It is nearly a year after the events of X-Men 3 and there is an alarming occurrence happening among the world’s population. Mutants who were given the cure are starting to gain their powers back. There is no real explanation how or why. Now the United States government is in a frenzy to round up the mutants who were forcibly cured in fear that they would be a danger to the citizens of the United States. The government revives a dead program known as Wide Awake where robotic protoforms known as Sentinels are used to detect and detain mutants. The Sentinels act like a swarm and begin to search the previously cured mutants, especially the members of the Brotherhood so they can arrest them. The mutant community responds with distaste towards this action by the government because they believe the Sentinels are nothing more than the “secret police” of the government to get rid of mutants.
Matters are worse at the Xavier Institute because the X-Men can’t respond aggressively towards the Sentinels without being arrested for obstruction of justice by the government. The students are afraid for themselves even though Storm, Wolverine, and the other senior X-Men (Iceman, Colossus, Kitty Pryde) try to reassure them. Meanwhile, the X-Men receive a call from a mysterious person during these hectic days. Storm is really suspicious of the call since it was made to a private line that only the X-Men know about and has Wolverine investigate. Wolverine traces the call to a large boarding school/orphanage in Vancouver. He heads out of the mansion and to the boarding school in the X-Jet while Storm and the others stay behind to watch over the children. Wolverine arrives at the boarding school late at night and it appears that everyone in the building is asleep, with the exception of the janitorial services, so Wolverine decides to sneak in and check everything out. He tries to break into the school records when he’s caught off guard by a familiar scent. He turns around to see Scott Summers (aka Cyclops) standing in front of him with a gun pointed right at him.
After a few minutes of exchange between the two, Wolverine discovers how Cyclops is still alive and why he hadn’t returned. He also learns that it was Cyclops who made the call to the mansion because he desperately wanted to contact the X-Men but was afraid to out of shame for failing to act like a true leader after Jean’s death (her first one). The ground trembles and both men look outside to find a group of Sentinels approaching the orphanage. The leading Sentinel points at the janitor mopping the hallway where Wolverine and Cyclops are, and says “Halt, mutant”. The janitor freaks, jumps out the window, rolls on the ground and then runs toward the tall forest ahead of him while the Sentinels are in pursuit. Wolverine and Cyclops follow the Sentinels in an effort to rescue the janitorial mutant. The mutant takes out one of the Sentinels by throwing a card at it, which happens to explode upon impact. An all out battle ensues between the mutants and the Sentinels with the mutants being victorious. There is a brief discussion between the X-Men and the new mutant who introduces himself as Remy LeBeau (aka Gambit and also a former member of the brotherhood). The three mutants then head back to the X-Jet and to the Xavier Institute.
While Wolverine was away, Storm was doing everything she could to get the students’ minds off the current situation. She organizes a day for the students to relax, which means they can do whatever they want, as long as it isn’t sitting in front of the TV or computer, and that it is on school grounds. Beast arrives to update Storm on what he found out while in Washington, D.C. The Sentinels so far have arrested 100 previously cured mutants and placed them in a special detention area. The White House is no longer listening to Beast’s input, even though the National Security Council assures Beast that they are simply arresting members of the Brotherhood, and nothing more. So Beast decides to stay in the Xavier Institute and help Storm with managing the school during this crisis. Beast does his best to distract the mutants by performing what the students would consider neat experiments in his lab. While he’s in the lab, a mutant child runs into it and yells “They’re dead! They’re all dead!”. Everyone runs to the den and their eyes are glued on the TV screen where the reporter is announcing that at least three dozen innocent mutants killed by the Sentinels. Everyone is in shock, including Storm and Beast, and some children are even crying. An older student begins to yell and shout obscenities at the TV. Storm tries to calm him down, but the student won’t hear of it. He talks about how the humans really wanted to exterminate mutants from the start. That cure was a way of doing it so it would look humane, but now the humans are willing to obliterate the mutants with weapons. Some students nod their heads in approval, anger flaring within them. Storm sighs. She announces that the following day will be a day of mourning and remembrance for the mutant lives lost.
Magneto is also watching the television announcement in a large room full of television screens. His eyes are filled with intense rage as he pauses and rewinds the television. He closes his eyes and tears stream down his face. He remarks that he always knew that this day would come and that Charles Xavier was wrong. A young man with fiery blonde hair walks up to him. It’s Pyro. He asks Magneto if it’s time for each group stationed in the United States to attack. Magneto says yes, but tells Pyro that it will not be a systematic attack like they planned. He says to round everyone up and bring them to his location. He said it was time to attack the heart of the United States with all the forces he can muster. Pyro nods and walks away, as Magneto continues to rewind and play the television announcement.
Storms and Beast walk through the hallways, discussing the day’s events, especially the reaction to the television announcement. Storm is angry about what has happened, even though she didn’t let it show in front of the students, and worries what she’s going to do, what the X-Men should do, and how she’s going to protect the children. She begins to tear up. Beast lets Storm rest her head on his shoulders while he puts his arm around hers. The ground trembles a bit and both senior X-Men see the X-Jet land.
Seconds later, Storm and Beast rush out of the elevator that leads down to the lower levels and into the hangar where the X-Jet is resting. Everything in the X-Jet shuts down and Wolverine jumps out of the plane. Storm compliments on him returning in one piece and asks if the call was genuine and there was no ambush. Wolverine just says that it was “a little bit of both”. Storm asks if he found anything and Wolverine replies with a smile “just someone”. Cyclops walks out of the X-Jet via the ramp. He gives a short, warm smile and a simple greeting. Storm becomes ecstatic and runs to him, giving a great big hug, with Beast right behind her. Gambit steps out of the jet and greets everyone, while he’s admiring the view of the hangar. They ask him where he’s been all this time and he quickly explains. Storm just says she’s glad he’s back, especially at a time like this. He has a confused look on his face.
