X-Men: Age of Apocalypse
Genre: Action/Superhero
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Based on Marvel Comics characters
Cast: Jamie Dornan, Toby Stephens, Jessie Buckley, David Oyelowo, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Ferguson, Garrett Hedlund, Rosamund Pike, David Morrissey, Jamie Bell, Zach McGowan, Diana Silvers, Kiki Layne, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Peter Macon
Plot:
Ancient Egypt - 3,000 B.C.
Inside a vast pyramid with alien-like architecture, En Sabah Nur (Peter Macon) stands regal and monstrous. Surrounded by priests, he declares that the world is not yet ready - mankind must be allowed to corrupt itself further. Only then will he be worshipped as a god, not just feared as a monster. He steps into a massive sarcophagus, designed to awaken only when humanity teeters on the edge of collapse. The priests seal it. Over centuries, the temple is buried by sand.
New York City - 2083 A.D.
The skies over New York are sickly green. The skyline lies in ruin, skeletal skyscrapers looming above. The Statue of Liberty has been replaced by a towering statue of Apocalypse. Below, scrappy mutant rebels dart through alleyways, evading a shrieking drone. Enforcers in Apocalypse-marked armor give chase. On a rooftop, Cable (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) watches through a cracked scope, his glowing eye and exposed cybernetic arm visible. He sighs - more mutants about to fall. Activating a temporal device on his belt, a pulse of blue light spreads outward. If he can’t save this future, he’ll rewrite the past. Cable steps into the light and vanishes.
North Salem, New York - Present Day
Charles Xavier (Toby Stephens) lies comatose in the mansion infirmary, stable but unresponsive. In the next bed, Jean Grey (Jessie Buckley) remains unconscious as well—both still recovering from their psychic struggle to suppress the Phoenix Force. With the team’s most powerful minds incapacitated, Dr. Hank McCoy / Beast (David Oyelowo) reluctantly leads, while Scott Summers / Cyclops (Jamie Dornan) grows emotionally distant, spending his days at Jean’s bedside. But Beast is no field commander - he’s a scientist, not a strategist. In the Danger Room, he oversees a chaotic training session. Rogue (Diana Silvers) struggles to sync her suppression and absorption powers. Ororo Munroe / Storm (Kiki Layne) misfires a lightning bolt. Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler (Jamie Bell) teleports awkwardly. Kitty Pryde (Millie Bobby Brown) phases too late and gets hit by a drone. Beast halts the simulation. As the room resets and the team catches their breath, he scolds them - not out of anger, but frustration with himself. Exiting, he passes the infirmary window, where Cyclops sits silently by Jean’s side.
Egypt
Beneath desert dunes, the sand trembles around the buried outline of a massive pyramid. At its center, Apocalypse’s hibernation sarcophagus begins to crack. Footage flashes of Galactus being confronted by Earth's mightiest heroes, of the destruction caused by the Phoenix Force in Philadelphia, politicians arguing over growing fear of mutants, protestors scream in the streets, cities teeter on the edge of collapse. The sarcophagus bursts open. En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse rises, reaching toward the ceiling—it crumbles, sand cascading down. He ascends through it effortlessly, emerging atop the dunes. He declares the strong shall now inherit the Earth.
Cyclops stands in Xavier’s study, staring at a photo of the original X-Men. Beast enters, reporting the team’s sloppy Danger Room performance - they need a field leader. Cyclops cuts him off, saying he’s not that person right now. Beast urges him to reconsider but reluctantly agrees to keep running training sessions. Suddenly, Cerebro flickers to life on its own, its systems behaving erratically. In the infirmary, Jean’s fingers twitch.
Istanbul, Turkey
In a rooftop lounge overlooking Istanbul’s old city, Mystique (Rebecca Ferguson) negotiates with international smugglers. As the deal ends, a tremor shakes the building. The smugglers panic, drawing weapons - then Apocalypse steps from the shadows, as if he’d always been there. One smuggler fires; the bullet crumbles to dust midair. Apocalypse addresses Mystique by her true name, Raven, calling her wasted in the shadows of a dying world. She eyes him, intrigued. He offers transformation, strength, and purpose: not just survival, but dominion. She replies she’s no soldier and not interested in revolutions. Apocalypse produces a vial of his dark, viscous blood. It will change her, he says—purify her, bind her to something greater. Without ceremony, she drinks. Gold-tinted veins shimmer beneath her skin. Her eyes glow green. Her morphing powers evolve - she can now secrete toxins, alter her chemistry, weaponize her physiology. She tests it on the smugglers. They choke and collapse, skin pale green. Apocalypse names her Pestilence - his first Horseman.
