Top Ten #21 - Top Ten X-Men Characters (Movies) Ranked

Top Ten #21 - Top Ten X-Men Characters (Movies) Ranked

The X-Men universe is about to head back to Disney in just a few short months. So while we wait for the characters to come home where they belong, let's take a look at some of the best characters, both based on arc and performance, from the current Fox universe. This is my (opinion-based, completely subjective) ranking of the Marvel characters that exist in the current continuity of X-Men. Spoilers for all X-Men and Fox/Marvel films lie ahead. 

10. Hank McCoy/Beast: Though not one of my favorite characters in the X-Men franchise, the way that Nicholas Hoult portrays the character of Beast is very well done. I think he brings the right sense of physicality when he needs to, but when he's just the scientist, he plays it extremely well, being "nerdy" in a way, but also extremely intelligent.

9. Caliban: Granted, the odd, slimy mutant-trafficking version of Caliban that we saw in X-Men: Apocalypse was not the best portrayal of the character. But I gravitated towards Stephen Merchant's portrayal of the character in Logan. I think that Caliban had a sort of charm that balanced Hugh Jackman's Logan very nicely, and while he didn't have the biggest role, Merchant made the most of it. 

8. Nightcrawler: Showing up in both X-2 and X-Men: Apocalypse, the character of Nightcrawler was one of the most fun to watch. He has a very, very nervous energy about him, and that makes his power set all the more unique, with the ability to jump around and teleport. It's very interesting to see such a damaged creature and to see him played in such a way that it matches his power set very, very well.

7. Colossus: Colossus had been played by Daniel Cudmore in the main X-Men series before, but it was really in Deadpool and Deadpool 2 where I began to like Colossus. He plays such a perfect counter to Wade Wilson, as the two clash on almost everything, but they pair together so well that it's impossible not to like him. Colossus is the epitome of an X-Man, showing grit, heart, and determination in the face of battle, but also throwing in some jokes with Reynolds as well. 

6. Laura Kinney/X-23: When we were first introduced to X-23, I was absolutely floored by what Kinney, as a child actor, was able to bring to the role. She was able to match Hugh Jackman toe to toe, or claw to claw, and brought such a dynamic range to the character. Not only was she physical, but her facial acting was so incredibly good, especially during the Logan death scene, where she acted her heart out, rivaling many, many A-list actors. 

5. Quicksilver: Peter Maximoff, as portrayed in the X-Men films, is a very light-hearted and fun character. He arguably steals the show in both X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men Apocalypse, and he knows it too. It just looks as if Evan Peters is having the time of his life playing the character, and it makes it that much more fun to watch him go at it, throwing pans this way and that and saving people from an exploding mansion. 

4. Charles Xavier: One of the characters that has both an older and a younger counterpart, I actually gravitate more towards the McAvoy version of the character, although with Logan, I'm not quite so sure anymore. McAvoy brings such a damaged perspective on a character that we perceived as wise, flawless, and steadfast. And that vulnerability is what enables McAvoy to go so many different directions with the character. But let's not discredit Patrick Stewart; in Logan, especially, he is able to show that he still has something left to give to Xavier. He also makes the character more endearing, and yet so much more broken, that we care that much more for his character, and what he represents. 

3. Deadpool: Ignoring X-Men: Origins - Wolverine, Deadpool, as played by the one and only Ryan Reynolds, is a fantastic character, done so perfectly right. He doesn't change much throughout his two films simply because he's so meta, and so self-referential, and we miss the kind of character growth that we see in someone like Charles. But, Reynolds is so passionate about the character and knows exactly how to play him that it makes him so fun to watch on screen with soo many memorable lines and moments from both films. 

2. Magneto: Magneto might be my favorite villain ever portrayed in a Marvel film, and that might simply be because of how much thought, care, and time was given to fleshing out his backstory. We've seen it all; he's been held in a concentration camp by Sebastian Shaw, his entire family was killed right in front of his eyes - the man has been through everything. That's why, even though he does do some terrible things, we still care because we know just how hard of a time he's been through. Both Fassbender and McKellen bring such a different, yet consistent take on the character and it's just hard not to love those two playing the part. 

1. Logan/Wolverine: This was a no-brainer. Hugh Jackman is one of my favorite actors working today, and what he has done with the character for the past 20 years has been remarkable. From day 1, Hugh Jackman embodied the character so perfectly, and finished it off with a bang in Logan. He knows this character, and we have grown to know him and to love him, despite everything that he's done. Though Jackman's run may be done, Wolverine will still love on in the hearts and souls of X-Men fans everywhere for generations to come.