''X-Men'', also known as ''X-Men: The Animated Series'', is an

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

superhero television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Kids Network. ''X-Men'' was

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

' second attempt at an animated

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...

TV series after the pilot, '' X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men'', was not picked up. A Marvel Studios-produced revival, '' X-Men '97'', is scheduled to be released to

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

in 2023.

Production

In 1991,

Margaret Loesch Margaret Ann Loesch () is an American television executive and producer. She is the former President and CEO of Discovery Communications and Hasbro Inc's joint venture television network Hub Network. On June 12, 2014, she announced that she would ...

became head of

Fox Children's Network Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized as FOX KIDS) was an American children's programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channels. Originally a joi ...

. Having championed the ''

Pryde of the X-Men Pryde is an obsolete spelling of the English word pride now most frequently encountered as a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Bob Pryde (1913–98), Scottish soccer player * David Pryde (footballer) (1913–87), Scottish soccer pla ...

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

in 1989, she was quick to set up an order for 13 episodes of ''X-Men''.

Saban Entertainment Saban Entertainment, Inc. (along with Saban International; currently operating under the legal name is BVS Entertainment, Inc.) was a worldwide-served independent American-Israeli television production company formed in 1980 by Haim Saban and ...

was contracted to produce the show and hired a small studio

Graz Entertainment Graz Entertainment is an American licensing and distribution company, run by Jim and Stephanie Graziano, which obtains and provides programming and licensing rights for children's television animation. They currently control ''Z Blade'', ''The Attic ...

to produce the episodes as it did not have sufficient staff at the time to handle production in house. Graz employed the creative staff, wrote and designed each episode, and drew the storyboards. The voice work was done using Canadian studios and South Korean studio

AKOM AKOM Production, Ltd. (Animation KOrea Movie 애이콤 프로덕션) is a South Korean animation studio in Songpa-gu, Seoul that has provided much work since its conception in 1985 by Nelson Shin. Its biggest claim to fame is the overseas animat ...

was hired to animate the episodes. ''X-Men'' was originally to premiere over the Labor Day weekend in September; due to production delays, it was pushed to the end of October. When the animation team AKOM turned in the first episode, it contained hundreds of animation errors, which AKOM refused to fix. Because of time constraints, the episode was aired in an unfinished form. The second episode was turned in just before a deadline, with 50 scenes missing and only a single day reserved for editing. The "Night of the Sentinels" two-part episode originally aired as a "sneak preview" on October 31. Because of the production delays and animation errors in these two episodes, Fox threatened to sever AKOM's contracts. When Fox re-aired the pilot in early 1993, the errors were corrected. The series earned top ratings throughout its first season, and was renewed for a second season of 13 episodes. Throughout the series run, producers had to deal with quality control issues including attempts to cut costs, requests to change the tone of the series to something more child-friendly as well to integrate toys being sold into the show. The show was originally planned to run for 65 episodes. Given its success and Marvel's bankruptcy, Saban funded the additional eleven episodes at a much-reduced budget.

Philippine Animation Studio Filipino cartoon and animation, also known as Pinoy cartoon and animation, is a body of original cultural and artistic works and styles applied to conventional Filipino storytelling, combined with talent and the appropriate application of classic ...

and

Hong Ying Animation Hong Ying Animation Co., Ltd. () is an animation studio which has been a subsidiary of Wang Film Productions since 1986. Works Hong Ying animated, inked, and/or painted for the following shows: * '' The Adventures of Sam'' (Layouts only) * '' ...

also contributed some of the animation for this series. The series was added to the

streaming service when it launched on November 12, 2019, with a revival subsequently announced to be in development.

Synopsis

The show features X-Men similar in look and line-up to the early 1990s ''

'' drawn by

Jim Lee Jim Lee (Korean 이용철; born August 11, 1964) is a Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. He is currently the Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics. In recognition of his work, Lee has received a Harvey ...

(specifically, the Blue Team established in the early issues of '' X-Men (vol. 2)''), composed of Cyclops,

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

, Rogue,

Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

, Beast,

Gambit A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage. The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe sim ...

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

Jean Grey Jean Elaine Grey is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack K ...

, Professor X, as well as an original character, Morph (an adaptation of previous X-Men member

Changeling A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairi ...

). The series deals with social issues, including

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

Proteus In Greek mythology, Proteus (; Ancient Greek: Πρωτεύς, ''Prōteus'') is an early prophetic sea-god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" ''(hálios gérôn)''. ...

"),

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

(" Nightcrawler" and " Bloodlines"),

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

("Enter Magneto", "Deadly Reunions", "Days of Future Past" and "The Phalanx Covenant") and AIDS hysteria (" Time Fugitives"), and feelings of

loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism which motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perceived lack ...

(" No Mutant Is an Island"). Television was satirized in the episodes " Mojovision" and " Longshot". ''X-Men'' crossed over with the animated series '' Spider-Man'', when Spider-Man seeks out the X-Men's help to stave off his progressing mutation. In the abbreviated form of the Secret Wars storyline, the

Beyonder The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, self-procla ...

and

Madame Web Madame Web (Cassandra Webb) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #210, published November 1980, and was created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist ...

selected Spider-Man to lead a team of heroes including Storm against a group of villains. An earlier draft of "Secret Wars" involved all of the X-Men, but transporting the voice cast from Canada to Los Angeles, where production for the ''Spider-Man'' animated series was based, had been too costly in previous crossovers, so the episode was re-written to include only Storm, whose actress, Iona Morris, lived in Los Angeles. Hulk and She-Hulk were excluded from the episodes because the '' Incredible Hulk'' animated series featuring the characters was airing on rival network

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

. The first season of the show brought the X-Men into conflict with human conspirators building mutant-exterminating