Cable’s time vortex opens, hurling him onto the Xavier Institute grounds. Under cover of night, he sneaks into the mansion with silent urgency. An alert pings Beast and Cyclops, who rush to the main hall - only to find Cable calmly waiting on a bench. Beast demands to know who he is and how he got inside. Cyclops reaches for his visor. Cable sets his weapons down, explaining he’s from the future and here to help. Kitty Pryde peeks from her room, curious. Cyclops demands proof. Cable tosses over a belt module, which projects a flickering hologram of a ruined future. Cable says Apocalypse is to blame—and should be preparing his reign of terror right about now. Kitty goes pale. Cyclops asks what they’re supposed to do. Cable says he came looking for the X-Men.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Remy LeBeau / Gambit (Garrett Hedlund) deals cards at a mutant nightclub just off the French Quarter. Around him, mutants drink and gamble. The other players grumble - he’s winning too easily. With a grin, Gambit scoops up his chips. Suddenly, Apocalypse enters with Mystique. The room falls silent. He locks eyes with Gambit. Fingers tensing around a card, Gambit warns him he’s come to the right place if he wants trouble. Mystique steps forward - her form ripples into Rogue. Gambit freezes. Apocalypse declares that the world is about to fall - only the strong will rise. He offers Gambit a place in that future, something beyond hustling and survival. He presents a vial of his blood. After a pause, Gambit takes it. His body convulses. Lights explode. Now supercharged with kinetic energy, Gambit presses a hand to the wall. The building erupts in a massive blast. Fire and rubble rain down as mutants scatter. Apocalypse rests a hand on his shoulder, naming him War - his second Horseman.
Cable asks to see Charles Xavier - the founder of the X-Men. Cyclops leads him, along with Beast and Kitty Pryde, to the medical wing where Xavier and Jean Grey lie comatose. Cable frowns at the sight, muttering that the world will need them if it’s to survive what’s coming. Beast explains they’ve tried everything to revive them, but nothing has worked. Kitty quietly wonders if another powerful psychic could reach them mentally. Cyclops and Beast exchange a glance before admitting there’s one possibility - but she’s not exactly an ally: Emma Frost. Cable says he doesn’t care about grudges, only results. Cyclops reluctantly agrees to visit her with Cable. Kitty lingers by Jean’s side for a moment, then quietly exits with Beast.
Gary, Indiana
Magneto (David Morrissey) surveys the ruins of an abandoned steel mill, scrap metal swirling at his side. Apocalypse emerges from the shadows, flanked by Mystique and Gambit - now Pestilence and War. Apocalypse speaks of Magneto’s dream of mutant supremacy and offers to help make it real - with Magneto as his ally. Together, he says, they can reshape the world. He offers a vial of ancient blood, promising it will transform Magneto into Famine, a force of nature. Magneto drinks. A pulse of energy erupts. Metal liquefies, then violently reforms into twisted spires and armor encasing his body. The mill collapses inward, but Magneto halts it mid-air. Sparks flicker. With a final gesture, he drops the debris in perfect symmetry behind him.
Manhattan, New York
Cyclops and Cable ascend a sleek high-rise. The elevator opens into a cold, modern penthouse where Emma Frost (Rosamund Pike) lounges, waiting. She eyes them coolly as Cyclops explains: Xavier and Jean are comatose, and they need someone powerful enough to reach their minds. Frost scoffs, asking why she should help. Cable cuts in - this isn’t about Xavier or Jean, it’s about the world. Apocalypse is rising, and soon there’ll be no humanity left to manipulate, no elite circles to rule. She mocks him, until he tells her to look for herself. Frost peers into Cable’s mind. Her expression hardens. In a psychic flash, she sees the future: cities in ruin, a mutant overlord, corpses in the streets, fire from the sky - and her own meaningless death. She takes a sip of wine, composed. She says she’ll think about helping. As Cyclops and Cable turn to leave, Cable tells her to decide quickly.
