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X-Men: Evolution
240px|
Format Animated
Teen drama
Comedy-drama
Developed by Marvel Animation
Film Roman
Voices of David Kaye
Meghan Black
Alessandro Juliani
Scott McNeil
Michael Donovan
Kirsten Williamson
Michael Kopsa
Kirby Morrow
Venus Terzo
Maggie Blue O'Hara
Christopher Grey
Neil Denis
Christopher Judge
Colleen Wheeler
James Horan|
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 52 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Rick Ungar
Avi Arad
Stan Lee
Running time 22 minutes
Production company(s) Marvel Animation
Film Roman
Broadcast
Original channel Kids' WB
Original run November 4, 2000 (2000-11-04) – October 25, 2003 (2003-10-25)
Chronology
Preceded by X-Men
Followed by Wolverine and the X-Men|

X-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series| about the Marvel Comics superhero team X-Men.[1] In this incarnation, many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults. The series ran for a total of four seasons (52 episodes) from November 2000 until October 2003 on Kids' WB, which has made it the third longest-running Marvel Comics animated series, behind only Fox Kids' X-Men| and Spider-Man| animated series. The series began running on Disney XD| on June 15, 2009.

Plot[]

Season one[]

The first season introduces the core characters and lays the foundations for future story lines. Professor X, Cyclops|, Wolverine|, Storm| and Jean Grey make up the original X-Men. As the season develops, the ranks of the X-Men are bolstered by the appearance of Nightcrawler| in the first episode,[2] Shadowcat| in the second, Spyke in the fifth and Rogue| (who originally joins the Brotherhood in the fourth episode) in the third. In the later episodes of this season, Nightcrawler discovers the identity of his birth mother, Wolverine finds answers to his past, Rogue switches sides to join the X-Men and Xavier's half-brother, Juggernaut|, is released from his prison.

Confrontations are typically with the Brotherhood, who vie for new recruits with the X-Men over the course of the season. Toad| is the first to be introduced, followed by Avalanche|, Blob| and Quicksilver|. The Brotherhood, led by Mystique|, are in fact being directed by a higher power, the identity of whom was "revealed" in the two-part season finale as being Magneto|. After Cyclops discovers that his brother Alex| actually survived the plane crash that killed their parents, they are both taken by Magneto into his "sanctuary" on Asteroid M. Magneto captures several X-Men and Brotherhood members in an attempt to amplify their mutant abilities and remove their emotions. The brotherhood and X-Men show up leaving Magneto and Mystique trapped on the asteroid. Asteroid M is destroyed by Scott and Alex Summers, but not before two metal spheres fly from the exploding asteroid.

Season two[]

The second season sees the addition of several new mutants, including Beast|, who becomes a teacher at the Xavier Institute| and an X-Man, as well as a version of the New Mutants: Boom Boom|, Sunspot|, Iceman|, Wolfsbane|, Magma|, Multiple|, Jubilee|, Berzerker| and Cannonball|. During the course of the season, it is revealed that the villains who supposedly perished on Asteroid M are actually alive. Sabretooth| continues his pursuit of Wolverine, while Magneto continues to work his own agenda. Mystique poses as Risty Wilde, a high school student at Bayville High who befriends Rogue and breaks into the mansion to steal Xavier's Cerebro files. Using the files, she recovers Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, Magneto's daughter and Quicksilver|'s sister. The mentally unstable mutant joins the Brotherhood upon Mystique's return, allowing them to defeat the X-Men in a battle at the Bayville Mall. Before the finale, a pivotal episode aired featuring the telepath Mesmero opening one of three doors that would unleash a mutant known as Apocalypse|.

In the season finale, Xavier rigorously trains his X-Men to face Magneto, pairing them with the Brotherhood. Cyclops, furious with having to work with his former adversaries, leaves the team. The mansion is later set to self-destruct with Cyclops and several students still inside. Magneto, meanwhile, recruits Sabretooth, Gambit|, Pyro| and Colossus| as his Acolytes| to fight the X-Men/Brotherhood team. At the same time, Wolverine is captured by Bolivar Trask to use as a test subject for the anti-mutant weapon, the Sentinel|. Magneto continues to manipulate events by unleashing the Sentinel onto the city, forcing the X-Men to use their powers in public. Wanda tracks down Magneto and attacks him while he is trying to deal with the Sentinel that is targeting him. The Sentinel is damaged and apparently crushes Magneto as it falls. When the mutants who have not been captured by the Sentinel return to the remains of the mansion, Cyclops and the students emerge from the explosion with minor injuries. Scott throws Xavier from his wheelchair and blames him for blowing up the mansion. Everyone is shocked as Xavier calmly stands up, transforming into Mystique.

Season three[]

In seasons three and four, the show notably begins to take a much more serious tone. After the battle with the Sentinel, the mutants are no longer a secret and public reaction is one of hostility. The show is brought into more traditional X-Men lore, dealing with themes of prejudice, public misconception, and larger threats. As the season progresses, the real Xavier is found, Mystique is defeated, the mansion is rebuilt and the X-Men allowed back into Bayville High. Wanda continues to search for Magneto (who was saved by his son, Quicksilver, at the last minute) until Magneto uses the telepathic mutant Mastermind| to change her childhood memories. Scott and Jean develop a stronger and closer romantic relationship (particularly after Mystique kidnaps Scott and brings him to Mexico), and Spyke leaves the X-Men when his mutant ability becomes uncontrollable, deciding to live with the sewer-dwelling mutants, the Morlocks|.

As part of the series arc|, Rogue loses control of her powers, leading to her hospitalization. During this time, she learns she was the adoptive daughter of Mystique. Mystique, through the visions of the mutant Destiny|, foresaw that the fate of Rogue and herself lay in the hands of an ancient mutant that would be resurrected. Apocalypse emerges in the season's final episodes. Mesmero manipulates Magneto into opening the second door, and uses Mystique and a hypnotized Rogue to open the last, turning Mystique to stone in the process. Now released, Apocalypse easily defeats the combined strength of the X-Men, Magneto, the Acolytes, and the Brotherhood before escaping.[3]

Season four[]

The final season contained only nine episodes. In the season premiere, Apocalypse apparently kills Magneto while Rogue murders Mystique by pushing her petrified figure off a cliff, leaving Nightcrawler without closure. The Brotherhood become temporary do-gooders, Wolverine's teenage girl clone X-23 returns, Spyke and the Morlocks rise to the surface, Shadowcat discovers a mutant ghost| who is found in an underground cave, Rogue is kidnapped by Gambit and taken to Louisiana to help free his father, and Xavier travels to Scotland in order to confront his son Lucas|. The character Leech| is also introduced as a young boy.

