20 Greatest Direct Sequels Ever Made

14. X-Men 2

Back To The Future II
20th Century Studios

As the first major sequel released during the comic book movie boom of the early 21st Century, X-Men 2 set the blueprint that the competition would strive to follow. Bigger, better and more ambitious than its predecessor in almost every way, Bryan Singer's follow-up is still ranked in the upper echelon of superhero blockbusters over fourteen years later.

Opening with a bang (or should that be bamf?) thanks to Nightcrawler's assault on the White House, the movie delicately balances multiple subplots and gives almost every character a meaningful story arc, with the exception of the frequently-ignored Cyclops. But hey, what's new?

Singer continues to mesh the franchise's recurring themes of the role of outsiders in society and their fight against authority to the characters without it becoming too on-the-nose, and also doesn't skimp on exciting blockbuster action for audiences to sink their teeth into.

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