Film guide · 2016

X-Men: ApocalypseComplete Guide

The parts that are hard to follow from the film alone, explained with a story summary, a character map and key terms.

Released
2016
Runtime
144 min
Set in
Alternate universe (Fox, 1983)

Good to know before watchingNo spoilers

Ten years after Days of Future Past

It's set in 1983, in the timeline changed by the last film.

The young X-Men

We meet young Jean, Scott (Cyclops), Storm and Kurt (Nightcrawler).

Erik's new life

Erik lives quietly in Poland with a family, under a new name.

Stay through the credits

A short scene teases a mysterious company.

Character mapSpoilers

Who's who in X-Men: Apocalypse (set in 1983), with Charles at the center. The school is on the left, Apocalypse and his horsemen on the right.

Because of copyright, we can't use stills, posters or any other images of the characters as they appear in the film. All face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors themselves (non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site; people without a photo are shown with initials).

Drag to move, pinch (or scroll on a computer) to zoom. Tap a person to read about them.

All characters

About the images

Face photos are freely licensed photos of the actors from Wikimedia Commons, cropped to a square and resized. Non-human characters are original illustrations made for this site, and people without a photo are shown with a placeholder (initials).

StorySpoilers

Read the story (spoilers up to the ending)

1. Awakening

In 1983 Cairo, Apocalypse wakes from his long sleep.

2. Gathering horsemen

He recruits Storm, Angel, Psylocke and Magneto.

3. A new student

Scott, a boy with uncontrollable eye beams, arrives at Charles's school.

4. Charles is taken

Apocalypse kidnaps Charles for his power.

5. Showdown in Cairo

The young mutants fight together as X-Men for the first time.

Read the detailed scene-by-scene story

Key terms

Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur)
The first mutant, worshipped as a god in ancient Egypt. By moving into other mutants' bodies, he gathered many powers.
The Four Horsemen
The four mutants Apocalypse always keeps at his side, with their powers amplified.
Cerebro
Professor X's device for reaching minds worldwide, which Apocalypse wants to use.
Weapon X
Colonel Stryker's secret program using mutants, based at Alkali Lake.

Confusing parts, explainedSpoilers

Contains spoilers about the ending.

What did Apocalypse want?

To destroy a world he thought was ruled by the weak, leaving only the strong. He also planned to move into Charles's body to control every mind on Earth.

Why does Erik join him?

After his powers expose him in Poland, he loses his family. Consumed by grief and rage, he accepts Apocalypse's offer.

What's the link between Peter and Erik?

Peter knows Erik is his father, but he doesn't tell him in this film.

Who defeats Apocalypse?

Jean, by unleashing a tremendous power that had been sleeping inside her.

Easy-to-miss details

Peter saves the school

Peter carrying students out of the exploding school, set to music, rivals the kitchen scene from the last film.

Leaving the movies

Jean, Scott, Kurt and Jubilee joke about third movies in a series after leaving a theater.

Charles's hair

By the end, Charles takes on his familiar look.

The ending and post-creditsSpoilers

After the end credits

Post-credits: mysterious men take a vial of Wolverine's blood from the Weapon X facility, in a case marked Essex Corp.

What to watch next

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