In the finale, Apocalypse defeats Xavier and Storm, transforming them, along with Magneto and Mystique, into his Four Horsemen|. Apocalypse instructs his Horsemen to protect his three domes and his 'base of operations', which will turn the entire world population into mutants. In the final battle, the Horsemen are returned to normal and Apocalypse is sent through time. Rogue and Nightcrawler refuse the excuses of their mother, Shadowcat and Avalanche find love once again, Magneto is reunited with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, Storm and Spyke are also reunited, and Xavier sees his students reunited as the X-Men.

Final moments[]

The series ends with a speech by Charles Xavier, who had caught a glimpse of the future while being controlled by Apocalypse. The following future scenarios were foreseen:

  • Continued anti-mutant sentiment.
  • A reformed Magneto teaching the New Mutants, including a returned Jubilee| and Wolfsbane|.
  • Jean turning into the Phoenix. Had the series continued, the show's next season would have focused on the "Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Saga".
  • The future X-Men team, consisting of Cyclops, Nightcrawler, X-23, Iceman, Beast, Shadowcat, Colossus, Rogue (able to fly and not wearing gloves), and Storm. The uniforms these future X-Men wear look very much like the dark uniforms seen in the Ultimate X-Men comic, as well as that of the live-action feature films.
  • The Brotherhood, including the Scarlet Witch and Pyro, standing in front of a S.H.I.E.L.D sign.
  • A fleet of Sentinels led by Nimrod|.
  • The last scene shows the X-Men, the New Mutants, Gambit| and Colossus| (former Acolytes|), Boom Boom|, Havok|, Angel|, X-23, and Spyke.

Cast and characters[]

240px|thumb|right|The entire X-Men roster as seen in the series finale.|

Main article: List of X-Men: Evolution characters
  • Cyclops| (Kirby Morrow) is somewhat toned down from his comic book counterpart; he is less stiff and possesses a more open sense of humor. Contrasting with many other incarnations, Cyclops is not the aloof, doubtful loner, but a handsome and confident leader who exudes natural authority, although he is still somewhat standoffish. While the other students tend to look up to him, his competitive nature and closely held temper will get in the way at times. He is the most officious and rule-abiding of the X-Men and the least likely to fool around.
  • Jean Grey (Venus Terzo) was "Miss Popular" of the X-Men: smart, athletic, beautiful, well-liked, and the second-in-command after Cyclops. However, she is more insecure than her comic book counterpart and possesses a jealous streak when it comes to Scott Summers. Unlike many mutants who began as social outcasts and came to find their horizons expanded through their association with the Institute, Jean starts out from a high position of status.
  • Nightcrawler| (Brad Swaile) is the teleporting humorist of the team. The Evolution Nightcrawler is very similar to his comic version and has a friendly big-brother relationship with Cyclops. During his early days at the institute, he was still feeling very insecure about fitting in and compensated for it with excessive goofiness until the episode "Middleverse." Kurt is the biological son of Mystique, but was raised by kind foster parents in Germany (instead of being abandoned by Mystique, she accidentally dropped him over a bridge while escaping Magneto, and when she saw he had been taken in by foster parents, she decided to let him remain with them).
  • Shadowcat| (Maggie Blue O'Hara) possesses the mutant ability to become cognitively intangible, allowing her to pass or "phase" through solid objects at will. She is the second youngest member of the team; her culinary skills are a constant source of dismay among the others. Kitty led a very sheltered life before joining the X-Men and was initially afraid of Nightcrawler's "demonic" appearance, but she has since grown into a very open-minded and worldly young lady, and she and Kurt Wagner eventually develop a very close brother and sister friendship.
  • Spyke (Neil Denis) is Storm's nephew, with the ability to project bonelike spikes from his skin. He is the youngest member of the team. Spyke would much rather play basketball or skateboard than study; he has problems with authority, making him the "rebel" of the main team. Spyke and Quicksilver had an ongoing rivalry since childhood that culminated when Pietro framed Evan for robbery. Later in the series, he joins the Morlocks, but reappears as a protector of mutants.
  • Wolverine| (Scott McNeil), though similar in most ways to the classic Wolverine, has been seriously toned down in violence, has a slightly different hairstyle, and is designed to be more of a role model for the students and appeared more as a "gruff uncle" type character. He is also in charge of the students combat and survival training and is famous among the students for his apparently difficult and challenging methods, as well as his strict and unyielding teaching manner.
  • Storm| (Kirsten Williamson), like her codename implies, is able to harness and manipulate the forces of nature. Storm can summon lightning from a benign sky, manifest violent storms, call up freezing blizzards and bring all forms of precipitation to bear. She can even harness the power of wind, allowing her to fly. Ororo is known for her calm personality and regal manner, and she was even worshipped as a Goddess in Africa due to her ability to summon the rains.
  • Rogue| (Meghan Black)is a reclusive, paranoid goth. She has a great deal of angst with respect to her powers, which keep her from ever safely touching anyone. Due to the machinations of Mystique, Rogue initially distrusted the X-Men, but after learning that Mystique tricked her by attacking her posing as members of the X-Men, she accepted their membership. At first annoyed by Nightcrawler's joking behavior, she becomes close to him after learning that she is his adopted sister, and both renounce Mystique for abusing them. The series established no birth name for Rogue and gave no hints to it after her introductory episode. Rogue's mutant ability allows her to draw upon the aspects of another (memories, habits, speech patterns, powers [if mutant]) through bare skin to skin contact. It is uncontrollable and possibly deadly.
  • Beast| (Michael Kopsa) joins during the second season. Beast is similar to his comic counterpart in most ways, though the Evolution version speaks more casually. He was originally a gym coach and chemistry teacher at Bayville High before his latent transformation into the apelike Beast could no longer be controlled with the medications he had formulated upon first learning of his mutation. This change of fortune forced him to retire and join the X-Men, where he could continue to teach. It was during the initial discovery of his mutation that he became acquainted with Professor Xavier.

Music[]

X-Men: Evolution featured several songs that were produced exclusively for the show:

  • "Only a Girl (The Bayville Sirens' Theme)" in "Walk on the Wild Side".
  • "T-O-A-D (Toad's Theme)" in "The Toad, the Witch and the Wardrobe".
  • "Who Am I Now? (Rogue's Theme)" in "Rogue Recruit".
  • "Wolverine (Wolverine's Theme)" in a promotional video.
  • "Evolution Theme (Theme Song)" in the start of the show.

The theme and score for X-Men Evolution was composed and produced by William Kevin Anderson. Several characters had distinct musical cues, including Avalanche| (heavy guitar riffs) and Storm| (orchestra piece). Others had special sound effects. These include Jean Grey (light chime noise), Rogue| (also has a unique, black and white special effect), Magneto|, Gambit|, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler|. The main theme song was recorded by William Anderson|.

