10 Reasons X-Men Film Franchise Is Better Than The MCU

8. The Ensembles Are Handled Better

With Marvel Studios putting out so many movies so regularly, the films can be pretty hit and miss. One thing the studio is beginning to struggle with is its ever-growing cast of characters, which over-stuffed a packed Age Of Ultron and led to newcomers in the likes of Iron Man 3 being given short shrift. The X-Men movies have been ensemble movies from the start, and thankfully the directors, including Brett Ratner, have been skilled enough to manage and balance the giant cast (though for Ratner that was probably more down to the excellent cast he inherited). It helps that movies in the X-Men franchise have a basic set-up - group of good guy mutants faces off against a group of bad guy mutants - that the Marvel movies don't. Each Marvel movie involves a different set of dynamics; for example, whereas Captain America was about a group of heroes taking on one villainous foe, its first sequel was basically a buddy movie with a duo (Cap and Black Widow, Cap and Falcon) taking on the world, while its second will see one group of superheroes taking on another. The X-Men movies take less risk by sticking to a template, but it at least keeps the cast dynamics on a satisfyingly even keel.