Interesting Facts About X-Men 2

During filming, Hugh Jackman's sister popped onto the set. As a prank she was dressed and made up in Jackman's full Wolverine outfit and wandered around the set. She apparently passed very convincingly as Jackman. Bryan Singer didn't realise it wasn't Jackman in the Wolverine costume and, watching her at the time, remarked, 'Hugh is acting very strangely today.'

The majority of extras used to portray frozen people were, in fact, professional mimes, accustomed to remaining perfectly still.

Neil Patrick Harris auditioned for the part of Nightcrawler, but the role ultimately went to Alan Cumming, who is fluent in German.

Professor Xavier's wheelchair from X-Men (2000) was purchased by a lawyer who worked at the same law firm as Sir Patrick Stewart's legal representative. When production commenced, the studio realised the chair was no longer available, so the lawyer rented it back to the studio — as Stewart remarked in an interview, 'for a significant sum.'

The replica of the President's desk in the Oval Office was so meticulously detailed that it required two months to construct.

Unlike the first film, in which Rebecca Romijn wore contact lenses, for this instalment Mystique's eyes were generated digitally.

Kelly Hu utters only a single line of dialogue throughout the film.

The 'Lady Deathstrike' claws were affixed to the underside of Kelly Hu's own fingernails. She had to let her nails grow a little so the claws would sit securely.

With no budget to film new exteriors, the majority of shots of Professor Xavier's mansion were reused from the original film.

The final scene in Xavier's mansion with Cyclops, Wolverine and Professor X was filmed at Shepperton Studios in London because Hugh Jackman was simultaneously filming Van Helsing (2004), and the producers only allowed him one day to shoot the film's final sequence. Wolverine's hair appears higher than usual in that scene because Jackman had long hair for Van Helsing and had to wear the Wolverine wig over a large amount of his own hair.

Rebecca Romijn's make-up took five hours to apply, compared with seven hours for the previous instalment.

The Arctic snow sequences were shot in Alberta, Canada, a region famed for its heavy snowfall. When the production team arrived, there was no snow to be found, so it had to be recreated.

The set for Stryker's subterranean hideout was constructed inside an old Sears warehouse and stood as the largest set in North America. It involved over sixty miles of cabling and was so extensive that cast and crew would ride bicycles to and from the toilets to save time. Even then, the production made use of only about half the warehouse space.

The screenplay was rewritten to give Halle Berry greater screen time, following her Oscar win for Monster's Ball (2001).

Wolverine's berserker rage during the raid on the school was toned down to secure the censors' approval. By contrast, his full‑blown berserker fury is unleashed in all its bloody, R‑rated, graphic splendour in Logan (2017).

Shaquille O'Neal was desperate to appear in the film and lobbied vigorously for a part.

An early draft of the screenplay had Magneto rescuing Professor X from the 'Dark Cerebro' and fleeing with the other X-Men, mirroring what happens in the graphic novel on which the film is based. According to Bryan Singer, this was altered late in production not only to remain true to Magneto's ruthless character but also to give the other characters, namely Nightcrawler and Storm, more to do in the climax.

(at about the three-minute mark) The music heard in the opening sequence when Nightcrawler attacks the White House is the "Dies Irae" from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem. (Alan Cumming, who portrays Nightcrawler, was born on the same day as Mozart.)

Halle Berry withdrew from Gigli (2003) in order to reprise her part as Storm.

Hugh Jackman was provided with a nutritionist to help him get fit for his part as Wolverine, and he gained twenty pounds.

It was recorded in The Guinness Book of World Records as "The Widest Film Release", having opened on 2 May 2003 across 3,741 screens on the same day.

Magneto's helmet was slightly reworked from its appearance in X-Men (2000), after Sir Ian McKellen said the original was rather uncomfortable.

The White House Oval Office is an exact re-creation, but the corridors in the opening chase involving Nightcrawler and the Secret Service were constructed wider than the actual walls to provide extra space for the fight sequences.

