Lady Deathstrike
Magneto turns the tables
The moment: Immediately after he kidnaps Rogue from a train station Magneto exits to find himself completely surrounded by cops. Without a care in the world he takes out a fleet of police cruisers, before turning the arsenal of firearms aimed at him back toward the officers.
Mutant magic: A pivotal point in the first X-Men movie that truly delineates the different purposes of Professor X and Magneto, with the former trying to coerce his former friend into a retreat. Didn't work, mind, but a valiant effort from Charles.
Nightcrawler's White House attack
The moment: The White House is breached by the German mutant Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler. The blue-skinned teleport blasts by Secret Service agents and the President's security detail with kinetic ease, reaching the Oval Office to leave a personalised message for the Commander in Chief.
Mutant magic: Darting about like a pesky mosquito, Nightcrawler could easily be missed onscreen due to his friskiness - but manages to create a blistering opening sequence.
Mystique busts into Alkali Lake
The moment: Under Magneto's orders Mystique infiltrates William Stryker's secret base at Alkali Lake. How? By using her shapeshifting techniques to impersonate Wolverine she gets past the first hurdle. But she can't hold off and transforms back to her blue physique to take down a fleet of Stryker's security muscle. And to top things off, she slides out of the room giving the last men standing the finger
Mutant magic: It's easy to see the allure of Mystique for Magneto, she's got mad fighting skills and a rather enviable mutation that makes her the perfect spy for his evil schemes...
Bullet train battle
The moment: Hurtling along the rails at hundreds of miles an hour, a bullet train is obviously the perfect place for a scrap. Wolvie and an unnamed yakuza duke it out, with adamantium claws slicing through the air and plenty of punches thrown.
Mutant magic: A truly stunning action sequence that's worthy of acclaim outside of the X-Men franchise; this is a nigh-on perfect fight scene.
Charles gets shot
The moment: Moira MacTaggert empties a chamber of bullets trying to hit Magneto, who's currently holding several world powers hostage with their own weapons. He deflects all of them and sends one into Charles' spine. His friend collapses to the sand, repeating the chilling line "I can't feel my legs..."
Mutant magic: In the comics Charles' debilitating incident has previously been explained, but this was the first time moviegoers were clued into his tragic past and how much of a part Magneto played.
Xavier vs. Phoenix
The moment: With Jean no longer in control of her body, her dark psyche known as Phoenix takes over and wreaks havoc upon her old childhood home. With a storm of telekinetic energy swirling around them, as the house becomes a warzone, Magneto encourages her to embrace her darkside while Charles tries to convince her to fight that rage.
Mutant magic: The weight of this moment thunders down as Jean kills her mentor, that essentially marks her for death.
Xavier's mind is blown
The moment: The tense climax of X-2 finds Charles captive under the spell of Stryker's son, who infiltrates the Professor's mind by appearing to him as a little girl. The brainwashing works to an extent - until Storm shows up and kicks the young Stryker out of Charles' head.
Mutant magic: It's a dastardly way to control Cerebro and bone-chilling to see Professor X reduced to a slave for evil.
Chess
The moment: Charles pays his old friend a visit in prison and the two play a game of chess. As Magneto vows to fight the oncoming way by whatever means necessary his opponent calmly replies that he and the X-Men will always be there to stop him.
Mutant magic: This one's down to the brilliance of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, who each deliver their lines with such conviction it's hard to believe a comic book adaptation scored such pedigree.
Boardroom blitz
The moment: Mystique's plan to assassinate Trask is rumbled by the arrival of Charles, Erik, Wolverine and Hank. Erik learns that she is the key to their downfall and raises his gun at her. She manages to leap out of the window before the bullet leaves the chamber, but Magneto's skills allow the round to travel directly to its intended target...
Mutant magic: A brutal scene that signifies the massive difference between Charles and Erik, who knows no bounds when it comes to the mutants' future.