Sentinel Sentinel may refer to: Places Mountains * Mount Sentinel, a mountain next to the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana * Sentinel Buttress, a volcanic crag on James Ross Island, Antarctica * Sentinel Dome, a naturally occurring grani ...

robots, Magneto and his attempts to instigate a human-mutant war, and the powerful mutant Apocalypse's plans to eradicate the weak, both human and mutant alike. Other storylines including X-Men member Morph's death at the hands of Sentinels, Beast's incarceration, and an assassination attempt on US senator Kelly by Apocalypse's minions to turn human sentiment against the mutants. The second season sees Cyclops and Jean get married and become the targets of Mister Sinister, who hopes to use the genetically perfect combination of their DNA to create an army of obedient mutants. Morph returns, having been rescued by Sinister and brainwashed into forcing the X-Men apart. The season also features the growing rift between humans and mutants, spearheaded by the Friends of Humanity, an anti-mutant group who lead the persecution of all mutants. Apocalypse also returns, developing a deadly plague to be blamed on mutants, fueling mutant hatred. A parallel narrative of Professor X and Magneto being lost in the Savage Land runs throughout this season. The third season focuses on the cosmic force, the

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, which merges with Jean Grey and eventually turns her into the malevolent and powerful Dark Phoenix. The season also introduced the Shi'ar Empire who want to stop the Dark Phoenix, including Lilandra and Gladiator. Other storylines include the introduction of Wolverine's former lover turned mercenary, Lady Deathstrike, former X-Men member Iceman, and the villainous Shadow King. Volume 5 of the ''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcovers'' lists the X-Men cartoon as part of the Marvel multiverse, inhabiting Earth-92131. Also, the plague-infested future that Bishop tried to prevent in Season 2 is listed as Earth-13393 while Cable's release of the immediate cure of the plague is listed as Earth-121893.

Adaptations

Although the majority of the series' stories are original, a number of storylines and events from the comics are loosely adapted in the series, such as:

Season 1

* The two-part Pilot episode "Night of the Sentinels" features "The Mutant Registration Act" which was first used in "Days of Future Past" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #141 (January, 1981) by writer Chris Claremont and writer/artist John Byrne. Also the battle at the shopping mall is adapted from Jubilee's first appearance in the story "Ladies' Night" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #244 (May, 1989) by writer Chris Claremont and artist

Marc Silvestri Marc Silvestri (born March 29, 1958) is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He serves as CEO of both Top Cow Productions and Image Comics. Early life Marc Silvestri was born on March 29, 1958 in Palm Beach, Florida.Rosenberg, Aa ...

. In that story, Jubilee is attacked by the M-Squad and is rescued by female X-Men and the final sequence wherein Jubilee arrives at the X-Mansion is based on a similar sequence when Kitty Pryde first arrived at the X-Mansion following the funeral for Phoenix in "Elegy" from ''X-Men'' #138 (October, 1980) by writer Chris Claremont and writer/artist John Byrne. * The episode, "Enter Magneto", features a confrontation at a missile base: this is largely based on the X-Men's first battle with

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

, as told in their

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

debut story "X-Men" from ''X-Men #1'' (September, 1963) by writer Stan Lee and artist

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

. * "Captive Hearts" is loosely based on events depicted in "Catacombs" and "Dancin' in the Dark" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #169-170 (May–June, 1983) by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, except that the X-Man kidnapped by The Morlocks in those stories was Angel, rather than Cyclops. * In the episode "Slave Island", Genosha's treatment of mutants as slave labour is adapted from "Welcome to Genosha"/"Busting Loose"/"Who's Human?"/"Gonna be a Revolution" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #235-#238 (October–November, 1989) by writer Chris Claremont and artists

Rick Leonardi Rick Leonardi (born August 9, 1957) is an American comics artist who has worked on various series for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, including ''Cloak and Dagger'', ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''The New Mutants'', '' Spider-Man 2099'', ''Nightwing'', '' ...

and

. However, the premise of how the Genoshan's enslaved mutants is greatly retooled, likely to be more appropriate for children's television. * In the episode "The Unstoppable Juggernaut", The Juggernaut's origins is adapted from the story "The Origin of Professor X!" from ''X-Men'' #12 (July, 1965) by Writer Stan Lee and artists

and

Alex Toth Alexander Toth (June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout ...

. Also, the X-Men clashing with Juggernaut at the bank is adapted loosely from the story "Juggernaut's Back in Town" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #194 by writer Chris Claremont and artist

John Romita Jr. John Salvatore Romita (; born August 17, 1956), known professionally as John Romita Jr., is an American comics artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s. He is the son of artist John Romita Sr. Early ...

, particularly the portions where the X-Men are staking out the bank before the Juggernaut attacks and the origin of Colossus is adapted from ''Deadly Genesis!'' in ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 (May, 1975) by Writer Len Wein and artist

Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Mystique, as well as the antiheroine Black Cat. Cockrum was ...

. * "The Cure" features a flashback to Rogue's origins detailing her kiss with Cody Robbins, which is adapted from "Public Enemy" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #185 (September, 1984) by writer Chris Claremont and artist

* Apocalypse's creation of his Four Horsemen in "Come the Apocalypse" is very loosely adapted from Issues #10 "Falling Angel!", #12 "Boom Boom Boom!", #15 "Whose Death is it, Anyway?", #19 "All Together Now!" and #24 "Masks" from ''

X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...

