The MCU is full of superhero franchises for fans to root for (even if Phase 4 was somewhat rocky). From Spider-Man to Doctor Strange, there is no shortage of unique characters to grow fond of. Of course, the mega-successful superhero franchise largely owes its existence to Fox's X-Men franchise. As the first ensemble superhero movie to soar to the top of the box office at a time when comic book superhero movies weren't the fanfare they are today, the X-Men set the stage for every Marvel movie to follow. Whether it's rooting for the adamantium-pumped Wolverine or the shape-shifting Mystique, X-Men is bound to satisfy your superhero cravings. One of the most talked-about films in the franchise is X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Days of Future Past is arguably the best X-Men film in the entire franchise. Between the phenomenal cast (which brought together two different franchises) and the well-planned plot, Days of Future Past tactfully weaves together time-travel, superpowers, and politics seamlessly to bring us one of the best superhero films of all time. That being said, the end of the film threw many fans for a loop as the timelines changed suddenly with little to no explanation of how it happened. Here's a break down of the ending of X-Men: Days of Future Past.
How Does Days of Future Past End?
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Days of Future Past's whole plot revolves around the tactical use of time travel. The film begins with Wolverine going back in time to get help to save the mutant race — or what's left of it — from the dreaded Sentinels as the future seems bleak. As such, the majority of the film takes place in the 70s, with the goal being to stop the creation of Sentinels before they can even begin production as they are impossible to defeat. At the end of the film, in keeping with the theme of time travel, Logan wakes up in the future at Professor Xavier's school to see that the institution is in pristine condition and all the X-Men are still alive. Meanwhile, in the past, Raven rescues Logan while masquerading as Major William Stryker. This displays that Logan succeeded in saving the future of the mutant race while also managing to evade a terrible death in the past.
What Does This Mean?
Since the release of the Days of Future Past, many fans have wanted a more in-depth interpretation of the film's ending. The ending of the film essentially just shows that Wolverine succeeded in his mission to save the future from its fate as he wakes up in changed and better future. However, Logan did not achieve this alone, and the person who had the greatest role to play in the ending of the film is Raven. Before she saved the younger Logan from his watery death in 1973, she also managed to be responsible for the decommissioning of the Sentinel program by saving President Nixon. This action changed the timeline and sent Logan back to the better future without Sentinels before she proceeded to save the younger Logan while in disguise. Raven has always proved to be a tricky character who dances to the beat of her own drum, but we see that she truly can care for her fellow mutants if she so chooses to.
Post-Credits Sequence
While the ending of the film is somewhat confusing, the post-credit scene is a whole other level of confusion. Set in Ancient Egypt, the scene shows a crowd cheering and bowing to a mysterious being, who is building a pyramid using telekinesis with his Four Horsemen in the background. This scene was set as a precursor to X-Men: Apocalypse and does not really line up well with the rest of the film. The powerful being is revealed to be En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse, a supervillain who is one of the world's first mutants, which is made clear by the historic period in which the scene is set. As stated above, this scene introduced us to the next villain for the next film, showing us just how old and how powerful Apocalypse really is, inviting in a new challenge for the X-Men.