Production notes[]

One of the main points of the new X-Men: Evolution concept was the design of the new costumes. Early concept art sketches show the X-Men in classic gold-and-black garb. In these drafts, Spyke wears cornrows, Rogue's outfit exposes her midriff, and Jean Grey's costume is the female version of Cyclops' costume. Both Jean Grey and Shadowcat wear face masks, and Kitty is also wearing an orange miniskirt and Doc Martens| over spandex. Early Storm drawings show her wearing white rather than black.[citation needed]

A point of controversy was the design of the blue-skinned villain Mystique. Steven E. Gordon, the character designer and director of various episodes, was never impressed with the Mystique designs for the first season. Mystique was originally to be presented as nude (as in the films|), but Warner Brothers did not want this included in a Kids' WB! production.[4] However, a short scene of Mystique drawn to resemble her film counterpart (albeit clothed) appears in the Season 1 finale. Gordon stopped directing after two seasons, but continued to design characters for the show. He is most satisfied with the designs of Rogue and Wanda.[4]

The show also contained various pop culture references: in episode 9 of the first season, one of Wolverine's defensive programs for the Danger Room is referred to as "Logan's Run X13", a clear reference to the novel/film Logan's Run. The Rogue/Kitty dance in "Spykecam" was modeled after a similar dance in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Bad Girls".[5] The play used in the first season episode "Spykecam", Dracula: The Musical, is a real play. The song used, however, is an original song made for the episode. The writers of the show have also admitted that they were fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Using Shadowcat as the catalyst, the two shows appear similar: a teenage girl with superpowers fights powerful villains in order to save her high school.[5] Buffy creator Joss Whedon has openly credited his inspiration for Buffy as Kitty Pryde.[6]

Starting with the first episode of Season 4, "Impact", the episode title was no longer aired on-screen at the beginning of the show, and X-Men: Evolution became the third longest-running Marvel cartoon, behind Spider-Man: The Animated Series| (5 seasons, 65 episodes) and X-Men: The Animated Series| (5 seasons, 76 episodes). Boyd Kirkland, the show's producer, says his favorite X-Men: Evolution season is Season 3.[4] The monthly budget for X-Men: Evolution was $350,000.[citation needed]

Successors[]

The show gave birth to a new series Wolverine and the X-Men|, which began airing in 2008. It was not a continuation of X-Men: Evolution, though the same creative team behind the show: Craig Kyle, Chris Yost, Steven E Gordon, Greg Johnson, Steven Blum, and Boyd Kirkland, all returned to work on the series.

In 2012, Jean Grey and Robert Kelly (voiced by their respective X-Men: Evolution actors) appeared in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures episode "The X-Factor".

Awards and nominations[]

X-Men: Evolution won the award for Outstanding Sound Mixing – Special Class at the 28th Daytime Emmy Awards, on May 18, 2001[7] and won the award for Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action and Animation at the 30th Daytime Emmy Awards, on May 16, 2003.[8]

It also won the Cover of the Year Award in 2004 for best animated figure for Beast. It was nominated for several Golden Reel Awards|, as well as other Emmys. Steven E. Gordon, the director of this show, was nominated in the Production Design in an Animated Television Production category for X-Men: Evolution at the 2001 Annie Awards.

Analysis[]

Comparison with original comics[]

The X-Men: Evolution series was targeted at a younger audience and as such portrays the majority of characters as teenagers rather than adults like in X-Men: The Animated Series.[2] In the series, like many animated series based on comics, completely new characters were introduced including Spyke.[9][10] As much of the cast were teenagers, they are shown regularly attending high school in addition to the Xavier's Institute. At the latter, Professor X, Storm, Wolverine and later Beast also acted as their teachers at the institute. Beast also served as a teacher to the cast at high school prior to his transformation.

X-Men: Evolution is set in Bayville, the state established in the episode "The Beast of Bayville", where Kitty Pryde receives a package addressed to Bayville, NY. Furthermore, in the early part of the series (until the end of season 2) most people are unaware of the existence of mutants. Also, the "Brotherhood" team is not known as the "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants" within the context of this series. They are not a team of terrorists or mutant supremacists. Instead, the Brotherhood is made up of misfit mutants who often oppose the X-Men (in physical, social and philosophical realms).

The series was created as a stark contrast to X-Men: The Animated Series. The Series Bible was written by Robert N. Skir and Marty Isenberg (albeit uncredited), who meant to take The X-Men back to their roots as high school students learning to control their superpowers, as when the comics termed them "The Strangest Teens Of All".[citation needed] Whereas the Fox series reflected the then-current role of X-Men as freedom fighters battling persecution and bigotry against mutantkind, X-Men: Evolution used the theme of mutant powers as a metaphor for the struggles of adolescence.[2]

The look of the series was designed by Producer Boyd Kirkland and artist Frank Paur who created new costumes for the X-Men, replacing the comics-faithful designs of X-Men: The Animated Series with anime-influenced costumes which were much more animation friendly.

The first season mainly concerned the characters' conflict with Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants as well as served as an introductory to many of the characters to allow people to get used to these new teenage versions. Later seasons predominantly featured Apocalypse as an adversary, introduced versions of the New Mutants, Morlocks| and Magneto's Acolytes as well as posed the U.S. Government as an adversary to all parties.

The series revealed a detailed knowledge of canon history in a number of small ways. Examples include the evolution of Cerebro from a console device, Shadowcat's initial uneasiness around Nightcrawler and Forge's| scientific arrogance along with his devices causing unintended consequences. Rogue is shown to absorb Cyclops' powers in the correct manner. In the Fox series, she also absorbed his lack of control over his beams (which was a result of a brain injury, not inherent in his powers). X-Men: Evolution shows her with full control over them, just as Scott would if he had not sustained a brain injury. In "Survival of the Fittest", Xavier says that Juggernaut acquired his powers through mysticism (but unlike the comic, says that it unlocked a latent mutant power), and in "The Cauldron" Magneto develops his mutant-enhancing technology from that same Jewel of Cyttorak (but says that he has found it to be scientific rather than mystical). In "Day of Recovery", Toad| is seen to be quite comfortable with technology and in "Operation Rebirth", the POW| camp Magneto is held in as a child is visually similar (in the opening shot) to Auschwitz| though it is not identified as such.

In addition Beast|'s origin is almost identical to that of the comic, despite the change in profession and setting. Mesmero is shown as part of a circus troupe, much like his appearance in the "Phoenix Saga". Aside from this, supporting characters like Bolivar Trask, Nick Fury, Captain America, Destiny, Agatha Harkness, and Amanda Sefton were all taken from the X-Men comic, usually serving to homage to originals without necessarily staying completely faithful to their form.

