Fox's order to watch the X-Men movies. The franchise overall worked so well because of how much time and effort was spent developing incredible villains for the series that could stand up to the beloved team of heroes.

Across all of Marvel, X-Men might have one of the best libraries of villains, second only to perhaps Spider-Man. With the animated X-Men '97 villains taking up much attention in 2024, it is worth reviewing the villains that filled the feature films Fox produced over the years. While iconic foes like Mister Sinister are likely ahead for the franchise when the MCU reboots it, so much ground concerning X-Men villains has already been covered with these incredible foes.

17 Deadpool

Appeared In X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Before going off to star in one of Marvel's most successful franchises, Deadpool was one of the main antagonists of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However, this character is the lowest ranked villain on this list because of how the antihero was altered for the film. Rather than being true to the comics, Deadpool was transformed into a mutant monster with his mouth sewn shut. This leads to a scene where Deadpool is finally cut in half.

Much conversation has been had about how poor a choice this Deadpool was. Even Ryan Reynolds made this a joke during his time-traveling sequence at the end of Deadpool 2, which featured an appearance from this iteration of the character. While this version of the villain was ineffective and unenjoyable, it eventually led to the antihero getting his own wonderful trilogy of films, so there is some upside to it.

16 Vuk

Appeared In Dark Phoenix

The second attempt to tell "The Phoenix Saga", one of the most popular X-Men comic book storylines, was even less successful than the first. Dark Phoenix saw Jessica Chastain entering the X-Men universe as a D'Bari who had escaped the destruction of her own world. This led her to seek out Jean Grey in an attempt to take the powers of the Phoenix away from her.

While Chastain was an excellent addition to the universe, there was simply nothing interesting for her villain to do in this overstuffed yet dull film. Little of Dark Phoenix worked, causing the X-Men franchise to fizzle out in its final installment. Some of Vuk's scenes and lines in the film were effective, but there was unfortunately just not enough meat on the bone for Fox to make anything enjoyable in the retread of "The Phoenix Saga," which had already been covered to middling success in X-Men: The Last Stand.

15 Demon Bear

Appeared In The New Mutants

Following years of tumultuous development, The New Mutants was a fumbled spinoff that released to little fanfare. Despite this, the film had some good, creepy images that were effective throughout its runtime. The most memorable is the Demon Bear that the group faced in the film's climax. A manifestation of Mirage's greatest fear, the Demon Bear appeared as a giant, spiritual force that the team had to fight.

Unfortunately, likely due to the film not resonating with audiences, there was simply nothing about the Demon Bear other than its great design to make it into a memorable villain. Ethereal rather than entirely physical, and acting as a manifestation of fear, the force was too abstract for audiences to find much interest in. Like the rest of the film, Demon Bear was mostly forgotten by the time the credits rolled.

14 Apocalypse

Appeared In X-Men: Apocalypse

Apocalypse is one of the greatest X-Men villains of all time, although the version that appeared in X-Men: Apocalypse was a massive disappointment. While not everything in the film was bad, this realization of the first mutant played by Oscar Isaac missed the mark. With strange makeup and design reminiscent of a Power Rangers villain, the unimposing Apocalypse did not make an impact when the film was released and has aged poorly.

There are rumors of Dwayne Johnson playing Apocalypse in the MCU, and this would likely be much closer to the villain fans know and love. While Oscar Isaac is a great performer, he simply does not have the intimidating size or power that has characterized Apocalypse in X-Men stories. The character needs to be terrifying; unfortunately, this element was not captured in Apocalypse.

13 Ajax

Appeared In Deadpool

The inclusion of Ajax in Deadpool felt extremely minor to the movie. Played by Ed Skrein, the villain was not a focus of the movie, and felt somewhat underwhelming. Deadpool instead called him Francis, and chased him down to try to kill him for revenge after his operation. The focus of the film, however, was on Deadpool and his relationship with Vanessa, leaving little room for the development of a compelling villain.

