X-Men (film series) films and plot points that are conveniently ignored in later films. He also criticized 20th Century Fox for not mapping out the series from the beginning. Richard George of IGN stated that the success of the first "X-Men" film paved the way for comic-book film adaptations such as the "Spider-Man" series, "Fantastic Four" (2005), "V for Vendetta" and Singer's "Superman Returns". Chris Hewitt of "Empire" magazine called the first "X-Men" film as the "catalyst" for films based on Marvel Comics characters, stating "Singer's 2000 film is the catalyst for everything that's come since, good and bad. Without it, there's no
Silver Age of Comic Books prominence. With an innovation that changed the comic-book industry, "The Fantastic Four" #1 initiated a naturalistic style of superheroes with human failings, fears, and inner demons, who squabbled and worried about the likes of rent-money. In contrast to the straitlaced archetypes of superheroes at the time, this ushered in a revolution. With dynamic artwork by Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and others complementing Lee's colorful, catchy prose, the new style became popular among college students who could identify with the angst and the irreverent nature of the characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Hulk during a time period