In an effort to keep the ending a secret, until the film was released the novelisation and the comic adaptation tied to the film featured different endings.

This marks the first occasion that longstanding friends Sir Patrick Stewart and Brian Cox have collaborated.

(at around the 52-minute mark) When Wolverine is in the kitchen at Bobby Drake's parents' home and is startled by the cat, he lets it lick his claws, which reads as a very cute beat. However, if you listen carefully when he hears someone enter and retracts his claws, you can hear the sound effect of his claws extending — the retracting noise is actually the extension sound played in reverse — followed by the cat crying out. It was an unintended comic moment that was due to be cut, but a last-minute decision kept it in.

Bruce Davison (Senator Kelly) and Brian Cox (William Stryker) were born just twenty-seven days apart, yet Cox's character suggests Senator Kelly is at least twenty years younger than him.

The mansion that doubled as the school later stood in as Lex Luthor's residence in the television series Smallville (2001), another saga adapted from comic books. Earlier, it had been used as the title character's home in the light-hearted comedy Billy Madison (1995).

Pyro's cigarette lighter features a shark motif, a nod to Bryan Singer's fondness for Jaws (1975).

Chuck Austen, who has written extensively for the character Nightcrawler, revealed on the DVD that he was asked whether there was anything he knew about the character that no-one else did. He suggested that, just as the character has two fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot, he also had two sets of genitals.

(at approximately 46 minutes) Rebecca Romijn, portraying Mystique, appears in her usual appearance as Grace, who seduces and "ionises" the guard.

In the pub, the foam on the beer was faked. Bryan Singer opted to do this to prevent continuity problems.

Hugh Jackman worked with the same trainer who had coached Angelina Jolie for her leading role in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).

They had to film Professor X's immaculate Cerebro set first, and only afterwards distress it to portray Stryker's cut-price version.

After production had wrapped, Hugh Jackman was offered the part of Frank Castle in The Punisher (2004), but he declined, having chosen to appear in Van Helsing (2004) instead.

Iceman's disclosure to his parents that he is a mutant functions as a metaphor for coming out to them as gay. In 2015, the comics reintroduced Iceman as a gay character.

The illusion-casting abilities of Mutant 143 (portrayed by Michael Reid MacKay) are an homage to a classic X-Men comic-book villain, Jason Wyngarde, also known as Mastermind.

The Danger Room — the area where the X-Men practise and hone their powers — was intended to appear in this film. Director Bryan Singer had wanted it in the first film, but budget cuts forced the concept to be shelved. It was later worked into the story for this instalment, placed at the point when Wolverine is left to look after the students at the mansion. He decides to do a workout in the Danger Room, which was to segue into a sequence of him lying down and experiencing a vision of Stryker and the Weapon X procedure. The Danger Room was designed as a cylindrical chamber, with different sections of the floor rising and falling at hazardous speeds, along with holographic projectiles and other effects. The earliest teaser for the film gave a glimpse of how the Danger Room would look, but shortly after that teaser was released Twentieth Century Fox reduced Singer's budget from $125 million to $110 million, forcing him once again to cut the Danger Room from the film. A small reference to the Danger Room remains in the finished picture: when Stryker first enters the X-Mansion's sub-basement, directly opposite the lift is a door bearing a small label which, according to Singer's DVD commentary, identifies the entrance to the Danger Room.

Alan Cumming was Bryan Singer's first choice to play Nightcrawler. However, during the initial casting he was unavailable. The project laboured in development for so long that by the time the film was ready to begin filming, Cumming was able to come on board. Ethan Embry was rumoured to have landed the part before Cumming became available.

Beast and Gambit were both considered as new characters, but the filmmakers eventually opted for Nightcrawler, as he came across as the most outsider-like option. Beast subsequently appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), whilst Gambit appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).

