The essential episodes of Wolverine and the X-Men

Watch these 15 in order and you've got Wolverine and the X-Men — each pick states its reason.

1. 01

   S01E01 · Pilot · September 8, 2008 · 30m

   Hindsight (Part 1)7.0

   A mysterious huge explosion destroys the X-Mansion at the moment that Wolverine was leaving. Professor X and Jean Grey are mysteriously missing, and perhaps gone for good, causing the X-Men to disband. Beast is examining the remains of the explosion and finds out that Professor X was the target. However, one year later, an anti-mutant government agency called the Mutant Response Division (or M.R.D. for short) hunt Wolverine and arrest a family that helped him. This causes him to go after them with the help of Beast. Inside the jail, they free all the mutants, including Dust, Boom Boom, and Pyro. In the end, Wolverine decides to find the other X-Men and fight the MRD.

2. 02

   S01E03 · Top rated · September 20, 2008 · 30m

   Hindsight (Part 3)8.5

   With help from Angel, the X-Men are able to move back into the rebuilt mansion. Forge has been brought to the team to repair Cerebro and the Blackbird. The telepathic Emma Frost, the beautiful former headmistress of the Massachusetts Academy, requests to join the X-Men in order to help find Professor X. Wolverine is suspicious at in the beginning but reluctantly agrees, believing that Emma only has intentions to take control of Cerebro. Emma Frost is able to locate Professor X in Magneto's controlled mutant nation of Genosha. Now with Cyclops back in action, Wolverine leads the X-Men on a mission into the enemy territory in order to retrieve their lost mentor.

3. 03

   S01E10 · Top rated · November 15, 2008 · 30m

   Greetings from Genosha8.5

   The ship Nightcrawler was on arrives in Genosha. There, the Scarlet Witch tours Nightcrawler around so that he can see the wonders Magneto has done. Then, Nightcrawler and the Scarlet Witch start to fall head-over-heels romantically madly in love. However, Dust informs Nightcrawler that things in Genosha aren't what they seem. Meanwhile, Mystique breaks into the X-Mansion and apparently has a past link with Wolverine. Dust reveals to Nightcrawler that Magneto imprisons some mutants in an underground dungeon, before getting caught herself. Nightcrawler summons all of his teleportation abilities to get back to the X-Mansion, only to be captured by Mystique.

4. 04

   S01E12 · Top rated · November 29, 2008 · 30m

   eXcessive Force8.5

   Cyclops, still lamenting the loss of his dear beloved Jean Grey, believes Mister Sinister has taken her. He fights the Marauders with the help of the X-Men until he realizes Jean is not with them. An amnesiac Jean is revealed to be alive and well in a hospital, supposedly having been in a coma.

5. 05

   S01E13 · Top rated · January 10, 2009 · 30m

   Battle Lines8.5

   Magneto sends his Acolytes to break several mutants out of prison. Meanwhile, the X-Men fight the Brotherhood and find Tildie Soames (a young mutant whose nightmares can manifest into monsters) is attacking the city while still in a coma-like state. Rogue's true purpose in joining the Brotherhood is revealed and she has to make a choice between her old friends and her new ones. Meanwhile, Bobby sums up the courage to ask Kitty out on a date.

6. 06

   S01E14 · Top rated · January 17, 2009 · 30m

   Stolen Lives7.5

   Mystique calls Wolverine to warn him that Maverick's daughter, Kristie, is in danger. The two of them infiltrate Weapon X and have to fight Maverick and Sabretooth - and some old ghosts from the past as well.

7. 07

   S01E18 · Top rated · February 21, 2009 · 30m

   Backlash7.5

   The MRD starts hunting mutants without warning, forcing the X-Men to strike back. Angel joins the X-Men and tries to destroy the artificial intelligence/multi-agent system, Mastermold, accompanied by the Brotherhood who were betrayed by Magneto. However, the dystopian future still exists and Mastermold had transferred itself to a damaged Sentinel.

8. 08

   S01E19 · Top rated · February 28, 2009 · 30m

   Guardian Angel8.0

   After furiously snapping at his father on the development of a so-called "cure" for mutants, Angel's wings are severely damaged at the hands of the MRD and are ordered to be cut off. However, Mr. Sinister then makes him a proposal that will change his life forever, transforming Angel into Archangel and with even stronger angelic wings.

9. 09

   S01E20 · Top rated · September 11, 2009 · 30m

   Breakdown8.6

   During a battle with Juggernaut, Cyclops is distracted by a vision of Jean and Juggernaut defeats and escapes the X-Men. Emma proposes to erase all memories of Jean from Scott's mind and he accepts. When Emma enters his mind, she looks at all his memories. The truth behind the explosion is revealed to be Jean transforming into the almighty, cosmic Phoenix.