Inside the Danger Room, walls shift into a crumbling, dystopian city - straight from Cable’s future. Cable stands at the control panel as Storm, Rogue, Kitty, and Nightcrawler enter the chaos. Beast watches from the booth, letting Cable lead. Cable barks orders, calling out gaps in formation and urging smarter use of powers. Storm summons a wind gust to clear debris but overdoes it, nearly knocking Kitty into wreckage. Kitty phases through, clearly annoyed. Rogue takes a hit shielding Nightcrawler and snaps at him to teleport faster. Cable warns that mistakes here won’t kill them, but in the real world they will. Slowly, the team begins to sync. Storm contains a blaze. Kitty phases behind enemies for sneak attacks. Rogue borrows Nightcrawler’s teleportation mid-battle while he wields his sword. Cable watches, faintly impressed. The simulation ends. Cable tells them they'll run it again tomorrow with double the hostiles. As the team files out, Emma Frost enters and calmly announces she’s ready - she’ll try to wake Xavier and Jean.
Apocalypse, flanked by Mystique, Gambit, and Magneto, moves through a snowy pine forest toward a remote log cabin. Inside, Logan / Wolverine (Zach McGowan) sits by the fire. He sniffs the air - something’s wrong. Claws flash from his fists just as Apocalypse enters uninvited. Wolverine demands to know who he is and what he wants. He lunges, but Magneto halts him mid-charge, manipulating his adamantium skeleton. Apocalypse calls Wolverine a warrior without a war, a beast pretending to be a man, used and discarded by society. But he sees the truth: rage and strength. He touches Wolverine’s head. Logan’s mind floods with images - experiment tables, metal grafted to bone, blood-soaked snow. Under Apocalypse’s influence, his skin pales, his eyes glow red, his claws shimmer. The Four Horsemen follow Apocalypse back into the storm, leaving the cabin behind.
In the Cerebro chamber, Emma Frost adjusts the neural feeds, reconfiguring it for psychic infiltration rather than location. Beast monitors vitals at a nearby terminal. Cyclops watches, uncertain. Beast explains that Cerebro is already tuned to Xavier and Jean, allowing them to tether Frost and Cyclops into their psychic frequencies. When Cyclops hesitates, Frost clarifies - they’re diving into fractured minds. She’ll be the anchor and he’ll provide emotional grounding for Xavier and Jean. Cyclops nods, nervous. Frost closes her eyes and dons the Cerebro helmet. She extends her hand. Cyclops takes it and closes his eyes.
Cyclops and Frost enter a mental construct resembling an infinite, warped university campus. Navigating a labyrinth, they find Xavier softly rambling in an empty lecture hall. He dismisses them, convinced the world no longer needs the X-Men—that he failed as their leader. Frost urges Cyclops to speak. Cyclops pleads with Xavier, saying they need both his and Jean’s minds to stop a threat to humans and mutants alike. Xavier rises from his wheelchair as the lecture hall disintegrates around them. The world shifts. Now in a surreal blend of Jean’s childhood memories and cosmic landscapes, fire ripples through the air. They find Jean at the edge of an endless canyon, staring at her Phoenix form. Cyclops tells her the world needs her and that he’s been lost without her. Jean admits she’s afraid to wake. The Phoenix still lingers, and she fears losing control. Cyclops tells her she’s stronger, that the Phoenix can destroy worlds, but Jean can choose not to. Jean turns from her Phoenix reflection. It vanishes.
Frost and Cyclops emerge from the psychic realm back in the Cerebro chamber. Moments later, Beast and Cyclops race down the mansion corridors to the medical wing just in time to see Xavier and Jean awakening. The rest of the X-Men - Rogue, Storm, Nightcrawler, Kitty - as well as Cable and Frost, arrive. Kitty beams with joy. Cyclops kisses Jean. Xavier thanks Beast for holding things together in his absence, then quickly turns serious. He says he’s read Cable’s mind and fully understands the gravity of what’s coming.
World leaders, diplomats, and military officials fill the UN assembly hall in New York City. The lights flicker. A tremor shakes the building. Suddenly, a sphere of energy erupts at the center of the floor. Apocalypse appears, flanked by his Four Horsemen. Panic erupts. Guards rush in, but Apocalypse freezes the room with a psionic wave. Microphones and cameras spark to life, broadcasting his presence worldwide. He declares the age of man is over - mutants are the Earth’s rightful inheritors. Humanity has a choice: purge ninety percent of its population to level the genetic field and earn a place alongside mutants... or resist and face extinction by a plague born from Apocalypse’s own DNA - fatal only to humans. They have seven days to decide. With a flash of energy, Apocalypse and the Horsemen vanish.