Magneto is imprisoned in, and later breaks out of, a plastic prison constructed by Stryker (Brian Cox). This is a tribute to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), in which Sir Anthony Hopkins played the psychopath Hannibal Lecter and which features a similar escape. Director Bryan Singer cast Brian Cox as Stryker after his performance as Dr Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter (1986).

Angel and Beast featured in the original draft of the script but were cut — it was deemed the roster was already too large, so their appearances were held back for X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

The character Rogue, whose family name remained unrevealed since her debut in the comics in 1981, was given the surname Marie D'Ancanto for this film. Comic writer Chris Claremont, Rogue's creator, has used that name in the 'X-Treme X-Men' comic following the film's release, albeit for a different character.

Another vast set was the turbine hall of an ageing dam, home to a museum. Unfortunately the museum had been painted in bright, lurid colours, so the production-design team had to redress it to give it an aged, dank appearance — a change that alarmed the museum's management until they realised it was only temporary.

The Oval Office set was subsequently repurposed for a number of episodes of the science-fiction television series Stargate SG-1 (1997).

Bryan Singer insisted that the writers carry out thorough research into what would happen if a dam were breached. Notably, they turned up a wealth of information about it online.

The red scar at the back of Cyclops' neck, intended to indicate he was under Stryker's control, was added digitally afterwards.

Guy Hendrix Dyas and sculptor James Jones collaborated on the design of a Sentinel (in the comics, the Sentinels were a series of mutant-fighting robots created by anti-mutant government officials). Their final design was a complex, hollow robot capable of compressing itself into a discus. Animating the Sentinel would have cost approximately $7 million, so it was not used in the film. The Sentinels feature prominently in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).

After the success of X-Men (2000), 20th Century Fox gave director Bryan Singer an additional $50 million towards the film's budget.

Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris: The writers make cameo appearances as surgeons in flashbacks to Logan's Weapon X programme.

Xavier's School for the Gifted stands on 'Graymalkin Lane, Salem Center'. 'Graymalkin' was the name of the witches' cat in William Shakespeare's Macbeth (Act I, Scene I: 'I come, Graymalkin!'), and Salem Village (now Danvers), Massachusetts, was the site of the notorious witch trials of 1692.

There was an extended sequence, omitted from the final cut and not included among the deleted scenes on the DVD, that shows Cyclops fighting Yuriko (Lady Deathstrike), during which he picks up and uses the two prison guards' plastic truncheons.

The crew were adamant that Magneto's cell be made exclusively from glass and plastic. On screen he even appears wearing white Crocs.

In his audio commentary, director Bryan Singer explains he cut a few seconds of footage after Wolverine stabs a soldier in the kitchen during the raid to meet classification requirements. The longer sequence is available as deleted footage on the Supplementary Features disc. That extended sequence was also included in the cinema release in some other territories (for example, Brazil).

The sunglasses Cyclops wears are Oakley Pennys. Although they closely resemble the pair he wore in X-Men (2000), they are in fact a different model (Oakley Juliets appeared in the first film); both were fitted with blinders around the lenses. Oakley also made the visor Cyclops wears, and in some shots the Oakley logo (a horizontally stretched "O") can be seen on the parts of the visor that cover Cyclops' ears.

Two voice actors from X-Men: Evolution (2000) also feature in this film. David Kaye, who provided the voice of Professor X, appears as a television announcer. Chiara Zanni, who voiced Jubilee (also known as Jubilation Lee), appears as a White House tour guide.

The identification tag worn by Wolverine bears the number 458-25-243.

Bryan Singer: (at about the 31-minute mark) A security guard featured in the scene where Professor X and Cyclops visit Magneto.

(at roughly the 43-minute mark) Pyro switches on a track in Cyclops's car: *NSYNC: Bye Bye Bye (2000). The track later features in the opening credits of Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).

The Blackbird X-Jet was reworked, with its virtual scale expanded from 60 feet to 85 feet.

Initially, Ray Park was lined up to reprise his role as Toad and face off against Nightcrawler, but clashes in his schedule prevented it.