'' by writer

Louise Simonson Louise Simonson (née Mary Louise Alexander; born September 26, 1946) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as ''Conan the Barbarian'', '' Power Pack'', ''X-Factor'', ''New Mutants'', ...

artists

Walter Simonson Walter Simonson (born September 2, 1946) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' '' Thor'' from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned ...

and

. * The first part of the 2-part episode story "Days of Future Past" is loosely based on ''X-Men'' #141 (January, 1981) by writer Chris Claremont and writer/artist John Byrne, the first part of the "Days of Future Past" story arc. The entire story was retooled to fit the continuity established in the animated series, however some original elements remained such as Wolverine leading a resistance against the Sentinels. However Bishop's role as a tracker of Mutant rebels is reminiscent of Rachel Summer's role as a Hound, likely adapted from Uncanny X-Men #189. Similarly, Bishop's betrayal of the Sentinels and travel back in time is adapted from Kate Pryde's similar stunt in ''X-Men #141 (January, 1981) by Chris Claremont and writer/artist John Byrne. Nimrod's appearance and battle with the X-Men is likely adapted from "Raiders of the Lost Temple!" in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #191 (March, 1985) and 194 (June, 1985) by writer Chris Claremont and artist

Also, Bishops' assertion that Gambit betrayed the X-Men is adapted from "Bishop to King's Five!" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #287 (April, 1992) by writers

Scott Lobdell Scott Lobdell (; born 1960) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter known for his work on numerous ''X-Men'' series for Marvel Comics in the 1990s, various work for DC Comics in the 2010s, namely '' Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Tita ...

and artist

, wherein Bishop's future the X-Men were apparently killed by one of their own, and as Gambit was the only survivor Bishop long suspected him of betraying the X-Men. * The second part of "Days of Future Past" is adapted from "Mind Out of Time" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #142 (February, 1981) by Chris Claremont and writer/artist John Byrne, wherein the X-Men prevent the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating Senator Robert Edward Kelly. The story was altered to fit the continuity of the animated series, wherein Bishop takes the place of Kate Pryde, however it deviates from the original story when Magneto abducts Kelly. * The entire Sentinel plot from the episode "The Final Decision", including Master Mold forcing Trask to do his bidding is adapted from "Among Us Stalk... the Sentinels"/"Prisoners of the Mysterious Master Mold!"/"The Supreme Sacrifice!" from X-Men #14–16 (November 1965 – January 1966) by writer Stan Lee and artists

& Jay Gavin. Whilst Scott's marriage proposal to Jean and Mister Sinister's interest, which is explored fully in Season 2, is very loosely adapted on "Inferno, Part the Fourth: Ashes!" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #243 (April, 1989) by writer Chris Claremont and artist

, among other issues where Sinister manipulated Scott's marriage to Madelyne Pryor for his own twisted ends.

Season 2

* The episode "Whatever It Takes" features a flashback depicting Mjnari's birth is based on the story "Life-Death II: From the Heart of Darkness" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #198 (October, 1985) by writer Chris Claremont and artist

Barry Windsor-Smith Barry Windsor-Smith (born Barry Smith, 25 May 1949) is a British comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has been produced in the United States. He attained note working on Marvel Comics' ''Conan the Barbarian'' from 1970 to 197 ...

. In that story, Storm discovered Shani's tribe after losing her mutant powers, and resuscitated Shani's (unnamed) son as in this episode. The story also featured a tribal elder named MjNari, who chose to die when Shani's son was born, so that the tribe would not become too numerous for its resources. * The episode "Repo Man" is based on "Shoot-Out at the Stampede!" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #121 (May, 1979) by writer Chris Claremont, Writer/artist John Byrne and artist Terry Austin. The episode is also based on the "

Weapon X Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are conducted by Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons, ca ...

" story from ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #72-84 (March–September 1991) by writer/artist

. * The episode "X-Ternally Yours" is based upon the "Gambit" 4 issue mini-series featuring "Tithing"/"Honor Amongst Thieves"/"The Benefactress"/"Thief of Time" (which was published literally around the same time that episode first aired) (December, 1993–March, 1994) by Writer

Howard Mackie Howard Mackie (born January 22, 1958) is an American comic book editor and writer. He has worked almost exclusively for Marvel Comics and is best known as the co-creator of the Danny Ketch version of the Ghost Rider character. Early life Mackie ...

, artists

Lee Weeks Lee Weeks (born 1962) is an American comics artist known for his work on such titles as ''Daredevil''. Career Lee Weeks attended The Kubert School and made his professional comics debut penciling, inking, and lettering a short story ("Friends ...

and Klaus Janson. Though in the comics Gambit's brother is named Henri instead of Bobby. * In "Time Fugitives (parts 1 & 2)" features a variation of the "

Legacy Virus The Legacy Virus is a fictional plague appearing in American comic books featuring the X-Men published by Marvel Comics. It first appeared in an eponymous storyline running through Marvel Comics titles from 1993 to 2001, during which it swept thro ...

" story line where it was the creation of Apocalypse, who had created the virus with the aid of Graydon Creed and the Friends of Humanity, infecting innocent people and claiming that mutants were the ones who had caused the plague. In an attempt to stop the plague, Bishop came back from the future to destroy Apocalypse's work before the virus could move on to mutants, but as a result vital antibodies that would allow the mutant race to survive future plagues were never created. Traveling back from even further in the future, Cable was able to come up with a compromise that allowed both Bishop's and his own missions to succeed; although the plague never made the jump to mutants on a large-scale basis, Cable nevertheless ensured that Wolverine would be infected, thus creating the necessary antibodies while not killing any mutants thanks to Wolverine's healing factor. * Parts of the episode "A Rogue's Tale" are based on "Rogue Redux" in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #269 (October, 1990) by writer Chris Claremont and artists

and Art Thibe. Whilst other parts of the episode are based on "By Friends – Betrayed!" in ''Avengers Annual'' #10 (August, 1981) by writer Chris Claremont and artists Michael Golden and Armando Gil.

