After one of the worst superhero films ever was released in the form of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Fox put out what felt like a last ditch attempt to keep the franchise afloat.
2011’s X-Men: First Class was a massive breath of fresh air, not just for the franchise, but also for the greater genre. A smart political thriller with a spy edge, it also showed the whole new world superheroes could inhabit by setting it further back in time. The Cuban missile crisis as a background was an inspired choice, but unlike the missiles, First Class is about to actually launch.
Despite being now a Disney-owned property, Disney Plus will no longer hold exclusivity over perhaps the best X-Men film as Peacock has confirmed the Matthew Vaughn-directed for its Oct. 2022 roster. The move is a slight surprise, considering Peacock has yet to truly find its feet in the streaming age.
Peacock saw an increased customer base over 2022 but has struggled with producing its own originals. Having only launched in the United States and a soft launch in the United Kingdom, it has definitely not reached its full potential yet. The addition of a star-studded fan favorite like First Class will at very least get fans excited.
Boasting the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Bacon, and January Jones, it got a rave reception at release. Sitting at a very positive 86 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, it kickstarted a new set of X-Men films such as Days of Future Past, Apocalypse, and the eventual franchise killer Dark Phoenix.
It could be a very long time before we see a live-action X-Men film again, with Marvel happy to shelf the property cinematically for a while as they plan a big return. Fans have access to the entire X-Men franchise on Disney Plus, and as of Oct. 1, X-Men: First Class on Peacock.