10. 10

    S01E21 · Top rated · September 18, 2009 · 30m

    Rover8.0

    Cyclops and Wolverine inform Professor X of Emma's discovery about the source of the explosion. Fearing that Jean may be responsible for the destruction of Genosha, Professor X and his team of future X-Men try to uncover information on the event from Master Mold's original detention center. The only seen way to get past the Sentinel guards is to send the group's reprogrammed Sentinel "Rover" on a "Kamikaze" attack run. While Bishop has no problem with it, Marrow has developed an incredible bond to Rover and refuses to give him up.

11. 11

    S01E22 · Season 1 peak · September 25, 2009 · 30m

    Aces & Eights9.0

    Gambit arrives on Genosha under the orders of Senator Kelly to steal Magneto's helmet as a provocation of war, as well as cripple Genosha's resources. Much to the dismay of the Scarlet Witch, Gambit charms Polaris who unknowingly aids him in his task. Wolverine and Nightcrawler head to Genosha to prevent Gambit from stealing Magneto's helmet. Though Gambit seems attracted to Polaris, he leaves her at the end with Magneto's helmet. Polaris gets infuriated and disables Gambit's get away and takes the helmet back. Gambit is then stranded in the ocean. Through the intervention of the X-Men, Magneto and Senator Kelly reach an understanding about their impending war and the dystopian future.

12. 12

    S01E23 · Top rated · October 2, 2009 · 30m

    Shades of Grey8.7

    An amnesic Jean uses her incredibly strong and powerful telepathic and telekinetic abilities while at the hospital, which allows Emma to locate her using Cerebro. Emma and Scott go to the hospital and attempt to take Jean back to the mansion when Archangel intercepts Scott and Jean and takes them to Mr. Sinister where he extracts their genetic codes, stating that combined they will create the very strongest and most powerful force in the world. Before his men can dispose of Scott and Jean, the X-Men arrive and save them. Later, Emma appears to double-cross the X-Men and the Hellfire Club arrives to take an unconscious Jean. Meanwhile, Mister Sinister gives Jean and Scott's DNA to his master, Apocalypse.

13. 13

    S01E24 · Top rated · October 9, 2009 · 30m

    Foresight (Part 1)8.7

    Suspecting Emma's hand in Jean's abduction, Wolverine places her in a holding cell. Emma is later freed by Cyclops, who trusts her to find Jean. Apparently, the Hellfire Club had become aware that the Phoenix Force had possessed Jean and supposedly wants to extract the divine Phoenix Force from her mind and use its infinite and limitless power and strength for their own ends. Meanwhile, Magneto hatches a plot against the human race, having replaced Senator Kelly with Mystique to start an attack on Genosha. In the future, the Professor is apprehended by Sentinels, who have replicated Cerebro to find all mutants in the world.

14. 14

    S01E25 · Top rated · October 16, 2009 · 30m

    Foresight (Part 2)8.7

    Emma discovers the Hellfire Club's true motivation for using the Phoenix Force, and fights to free Jean alongside Cyclops. In Genosha, Magneto's plan comes to fruition as Sentinels ravage the island, providing just cause for Magneto's war against humanity. Accordingly, Magneto reprograms the Sentinels to attack humans. In the future Professor X and the future X-Men are freed by Wolverine, and together they take up a fight against Master Mold.

15. 15

    S01E26 · Series finale · October 23, 2009 · 30m

    Foresight (Part 3)8.0

    The X-Men, MRD and S.H.I.E.L.D. fight against Magneto's Sentinels. Meanwhile, the Inner Circle reveals to Scott that Emma and the Stepford Cuckoos were the ones responsible for setting in motion the events that would lead to the destruction of the mansion, Xavier's twenty-year coma and the eventual extraction of the Phoenix Force from Jean's mind and body. Upon the successful transmission of the Phoenix Force from Jean and into the bodies of all five Stepford Cuckoos, the possessed girls are then instructed by Sebastian Shaw to destroy the Sentinels, the X-Men and Genosha, an action which was completely unknown to Emma whose initial plan was to both locate and destroy the cosmic entity before it could reach maturity and bring forth unparalleled global destruction. In the wake of her regretable actions, Emma attempts to redeem herself in the eyes of the X-Men, especially Scott, by ultimately sacrificing herself in order to successfully destroy the Phoenix Force entity. In the aftermath of the carnage, Magneto is banished from Genosha for his radical actions while his eldest daughter, Wanda, assumes authority over the destroyed island and its inhabitants, alongside her sister Lorna, in an attempt to rebuild from the demolished remains of her father's mistakes. From the future, Xavier informs the X-Men that their mission was a success and that the bleak, sentinel-run world has now been avoided. However, there is a new and far more formidable future that has taken its place: the Age of Apocalypse.