James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender’s Franchise-Saving Superhero Masterpiece Finds a New Streaming Home Next Month

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender’s Franchise-Saving Superhero Masterpiece Finds a New Streaming Home Next Month James McAvoy as Charles Xavier touching his head in X-Men: First ClassImage via 20th Century Studios By  Rachel Leishman Published 54 minutes ago Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

X-Men: First Class changed the game when it came to the X-Men franchise. Quite literally. The Matthew Vaughn film gave fans a new take on Charles Xavier and his friend-turned-enemy, Erik Lehnsherr with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender taking on the iconic duo. It was an "origin" of sorts and now fans can relive the magic (or watch it for the first time) when the film drops on HBO Max this coming December, when the McAvoy and Fassbender-led film will be heading to streaming.

X-Men: First Class was the start of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Charles (McAvoy) is working with Erik (Fassbender) to find mutants around the world, including Charles' foster sister Raven (Jennifer Lawrence). The trio would eventually go on to be known as Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique. They find iconic X-Men characters like Darwin (Edi Gathegi) and Angel (Zoë Kravitz), as well as legacy characters like Scott's brother, Alex Summers (Lucas Till). It also finally gave us beloved characters like January Jones' take on Emma Frost.

But what made X-Men: First Class so special was the film's use of the lore of the X-Men as we know it mixed with a fun new take on these characters. It wasn't changing the actors but, instead, giving us a look at who they were before they became the leaders of the Mutants and the X-Men as we know and love them. It also gave us a new wave of X-Men films, with X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix all coming out as spin-offs or sequels from X-Men: First Class, which still remains one of the best movies in the entire franchise.

The Smartest Thing the 'X-Men' Franchise Did

Erik as Magneto in X-Men: First ClassImage via 20th Century Studios

Fans of the X-Men movies were burnt out by X-Men: The Last Stand and so when First Class came into the fold, it was a new way to appreciate our X-Men characters and see new actors take on the characters we've come to love. The films would eventually go on to unite Stewart and McKellan with McAvoy and Fassbender's versions of their characters, but with First Class, we got a new look into how the X-Men came to be, and it was a glorious time for fans. First Class is just a really great superhero movie overall, perfectly expressed by the film's 86% critics' score and close 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes!

You can watch X-Men: First Class when it lands on HBO Max this December.

X-Men: First Class

Like Follow Followed PG-13 Action Adventure Sci-Fi Superhero Release Date June 3, 2011 Runtime 131 minutes Director Matthew Vaughn Writers Matthew Vaughn, Zack Stentz, Ashley Miller, Jane Goldman, Bryan Singer, Sheldon Turner Producers Bryan Singer, Gregory Goodman, Josh McLaglen, Lauren Shuler Donner, Stan Lee, Simon Kinberg Prequel(s) X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine Sequel(s) The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Logan, X-Men: Dark Phoenix Franchise(s) X-Men

Cast

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• James McAvoy Charles Xavier
• Michael Fassbender Erik Lehnsherr

In the 1960s, superpowered humans Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr work together to find others like them, but Erik's vengeful pursuit of an ambitious mutant who ruined his life causes a schism to divide them.

Genres Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Superhero Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• X-Men: First Class
• James McAvoy

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