X-Men: First Class facts for kids

X-Men: First Class is an exciting superhero movie from 2011. It's based on the famous Marvel Comics characters known as the X-Men. This film is the fifth movie in the X-Men series and kicks off the X-Men: Beginnings story.

The movie takes us back in time to show how the X-Men team first came together. It focuses on the early friendship between Charles Xavier, who later becomes Professor X, and Erik Lehnsherr, who becomes Magneto. They are two powerful mutants who discover their amazing abilities.

Meet the Heroes and Villains

This movie introduces us to many important characters. You'll see how they learn to control their powers and choose their paths.

• James McAvoy as Charles Xavier / Professor X: A brilliant mutant with telepathic powers. He can read and control minds.
• Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto: A powerful mutant who can control metal. He has a difficult past.
• Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkholme / Mystique: A mutant who can change her appearance to look like anyone.
• Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy / Beast: A super-smart mutant with incredible strength and agility.
• Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw: The main villain, a mutant with the power to absorb energy.
• Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert: A CIA agent who helps Charles and Erik.
• Lucas Till as Alex Summers / Havok: A mutant who can shoot powerful energy blasts from his body.
• Hugh Jackman as Logan Howlett / Wolverine (cameo): A very brief appearance by the famous mutant with adamantium claws.

The Story Begins

The movie starts in the 1940s, showing Erik Lehnsherr as a young boy in a concentration camp. He discovers his metal-controlling powers when his mother is threatened. Later, in the 1960s, Charles Xavier is a young, gifted student at Oxford University. He meets Raven, a shape-shifting mutant, and they become like family.

Charles and Erik's paths cross when they both try to stop Sebastian Shaw. Shaw is a dangerous mutant who wants to start a war between humans and mutants. He believes mutants are superior and should rule the world.

Forming the First Team

Charles and Erik work together to find other young mutants. They want to create a safe place for them and teach them to use their powers for good. They recruit Hank McCoy, Raven, Alex Summers, and others. They train at Charles's family mansion, which later becomes the famous X-Mansion.

A World on the Brink

The story is set during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. This was a real-life event where the United States and the Soviet Union were very close to a nuclear war. In the movie, Sebastian Shaw tries to make the crisis worse. He wants to cause a war that would wipe out humans and leave mutants as the dominant species.

Charles and Erik, along with their new team, must stop Shaw. They face difficult choices and learn about the true meaning of power and responsibility. Their different ideas about how mutants should live in the world start to pull them apart.

The Legacy of First Class

X-Men: First Class explores important themes. It looks at friendship, betrayal, and the struggle for acceptance. It shows how two friends with similar goals can end up on very different paths. Charles believes humans and mutants can live together peacefully. Erik, because of his painful past, believes mutants must fight for their survival.

This movie is important because it sets up the entire X-Men film series. It explains the origins of Professor X and Magneto's complex relationship. It also shows how the X-Men team was first formed.

Images for kids

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  Actors Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy at a press junket

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  The Englefield House served as the X-Mansion.

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  Filming of the naval battle scenes.

See also

In Spanish: X-Men: primera generación para niños