Another difference between the comic and the show is the name changes. Toad, originally Mortimer Toynbee, is changed to Todd Tolansky, and Avalanche, originally Dominic Petros, is changed to Lance Alvers. Both changed names have similarities to their codenames. Also, their nationalities were changed to American from, respectively, British and Greek.

Evolution characters in the comics and films[]

X-23, an original character introduced in later seasons,[11] made her comic book debut in the miniseries NYX|,[12] where her appearance was slightly altered to more closely resemble Wolverine. She received a self-titled comic miniseries in 2005.[12][13] Much like Harley Quinn of Batman: The Animated Series, Terry McGinnis of Batman Beyond or Marvel's own Firestar of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, she was a character originally created for an animated series that was incorporated into comic book canon|.[14] The character of Dr. Deborah Risman which created X-23, the clone of Wolverine,[11] was also created for the show and was replaced with a similar character named Dr. Sarah Kinney in the miniseries X-23.[12][13]

The comic book X-Statix featured an African-American mutant with the same codename and abilities as Spyke; however, this version of Spyke was not related to Storm, had a very different personality (modeled after popular gangsta rappers), and is a completely separate character. Another similar character appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand, but as a Caucasian member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. He is listed as Spike in the credits, but is not mentioned by name in the film, and has no dialogue. When Wolverine invades the forest base of the Brotherhood, Spike is one of the characters that attacks him, demonstrating abilities identical to those shown by the Spyke character before he lost control of his mutation. In the canon Storm has a teenaged cousin, not a nephew, named David Evans, but he is apparently too young to display any mutant abilities.

Marvel references and cameos[]

X-Men: Evolution weaves many references and cameos into its show. One of the masks worn by the vandals in the Season 3 episode "Mainstream", bears a suitable resemblance to the classic Marvel Comics monster, Fin Fang Foom. In the Season 3 episode "Under Lock and Key", circumstances gather a mix of X-Men, junior members, and nonmembers into a mission team that matches the original X-Men team (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman, and Angel)—Iceman mentions that this is "definitely the cool team."[15] In the Season 3 episode "Dark Horizons Part 1" when Rogue enters Kitty's room, Kitty is seen sleeping with a stuffed purple dragon, a reference to Lockheed, her purple dragon companion. Also in "Dark Horizons Part 2", Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Shadowcat are grouped together when the X-Men and the Acolytes are separated, a reference to the Europe-based superhero team Excalibur| which included all three mutants in its roster.[16]

Captain America and Nick Fury are the only non-mutant Marvel superheroes to appear on Evolution. There is also, however, a small Iron Man reference in the episode "On Angel's Wings", when a sign reading "Stark Enterprises" is seen during an exterior shot of New York City and a small Spider-Man reference when Angel was reading the Daily Bugle, the newspaper that Peter Parker/Spider-Man normally takes pictures for. In addition, Omega Red mentions Maverick| and Kestrel| in the episode "Target X", referring to the latter as "Wraith". In "Dark Horizons Part 2" the hieroglyphics translated by Beast refer to the Pharaoh Rama-Tut, one identity of Kang the Conqueror.

Releases[]

iTunes release[]

All four seasons are available for download in SD format on iTunes (Only available for America), being released in 2009 by Marvel. All 4 seasons immediately broke into the Top 10 Animation charts on iTunes, with season 4 peaking at #3.

DVD release[]

The first three seasons have been released on DVD. Season 3 was released as a two disc set, while Seasons 1 & 2 were released in 4 volumes each.[17][18][19] The fourth season has not yet been released on DVD as of 2013.

Netflix[]

As of July 1, 2013, only Season One is currently available on Netflix Instant in the United States.

YouTube[]

All four seasons are currently on YouTube.

Google Play[]

All four seasons are currently available on Google Play.

Hulu[]

All four seasons are currently available on Hulu.

Merchandise[]

Comic books[]

In January 2002, Marvel Comics began publishing an X-Men: Evolution comic book, partially based on the show. Written by Devin K. Grayson with art by Studio XD, it was abruptly canceled after the ninth issue due to low sales. The series has been reprinted in two trade paperbacks.[20]

The comic introduced the Evolution version of the Morlocks before they appeared on the show, and their appearances and motivations were radically different in both versions. It also featured an appearance from Mimic| who never appeared on the show.

An ongoing plot line would have introduced the Evolution version of Mister Sinister, but the comic was canceled before it could be resolved. However, the cover of the unreleased issue 10 does reveal his intended character design.

Action figurines[]

Toy Biz| created a line of action figures. Taco Bell ran the first X-Men: Evolution themed promotion with its Kid's Meals.[21] Burger King also ran a Kid's Meal promotion which included X-Men: Evolution toys. Each toy included a mini-disc with games, screen-savers, and a mini-comic related to the character. The lineup included Rogue, Mystique, Cyclops, Wolverine, Magneto, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, and Toad.[22]

References[]

  1. "The History of Wolverine and the X-Men on TV". IGN. http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/709/709943p3.html. Retrieved 2010-08-21. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Evan Levine Ten years tough for X-Men Rome News-Tribune – November 21, 2000. Retrieved June 8, 2011
  3. [1]
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Marvel Animation Age Presents: X-Men: Evolution
  5. 5.0 5.1 Beyond Evolution: X-Men Evolution
  6. Joss Whedon Talks X-Men, Firefly Movie
  7. Yarbrough, Beau (May 21, 2001). 'Batman Beyond,' 'X-Men: Evolution' win Daytime Emmys. [[wikipedia:Comic Book Resources|]]. Retrieved on June 8, 2011.
  8. IMDb.com: "X-Men: Evolution" (2000) – Awards
  9. "The X-teens". Sun Sentinel. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2000-12-10/entertainment/0012080789_1_ultimate-x-men-diamond-comics-distributors-superheroes/2. Retrieved 2010-10-23. 
  10. "The History of Wolverine and the X-Men on TV". IGN. http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/709/709943p3.html. Retrieved 2010-10-23. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 Curt Geda (d), Craig Kyle (w) and Chris Yost (w) (August 2, 2003). "X-23". X-Men: Evolution. Season 3. Episode 41. [[wikipedia:Kids' WB|]]. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ben Chabala (August 19, 2010). Unlimited Highlights: X-23. Marvel|. Retrieved on June 7, 2011.
  13. 13.0 13.1 [[wikipedia:Chris Yost|]] (w), Jonathan Sibal (i), [[wikipedia:X-23|]] No. 1 (January 12, 2005), [[wikipedia:Marvel Comics|]]
  14. Truitt, Brian (September 15, 2010). "Marjorie Liu brings humanity to the tortured teen of 'X-23'". USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/2010-09-15-x23-ST_N.htm. Retrieved June 8, 2011. 
  15. X-Men: Evolution "Under Lock and Key" Talkback (Spoilers) – Toon Zone Forum
  16. IMDb.com: "X-Men: Evolution" (2000) – Trivia
  17. "X-Men: Evolution – Enemies Unveiled". DVD Talk. http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/11641/x-men-evolution-enemies-unveiled/?___rd=1. Retrieved 2011-05-19. 
  18. Jeff Swindoll (April 8, 2006). DVD Review: X-Men Evolution: Mystique’s Revenge. [[wikipedia:Monsters and Critics|]]. Retrieved on June 8, 2011.
  19. Jeff Swindoll (May 28, 2006). DVD Review: X-Men Evolution – The Complete Third Season. [[wikipedia:Monsters and Critics|]]. Retrieved on June 8, 2011.
  20. Weiner, Robert G. (2008). Marvel graphic novels and related publications: an annotated guide to comics, prose novels, children's books, articles, criticism and reference works, 1965–2005. McFarland. pp. 385. ISBN 978-0-7864-2500-6. http://books.google.com/books?id=npIsZV7grboC&pg=PA115#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved June 8, 2011. 
  21. David Finnigan (January 1, 2001). "X-Men Dine at Taco Bell; 2001: No Big Odyssey". [[wikipedia:Brandweek|]]. http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/branding-brand-development/4673722-1.html. Retrieved June 8, 2011. 
  22. Jonah Weiland (December 19, 2001). Marvel and Burger King team up for X-Men Evolution promotion. [[wikipedia:Comic Book Resources|]]. Retrieved on October 23, 2010.

