X-Men: ApocalypseSave

We open in ancient Egypt, 3,600 BC. En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac) — the world's oldest known mutant — is preparing to transfer his consciousness into a younger body during a ritual conducted by his four mutant lieutenants (the Four Horsemen). The Egyptians revolt against his rule mid-ritual. A pyramid collapses on Nur, sealing him in a millennia-long coma.

Cut to: 1983. Mutants have been part of the public conversation since the events of Days of Future Past (2014). Charles Xavier's school is full of mutant students. Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto is living a quiet life in Poland under a false identity — married, with a young daughter, working at a steel mill. A workplace accident reveals his powers; local police investigate. The investigation ends in a tragedy that kills Magneto's wife and daughter. Erik returns to militant mutant activism in grief.

An archaeological dig in Cairo accidentally reactivates En Sabah Nur's pyramid. The ancient mutant awakens after 5,600 years. He is immediately disoriented by the modern world, but quickly recovers his sense of cosmic power. He recruits four modern mutant 'Horsemen' to serve him: Magneto (grieving and willing), Storm (a teenage Kenyan street mutant), Psylocke (a mind-bending mercenary), and Angel (a mutant with metal-feathered wings).

En Sabah Nur intends to wipe out human civilization and reshape Earth into a mutant-only society. He uses his power to launch every nuclear weapon on Earth into orbit, removing them from the planet's surface. He uses Cerebro (controlling Charles Xavier through psychic possession) to telepathically attack every world capital. The X-Men — Charles, Hank, Mystique, Quicksilver, and a young Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) — assemble for the final confrontation.

The climax takes place in Cairo. The X-Men confront En Sabah Nur and his Horsemen. The fight is mostly CGI-driven — multiple mutants using their powers in a sand-storm visual environment. The film's most-celebrated sequence is Quicksilver's mansion-rescue scene — saving every student from Xavier's mansion as it explodes around him, set to the Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams.'

Jean Grey, accessing her latent Phoenix powers, ultimately defeats En Sabah Nur with cosmic-fire telekinesis. Mystique, Magneto, and Charles reunite as the X-Men's leadership. Erik returns to his Brotherhood for one last act of helping evacuate civilians from Cairo. The film closes with Charles establishing a new generation of X-Men: Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, and Storm.

X-Men: Apocalypse grossed $543 million globally on a $178 million budget — modest commercial success but a significant decline from Days of Future Past (2014). Critics responded with widely negative reviews, citing the convoluted plot, the failed villain design, and Bryan Singer's increasingly-noticeable creative fatigue. Singer's exit from the franchise after this film was widely expected; he was officially fired after sexual assault allegations against him surfaced in 2017.