Season 3

* "The Phoenix Saga (Part 1): Sacrifice" is loosely based on "My Brother, My Enemy!" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #97 (February, 1976) by writer Chris Claremont and artists

Sam Grainger Samuel E. Grainger (June 14, 1930 – July 25, 1990)

Chris Claremont and artist

. * "The Phoenix Saga (Part 2): The Dark Shroud" is loosely based on "Like a Phoenix, from the Ashes" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #101 (October, 1976) by writer Chris Claremont and artist

. As well as "Dark Shroud of the Past!" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #106 (August, 1977) by writers Chris Claremont &

Bill Mantlo William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...

and artist

& William Robert Brown. * "The Phoenix Saga (Part 3): The Cry of the Banshee" is loosely based on "Who Will Stop the Juggernaut?"/"The Fall of the Tower"/"The Gentleman's Name is Magneto" from Uncanny X-Men #102-104 (December, 1976-April, 1977) by writer Chris Claremont and artists

Sam Grainger Samuel E. Grainger (June 14, 1930 – July 25, 1990)

Chris Claremont and artists

and Dan Green. * "The Phoenix Saga (Part 5): Child of Light" is loosely based on "Armageddon Now" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #108 (December, 1977) by Writer Chris Claremont and artists John Byrne & Terry Austin. * "

The Dark Phoenix Saga "The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, focusing on Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force. It was written by Chris Claremont with art by John Byrne. The Dark Phoenix Saga commonly refers to the ...

(Part 1): Dazzled" is both based heavily and loosely on different areas, of the storylines "Dazzler"/"Run for Your Life!"/ "And Hellfire is Their Name!" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #130-132 (February–April, 1980) written by Chris Claremont & John Byrne, with art by John Byrne & Terry Austin. * "The Dark Phoenix Saga (Part 2): The Inner Circle" is based on "Wolverine: Alone!" in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #133 (May, 1980) & "Too Late, the Heroes!" in #134 ''Uncanny X-Men'' (June, 1980). The battle with the Inner Circle follows the original comics very closely, with Beast taking the role of Nightcrawler (when juggling Shaw), and Rogue taking the role of Colossus (tearing the arm off Pierce). The comic was created by writers Chris Claremont & John Byrne, with art by John Byrne & Terry Austin. * "The Dark Phoenix Saga (Part 3): The Dark Phoenix" is based on "Dark Phoenix" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #135 (July, 1980) and "Child of Light and Darkness!" in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #136 (August, 1980) by writers Chris Claremont & John Byrne, with art by John Byrne & Terry Austin. * "The Dark Phoenix Saga (Part 4): The Fate of the Phoenix" is based on the comic of the same name ("The Fate of the Phoenix!") from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #137 (September, 1980) by writers Chris Claremont & John Byrne, with art by John Byrne & Terry Austin. * The episode "Orphan's End" is based on "Reunion" in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #154 and "First Blood" in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #155 by writer Chris Claremont and artist

Season 4

* The "One Man's Worth" two-parter is an original story, greenlit and designed for the TV series in January, 1994. In a reversal of the usual book-to-TV origin, this story became the basis and inspiration for the crossover series of books

Age of Apocalypse "Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comics ...

, which was published in 1995–96. Many character designs in the Age of Apocalypse, most prominently that of the alternate Forge, were first created for the TV series. Because of the length of time it takes to animate an ambitious episode (sometimes a full year), these two creations are often placed in the wrong order. Bob Harras, supervisor of the X-books in the mid-90s and advisor to the TV series, had access to the full "One Man's Worth" story and designs by early May, 1994. The Age of Apocalypse books followed eight months later. * "Sanctuary (Part 1)" is loosely based on "Rubicon" from ''X-Men (Vol 2)'' #1 (October, 1991) and "Firestorm" from ''X-Men (Vol 2)'' #2 (November, 1991) from the '' X-Men: Legacy'' series and the " Fatal Attractions"

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

storyline. The comic book story was written by writer Chris Claremont and writer/artist

with artist Scott Williams. * "Sanctuary (Part 2)" is loosely based on "Fallout!" from ''X-Men (Vol 2)'' #3 (December, 1991) from the '' X-Men: Legacy'' series and the " Fatal Attractions"

storyline. The comic book story was written by Chris Claremont and writer/artist

with art by Scott Williams. * The episode "Weapon X, Lies, & Videotape" is loosely based on the story-lines "The Shiva Scenario Part 1: Dreams of Gore, Phase 1"/"Shiva Scenario Part 2: Dreams of Gore: Phase Two"/"The Shiva Scenario Part 3: Dreams of Gore: Phase 3" from Wolverine #48–50 (November, 1992-January 1993) which were all written by

Larry Hama Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows ''M*A*S*H'' ...

with art by

. There was also a bit of the story-lines "Nightmare Quest!"/"Reunion!"/"Bastions of Glory!"/"What Goes Around..." from issues #61-64 (September–December 1992) thrown in, (though the robot Talos is called "Shiva" there, and the Weapon X project has more members) these issues were written by

with art by

Mark Texeira Mark Texeira () is an American comic book artist. Classically trained as a painter, he broke into the comics field in the early 1980s. Career Mark Texeira was born and raised in New York City. He attended Manhattan's High School of Art and ...

Season 5

* The two-part final season opener "Phalanx Covenant" was adapted from the comic of the same name (September–October 1994) with Beast as the central character. The Phalanx were conceived to be fully alien and not mutant hating humans who were infected with the technology, becoming more like the Technarchy, with Cameron Hodge working along with them serving much the same role as in the comics. During the two-parter, Beast teams up with Warlock, Forge (part of X-Factor), Mr Sinister, Amelia Voght (who was working on Muir Island at the time) and Magneto. * The episode "Jubilee's Fairytale Theater" is based on "Kitty's Fairy Tale" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #153 (January, 1982) by writer Chris Claremont and artist

. The comic featured

Kitty Pryde Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980) and was co-created by wri ...

telling a fairytale to

Illyana Rasputina Magik (Illyana Nikolaievna Rasputina) (Russian language, Russian: Ильяна Николаевна Распутина) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted most often i ...