At about the 50-minute mark, several posters on Bobby 'Iceman' Drake's bedroom walls depict winter pursuits, notably skiing and snowboarding.

The screenplay underwent 27 revisions.

'The Fast and the Furious' and 'X-Men' film franchises have frequently had entries released in the same year:

• This film and 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) both premiered in 2003.
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) were released in 2006.
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and Fast & Furious (2009) arrived in 2009.
• X-Men: First Class (2011) and Fast Five (2011) were released in 2011.
• The Wolverine (2013) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013) opened in 2013.
• Logan (2017) and The Fate of the Furious (2017) came out in 2017.
• X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) were released in 2019.

had originally been scheduled for 2014, the same year as X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), but its release was postponed to 2015 following the death of Paul Walker.

Kurt Wagner is also the name of a composer responsible for pieces such as "Life's Little Tragedy" and "The Daily Growl". The film character Kurt Wagner's dialogue includes several nods to the composer's song lyrics.

It generated revenue in excess of three times its production budget.

This film includes two actors who previously portrayed Bond villains and one who once appeared as a Bond girl. Alan Cumming and Famke Janssen featured in GoldenEye (1995) as supporting villains, while Halle Berry was the Bond girl in Die Another Day (2002).

The international cast features Magneto (English), Professor Xavier (English), Wolverine (Australian), Nightcrawler (Scottish), Rogue (New Zealander), Jean Grey (Dutch), Iceman (Canadian) and Stryker (Scottish); the remainder are from the US, including Lady Deathstrike, who is Hawaiian.

Bryan Singer and Newton Thomas Sigel have cited Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Road to Perdition (2002) as influences on this film.

A scale replica of the Alkali Lake Dam was constructed; it stood twenty-five feet (7.6 metres) in height and twenty-eight feet (8.5 metres) across.

According to Bryan Singer, this was touted as the first film to feature a woman flying an American military aircraft, but that claim is incorrect. Fire Birds (1990) was among the earliest, if not the very first.

(at around the 57-minute mark) The radio Storm adjusts on the X-Jet is a Garmin 530 — a real communications and navigation unit commonly fitted in light aeroplanes.

It ranked sixth in box-office takings for 2003.

It was intended to depict Hank McCoy transforming into the Beast at the moment the "destroy all Mutants" plan was set in motion, implying that his human-looking appearance was merely a disguise.

The film makes use of around 800 digital effects.

Initially, in this film Jean Grey undergoes a complete transformation into the Dark Phoenix.

(at about 42 minutes) When Mystique checks the files on the security guards at the facility holding Magneto, the following names are shown, referencing crew members of the film: DeSanto, T. (Tom DeSanto, executive producer); Dougherty, M. (Michael Dougherty, screenwriter); Donner, L. (Lauren Shuler Donner, producer); Young, R.D. (possibly Rob Young, production sound mixer); Harris, D. (Dan Harris, screenwriter) C.L.G. - Classified; R.G.M. - Classified; and Singer, B. (Bryan Singer, director). Bryan is the only one shown with his own photograph. The others, including Mrs Donner, are given generic male guard photographs.

David Hayter and Zak Penn each wrote separate drafts for the film, and the strongest elements from both were merged into the screenplay (a fairly common approach for summer blockbusters). Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris were then brought in to refine the final script. Two of their major contributions were cutting a sequence set in the Danger Room (which was later reinstated for X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)) and introducing the Sentinels (who would later act as the threat in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)).

The primary antagonist, William Stryker, is a composite of several X‑Men villains: Reverend William Stryker, an anti‑Mutant bigot; Professor Andre Thorton, the malevolent mastermind behind the Weapon X programme; and Henry Peter Gyrich (whose name was used for a minor character in X-Men (2000)), a ruthless government official who devotes his life and resources to eradicating the Mutant population. The latter two are also noted for their distinctive spectacles, similar to Stryker's in the film.

Sixty-four sets were utilised across thirty-eight distinct locations.

