Professor Charles Xavier and his team of genetically gifted superheroes face a rising tide of anti-mutant sentiment led by Col. William Stryker. Storm, Wolverine and Jean Grey must join Magneto and Mystique to unhinge Stryker's scheme to exterminate all mutants.
Acting
Brian Cox's Stryker: hateable in that specific way only he achieves.
Direction
Singer's X2 opening still slaps—Nightcrawler's White House breach.
Writing
Iceman coming out scene hits harder than most actual dramas.
Director
Bryan Singer
Hugh Jackman
Logan / Wolverine
Patrick Stewart
Professor Charles Xavier
Ian McKellen
Eric Lehnsherr / Magneto
James Marsden
Scott Summers / Cyclops
Brian Cox
William Stryker
Famke Janssen
Jean Grey
Halle Berry
Ororo Munroe / Storm
Alan Cumming
Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler
Aaron Stanford
John Allerdyce / Pyro
Rebecca Romijn
Raven Darkholme / Mystique
Shawn Ashmore
Bobby Drake / Ice Man
Anna Paquin
Rogue
Kelly Hu
Yuriko Oyama / Deathstrike
Michael Reid MacKay
Jason 143
Bruce Davison
Senator Kelly
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The opening Nightcrawler sequence was shot without CGI for the teleportation trails—Singer used smoke and quick cuts.
X2's 'coming out' scene with Iceman's parents was deliberately written as a queer allegory, which Singer confirmed was intentional subtext made text.
US
