Why The X-Men’s Forgotten First ‘Movie’ Was Such A Huge Flop

All in all, “Generation X” isn’t connected to the wider “X-Men” franchise from 20th Century Fox at all — understandably so considering how much of a miss the made-for-TV movie turned out to be. In fact, characters like Jubilee and Emma Frost feature in the Fox movies with completely different actors behind them and in different points in the expansive and oftentimes confusing “X-Men” timeline. With that said, there’s one major carryover from “Generation X” to the “X-Men” film series that most fans have no idea about.
Naturally, Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is a principal location throughout the “X-Men” movies, appearing in most installments if only for a brief moment. “X2: X-Men United,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” and “X-Men: Apocalypse,” as well as the first two “Deadpool” movies utilize the real-life Hatley Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, to bring the school to life. None of them can claim to be the first mutant-centric production to use it, though. That’s another first that belongs to “Generation X,” as it used it for Xavier’s School years before any of them.
“Generation X” can be called many things: A failed experiment, a flop, a forgotten Marvel misfire, and more. At the same time, it will endure as the first live-action X-Men-related movie and the first appearance of the now-iconic Fox “X-Men” Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. It’s not an overly-impressive legacy, but it’s a legacy all the same.