X-Men: Origins Wolverine
This film does start us off as it shows the rise of Wolverine through the years, but it also comes back around to the late 70s as the final action piece is the 3-Mile Island incident that was in March of 1979. This gives us an exact date for when Cyclops was recruited into the Xavier institute. Also, Xavier was perceived to be walking at this juncture as he was at a helicopter to rescue the children while also bald. So this gives us a date by when he lost his hair, and somehow was able to walk again.
X-Men First Class
This film takes place mostly around 1962 as it depicts the Cuban Missle Crisis. The film gives us a date for when Xavier was first paralyzed due to the ending as well as the first major split in ideals between Xavier and Magneto as the film ends with them walking different paths that could eventually line back up again.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
So far, reports are saying this film takes place between 1969 and 1973. Original rumors had suggested there might be a scene of an incident during 1963 as well, but no word if that idea has been kept. The other end of the spectrum suggests this film will also be taking place during 2023 of a potentially altered timeline where some events of the major X-Men films have still occurred but possibly differently(Cyclops and Jean are still dead it seems, but as to how that came about in this altered timeline is unknown).
X-Men
The first released film in the franchise starts off with a simple "in the not so distant future" time frame which suggests it could really be anywhere between 2002-2013.
X2: X-Men United
The second entry in the original trilogy only shows us that the mutants have still barely been revealed to the world at large and that events are just no unfolding for what may come. This films picks up partially from where the previous left off as we see Logan arrive to Alkali Lake as per his leaving at the end of the first X-Men film in the trilogy.
X-Men: The Last Stand
The film picks up with the coping of the loss of Jean Grey from the previous film. This is the Alcatraz Phoenix incident and mutant gene suppressor cure that had been weaponized by Worthington Labs. This film also gives us a glimpse at when Jean Grey was recruited as it states 20 years prior to this film she was recruited by both a walking Xavier and no helmet older Magneto in what looks like a somewhat 80s time frame. It also states that 10 years prior to the events of this film, Warren Worthington III was the catalyst to his father's funding of research into a cure as his father discovered Warren was a mutant. By having no real set event dates. This puts those dates in flux as 20 years ago from a not so distant future still has no set date to work with.
The Wolverine
This film is after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand as it depicts Logan is still coping with having to kill Jean Grey. He has left the school for an unknown amount of time that seems to suggest at least a year+ minimum has passed.
So all of these together so far, suggest the following timeline of events:
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(X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
In 1845, James "Logan" Howlett's powers activate as he sees his biological father kill the only man he knew as his dad. He uses his new found claws to stab his biological father, seemingly killing the man in the process(unknown what mutant powers he may have had or if he may have survived such an ordeal). Logan and Creed now revealed to be half-brothers escape into the wilderness and grow up on their own. This includes several wars over the time period from the Civil War in 1865, World War I from 1914 to 1918, and World War II from 1939 to 1945.
(The Wolverine)
In 1945 Logan is separated from Creed briefly and captured by Japanese soldiers during World War II. An atomic bomb is dropped and Logan manages to shield and save a soldier named Yashida from the blast.
(X-Men First Class)
In 1944 Xavier and Mystique meet. She begins living with him as a foster sister and they grow up together. Over in Germany, Erik Lensherr's mutant powers activate as he and his family are being put into a concentration camp. Shaw, then known as Schmidt, takes notice of Erik's powers and pushes Erik to display them under threat of Erik's mother's life. Shaw then kills her, which pushes Erik to an emotional extreme that forces him to use the powers he didn't know he had on a grander scale than expected but much to Shaw's satisfaction.
(X-Men First Class)
1962 is the first official X-Men team. Consisting of a roster that has Magneto(Erik Lensherr), Charles Xavier, Havok(Alex Summers), Beast(Hank McCoy), Mystique(Raven Darkholme), and Banshee(Sean Cassidy). This also marks the first time that Logan has met Xavier, and Magneto and he rather politely tells them no before they asked him to join their team. Darwin is murdered by Sebastian Shaw and Angel Salvadore joins Shaw's group.
(X-Men First Class)
In 1962, Hank McCoy develops a shot that would retain his human appearance but hide his mutations physical manifestations. This attempt backfires and he instead accelerates his mutant gene to above its full potential, giving himself blue fur and a beast like appearance. It may also slow his aging process as much as Mystique's has been.
(X-Men First Class)
After the events of the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962, Erik gains a helmet to block out Xavier's telepathy after killing Sebastian Shaw. He then forms his first brotherhood from the remains of Shaw's terrorist team and the X-Men that leave Xavier. These include Azazel, Mystique, Emma Frost, Riptide, and Angel Salvadore.
(X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Between 1963 and 1973 Logan joins the military for the Vietnam War with his half-brother Victor Creed.
(X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Somewhere between 1973 and 1975 during the Vietnam War, Logan and Creed were arrested by the military for war crimes and were attempted to be executed by firing squad which failed. They were then imprisoned and not long after that were both recruited by William Stryker for his Team X that included John Wraith, Fred Dukes, Wade Wilson, Agent Zero, and Chris Bradley.