External links[]

Further information: List of X-Men video games
Adaptations of the X-Men in other media
Created by Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Original source Comics published by Marvel Comics
First appearance X-Men #1 (September 1963)
Print publications
Novel(s) X-Men: Dark Mirror
X-Men Mutant Empire Saga
Reference book(s) Science of the X-Men
Films and television
Film(s) Generation X (1996)
X-Men (2000)
X2 (2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men: First Class (2011)
The Wolverine (2013)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Deadpool (2016)
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Television
show(s)
The Pryde of the X-Men (1989)
X-Men (1992)
X-Men: Evolution (2000)
Wolverine and the X-Men (2008)

The X-Men are a fictional superhero team created by Marvel Comics that appear in comic books and various forms of media.

Animation[]

The Marvel Super Heroes[]

The X-Men made their first ever animated appearance on the The Marvel Super Heroes TV series in 1966 with Professor X commanding the original X-Men line-up of the Cyclops, the Beast, Marvel Girl, the Angel, and Iceman. The X-Men appeared in the Sub-Mariner episode "Dr. Doom's Day / The Doomed Allegiance / Tug of Death". Though the episode was adapted from Fantastic Four #6 (1962) and Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965), Grantray-Lawrence Animation did not have the rights to the Fantastic Four (their series was produced by Hanna-Barbera), and so instead substituted the X-Men.[1] The X-Men are never referred to in this episode as the X-Men but rather as the Allies for Peace.[2] The characters kept their original looks and individual names from the comics..

1980s[]

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends[]

The X-Men guest-starred in several episodes of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, which included Iceman, along with Spider-Man and Firestar, as the main characters, starting with a flashback in "The Origin of Iceman".[2] Appearing in this particular episode are Professor X and the five original X-Men: Iceman, the Angel, the Beast, Marvel Girl, and Cyclops. For the continuity of the show, Firestar was also a former member of the X-Men. X-Men member Sunfire would also pop up on his own in a later episode teaming up with the Amazing Friends, as well as representing a romantic interest for Firestar.

The X-Men's next appearance was in the episode "A Firestar is Born",[2] which included appearances from Professor X, Storm, the Angel, Cyclops, Wolverine, and the Juggernaut and cameos by Magneto and a Sentinel.

The X-Men would return the following season in the episode titled "The X-Men Adventure".[2] Making appearances this time were: Professor X, Cyclops, Sprite, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Thunderbird. This episode was meant to be a pilot for an X-Men cartoon that was slated to feature the X-Men characters, plus Lady Lightning (an animated version of Carol Danvers/Ms. Marvel) and Videoman as members.[3] The series was never produced.

Pryde of the X-Men television pilot[]

In 1989, Marvel Productions produced a half-hour pilot X-Men episode titled X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men. It related the story of Kitty Pryde's first adventure with the team of mutants which included Professor X, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler as they fought against Magneto, the White Queen, the Juggernaut, the Blob, Pyro, and the Toad.[2] The series was never picked up but the single episode aired infrequently in syndication during the Marvel Action Universe series and was released on video in 1990.[1]

In 1991, a six-player arcade game and a four-player version were based upon the pilot starring Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler as the playable characters. Kitty Pryde and Professor X also appear.

1990s[]

X-Men[]

In 1992, the Fox network launched an X-Men animated series with the roster of Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, the Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, Jean Grey, and Professor X with secondary background player Morph making occasional appearances. The two-part pilot episode, "Night of the Sentinels" began a five-season series. It was an extraordinary success and helped to widen the X-Men's popularity.[2] The five seasons ended in 1997. It returned to Fox's line-up for several months after the first movie was released in 2000.

Spider-Man[]

The X-Men guest starred on Spider-Man in episodes "The Mutant Agenda" and "Mutants Revenge", when Spider-Man seeks Professor X's help with his growing mutation disease. Storm would later guest-star in the Secret Wars arc.[2]

Fantastic Four[]

In 1995, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gambit, Wolverine, Storm, and the Juggernaut, along with the Scarlet Spider, made very quick cameos in the Fantastic Four series, in the episode "Nightmare in Green", as the Human Torch flies overhead.

2000s[]

X-Men: Evolution[]

In 2000, The WB Network launched the X-Men: Evolution television series, which portrayed the X-Men as teenagers attending a regular public high school in addition to the Xavier Institute. The series ended in 2003 after its fourth season. The show focused on Cyclops, Jean Grey, Spyke (Storm's nephew), Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, the Beast, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler.[2]

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series[]

In 2003, while not physically making an appearance, the X-Men and mutant-kind are mentioned in an episode of the short-lived CGI series Spider-Man: The New Animated Series called "The Party". Peter Parker is quoted as saying, "I bet the X-Men get to go to parties." Soon after, he is ambushed by a group of cops, one of them calling him a "mutant freak".

X-Men: Darktide[]

In 2006, Minimates released a short animated brickfilm called X-Men: Darktide on DVD with a box set of figures. The story involved the X-Men battling the Brotherhood at an oil rig. The X-Men team consists of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Archangel, Wolverine, the Beast, Xavier and Storm. The Brotherhood team is Mystique, Magneto and the Juggernaut.