, whilst the series replaced Kitty Pryde with Jubilee and Illyana Rasputina with random school children. * The episode "Old Soldiers" is loosely based on "Madripoor Knights" from ''Uncanny X-Men'' #268 (September, 1990) by writer Chris Claremont and artists

& Scott Williams. It tells the tale of Logan, while acting as a special operative for Canada, teaming up with Captain America and the

Howling Commandos The Howling Commandos is the name of several fictional groups appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Fictional team history World War II The first group of Howling Commandos (introduced in their own 1963 comic book seri ...

during World War II to rescue someone who had been captured by

Red Skull The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...

. Logan would use detachable metal claws to scale the side of a mountain and then comment how he liked them.

Voice cast

The series' voice acting was recorded in Toronto studios, with Dan Hennessey serving as voice director. Toronto voice actors had been already used for the 1960s Marvel Comics cartoons.

Principal cast

* Scott Summers / Cyclops (

Norm Spencer Norman Spencer (23 February 1958 – 31 August 2020) was a Canadian voice and television actor best known for his work on Saturday-morning cartoons in the 1990s. He performed several roles for Marvel Comics characters, most famously Cyclops in ' ...

): The field commander of the X-Men whose eyes can emit a powerful burst of energy that can cause devastating damage. Generally stiff, he has expressed doubts to his own leadership from time to time. He often fights with Logan over his girlfriend, Jean Grey, whom he eventually marries towards the end of the series. * James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine (

Cal Dodd Cathal J. Dodd (born 23 May 1956) is an Irish-Canadian voice actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine in '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' and the '' Marvel vs. Capcom'' series of video games. Ca ...

): A hot headed mutant with a regenerative healing factor, heightened senses, an adamantium-laced skeleton that render his bones virtually indestructible, and retractable claws capable of cutting virtually anything. He was attracted to Jean Grey but decided not to come against Scott Summers, and is a father figure for Jubilee. * Anna Marie / Rogue (

Lenore Zann Lenore Zann (born November 22, 1959) is a Canadian actress and former politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Cumberland—Colchester in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party. Before ...

): A mutant who possesses the uncontrollable ability to absorb the memories, powers and energy of those she touches; however, if Rogue holds onto someone too long, their consciousness will be trapped in her subconscious. She has permanently absorbed the superhuman strength, durability and flight of Carol Danvers / Ms. Marvel who was left comatose due to this. She is in a romantic relationship with Gambit. * Ororo Munroe / Storm (

Iona Morris Iona Morris is an American actress. She has performed in numerous films and television shows, including extensive voice work in animation. Early life Iona was born in Columbus, Ohio, and is the daughter of late actor Greg Morris (1933–1996) ...

(1992–1994), Alison Sealy-Smith (1993–1997)): A mutant who is able to control the weather, using it to injure her foes or fly and is third in command of the X-Men. Storm has to remain in constant control of her emotions, as they are linked to her powers; if she let loose, she would cause horrific weather conditions that would put lives in jeopardy. * Dr. Henry Phillip "Hank" McCoy / Beast (

George Buza George Buza is an American-born Canadian actor who is best known for voicing Beast in the '' X-Men Animated Series''. Personal life Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he moved to Toronto, Ontario, as a young man and became a Canadian citizen in 1998. C ...

): A mutant whose body is covered in fur and granted superhuman strength and agility to complement his genius mind. He spends most of season one imprisoned for destroying the government's records of registered mutants, which was being abused by Henry Gyrich and Bolivar Trask. Buza would later appear in a small role in the 2000 live action film as a truck driver. * Remy Etienne LeBeau / Gambit ( Chris Potter (1992–1996),

Tony Daniels Tony Daniels is a Canadian voice actor. He is well known for providing the voices of Uncle Flippy in ''JoJo's Circus'', as well as Jedite and Wiseman in the original English dub of ''Sailor Moon''. He is also known for providing the voice of ...

(1997)): A mutant who can charge virtually any object with explosive energy as bombs that only explode once he lets go of the object. He also wields a staff for close combat, and for when he's out of playing cards to throw. Gambit is in a romantic relationship with Rogue. Potter was cast while filming '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' in Toronto; unfamiliar with the X-Men, his co-star

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...

was a big fan of the comics. Potter later auditioned for the role of Cyclops in the 2000 film. * Jubilation Lee / Jubilee ( Alyson Court): The newest and youngest member of the X-Men. She is close to Wolverine as a father figure. She is still getting used to her powers, which are the ability to generate firework-like explosions. Court and Dodd had been neighbors when Court was still a child and Dodd was already a well-known actor in Canada. Court attributes their characters' chemistry to being previously acquainted with one another. Originally another voice actor had been cast as Jubilee, but Court was cast when the original voice was deemed too sweet and innocent sounding for the role. *

(

Catherine Disher Catherine Disher is a British-born Canadian actress. She has won two Gemini Awards: in 2005 for Best Actress for her role in the Canadian mini-series '' Snakes and Ladders'', and in 2010 for her role in '' The Border''. She was also nominated for ...

): A telekinetic and telepath. She is in a longstanding relationship with Cyclops, and they marry in season four, when she is captured by Apocalypse in the time space continuum. Disher had originally auditioned for the part of Storm. * Prof. Charles Francis Xavier / Professor X ( Cedric Smith): The founder and leader of the X-Men and a powerful telepath. Throughout the series, he fights for mutant rights while teaching his students the importance of never giving into temptation or lose sight of what really matters. * Eric Magnus Lensherr / Magneto (

David Hemblen David Hemblen (16 September 1941 – 16 November 2020) was an English actor who frequently worked in Canadian film, television and theatre who grew up in Toronto, Ontario. He is known for his role as George in '' La Femme Nikita'', Customs insp ...