(X-Men: Days Of Future Past)
During 1973 or prior, an event occurs that allows Sentinels from Trask industries to go into production. Not long after some form of event potentially halts their widespread usage though development still continues. (Events to be depicted in Days of Future Past. More information needed to see where it fits within the confines of the currently established timeline.)
(X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Between 1973(or 75) to 1979 Sabretooth captures an unknown amount of mutants for Stryker's Weapon X project. One of which includes Gambit. Gambit manages to escape from the compound prior to 1979.
(X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
In early 1979, Victor Creed and Kayla fake her death to drive Logan to William Stryker to be experimented on to get revenge on Creed. Logan escapes after the process before they can wipe his memory and starts on his path to bring down the Weapon X project along with Creed. This is the year Logan gains the metal coating to his claws and bones.
(X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Later in 1979, John Wraith and Chris Bradley are killed by Victor Creed. Victor also manages to capture Scott Summers for William Stryker's project. Logan manages to talk Gambit into helping him infiltrate and escape the 3-Mile Island compound in March of that same year(this may be days to a week prior of that incident).
(X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
In March of 1979, the 3-Mile Island Incident that includes Gambit potentially in his late 20s, Wolverine, Sabretooth(pre-feral mutation), Deadpool(per when he was first experimented on potentially with unknown longevity on active powers due to damage sustained and lack of research), and the recruitment to the Xavier institute of Scott Summers, Emma Silverfox (sister of Kayla Silverfox), among unknown others. Kayla is murdered by William Stryker, and Logan receives brain damage that breaks his memories. Now only having disjointed memories and unaccounted for time, he travels the world trying to put them together. Visiting Japan. Travels afterward unknown until the bar in X-Men. His healing factor had restored his brain from the damage but the memories the original tissue had are gone or disconnected from the original neural pathways. Weapon XI has been temporarily neutralized by being beheaded.
(Discussed in X2: X-Men United)
William Stryker takes his son, Jason, to the Xavier institute after his wife is killed when his son's powers awakened. Not long after Stryker removes him from the institute and experiments on his son to use him to control mutants.
(Unknown, but alluded to within the first X-Men film)
Unknown for when but after the events of the 3-Mile Island Incident but before the events of the first X-Men film, Victor Creeds mutation potentially alters him into a more feral state. There is the potential that prior to Yuriko, Stryker continues experimenting on creed. It is shown in the first X-Men film that he retains partial memory of his anger and hatred for Logan in this more animalistic state along with remembering the dog tags Logan acquired in 1979. It is unknown if this is the same Sabretooth or a byproduct thereof, but it is clear he is aware of Logan and what the dog tags mean. So he does somehow retain some form of memory of those events. What this means has yet to be seen.
(Flashback in X-Men: The Last Stand)
20 years ago from a few years in the future.
Jean Grey as a young girl is recruited by both an older bald Xavier that can walk, and an older Erik Lensherr sans his helmet.
(Flashback in X-Men: The Last Stand)
10 years ago from a few years in the future Warren Worthington III is discovered to be growing wings that leads his father to funding research on mutants.
(X-Men)
During his travels, Logan eventually stops at a bar that has caged fighting matches. He uses this to make money for his traveling for the time being. He is still on a journey of self-discovery trying to remember anything about his past including why he is the way he is and who he is.
A few years in the future, Marie/Rogue gets her first kiss and inadvertently absorbs the boys memories. She then goes on the run and bumps into Logan at the bar with the caged fighting matches for betting and spectators. They are soon both recruited to the Xavier institute after a run in with Magneto's brotherhood. Logan is promised they would help him find out more about himself, and Rogue is promised a home and safety to learn how to use her powers without harming others. Senator Kelly is killed by an experimental process that Magneto attempts. Rogue meets fellow students like Bobby Drake, Kitty Pryde, Pyro, and Jubilation Lee. Rogue is tricked into running away by Mystique who has infiltrated the school. She is then kidnapped by Magneto after Wolverine finds her and talks her into coming back to the school. Later, Mystique replaces Senator Kelly after Magneto's plan to turn world leaders into mutants and indirectly kill them from the flawed process is foiled by the X-Men when they rescue Rogue.
(X2: X-Men United)
Hank McCoy now seemingly of human outward appearance is working for the government as a pro-mutant activist. Colossus has joined the Xavier institute.
(X2: X-Men United)
Not long after the events of the first X-Men feature film of the original trilogy, William Stryker uses a mind controlled Nightcrawler to attack the White House to create a controlled form of mutant hysteria that would allow him to gain more funding for his work again in trying to destroy mutants or use them for military means. It can be assumed since his failure in 1979 has led to him continually still experimenting on mutants as he experiments on Yuriko to replicate the process that created Wolverine, potentially using gene samples from Victor Creed as well per the fingernails instead of claws. Stryker also manages to capture Nightcrawler as well as brainwash him seemingly using a form of acidic compound that is also combined with cerebral fluid from Stryker's son Jason.