Wolverine and the X-Men[]

In 2008, Marvel Studios released a new X-Men animated show that featured Wolverine. This series used a mesh of 2D/3D animation for characters and backgrounds. Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios, stated "X-Men is one of Marvel's crown jewels and it makes sense to focus on the popular Wolverine character for our second animation project." The new series titled Wolverine and the X-Men debuted in the United States on January 23, 2009 and in the U.K. in February. It also aired in Latin America and Canada. The team consisted of Wolverine, Emma Frost, Cyclops, the Beast, Storm, Shadowcat, Iceman, Rogue, Nightcrawler, the Angel, Jean Grey and Professor X. The show was cancelled after just one season due to financing issues.[2]

The Super Hero Squad Show[]

The X-Men have appeared on Cartoon Network's The Super Hero Squad Show.

2010s[]

Marvel Anime: X-Men[]

As part of a four-series collaboration between the Japanese Madhouse animation house and Marvel, the X-Men starred in a 12 episode anime series that premiered in Japan on Animax and in the United States on G4 in 2011.[4] The series deals with the X-Men coming to Japan to investigate the disappearance of Armor. The antagonists are reported to be the U-Men.[5]

Marvel Anime: Wolverine[]

As part of the same four-series collaboration as described above, several characters from the X-Men franchise, including Wolverine and Cyclops, are featured in a 12 episode anime series aired in Japan on Animax and in the United States on G4.

Live action television series[]

Legion[]

Main article: Legion (TV series)

In October 2015, Marvel Television announced that FX had ordered a pilot titled Legion, with Noah Hawley attached as writer, and executive producer alongside Donner, Singer, Kinberg, Jeph Loeb, Jim Chory, and John Cameron. The series tells the story of David Haller, who is diagnosed as schizophrenic, but following a strange encounter is confronted with the possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees might be real.[6] The next month, Kinberg compared the tone and direction of the show to Breaking Bad,[7] and in January 2016, Rachel Keller was cast as Syd, "a scrappy, optimistic woman in her 20s" who "still believes in happily ever after" and demonstrates powers that are "tied to human touch", similar to X-Men mainstay Rogue.[8][9]

Also in January, FX President John Landgraf revealed that construction of sets for the pilot had begun, and though episodes beyond the pilot had not yet been ordered, he had read scripts for further episodes, and expected Legion to be picked up for 10 episodes, likely airing later in 2016. He also revealed that the series would be set in a parallel universe to the film series where the government is just learning about the existence of mutants, that it would potentially take place "a few years in the past", and that there was still potential for characters from the films to appear in the series.[10] The next month, Dan Stevens was cast as Haller, while Aubrey Plaza, Jean Smart, and Amber Midthunder joined the cast as Haller's drug- and alcohol- addicted friend Lenny, his therapist Melanie, and the sheltered savant Kelly, respectively.[9][11] In March, Katie Aselton was cast in the role of Amy.[12][13] Hawley says he’s aiming for a more existential exploration and surreal or dreamlike quality where it’s not just about running and kicking.[14] The series was picked up by FX in early 2017 with eight episodes.[15] Singer later revealed that Legion would connect to futures X-Men films.[16][17] Hawley told Entertainment Weekly about a potential crossover with the TV series and movies saying that it is firm believer the show has to stand on its own two feet and a crossover to be possible we have to earn that right through the quality of our storytelling and hopefully our popularity.[18]

Hellfire[]

In October 2015, Marvel Television announced that Hellfire was in development with 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, with Donner, Singer, Kinberg, Loeb, and Chory attached as executive producers. Set in the late 1960s, the series follows an agent who learns that a power-hungry woman with "extraordinary" abilities is working with a clandestine society of millionaires, known as the Hellfire Club, to take over the world. Evan Katz, Manny Coto, Patrick McKay and JD Payne would co-create the series, while McKay and Payne would write the pilot based on a story by themselves, Katz, and Coto, and Katz and Coto would act as showrunners.[6] However, Katz, Coto, McKay, and Payne left the series in January 2016 to focus on 24: Legacy.[6][13][19] On July 12, 2016, Variety reported that Fox has scrapped the series.[20]

Untitled series[]

On July 12, 2016, Variety reported that Fox has picked a pilot from both Matt Nix and Singer, Donner, Kinberg, Loeb and Chory as executive producers that will focus on two ordinary parents who discover their children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive.[20] On January 11, 2017, Deadline reports that Fox, 20th Century Fox TV, and Marvel TV have responded well to his script, and a pilot pickup is expected shortly.[21] Nix also stated that the show will have a more direct connection to the film side of the X-Men film universe, than Legion, and will feature various characters from the film series and comics as well as new ones created for the television series.[22] Donner reveled to IGN in an interview that the Sentinels will appear on the show.[23] It was announced that Fox has picked up the series and Singer will direct the pilot episode.[24] On February 9, 2017, Blair Redfield was cast as Sam, the strong-headed Native American leader of the underground network.[25] On February 23, 2017, Jamie Chung was cast as Blink in the series.[26] On February 27, 2017, Stephen Moyer was cast as Reed Stewart, an attorney whose son is a mutant.[27] On February 28, 2017, Sean Teale was cast as Marcos Diaz/Eclipse, a rebellious mutant who can absorb and manipulate photons.[28] On March 1, 2017, Natalie Alyn Lind will play Lauren Stewart, Reed's mutant daughter.[29] On March 2, 2017, Amy Acker and Emma Dumont were cast as Kate Stewart, Reed's wife, and Lorna Dane / Polaris, respectively.[30] Percy Hynes was also cast as Andy who is a loner.

Motion comics[]

Marvel produced motion comics based on Astonishing X-Men, releasing them on Hulu, iTunes, the PlayStation Store, and other video services. These animated episodes were released on DVD through Shout! Factory. It has been announced that Marvel Knights Animation will continue animating Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's run[31] starting with the second storyline of the series X-Men: Dangerous.[32]

The titles in the series include:

  1. Astonishing X-Men: Gifted (2009)
  2. Astonishing X-Men: Dangerous (April 2012)
  3. Astonishing X-Men: Torn (August 2012)
  4. Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable (November 2012)

Films[]

Main article: X-Men (film series)

[[wikipedia:File:Wolverine (7343567212) (retouched).jpg|thumb|Wax figure of X-Men's Wolverine at Madame Tussauds]] The X-Men film series currently consists of nine superhero films based on the fictional Marvel Comics team of the same name. The first three films focus on the conflict between Professor Xavier and Magneto, who have opposing views on humanity's relationship with mutants. While Xavier believes humanity and mutants can coexist, Magneto believes a war is coming, which he intends to fight and win.