The television flickers in Cyclops’ protective sunglasses as he watches the television announcement of the mutant deaths at the hands of the Sentinels. He has a grim look on his face as he hears the names of the mutants killed. The television reporter then comments on the age of the youngest mutant, who happened to be 12 at the time. Cyclops requests the television to be turned off and Storm gladly does so. Wolverine looks at Cyclops and asks what their next move should be. All heads in the room turn to Cyclops, waiting for an answer. Cyclops just says he doesn’t know, gets up, and walks away. Beast goes after him, while Storm tells Wolverine to find Gambit some new clothes and a spare room for him to sleep in.
Cyclops is kneeling in front of Xavier’s grave, pondering his life at the institute and the decisions he’s made. He apologizes for the poor decisions he’s made in the past and for not standing by his family when he should have. Beast appears behind him, with his hand on Cyclops’ shoulder. They go into a lengthy discussion on leadership and why Cyclops is so vital to the team. Jean’s transformation and death will be brought up. Beast then leaves Cyclops as he pays his respects to Xavier.
Back at the White House, Bolivar Trask is arguing with the President about the use of the Sentinels. The President clearly states that the mutants that were killed had responded to the Sentinels with lethal force and needed to be put down. Trask warns the president of the repercussions of this event, especially since they hadn’t captured Magneto yet. Trask believes that the antagonistic mutant community will retaliate and it’ll be at a time when the military acts too late. Director Fitzroy of the C.I.A. enters the Oval Office and alerts both the President and Trask that they’ve located the possible headquarters of the mutant terrorist known as Magneto. He briefs them on how a large number of people, all allegedly mutants, have been smuggled out of this country to an island known as Genosha. He also lets on how there seems to be no security at all and no real attempt of secrecy. The President surmises that the mutants are there to plan a large attack on the United States, so he orders Trask to send the Sentinels to that location. Trask reluctantly agrees because it would be a wasted opportunity not to attack a terrorist operation while it was vulnerable.
In the morning, Storm calls all the students to gather in the enlarged den where she reintroduces Cyclops to the children. The children and older students run up to Cyclops, surround him, and give him great bearhugs. Colossus gives the biggest one of all by lifting Cyclops off the ground and remarks how good it is that he’s back. He shakes hands with the new recruit, Warren Worthington III. Cyclops gets everything to calm down and makes some announcements. He will be acting Headmaster of the Xavier Institute while Storm stays on as Headmistress. He also comments on the recent events regarding the Sentinels. He advises the students to remember every single exit and escape route within the grounds if the Institute faces another attack. He also comments on what matters most. He tells everyone to look out for each other. That these are dangerous times and the X-Men will do everything in their power to protect them. Cyclops asks Beast to go to Washington to demand answers from the President. He closes his announcements by stressing that the coming days should go by normally and the teachers as well as himself will be available if the students need someone to talk to.
Beast arrives at the White House once again, partly enraged, and looking for the President. Nearly a dozen Secret Service Agents grab him and try to drag him away, when Bolivar Trask appears and orders the Secret Service Agents to unhand the Secretary of Mutant Affairs. The agents comply with the request of the Director of Homeland Security. Trask shakes Beast’s hand and apologizes for the trouble he’s been getting these past few days. Trask explains the situation regarding the Sentinels to Beast, as well as their plan of attack on Magneto’s forces.
Trask and Beast enter the situation room within the White House and peer at the multiple screens spread out all over the room. The President is there, along with his advisors, the Secretary of Defense, the director of the F.B.I., the director of the N.S.A., and Director Fitzroy of the C.I.A. The President is obviously troubled that Beast is there, but does not say anything. It is revealed that the multiple screens are showing live feeds from the 6 major Sentinels that are headed over to the island of Genosha to arrest Magneto and the Brotherhood. Beast questions if 6 Sentinels are enough to do what they’re required. Trask states that nearly the entire fleet of manufactured Sentinels is heading to Genosha (about 450 in all).
Genosha looked like paradise from far away, which is why Magneto chose to base his operations there. There are a couple of buildings that are oddly shaped and within them are the entire Brotherhood and some new recruits. Magneto gives a speech on how mutants are the future and that humans do not deserve the paradise they’ve squandered. Suddenly, the ground starts to tremble and there are many confused faces among the Brotherhood. Magneto raises his hand so that the metal covering the large window at the top of the building they’re in is moved away. All that’s visible are bright lights in the darkness that appear to be moving stars.
After a few seconds, a programmed voice announced that the Sentinels have reached the target area in the White House’s situation room. All of a sudden, the screens start to receive static and the feed from the Sentinel’s camera begins to get less clear. All the officials in the situation room are baffled, but their eyes get wide once they hear screaming. Lots of it. People start to scramble within the situation room. Things start to get hectic within the room, but the President appears to not be disturbed for a moment. But to mix in with the chaos, he starts to get in discussions with his advisors. For a moment, the screen becomes clearer and the carnage caused by the Sentinels is seen. There is fire and rubble where the buildings used to be, as well as numerous corpses strewn all over the place. Everyone is in shock and Trask makes a call to the technicians at the facility where the Sentinels were created. He is obviously mad and wants to know why the Sentinels are killing their targets instead of apprehending them. The screens in the room then go blank. Beast implores the officials in the room to send emergency teams to help the wounded. Everyone agrees the decision. It’s clear the government has a mess on their hands. Their weapons malfunctioned and there are hundreds of dead mutants because of that. Beast makes his own call to the X-Men and alerts them of what just happened.