): A mutant with the power to control metal. He is initially introduced as an antagonist but he is more of an anti-hero in later seasons, helping defeat other villains including Master Mold, Mister Sinister, Apocalypse, and Phalanx.

Additional cast

Philip Akin Philip Akin (born April 18, 1950) is a Canadian actor. Akin has had roles in major American films such as '' The Sum of All Fears'', ''S.W.A.T.'', and '' Get Rich or Die Tryin. He has also done much voice work, including voicing the character ...

: Lucas Bishop / Bishop *

Lawrence Bayne ''Strange Days at Blake Holsey High'' (also known as ''Black Hole High'') is a Canadian science fiction television series which first aired in North America in October 2002 on Global TV. It is set at the fictional boarding school of the title, whe ...

: Nathan Summers / Cable, Steve Rogers / Captain America,

Fabian Cortez Fabian Cortez is a mutant supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and writer/illustrator Jim Lee, he first appeared in ''X-Men'' #1 (October 1 ...

* Brian Taylor (actor): Christopher Summers / Corsair * Rick Bennett: Cain Marko / Juggernaut, Piotr Rasputin / Colossus (first time) *

Nigel Bennett Nigel Bennett (born 19 November 1949) is a British-Canadian actor, director, and writer who has been based in Canada since 1986. He is best known for playing the vampire patriarch Lucien LaCroix in the TV series ''Forever Knight'', for which h ...

: Jason Wyngarde / Master Mind *

James Blendick James Blendick (born 1941) is a Canadian character actor. He is perhaps best known for his 30-year-long association with the Stratford Festival. Career Among the productions in which he has performed leads are ''Much Ado About Nothing'', ''The ...

: En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse (second time) * Christopher Britton:

Mister Sinister Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Mara ...

Lally Cadeau Lally Cadeau (born Alice Mary Cadeau, 10 January 1948) is a Canadian stage, television, film, and radio actress. Life and career Alice Mary Cadeau was born in Burlington, Ontario, the youngest child and only daughter of a once-aspiring actres ...

: Dr. Moira MacTaggert, Phalanx Nexus * Robert Cait: Fred Dukes / Blob,

Colossus Colossus, Colossos, or the plural Colossi or Colossuses, may refer to: Statues * Any exceptionally large statue ** List of tallest statues ** :Colossal statues * ''Colossus of Barletta'', a bronze statue of an unidentified Roman emperor * ''Col ...

(second time) *

Len Carlson Len Carlson (September 2, 1937 – January 26, 2006) was a Canadian voice actor who has voiced various characters on many animated television series from the 1960s onward, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman duri ...

: Senator Robert Kelley, additional voices * Randall Carpenter: Raven Darkholme / Mystique (Season 1) *

John Colicos John Colicos (December 10, 1928 – March 6, 2000) was a Canadian actor. He performed on stage and television in the United States and Canada. Career Colicos was born in Toronto, Ontario, to a Greek father and a Canadian mother. In 1957 he app ...

: En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse (first time),

High Evolutionary High Evolutionary (Herbert Edgar Wyndham) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Chukwudi Iwuji will portray the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3''. ...

Rod Coneybeare Rod Coneybeare (March 31, 1930 – September 5, 2019) was a Canadian, writer, puppeteer and voice actor, best known for his work on the long-lived Canadian children's program ''The Friendly Giant'', where he performed as both Jerome the Giraffe, ...

Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...

Jennifer Dale Jennifer Ciurluini (born January 16, 1956 in Toronto), known professionally as Jennifer Dale, is a Canadian actress. Biography She is the sister of Canadian actress Cynthia Dale. From 1980 to 1986 she was married to Robert Lantos; they have t ...

: Raven Darkholme / Mystique (Seasons 2–5) * Adrian Egan: Samuel Guthrie / Cannon Ball * Barry Flatman: James Hudson / Vindicator,

Henry Peter Gyrich Henry Peter Gyrich () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a liaison of the United States government who is against the superhuman community. Publication history The character first appeared ...

* David Fox: Sentinels,

Master Mold Master Mold is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics most commonly appearing as an enemy of the X-Men and Mutant (Marvel Comics), mutant-related comic books. Publication History The Master Mold ...

* Don Francks: Graydon Creed Sr. / Sabretooth, Eugene Milton Judd / Puck * Catherine Gallant:

Famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

Paul Haddad Paul Haddad (May 20, 1963 – April 11, 2020) was a Canadian actor. He was the original voice-actor of Leon S. Kennedy in the ''Resident Evil'' franchise, voicing the character in ''Resident Evil 2'' (1998). Other voice-over-roles included Uncle ...

: Quicksilver / Pietro Maximoff,

Arkon Arkon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the warlord and ruler of the extra-dimensional world of Polemachus. The concept of the character is that he is a hero from the sword-and-sorcery ge ...

, Kiyoek, additional voices * Graham Haley: St. John Allerdyce / Pyro *

Brett Halsey Brett Halsey (born Charles Oliver Hand, June 20, 1933) is an American film actor, sometimes credited as Montgomery Ford. He appeared in B pictures A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during ...

Bolivar Trask Bolivar Trask is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a military scientist whose company Trask Industries is well known as the creator of the Sentinels. He is also the father of Larry Trask ...

* Roscoe Handford: Carol Danvers / Ms. Marvel *

Dan Hennessey Dan Hennessey (born August 25)https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Dan-Hennessey/ is a Canadian voice director and voice actor who, early on in his career, performed with a children's comedy troupe The Zoo Factory (with John Stocker, Bruce Gord ...

