The New Mutants (2020) is a superhero film adapted from Marvel Comics, directed by Josh Boone and starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams. The film is part of the X-Men Universe and was released by 20th Century Fox. Runtime: 1h 34m. Rated PG-13. Audience rating: 5.3/10.
What is The New Mutants (2020) about?
Five young mutants are held in a secret facility against their will. As they struggle to cope with their abilities in this combination of superhero horror, they discover a sinister conspiracy.
Released in 2020, The New Mutants was directed by Josh Boone and produced under the 20th Century Fox banner. The film occupies a significant place within the X-Men Universe — contributing to the ongoing narrative and mythology of that cinematic universe.
The film features lead performances from Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, among others, anchoring a story that adapts characters first brought to life in Marvel Comics. Its source material gives the film a foundation rooted in decades of published storytelling, which Boone and the creative team interpret through a cinematic lens.
The film's 5.3 audience rating indicates a mixed response. Even so, it holds interest as part of the broader X-Men Universe catalogue and for how it fits into the lineage of Marvel Comics-based cinema.
What happens in The New Mutants (2020)? — Full Plot
We open with Danielle Moonstar (Blu Hunt), a Cheyenne girl whose family has just been killed by a mysterious dark entity. She is captured by Dr. Reyes (Alice Braga), who claims she's at a facility for newly-emerging mutants who need protective custody. Dr. Reyes operates from a remote, isolated medical compound.
The other patients at the facility include Sam Guthrie / Cannonball (Charlie Heaton) — a teen mutant with the ability to fly via energy blasts; Roberto da Costa / Sunspot (Henry Zaga) — a Brazilian wealthy mutant with solar-energy generation powers; Rahne Sinclair / Wolfsbane (Maisie Williams) — a Catholic Scottish mutant with werewolf-transformation abilities; and Illyana Rasputin / Magik (Anya Taylor-Joy) — a Russian mutant with magical-armor and dimensional-portal abilities.
Dr. Reyes claims she is preparing the teens for X-Men recruitment. Through gradual reveals, the team realizes the facility is something else entirely — a Hellfire Club psychic-imprisonment site where their powers are being weaponized.
The teens slowly discover their powers are tied to their deepest fears. Each character has a unique fear-manifestation: Dani's Demon Bear; Illyana's Soulsword nightmares; Rahne's wolf-form transformations; etc.
Dani's Demon Bear emerges from her unconscious mind. The bear is a massive Cheyenne-mythological creature that has been consuming the facility from inside. The teens confront the bear together — using their combined powers in a final-act climactic battle.
Dani learns to control her power as a manifestation creator rather than a passive victim. The bear is defeated. The teens escape Dr. Reyes's facility.
The New Mutants grossed $49 million globally on a $67 million budget — a commercial failure. Critics responded with mixed reviews. The film was the final installment of the Fox X-Men franchise before Disney's acquisition. The cast has not appeared in any subsequent X-Men or MCU films.
Who stars in The New Mutants (2020)?
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What are some facts about The New Mutants (2020)?
The New Mutants released in 2020, placing it within the 2020s era of comic book cinema — a decade that saw superhero films become the dominant force at the global box office.
Directed by Josh Boone, the film was produced by 20th Century Fox and adapts source material from Marvel Comics.
The principal cast features Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams, with key supporting roles played by Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt.
The film belongs to X-Men Universe — 20th Century Fox's X-Men film franchise, now absorbed into the MCU multiverse.
The New Mutants carries an audience rating of 5.3 — a mixed reception that highlights the divisive nature of superhero film adaptations.
The Marvel Comics source material for The New Mutants has been in continuous publication for decades, giving filmmakers a rich well of storylines, character arcs, and iconography to draw upon.
Modern superhero films like this one use a mix of practical effects and digital VFX, with entire sequences often shot against volume walls or LED stages pioneered by shows like The Mandalorian.
The New Mutants is catalogued on Movies on Comics among our collection of 162 comic book films spanning 48 years of cinema — from Richard Donner's 1978 Superman to the present day.