Nightcrawler's brief appearance in the opening sequence nods to the comics and to X-Men: Evolution (2000), where he employs a holographic watch to pass as human. The film never clarifies how Nightcrawler's disguise was achieved; however, it may be similar to the serum Hank McCoy pioneered in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).

Composer John Ottman, a friend of Bryan Singer and one of the film's editors, was brought in to replace Michael Kamen, who had worked on X-Men (2000).

Has a running time thirty minutes longer than X-Men (2000).

Brian Cox (William Stryker) and Michael Reid MacKay (Jason Stryker) portrayed father and son, despite Cox being only seven years older than MacKay in real life.

Aaron Stanford secured the part of Pyro on the back of his performance in the film Tadpole (2002).

This was the debut feature for production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas.

This is the second occasion that Bryan Singer has made a cameo alongside Sir Patrick Stewart (Singer appears as one of the guards at Magneto's plastic prison facility). Singer also appears for nineteen frames in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).

The film was placed at No. 1 in Wizard Magazine's list of the 50 top comic‑book films of all time.

The film was promoted by Bryan Singer as the Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) equivalent within the X-Men film series.

Although Nick Fury was originally planned to appear in the film, the character was cut because Marvel held the licensing rights.

The Sentinels were intended to feature as part of Stryker's assault on the school, and concept art of them was included on the film's DVD release.

Once production wrapped, Rebecca Romijn appeared in another film based on Marvel comics, The Punisher (2004). Hugh Jackman was offered the role of Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher, but declined so he could star in Van Helsing (2004), and the part ultimately went to Thomas Jane.

Striker's files contain several notable names, including Remy LeBeau, also known as Gambit, and Kevin McTaggart. However, beneath the 'Maximoff' heading there are two names (not shown); these are probably Pietro Maximoff, also known as Quicksilver, and Wanda Maximoff, also known as Scarlet Witch.

With a teasing remark to Rogue, Magneto says that he and Mystique quite like what she has done with her hair, pointing out a white streak in it. That streak originates from events in the first X-Men film, when Magneto confined her inside a device mounted on the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

(at around the two-minute mark) In the opening shot of the Oval Office, the sculpture in the foreground is a reproduction of Frederic Remington's 'Coming Through the Rye'.

All of Kurt Wagner's X-rays carry the same ID: C13957. They are all dated 22 May 1984 and were taken by Dr D. Mintz (69) at the offices of "Drs. Green, Chetwynd, Gough, Switzer, Siu, Fulton, Bentley, Murray. Radiologists. Vancouver, BC."

The original idea was for Jean to be left blind after her fight with a brainwashed Cyclops. That was actually filmed but later cut during production. If you watch closely when Wolverine shuts the dam gates to save them from the water, Jean is the only one who isn’t looking at him.

Sabretooth was intended to return, this time as Stryker's bodyguard. The part was later reworked as Anne Reynolds, the Stryker bodyguard from the comics, who in the film would have been granted Lady Deathstrike's mutant powers and adamantium claws. Ultimately the role went to Lady Deathstrike herself and was expanded with extended fight sequences so the film would have more action.

Boasts two Academy Award winners — Halle Berry and Anna Paquin — and three Academy Award nominees: Sir Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman and Bruce Davison.

Like earlier Marvel comic-book films The Punisher (1989) and Blade II (2002), this film has the X-Men compelled into an uneasy, short-term alliance with their adversaries, the Brotherhood, to confront a common foe — Colonel William Stryker, who is intent on committing genocide against the mutant race.

Bryan Singer sought to cast Brian Cox as Stryker, as he was a great admirer of Cox's work in Manhunter (1986).

Originally, Magneto was meant to rescue Professor X from Dark Cerebro and slip away with the other X-Men rather than attempt to 'Kill All Humans', but the sequence was rewritten to preserve Magneto's ruthlessness. Initially, he was also intended to be the one to carry out the plan by repairing Dark Cerebro, rather than Mystique deceiving Jason.