(X2: X-Men United)
William Stryker and his team assault the Xavier institute. Colossus keeps many students safe in the tunnels. A handful of others are kidnapped by Stryker and his assault team. Bobby Drake, Pyro, and Rogue escape with Wolverine. Bobby Drake reveals to his parents that he is a mutant and what the Xavier institute really is.
(X2: X-Men United)
Jean Grey seemingly sacrifices her life to save the X-Men and Brotherhood at Alkali Lake. Pyro joins the brotherhood. The kidnapped students are rescued with the help of Nightcrawler.
(X-Men: The Last Stand)
The X-Men are now training against Sentinels in the danger room for potential future threats. Colossus is now a formal member of the team, as is Bobby Drake, and Kitty Pryde.
(X-Men: The Last Stand)
A mutant power suppressing shot is developed and weaponized. Hank McCoy still as a Mutant affairs politician and now visibly open about his beast like appearance brings warning to the Xavier institute about the news. Xavier asks Storm to run the school if anything were to happen to him.
(X-Men: The Last Stand)
Jean Grey seemingly rises from the dead. Atomizes Scott Summers and Charles Xavier. Later at Alcatraz she kills an unknown amount of guards and other mutants and is eventually stopped by Wolverine.
(X-Men: The Last Stand)
The mutant power suppressing shot is revealed to have only a limited duration of effectiveness with powers returning after an unknown amount of time. As such it becomes unreliable as a long term solution. Erik Lensherr's powers are shown to be potentially gradually returning.
(The Wolverine)
Logan is traveling away from the Xavier institute again, trying to cope with his grief over killing Jean Grey. Yashida, the Japanese soldier Logan saved during World War II, attempts to contact Wolverine by sending a mutant death precog named Yukio to find him. He wants to use Logan to extend his own life. These events include Logan's first meeting with Yukio and Yashida's grand daughter Mariko. Trask Industries has gone into full production from their Sentinel research and development again. This includes power inhibiting collars. Seemingly, this also means that Storm has been left solely in charge of the Xavier Institute during Logan's absence. Magneto's powers fully return.
(X-Men: Days Of Future Past)
2023 the future events of Days of Future Past allegedly take place. Allegedly Sentinels have been in production for 50 years, now of varying makes and models. Power inhibiting collars have also been put into implementation in favor over the gene suppressing mutant cure that has an unknown effectiveness length(alongside the potential finite supply as the subject that provided the material is no longer within custody of the lab and much of the research and staff have been destroyed).
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As of this writing, this is the timeline of events so far. Not as disjointed as it would seem overall really. Only a few spots need a little tinkering with, but we're also given foreshadowing of such by each movie. Like the subtlety of having Hank maintain a human appearance to speak on mutant matters until he is ready to reveal his true form. We are shown holographic technology in the 3rd film of the X-Men trilogy, so his usage of an image inducer in the second film of the original trilogy really wouldn't be that far-fetched. Especially if you factor in the politics associated to aesthetic appearance of the time for his cause.
In X-Men: The Last Stand, Xavier goes over a lesson plan of how telepaths could use other bodies or even inhabit empty minds. This originally gave us how he survived his death, but also presents us with an interesting question. How did he learn of this technique? I personally lean on the idea that this is helping establish how Emma Frost may still be youthful in the present day with a diamond form. Her vanity after having her diamond form cracked by Magneto alongside the aging process may lead her to leap bodies to a younger one. The most likely of candidates being the 1979 Emma, sister of Kayla, that also has a diamond form and makes for the easiest way to blend in as they share the same first name too. This has yet to be seen, but seems like the most plausible way to go with that story element as it has been already deeply established as possible within the confines of the film continuity. It also helps elaborate on where Xavier learned of that technique and why Emma may be in hiding from him during the previous main trilogy(her not wanting to have the process reversed, building barriers to prevent that from happening and make sure her new host is permanent until she trades in for a newer model again). This same action may be in relation to how Sabretooth receives a more feral body as he is depicted in X-Men(though his could also be tied to Mr. Sinister and the Marauders if they decide to go that story route instead). Both of these events may be covered in a future feature that takes place during the past.
This timeline also doesn't take into account the potential X-Force film in the making soon. Nor does it factor in any other potential spinoffs that have yet to be formally announced like the much talked about New Mutants movie that has yet to be given a green light or any other such solo films or tie-in films that could be created such as X-23's origin feature, or a NYX feature film. Other than pointing out the Sabretooth issue, I have tried to adhere to this timeline as a "no theories" event list. This is why the Emma theory is outside the timeline, and I have made minimal mentions of the possibility of using Mr. Sinister in a prequel feature to cover said issues to Sabretooth's more feral blond appearance.
It is also possible to shoehorn in the Fox 90s made for TV movie Generation X as a prequel to the first X-Men film. That one should be left to fan discretion though per their own taste.
Subsequent entries will be written once the events of the next film are made clear with what it plans to do to the current timeline or any changes it may make or add. The same for when any other film is released that would need to be placed within the confines of the timeline per the events it reveals of this cinematic universe or changes.
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