X-Men: Apocalypse

When the ancient mutant En Sabah Nur, known as Apocalypse, awakens after centuries of slumber he decides the current world order must be overturned, and his return sets off a chain of catastrophic events. He recruits several powerful mutants to boost his plan, and their growing power threatens global extinction. Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, now on uneasy terms, try to unite a younger group of mutants to counter that threat, while personal conflicts and shifting loyalties complicate every decision. The story follows their attempts to outsmart an almost godlike foe, test their limits, and protect a world that mostly fears them, without revealing how the final confrontation resolves.

Directed by Bryan Singer and co-written by Dan Harris and Simon Kinberg, X-Men: Apocalypse arrived in 2016 as part of the franchise's prequel arc, starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and Oscar Isaac, and drawing on decades of Marvel Comics material.

The film drew mixed reviews, averaging around a 6.5 out of 10 among audiences, with praise directed at the spectacle, ensemble acting and set pieces, and criticism aimed at an overcrowded plot and inconsistent tone. Themes include the responsibilities that come with power, competing visions of leadership, faith versus fanaticism, and identity under pressure, all set against large, action-driven sequences that force character choices into sharper focus.

As a continuation of the X-Men saga, the movie kept Apocalypse prominent as a cinematic antagonist and pushed conversations about character design and casting choices. Its visuals and set pieces were widely discussed among fans, and performances by lead actors fueled debate about this timeline's place within the broader franchise, keeping the characters and their conflicts part of pop culture conversation.

The film opened widely and drew substantial audience attention worldwide, reinforcing the franchise's commercial momentum even as critics were divided. Its release encouraged further entries in the mutant series and demonstrated that the X-Men brand still attracted significant box office interest in 2016.