If you look up the address for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (1407 Graymalkin lane, Salem Center, Westchester County, NY) in Google Earth, you will find it is a genuine address. However, instead of an impressive mansion, you will see two large barns and some other farm buildings.

Brian Cox subsequently portrayed Dr Joseph Bell in The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle (2005), while Sir Ian McKellen took on the role of his fictional counterpart, Sherlock Holmes, in Mr. Holmes (2015).

In the comics, William Stryker is portrayed as a preacher, and writer Chris Claremont modelled him on the evangelist Jerry Falwell.

Michael Reid MacKay took a part in another comic-book film: Batman & Robin (1997), portraying Antonio Diego, also known as Bane.

Development work began just prior to the release of the first film.

When it opened, the film was the third-biggest box-office earner worldwide among superhero pictures, trailing only Spider-Man (2002) and Batman (1989).

Ray Park was due to reprise his role as a brainwashed Toad and to come to blows with Nightcrawler while Nightcrawler and Storm attempted to rescue a group of mutant children. However, scheduling conflicts scuppered those plans, and the set erected solely for that sequence went unused.

The opening scene of the film features a heavily edited rendition of the Dies Irae movement from the Requiem Mass in D minor, K. 626, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It has been cut up and reassembled so that anyone familiar with it would be unable to sing along.

Jade Ramsey and Nikita Ramsey made their on-screen debut.

During the sequence in which Storm and Nightcrawler rescue the children from their detention at Alkali Lake, the youngsters rise and look up as they hear movement above. If you watch closely, you can make out Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler already positioned in the shadows at the rear of the cell, seemingly poised to "teleport" a few seconds' time and suddenly step into the light.

Both Ty Olsson (a prison guard) and Jill Teed (the mother of Iceman) appeared in recurring roles on Battlestar Galactica (2004).

John Cameron Mitchell declined to take on the role of Nightcrawler.

The following characters appear in the film and were adapted from the comic books:

• Professor Charles Francis Xavier/Professor X, referred to on screen as Professor Charles Xavier. He first appeared in X‑Men No. 1 (September 1963), by writer Stan Lee and writer/artist Jack Kirby.
• James 'Logan' Howlett/Wolverine, billed on screen as Wolverine. He was created by then‑Marvel editor‑in‑chief Roy Thomas, writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr. Although Romita devised the character's design, the first published drawing was by Herb Trimpe. The character's debut was in the comic story 'And Now... the Wolverine!' from The Incredible Hulk No. 181 (November 1974).
• Eric 'Magnus' Lensherr/Magneto, referred to on screen as Eric or Magneto. He first appeared in X‑Men No. 1 (September 1963), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
• Ororo Munroe/Storm, who made her debut in the story 'Deadly Genesis!' from Giant‑Size X‑Men No. 1 (May 1975), by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum.
• Dr Jean Elaine Grey, referred to on screen as Jean Grey. Her first appearance was in X‑Men No. 1 (September 1963), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
• Scott Summers/Cyclops, who first appeared in X‑Men No. 1 (September 1963), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
• Anna‑Marie D'Ancanto/Rogue, whose surname in the comics was Raven. She first appeared in the comic story 'By Friends - Betrayed!' from Avengers Annual No. 10 (1981), by writer Chris Claremont and artist Michael Golden.
• Raven Darkhölme/Mystique, who first turned up in a cameo in 'Shadow of the Gun!' from Ms. Marvel No. 16 (May 1978) before her first full appearance in 'The St. Valentine's Day/Avengers Massacre!' from Ms. Marvel No. 18 (July 1978). She was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum.
• William Stryker — a character presented as an amalgam of several X‑Men antagonists: Reverend William Stryker, an anti‑mutant fanatic; Professor Andre Thorton, the malicious architect behind the Weapon X programme; and Henry Peter Gyrich (a name used for a minor character in X‑Men (2000)), a ruthless government official dedicated to eradicating the mutant population. Stryker first appeared in the book X‑Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982) by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson. Thorton debuted in 'Weapon X: Chapter One' from Marvel Comics Presents No. 73 (March 1991) by Barry Windsor‑Smith. Gyrich first appeared in 'Hammer of Vengeance!' from Avengers No. 165 (November 1977) by Jim Shooter and John Byrne.
• Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, who in the X‑Men comics became a team member. He first appeared in 'Deadly Genesis!' from Giant‑Size X‑Men No. 1 (May 1975) by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.
• The shapeshifting Mystique assumes the guise of Senator Robert Edward Kelly, referred to on screen as Senator Kelly. He first appeared in a cameo in 'Wolverine: Alone!' from The Uncanny X‑Men No. 133 (May 1980) before his first full appearance in 'Dark Phoenix' from The Uncanny X‑Men No. 135 (July 1980). The character was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.
• St. John Allerdyce/Pyro, who first appeared in 'Days of Future Past' from Uncanny X‑Men No. 141 (January 1981) by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Note: in the comics Pyro was a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
• Robert Louis 'Bobby' Drake/Iceman, referred to on screen as Robert Drake or Iceman. He first appeared in X‑Men No. 1 (September 1963) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
• Yuriko Oyama/Lady Deathstrike, who first appeared as Yuriko Oyama in 'Journey' from Daredevil No. 197 (August 1983) and later as Lady Deathstrike in 'A Friend in Need' from Alpha Flight No. 33 (April 1986). Yuriko Oyama was created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist Larry Hama. Writers Bill Mantlo and Chris Claremont later added defining elements such as her cyborg abilities, while Barry Windsor‑Smith designed her cyborg appearance.
• Katherine Anne 'Kitty' Pryde/Shadowcat, referred to on screen as Shadowcat. She first appeared in 'God Spare the Child...' from X‑Men No. 129 (January 1980) by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.
• Jubilation Lee/Jubilee, who made her first appearance in 'Ladies' Night' from Uncanny X‑Men No. 244 (May 1989) by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri.
• Piotr 'Peter' Nikolaievitch Rasputin/Colossus, referred to on screen as Peter Rasputin or Colossus. He first appeared in 'Deadly Genesis!' from Giant‑Size X‑Men No. 1 (May 1975) by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum.
• Dr Henry Philip 'Hank' McCoy, known in the comics as Beast, who appears in a cameo. The character is referred to on screen as Dr. Hank McCoy. He first appeared in X‑Men No. 1 (September 1963) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

For the list above, only the creators responsible for each character's first appearance are cited. As with all comic‑book characters, the X‑Men and their supporting cast have undergone numerous reinventions and received contributions from various writers over time. Different iterations across media have each added concepts to the characters' wider mythology.

Aaron Stanford (John Allerdyce/Pyro) and Shawn Ashmore (Bobby Drake/Ice Man) have both worked with actress Amanda Schull. Stanford and Schull appeared in 12 Monkeys (2015), portraying James Cole and Dr. Cassandra Railly respectively, whilst Ashmore and Schull featured in Devil's Gate (2017), portraying Conrad "Colt" Salter and FBI Special Agent Daria Francis respectively.

The final X-Men film on which Sir Patrick Stewart was top-billed.

When Magneto is confined to his cell, he is shown reading the novella collection 'The Once and Future King' by T. H. White. First published in 1958, it is a retelling of the classic King Arthur legend. Later, when Professor Xavier convenes his literature class, that same book is the subject of his lecture.

The first Marvel film to be awarded an "A" grade by CinemaScore.

Marvel published two comic-book prequels centring on Wolverine and Nightcrawler, alongside a comic adaptation of the film penned by Chuck Austen with artwork by Patrick Zircher and Paul Tutrone.

It grossed $86 million on its domestic opening weekend, marking the second-largest opening for a superhero film, behind Spider-Man (2002), which opened to $115 million.