: Ruckus, Sunder *

Rebecca Jenkins Rebecca Jenkins (born 1959) is a Canadian actress and singer. Acting She had starring roles in the 1990s CBC series '' Black Harbour'', and the films '' Bye Bye Blues'', '' Marion Bridge'', '' Wilby Wonderful'', ''Whole New Thing'', '' South o ...

: Heather Hudson * Lorne Kennedy: Apocalypse (third time) * Judy Marshak: Plague / Pestilence * George Merner * Jim Millington:

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Stephen Ouimette Stephen Ouimette is a Canadian actor and director. Although mostly known for his stage work, particularly at the Stratford Festival of Canada and recently on Broadway in '' La Bete'', he achieved TV fame (and a Gemini Award) as the ghostly Olive ...

: Warren Worthington III / Angel / Archangel,

Cameron Hodge Cameron Hodge is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an opponent of the X-Men. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, he first appeared as a s ...

Phalanx The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...

* Ross Petty:

Ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...

Jeremy Ratchford Jeremy Ratchford (born August 6, 1965) is a Canadian actor. He starred as Nick Vera on the TV series ''Cold Case''. Career While in Canada, Ratchford played Marvel Comic book character Banshee in the live action TV super hero film ''Generati ...

: Sean Cassidy / Banshee * Rob Rubin: Morph * John Stocker: Grayson Creed Jr., Leech * Stuart Stone: Kevin MacTaggert / Proteus * Marc Strange: Forge * Kay Trembley: Annalee, Shard Bishop / Shard * Rod Wilson:

Gorgeous George George Raymond Wagner (March 23, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. In the United States, during the First Golden Age of Professional Wrestling in the 1940s–1950s, Gorgeous ...

Other versions

The original opening sequence features the X-Men demonstrating their mutant abilities to a now very distinctive instrumental theme (written by

Ron Wasserman Ronald Aaron Wasserman (born September 2, 1961), also known as Aaron Waters and The Mighty Raw, is an American musician who composed the original theme song for ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' and numerous original songs he also recorded for the ...

). This intro is used throughout the first four seasons. A modified version is eventually introduced in season five, episode one ("Phalanx Covenant, Part One"). In this new intro, the beginning of the theme is slightly changed. When

began airing repeats on Sunday mornings, an alternate credits sequence was used: a high-quality Japanese-animated version of the original opening. This modified version occasionally appears in the digital streaming release of the show, which was used for re-runs on Toon Disney. In Italy, the series was aired in 1994 on Canale 5, and the intro and outro sequences were replaced by a new sequence and a new theme-song ''Insuperabili X-Men'', sung by Marco Destro and Pietro Ubaldi (Hank McCoy Italian voice actor). ''X-Men'' originally aired on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

from 1994 through 1995. For the TV Tokyo dub of the series, the intro was replaced with a new, Japanese-animated sequence as well as a new theme called "Rising" (ライジング), by the band Ambience (アンビエンス). Starting with episode 42, a second new intro was used, featuring the song "Dakishimetai Dare Yori Mo" (抱きしめたい誰よりも...). The end credits sequence was also changed: it featured shots of American ''X-Men'' comic books set to the song "Back to You" (バック･トウ･ユー), also by Ambience. The TV Tokyo dub was directed by Yoshikazu Iwanami and featured scripts rewritten to include a more humorous, self-satirical tone as well as an emphasis on comical adlibbing (a hallmark of Iwanami's dubbing style). Episodes were edited for time so that new segments could be added to the end which promoted the '' X-Men: Children of the Atom'' video game from Capcom. The dub actors would pretend to play the game as their characters and make humorous asides and remarks. ''X-Men'' was dubbed a second time in the early 2000s for broadcast on Toon Disney (Japan). This dub was more faithful to the original English scripts and episodes were not cut for time. The Toon Disney version used the original American intro and end credits rather than the unique ones created for the TV Tokyo version. Two versions of the episode "No Mutant is an Island" exist with completely different animation. The first version was aired for Toon Disney re-runs and can be seen in digital streaming services such as Amazon Video, aired on Fox Kids in the United States, and uses the remixed intro theme from Season 5. The second version is available on region 1 DVD, aired on Fox Kids overseas, and uses the default intro theme from Seasons 1–4.

Viewership

In its prime, ''X-Men'' garnered very high ratings for a Saturday morning cartoon, and it received praise for adapting many different storylines from the comics. Haim Saban credits the success of the series in assisting him to sell his next project to Fox, the live action series ''

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is a superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s pop culture phenomenon along ...

''. ''X-Men'' reached a viewership of over households.

Legacy

Revival

By 2019, there were talks ongoing with

to revive the series. In November 2021, a revival titled ''X-Men '97'' was revealed to premiere on the service in 2023, which will continue the plot of the series. Beau DeMayo will serve as head writer, with most of the surviving cast members of the original series reprising their roles, including Dodd, Zann, Buza, Disher, Potter, Sealy-Smith, Hough, and Britton. They will be joined by

Jennifer Hale Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...

, Anniwaa Buachie, Ray Chase, Matthew Waterson,

JP Karliak John Paul "JP" Karliak is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing characters, such as Linus in ''The Stinky & Dirty Show'' and Wile E. Coyote in '' Wabbit/New Looney Tunes'', Naysaya in the Disney XD animated series '' Star vs. th ...