A large screen in the mansion replays Apocalypse’s UN ultimatum. The younger mutants sit in stunned silence. Cable is the first to speak - this is the moment history turned, the speech he’s known his entire life. Beast questions if the plague is real or a bluff. Cable insists Apocalypse never bluffs as he’s seen the aftermath. Jean cuts in, saying she could feel it. They can’t treat this as a hoax or negotiation. As the argument builds, Xavier raises a hand, silencing the room. Kitty asks what they’ll do. Cable says they don’t have seven days to wait. Cyclops, stepping into command, says there’s only one option: stop Apocalypse.
In a decommissioned NORAD missile silo deep in the Rocky Mountains, Apocalypse and his Horsemen repurpose the facility. Behind him, towering missiles have been retrofitted to carry his plague engineered from his own DNA. Magneto hovers nearby, reinforcing the structure with his powers. Mystique notes the irony of humanity’s own weapons delivering their doom. Gambit lingers at the edges, listening as Apocalypse outlines the plan: three major cities on separate continents, proving the plague respects no borders. Wolverine crouches nearby, sniffing the air. Apocalypse tells his Horsemen the world has been given its choice - now they wait.
In the X-Mansion war room, a holographic display shows satellite images of the NORAD missile site now pulsing with strange energy and heavily fortified. Beast explains that U.S. intelligence has gone dark - it’s clearly Apocalypse’s base of operations. Cable paces, warning that if Apocalypse launches his bioweapons, it’s over. Cyclops agrees, stating they need to strike hard and fast. Jean quietly supports him. Xavier cautions her not to overextend, with the Phoenix still near the surface. Kitty volunteers, noting her powers could help. When Emma Frost mutters that it’s a suicide mission, Xavier asks if she’ll join them. She nods - better to die fighting than live under Apocalypse. The X-Men begin to suit up.
The Blackbird cuts through gray skies with Beast at the controls. Cyclops checks his visor, then notices Jean looking tense. He takes her hand. In the back, Nightcrawler cracks jokes about vacation spots he’ll teleport to after they defeat Apocalypse. Kitty offers a faint smile. Storm watches storm clouds in silence. Rogue fidgets with her gloves. Cable stands apart, checking the charge on his rifle. Frost approaches him, saying she saw something in his mind - something he may not know: Cyclops is his father. Cable glances toward Cyclops in the front of the jet. Beast announces they’re five minutes out.
As the Blackbird descends toward ground, Cyclops lays out the plan. Strike Team Alpha - which will consist of himself, Jean, Cable, and Frost - will infiltrate the control center to stop the plague launch and confront Apocalypse. Strike Team Beta - which will consist of Beast, Rogue, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Kitty - will act as a distraction to draw out the Horsemen. Beast locks eyes with the younger team, reminding them of what it means to be X-Men: courage, teamwork, and sacrifice. Xavier gives Beast a nod of approval as he prepares to stay in the Blackbird.
The X-Men hit the ground running, but there's no gunfire, no alarms - just silence until the Horsemen appear. Magneto descends slowly from the upper levels of the compound, debris coiling around him like daggers. Gambit tosses a glowing ace of spades into the dirt. The massive explosion kicks off the battle. Mystique slinks from the shadows, morphing her appearance between the various X-Men in rapid succession. Wolverine stalks in last, feral and silent. Storm lifts into the air and hurls lightning toward Magneto, who bends it into a spiral and fires it back. Nightcrawler teleports behind Gambit but is caught mid-blink by an energy-charged chain. Rogue and Kitty fight alongside Beast, squaring off against Mystique.
Cyclops, Cable, Jean, and Emma Frost move cautiously through the gutted halls of the military complex. When they come across a sealed door, Frost touches the door and tells the others that Apocalypse is aware of the presence - he's waiting for them. The team enters the plague chamber where Apocalypse stands. Cyclops reaches for his visor, but Apocalypse sends a telekinetic shockwave, slamming the four mutants to the floor. Apocalypse walks toward them. He tells them that he doesn't want to kill them - he wants to prove how small they really are in the grand scheme of things.