20th Century Fox bought the film rights to the characters in 1994. After numerous drafts, Bryan Singer was hired to direct X-Men for a 2000 release. Singer returned for the 2003 sequel X2, but left the franchise to direct Superman Returns. Singer was offered directing positions for other X-Men films, but declined, citing scheduling conflicts. Brett Ratner directed X-Men: The Last Stand for a 2006 release. Critics praised Singer's films for their dark, realistic tone, and focus on prejudice as a subtext. Although Ratner's film was met with mixed reviews, it out-grossed both of its predecessors.

There have been two spin-offs set before the three films: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, directed by Gavin Hood, was released on May 1, 2009, and X-Men: First Class, directed by Matthew Vaughn was released in June 2011. Other movies include a further Wolverine spin-off, The Wolverine, directed by James Mangold, set in Japan, was released in July 2013 and X-Men: Days of Future Past, a sequel to both the original trilogy and X-Men: First Class, with Singer returned to direct, was released in 2014. The spin-off Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds portraying the titular character of Deadpool, was released on February 12, 2016 and a sequel to Days of Future Past titled X-Men: Apocalypse was released on May 27, 2016. A Wolverine sequel titled Logan with Mangold returning is scheduled for a March 3, 2017 release. A Gambit film was set for an October 2016 release, it is still in development. An adaptation of X-Force and New Mutants are also in development, with Jeff Wadlow writing and directing X-Force and Josh Boone set to direct and co-write the screenplay with Knate Gwaltney for New Mutants.

Video games[]

Main article: List of X-Men video games

Early X-Men games[]

The first X-Men video game was released by Josh Toevs and LJN for the Nintendo Entertainment System and was titled The Uncanny X-Men. That same year (1989) a computer game was also released called X-Men: Madness in Murderworld. Another title, X-Men II: The Fall of the Mutants was released the year after.

Konami also created an X-Men arcade game in 1992, which featured six playable X-Men characters: Colossus, Cyclops, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine.

In 1992, the X-Men teamed with Spider-Man for Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, released for the Super NES, Genesis, Game Gear and Game Boy.

The following years saw the games X-Men: Gamesmaster's Legacy and X-Men: Mojo World released for the Sega Game Gear.

The X-Men made a few appearances in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro. Professor X (Daran Norris) and Rogue (Jennifer Hale) run a Danger Room simulation for the player to train in. Beast (Dee Bradley Baker) appears in the first level to demonstrate the controller functions to the player.

In the 1990s, Sega released two X-Men video games for its Genesis; X-Men and X-Men 2: Clone Wars. Wolverine starred in a solo game in 1994 for both the Super NES and Genesis titled Wolverine: Adamantium Rage. That same year, the X-Men appeared in the X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse game for the Super NES.

Fighting games[]

The X-Men are featured in many 2-D and 3-D fighting games.

In order of release:

Film-based games[]

To coincide with the release of the third film, Activision released X-Men: The Official Game which filled in gaps between X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, such as explaining Nightcrawler's absence from the third film.

X-Men Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance[]

X-Men Legends and its sequel are games that featured multiple X-Men as playable characters.

Deadpool, Iceman, Storm, and Wolverine are playable in the major Marvel video game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Colossus is playable on the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 versions of the game, and Jean Grey is playable on the GBA version. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Professor X, and Psylocke appear as NPC's on all versions while the Beast, Forge, Karma and Dr. Moira MacTaggert were mentioned by different characters. In addition, during a cut-scene, the Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Gambit, Magneto, Professor Xavier, Psylocke, and Shadowcat were seen defeated by Doctor Doom alongside the Hulk. Xbox 360 owners were later able to download eight new playable characters for the game, including X-Men heroes and villains: Cyclops, Magneto, Nightcrawler, and Sabretooth.[33]

In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2, Wolverine, Deadpool, Iceman, Storm, Gambit, and Jean Grey are featured as playable characters while Cyclops and Psylocke are exclusive to PS2, PSP and Wii. While Colossus appears as an NPC. In the briefing that follows the Wakanda incident, Captain America and Iron Man mention that the other X-Men members have been absorbed into The Fold. Psylocke, Cable, Magneto and the Juggernaut were later added as downloadable characters for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.

Books[]

Science of the X-Men by Linc Yaco and Karen Haber explains how different superpowers would work and how such abilities would affect the people that have them. The mutants featured include Quicksilver, Wolverine, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler.[34]

Several X-Men novels have been published.