, Holly Chou, Jeff Bennett, and A. J. Locascio; Court will not be reprising her role as Jubilee, and will instead voice another character as she asked for Jubilee to be voiced by an Asian actress. The series will be produced by Marvel Studios Animation, but will not take place within the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

Comics

''X-Men Adventures''

''X-Men Adventures'' was a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

spin-off of the animated series. Beginning in November 1992, it adapted the first three seasons of the show; in April 1996, it became ''Adventures of the X-Men'', which contained original stories set within the same continuity. The comic book lasted until March 1997, shortly after the show's cancellation by the

Fox Network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...

. ; Bibliography: * ''X-Men Adventures'' vol. 1 (1992–94) (15 issues) * ''X-Men Adventures'' vol. 2 (1994–95) (13 issues) * ''X-Men Adventures'' vol. 3 (1995–96) (13 issues) * ''Adventures of the X-Men'' (1996–97) (12 issues) Additionally, stories featuring the same characters were print through the 19 issues run of ''Spider-Man Magazine'', published between March 1994 and March 1997, alongside stories inspired by the animated series '' Spider-Man''.

''X-Men '92''

The comic book series ''

X-Men '92 ''X-Men '92'' was originally a limited series as one of the many tie-in titles for Marvel's 2015 ''Secret Wars'' event and later was released in its second volume as a continuous series in early 2016, starring members of the popular 1990s Fox Ki ...

'' was first released as one of the many tie-in titles for Marvel's 2015 ''

Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with ...

'' event, and continued in its second volume as a regular series in early 2016, starring characters of the TV show's reality. In January 2022 Marvel announced a new series inspired by the cartoon, ''X-Men '92: House of XCII''. Scheduled for publication in April of that same year, the series will explore an alternate universe where the events of

Jonathan Hickman Jonathan Hickman (born September 3, 1972) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for his creator-owned series '' The Nightly News'', ''The Manhattan Projects'' and ''East of West'', as well as his lengthy stints as a writer on M ...

's ''

House of X and Powers of X ''House of X'' and ''Powers of X'' (abbreviated as ''HOX'' and ''POX'') are two 2019 comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics featuring the X-Men, but writer Jonathan Hickman and artists Pepe Larraz, R.B. Silva and Marte Gracia. Both book ...

'' happened decades earlier, in the '90s of the original show.

Books

''Previously on X-Men''

In 2017, series developer and showrunner Eric Lewald released the book ''Previously on X-Men: The Making of an Animated Series'', which features his interviews with 36 of the staff and voice cast behind the TV series, as well as Lewald's personal experiences on the series' development and production.

''X-Men: The Art and Making of The Animated Series''

In 2020, Eric Lewald and Julia Lewald released the book ''X-Men: The Art and Making of The Animated Series'', which features previously unseen concept art, storyboards, character models, background layouts, animation cels, and other production/promotional materials, along with new interviews with the series principal artists and production staff.

Video games

* ''X-Men Cartoon Maker'': The PC game ''X-Men Cartoon Maker'' was a recreational software package that allowed the user to create animations with a minimal level of sophistication by utilizing a library of backdrops, animations and sound effects from the show. Wolverine and Storm (voice-only) help you out. * Capcom's ''VS. Series'': The characters in the series were licensed by Capcom and were the inspiration for the video game '' X-Men: Children of the Atom'', which in turn would be the basis for the ''

Marvel vs. Capcom is a series of crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their own video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series originated as coin-operated arcade games, though ...

'' sub-series of video games. Most of the voice actors who did the voices in the series reprised their roles for the video game. Capcom would continue to use these characters long after the show was cancelled before eventually losing the rights to create Marvel-based games to

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...

in 2001. Capcom, however, would reacquire the rights in 2008 and released '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'' in 2011.

In film

The series was credited for being responsible for the beginning development of the 2000 ''

'' film. Fox Kids owner

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

was impressed by the success of the TV show, and producer

Lauren Shuler Donner Lauren Diane Shuler Donner (born June 23, 1949) is an American film producer, who specializes in mainstream youth and family-oriented entertainment. She owned The Donners' Company with her late husband, director Richard Donner. Her films have g ...

purchased the film rights for them in 1994. The film's success led to the beginning of a

film franchise A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. This article explains what film series are ...

which includes a series of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs for two decades up to 2020, when the series came to an end due to

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's acquisition of Fox, with the character rights reverting to Marvel Studios. In the 2022

film ''

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...

'', produced by Marvel Studios, the theme song from the TV series (orchestrated by Danny Elfman and credited as ''X-Men '97 Theme'') is played when

Charles Xavier Professor X (Charles Francis Xavier) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as the founder and sometimes leader of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co- ...

(portrayed by

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...

) first appears; in the film, unlike his previous performances as the character in Fox's ''X-Men'' franchise, Stewart's Xavier is visually redesigned to match his animated counterpart, complete with his iconic green suit, blue and black tie, and yellow hoverchair.

In television

In the ''

Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. M ...

'' episode " No Normal", set in the MCU, the theme song from the ''X-Men'' animated series is played when

Kamala Khan Kamala Khan is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson, and artists Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie, Kamala is Marvel's first ...

discovers that she is a "

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

Lawsuit

On October 9, 2019, Hungarian immigrant Zoltan Krisko filed a lawsuit against

Marvel Entertainment Group Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. The company is a wholly owned ...

Haim Saban Haim Saban (; he, חיים סבן; born October 15, 1944) is an Israeli-American media proprietor, investor, and producer of records, film, and television. A businessman with interests in financial services, entertainment, and media, and an e ...

, Shuki Levy,

UMG Recordings Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

, the current distributor of Disney Music Group and

Fox Corporation Fox Corporation (stylized in all-caps as FOX Corporation) is a publicly traded American mass media company operated and controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. Incorporated ...

. He claims the song was plagiarized from the theme song to the 1984–91 Hungarian action-adventure television series ''

Linda Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...

'', which was composed by Gyorgy Vukan.

Notes

References

Sources

External links