movie star and we’re just mere mortals. Lawrence’s yearbook photo is also very relatable. After all, is there a girl who didn’t try sporting tendrils in their younger years?
2 ERIC DANE
James Madrox, a.k.a. Multiple Man, was created in 1975 by Len Wein, Chris Claremont and John Buscema in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4. Madrox worked as a laboratory assistant to Moira MacTaggert on Muir Island, and he was a member of X-Factor in the 1990s alongside Havok, Polaris, Quicksilver, Wolfsbane and Strong Guy. James Madrox appeared in a number of X-Men animated series, as well as in the X-Men movie franchise. First, his name popped up on William Stryker’s computer in X2. Then, in X-Men: The Last Stand, Multiple Man was a villain who joined Magneto’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. A Multiple Man movie has been in the works for a while now with James Franco attached to play the titular mutant.
Eric Dane portrayed Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, in X-Men: The Last Stand.
Dane is best known for his portrayal of the silver-haired Dr. Mark Sloan, a.k.a. McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. However, in X-Men: The Last Stand, Dane had black hair in order to look the part. The actor’s natural hair color is blond, though nowadays he’s known for his salt and pepper look. However, back when he was a teenager he sported blond messy hair and looked adorable.
1 JAMES MARSDEN
Cyclops is a complex character, who is both loved and hated by fans, frequently at the same time. Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and made his debut in X-Men #1 in September 1963. The leader of the X-Men appeared across a myriad of Marvel’s animated series, as well as the X-Men movies. The movie version of Cyclops is almost universally disliked, mostly due to how the character was written. The younger version of Scott, set to appear in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, is portrayed by Ready Player One’s Ty Sheridan, but the Cyclops most of us remember from the original X-Men trilogy was played by the Westworld star James Marsden.
While Sheridan and Marsden certainly don’t share an uncanny likeness, there are enough similarities to sell the idea they’re the same guy. If, however, you wanted to know what a young Cyclops portrayed by James Marsden would really look, here’s Marsden’s yearbook photo that just might help with that. We have to say, we’re digging that mullet, very 1980s. Though, not even a silly hairstyle can distract from such a charming smile. And if you find yourself missing Marsden, you can check him out on the outstanding Westworld.