Outside, the X-Men scatter, trying to divide the Horsemen. Rogue’s eyes lock on Gambit. He hurls glowing cards—each explosion closer than the last—but Rogue doesn’t flinch, advancing steadily. Beast yells for her to fall back. She ignores him. Rogue calls out to Gambit, reminding him who he is - Remy, not War. He tries to laugh it off, but his powers flare wildly. Rogue removes a glove and presses her hand to his cheek, absorbing his abilities - Apocalypse’s enhancements included. Gambit collapses in pain. Rogue screams as she channels the stolen energy, blasting Magneto with kinetic force. Magneto retaliates, launching a storm of metal shards - until Gambit rises and blocks them with his staff. He grins, telling the X-Men it looks like he’s back on their side. Gambit, Rogue, and Storm all attack Magneto at once. Storm conjures a powerful gust of wind, flinging projectiles at Magneto, and keeping him on the defensive. Gambit begins charging the wind-blown objects, creating a series of massive explosions headed right for Magneto. Rogue, still feeling the War-enhanced powers stolen from Gambit, charges toward Magneto, grabbing him and making her entire body explode with a massive force. Magneto crashes to the ground, dazed.
Kitty and Nightcrawler are cornered by a Death-enhanced Wolverine lunging at them. He slashes, but Kitty phases through just in time. Nightcrawler bamfs in, kicking Wolverine in the jaw - it barely registers. Kitty quickly whispers a plan. As Wolverine charges again, she phases, letting him pass through her straight into a steel wall. As his upper body emerges, she solidifies him inside it. He thrashes, trying to free himself. Nightcrawler teleports behind him, bamfing parts of his body away - an arm into a locker, a leg to a rooftop - leaving the regenerating mutant trapped and disarmed. Kitty tells Nightcrawler it won’t hold him forever, but it’ll buy them time.
In the maze of NORAD scaffolding, Mystique sprints across rusted catwalks, Beast bounding after her with feral speed. They collide midair, crashing hard onto a walkway. Mystique draws a gun, but Beast knocks it aside. She flips into him, landing a kick to his face. Beast wipes the blood from his lip and stops holding back. He lets his animal instincts take over and he tackles her, slamming them both through the walkway, tumbling to the ground below. Dazed, Mystique rises, only to find herself surrounded by Beast, Kitty, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Gambit, and Storm. She declares she won’t die for Apocalypse’s cause and flees. Gambit moves to chase her, but Beast stops him, reminding him their real fight is with Apocalypse.
Inside the facility’s core, Apocalypse easily overpowers Cable, Cyclops, Frost, and Jean, swatting them aside like insects. The second team - Beast, Rogue, Storm, Kitty, Nightcrawler, and Gambit - rushes in through a blasted corridor, but even together they struggle to make a dent. Apocalypse grows more brutal, slamming them down like rag dolls. Xavier enters in his hoverchair, locking eyes with Jean. He urges her to stop holding back. Jean admits she fears losing control of the Phoenix Force and having a repeat of Philadelphia. Xavier insists their only chance is for her to harness it for good. He and Frost help focus her mind. Jean’s eyes ignite as she floats upward, a blazing Phoenix taking shape behind her. Apocalypse charges, but she blasts him through a wall with raw cosmic energy. She then turns the Phoenix Force on his plague missiles, siphoning their power and redirecting it back at him. Apocalypse's own DNA-based virus combusts inside him. For the first time, Apocalypse screams in agony. His massive form crumbles into ash and flame. The Phoenix hovers briefly, then falls. Jean lands softly, exhausted but alive. Cyclops helps her to her feet.
Back at the Xavier Institute, young mutants arrive in waves to learn how to harness their powers, some with parents, some alone. Nightcrawler teleports between newcomers, greeting. Kitty helps a young girl phase through her own suitcase for fun. Rogue and Gambit walk together near the edge of the school grounds. Jean meditates to help her control the Phoenix Force within her as Cyclops watches on. Xavier, watches news broadcasts mentioning a team of mutants are the ones who stopped Apocalypse, with pundits whether the world was wrong to fear mutants all along. Emma Frost enters to say goodbye. Xavier tells her that while he doesn't agree with her methods most of the time, he appreciates her help and tells her to not be a stranger.
Cable is out in the courtyard preparing to travel back to his time. Cyclops approaches and thanks him for his help. Cable nods, saying that he knows the future will look different now and he has to see it with his own yes. Cable jokingly calls Cyclops "old man" before activating his temporal device and vanishing in a flash of light. In the future, the skyline is whole again. The Statue of Liberty is restored. Cable stands on a rooftop stunned. Kids play below - mutants and humans alike. He holsters his weapon - for once he does not need it.
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