Ajax - or Francis - is far from a bad villain in the X-Men universe. He simply offers very little, even when Ed Skrein does his best to imbue his dialogue with style and flair. By the time the film ends, Deadpool leaves a great impact on its audience. However, very little of this impact is from the forgettable villain.

12 Cassandra Nova

Appeared In Deadpool & Wolverine

While teased as the powerful villain of Deadpool & Wolverine, Cassandra Nova didn't leave as much of an impact in the film as hoped. The twin sister of Charles Xavier, much of Cassandra lends itself to terrifying imagery, especially as she reaches her hand through people to peer into their minds. Her plan to reduce the entire multiverse down so that life only exists in the Void fits the film, but doesn't amount to much in the end.

Taken out without too much effort, Cassandra Nova is not the incredible force she was supposed to be. Instead, the film featured a decent antagonist that provided some effectiveness throughout the film. Deadpool & Wolverine's cameos and Easter Eggs instead took the focus of the film, rendering Emma Corrin's villain to only a minor component of the enormous, multiverse-hopping story.

11 Donald Pierce

Appeared In Logan

Donald Pierce is an effective villain in the film Logan, where Boyd Holbrook gives an understated and effective performance. While not as colorful or theatrical as the most memorable X-Men villains, Pierce is a terrifying, slow-burning force that builds throughout the run of the film. His intensity bleeds into every scene and every appearance, leading to a satisfying end when the character is ultimately killed by the children he has oppressed.

Pierce is terrifying in very real and human ways, despite being outfitted with cybernetic enhancements. This helps to make the threat of him feel more authentic and contributes to the emotional tone of the film he appears in. Logan is a very unusual superhero film, although it is incredibly special, and a villain like Pierce suits the piece perfectly.

10 Phoenix

Appeared In X-Men: The Last Stand And Dark Phoenix

One of the most effective villains in the entire X-Men comics run is the transformed Jean Grey, and the films have attempted to do this story twice. The first, in X-Men: The Last Stand, saw a regenerated Jean Grey fighting to stop a cure for mutants to be produced. With incredible power, the relationship between her and Wolverine is given full focus in an intense and impactful death for the character that haunted Logan from that day forward.

Phoenix in Dark Phoenix is less successful as an antagonist, but is not without some good moments. The powers are a force that Jean attempts to control in the film, leading to a conflict against Vuk. Rather than tapping into the villainous side of the Phoenix, the film instead puts a greater focus on the heroic other side of the coin in its end. Still, it is the development of the character and the establishing of Jean Grey as a compelling character in her own right that makes this villain transformation effective.

9 Sabretooth

Appeared In X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, And Deadpool & Wolverine

Sabretooth is supposed to be one of Wolverine’s greatest foes, and the films approached this with some success. The feral version of the villain appeared in the first X-Men film with a decent design, although he did seem like a minor villain. He was also quickly defeated in Deadpool & Wolverine. More memorably, Liev Schrieber was tapped to play the role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which he did with an excellent and disturbing intensity.

Sabretooth, a terrifying character, is at his best when seen as a counterpoint to Logan. The two have been depicted as brothers, and their shared past adds depth to their divergent moral paths. While not everything in X-Men Origins: Wolverine worked, this version of Sabretooth was one of the most compelling, terrifying, and exciting villains in any X-Men movie.

8 Sebastian Shaw

Appeared In X-Men: First Class

The Black King, Sebastian Shaw, was memorably portrayed by Kevin Bacon in X-Men: First Class. A mutant with the ability to absorb power and energy, Shaw formed the iconic Hellfire Club in the film and attempted to start a nuclear war. Working as an influence on Magneto, Shaw worked to develop Magneto's powers in Nazi , leading to Erik’s twisted motivations and anger throughout the film.

Shaw was a one-and-done villain in the X-Men movies, but he was one of the most effective ones. Tying his story in with Magneto's origin was an inspired move that made Shaw that much more of a fearsome adversary to the team. With pomp and style, Shaw quickly became one of the most successful villains yet appearing in the franchise, and his impact on the character of Magneto can be felt across the rest of the franchise.