At its conclusion in 2020, the Fox X-Men film franchise consisted of 13 movies. Some of them are fan favorites while others are less kindly looked upon. Highlights include the original X-Men film, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Logan. The Deadpool films were also big hits. However, when looking at moments that truly make a great X-Men film, X2: X-Men United comes out on top.
Released in 2003, the second film in the franchise expanded on the popular first movie and, by its cliffhanger ending, left fans wanting more. The film was a loose adaptation of one of Chris Claremont’s 10 best X-Men stories, God Loves, Man Kills. X2 featured a great cast, exceptional cinematography, and a score that became the X-Men movie go-to theme. Watching some of the film’s best moments, it is easy to see why many consider it the best X-Men movie of them all.
10 Wolverine Finally Cuts Loose
In the comics, Wolverine is famous for his short fuse and going into berserker mode. While he had some great fights in the first X-Men film, it was X2 that truly gave fans the Wolverine they love. The majority of this happens when Wolverine is defending the X-Mansion from Stryker’s assault team.
Those who saw the movie on opening night may recall the screams of joy when Logan took out the soldier who attacked him and Iceman in the kitchen. The film raised the bar in Wolverine’s ability to cut loose, which would truly culminate in Logan.
9 Jean Grey Saves The X-Men
Throughout the X-Men films, there was never a moment like Jean Grey’s sacrifice. In order to save the X-Men from the oncoming flood of Alkali Lake, Jean left the X-Jet and tapped into her power to get the team airborne. Despite being part of a large cast, her sacrifice drew strong emotions from fans.
As one of the saddest deaths in the X-Men movies, Jean's death raised the stakes. This was the first major character death in the franchise. It was also one of the only real cliffhangers. The shimmering phoenix raptor soaring under the lake’s surface flooded fans with anticipation for the sequel.
8 Wolverine Leaves Stryker Behind
For the majority of the first two X-Men films, Wolverine’s search for his forgotten past took up a chunk of the narrative. In fact, many fans argue Wolverine overstayed his welcome. He agreed to help Xavier in X-Men in exchange for leads on his past. In X2 he spent much of his time trying to find Stryker after they saw each other at the X-Mansion.
This made it all the more gratifying when Wolverine finally confronts Stryker at Alkali Lake. After a brief discussion, Wolverine left Stryker behind. He made the decision to follow his future with the X-Men, putting the tired "forgotten past" narrative to rest. Subsequent films picked up this plot point again, but X2 was the film that gave fans and Wolverine closure.
7 Pyro Gets His Moment
After only making a cameo in the first film, Pyro was recast and upgraded to a larger role in X2. Though he started as a student at Xavier’s school, he exhibited some dark tendencies from the film’s onset. During the police standoff in Boston, Pyro truly had his moment as he took on the entire response team. The scene was both convincing and somewhat terrifying as viewers could see Pyro enjoying the violence.
This descent into villainy was not a surprise to comic book readers. In the comics, Pyro is a dangerous member of Magneto's Brotherhood. By the film's end, he moved to Magneto's team. Though he appeared in the sequel, this moment in X2 displayed the character and his powers like no other film.
6 Nightcrawler Attacks The White House
The intense opening scene in X2 featuring Nightcrawler attacking the White House is not easily forgotten. Brainwashed by Stryker, Nightcrawler made his cinematic debut during the fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping attack. Alan Cumming made Nightcrawler believable in the scene, which felt like something right out of the comics with every bamf.
John Ottman’s use of Mozart’s Dies Irae further enhanced the experience. Ottman did this again in X-Men: Apocalypse when he remixed Beethoven's seventh symphony. Much like with Pyro, this film was truly Nightcrawler’s only time to shine. The character did not return for the sequel, possibly because he was one of the many X-Men who work better alone. Though he was in the prequels, he was not the same as in X2.
5 Lady Deathstrike Almost Catches Mystique
Superhero films often rely on action and special effects to elicit strong emotions. X2 did this at times, but the scene where Lady Deathstrike almost caught Mystique in Stryker’s office proved you can raise viewers’ pulses without all the bells and whistles. Mystique is not usually caught off guard, but after stumbling upon Stryker’s plans for Cerebro, she became distracted.
Crosscut clips of Deathstrike approaching the office with Mystique’s never-ending print job made for a stressful experience. Add Ottman’s pulse-pounding score and one couldn’t help but bite their nails. The scene worked so well that it was almost entirely duplicated in Days of Future Past when Mystique breaks into Bolivar Trask’s office.
4 Storm Fends Off Military Fighter Jets
It is no secret that Halle Berry wanted Storm to play a bigger role in the X-Men films, which did happen in X-Men: The Last Stand. However, X2 tapped into her power in ways that made Berry's Storm feel comic accurate. While flying away from Boston after Pyro attacked the police, the X-Jet was approached by two military fighter jets demanding they land. It was here that Storm really flexed her weather-wielding power in big ways.
In an effort to escape, Storm unleashed darkened skies and a multitude of tornadoes. An event of this magnitude would come to be a rare moment for Storm, who had previously not displayed her power in such a large way. She was even somewhat successful. Both jets were taken out, but not before deploying missiles, one of which hit the X-Jet.
3 Iceman Comes Out To His Parents
The X-Men films did not feature any truly out characters until The New Mutants, but X2 brought the conversation to the big screen with Iceman’s famous coming out scene. At his parents' house in Boston with some other X-Men, Bobby sat down with his family to tell them he was a mutant.
The event played out like many people might expect a coming out to go, including his mother asking if he tried not being a mutant. Magneto actor Ian McKellen, who is openly gay, even gave advice on how the scene should go to make it even more authentic.
2 Wolverine Fights Lady Deathstrike
Wolverine has had his share of great one-on-one fight scenes. Many fans will recall Wolverine’s well-choreographed battle with Mystique in X-Men, which undoubtedly raised the bar. However, his battle with Lady Deathstrike in X2 was arguably the best fight scene he participated in.
While Mystique was quick and adaptable, Lady Deathstrike had the same abilities and adamantium skeleton Wolverine benefited from. The stakes were higher, the fight was graceful but brutal, and Deathstrike almost came out on top. Her sudden and tragic end further solidified the notion that this was a fight other films would be hard-pressed to beat.
1 Magneto Breaks Out Of Prison
The idea that Magneto, one of the X-Men's most dangerous villains, could be locked up may seem absurd. However, he was successfully jailed twice in the films. In X2, he was featured in a plastic cell, and in Days of Future Past, he was in a concrete one. He escaped both times with the help of outsiders, but it was his breakout in X2 that stands out.
When Magneto sensed the liquid metal Mystique injected into a guard, he made his move. Magneto extracted the metal and used it to destroy the cell and take out the other guards. In true Magneto fashion, he did this while floating through the prison space on a metal disk. No other X-Men prison break could compete, and there have been several attempts.