Title Author Publisher ISBN Release Date Notes
The Marvel Superheroes Len Wein
Marv Wolfman
(editors)
Pocket Books 0671820915 / 9780671820916 August 1979 Pocket Books series (1978–1979) #9; short story collection; includes stories featuring the Avengers, Daredevil, the X-Men, and the Hulk.
X-Men: Cyclops and Phoenix Paul Mantell
Avery Hart
Random House 0679876596 / 9780679876595 October 1995 Young adult novel; "based on comics by Scott Lobdell"
X-Men: Sabretooth Unleashed Vicki Kamida Random House 0679876618 / 9780679876618 October 1995 Young adult novel; "based on comics by Larry Hama and Fabian Nicieza"
X-Men: Mutant Empire Book One: Siege Christopher Golden Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 1572971142 / 9781572971141 May 1996 First in Mutant Empire trilogy; is followed by Mutant Empire Book Two: Sanctuary
The Ultimate X-Men Stan Lee (editor) Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 1572972173 / 9781572972179 October 1996 Short story collection
X-Men: Mutant Empire Book Two: Sanctuary Christopher Golden Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 1572971800 / 9781572971806 November 1996 Second in Mutant Empire trilogy; is followed by Mutant Empire Book Three: Salvation
X-Men: Mutant Empire Book Three: Salvation Christopher Golden Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 1572972475 / 9781572972476 May 1997 Third in Mutant Empire trilogy
Generation X Scott Lobdell
Elliot S. Maggin
Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 1572972238 / 9781572972230 June 1997
X-Men: Smoke and Mirrors Eluki Bes Shahar Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 1572972912 / 9781572972919 September 1997
X-Men: Empire's End Diane Duane Putnam/BPMC (hardback); Berkley Boulevard/BPMC (paperback) 0399143343 / 9780399143342 (hardback); 0425164489
9780425164488 (paperback)
October 1997 (hardback)
September 1998 (paperback)
X-Men: The Jewels of Cyttorak Dean Wesley Smith Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 1572973293 / 9781572973299 December 1997
X-Men: Law of the Jungle Dave Smeds Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425164861 / 9780425164860 March 1998
X-Men: Prisoner X Ann Nocenti Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425164934 / 9780425164938 May 1998
Star Trek: The Next Generation/X-Men: Planet X Michael Jan Friedman Pocket Books 0671019163 / 9780671019167 May 1998 One of three separate crossovers between Marvel (all three featuring the X-Men) and Star Trek (the other two in the comics); Marvel at the time was publishing Star Trek comics (1996–1998)
X-Men and Spider-Man: Time's Arrow Book 1: The Past Tom DeFalco
Jason Henderson
Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425164527 / 9780425164525 July 1998 First in Time's Arrow trilogy; is followed by Time's Arrow Book 2: The Present
X-Men and Spider-Man: Time's Arrow Book 2: The Present Tom DeFalco
Adam-Troy Castro
Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425164152 / 9780425164150 August 1998 Second in Time's Arrow trilogy; is followed by Time's Arrow Book 3: The Future
X-Men and Spider-Man: Time's Arrow Book 3: The Future Tom DeFalco
Eluki Bes Shahar
Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425165000 / 9780425165003 September 1998 Third in Time's Arrow trilogy
X-Men: Codename Wolverine Christopher Golden Putnam/BPMC (hardback); Berkley Boulevard/BPMC (paperback) 0399144501 / 9780399144509 (hardback); 0425171116
9780425171110 (paperback)
October 1998 (hardback); May 2000 (paperback)
Generation X: Crossroads J. Steven York Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425166317 / 9780425166314 November 1998
X-Men: Soul Killer Richard Lee Byers Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425167372 / 9780425167373 February 1999
X-Men and the Avengers: Gamma Quest Book 1: Lost and Found Greg Cox Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425169731 / 9780425169735 July 1999 First in Gamma Quest trilogy; is followed by Gamma Quest Book 2: Search and Rescue
X-Men and the Avengers: Gamma Quest Book 2: Search and Rescue Greg Cox Berkley Boulevard/BPMC 0425169898 / 9780425169896 August 1999 Second in Gamma Quest trilogy; is followed by Gamma Quest Book 3: Friend or Foe?
X-Men and the Avengers: Gamma Quest Book 2: Friend or Foe? Greg Cox Berkley Boulevard 0425170381 / 9780425170380 June 2000 Third in Gamma Quest trilogy
X-Men Legends Stan Lee (editor) Berkley Boulevard 0425170829 / 9780425170823 June 2000 Short story collection
X-Men: Shadows of the Past Michael Jan Friedman BP Books/iBooks 0743400186 / 9780743400183 (hardback); 074342378X / 978-0743423786 (paperback) June 2000 (hardback)
June 2001 (paperback)
X-Men Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith Del Rey 0345440951 / 9780345440952 June 2000 Novelization of 2000 X-Men movie
X-Men/Doctor Doom: The Chaos Engine Book One Steven A. Roman BP Books/iBooks 0613950569 / 978-0613950565 (hardback); 0743400194
9780743400190 (paperback)
0743434838 / 9780743434836 (paperback)
July 2000 (hardback); July 2000 (paperback); August 2001 (paperback) First in Chaos Engine trilogy; is followed by X-Men/Magneto: The Chaos Engine Book Two
X-Men/Magneto: The Chaos Engine Book Two Steven A. Roman BP Books/iBooks 0613950569 / 9780613950565 (hardback)
0743400232 / 9780743400237 (paperback)
0743445465 / 9780743445467 (paperback)
July 2000 (hardback); January 2002 (paperback); December 2002 (paperback) Second in Chaos Engine trilogy; is followed by X-Men/Red Skull: The Chaos Engine Book Three
Five Decades of the X-Men Stan Lee (editor) BP Books/iBooks 0743435001 / 9780743435000 (paperback); 0743475011 / 9780743475013 (paperback) March 2002 (paperback); April 2003 (paperback) Short story collection
X-Men: The Legacy Quest Book One Steve Lyons BP Books/iBooks 074344468X / 9780743444682 (paperback); 0743458486 / 9780743458481 (paperback) June 2002 (paperback); April 2003 (paperback) First in The Legacy Quest trilogy; is followed by The Legacy Quest Book Two
X-Men: The Legacy Quest Book Two Steve Lyons BP Books/iBooks 0743452437 / 9780743452434 (paperback)
0743474449 / 9780743474443 (paperback)
July 2002 (paperback); April 2003 (paperback) Second in The Legacy Quest trilogy; is followed by The Legacy Quest Book Three
X-Men: The Legacy Quest Book Three Steve Lyons BP Books/iBooks 0743452666 / 9780743452663 (paperback)
0743475194 / 9780743475198 (paperback)
October 2002 (paperback); September 2003 (paperback) Third in The Legacy Quest trilogy
X-Men/Red Skull: The Chaos Engine Book Three Steven A. Roman BP Books/iBooks 0743452801 / 9780743452809 (paperback); 0743479580 / 9780743479585 (paperback) December 2002 (paperback); October 2003 (paperback) Third in Chaos Engine trilogy
X-Men 2 Chris Claremont Del Rey 0345461967 / 9780345461964 March 2003 Novelization of 2003 X-Men 2 movie
Wolverine: Weapon X Marc Cerasini Marvel (hardback); Pocket Books (paperback) 0785116052 / 9780785116059 (hardback)
141652164X / 9781416521648 (paperback)
November 2004 (hardback); October 2005 (paperback) Short lived attempt by Marvel to publish their licensed novels under their own imprint; lasted just this one hardcover release
The X-Men: Dark Mirror Marjorie M. Liu Pocket Books 141651063X / 9781416510635 December 2005
The X-Men: Watchers on the Walls Christopher L. Bennett Pocket Books 1416510672 / 9781416510673 April 2006
X-Men: The Last Stand Chris Claremont Del Rey 0345492110 / 9780345492111 May 2006 Novelization of 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand movie
Wolverine: Road of Bones David Mack Pocket Books 1416510699 / 978-1416510697 October 2006
Wolverine: Lifeblood Hugh Matthews Pocket Books 1416510737 / 978-1416510734 February 2007
X-Men: The Return Chris Roberson Pocket Books 1416510753 / 9781416510758 April 2007
Wolverine: Violent Tendencies Marc Cerasini Pocket Books 1416510745 / 9781416510741 October 2007
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted Peter David Marvel September 12, 2012 Novelization and adaption of the 2004 comic book story arc Gifted within the Astonishing X-Men ongoing series originally written by Joss Whedon.

Team line-ups/compositions[]

Of all the X-Men, only Professor X and Cyclops have appeared as main members of the team in every animated incarnation, while Storm and Wolverine have appeared as members in every incarnation since their debut in the comics.

The Marvel Super Heroes (1966)[]

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981)[]

  • Iceman
  • Firestar
  • Professor X
  • Cyclops
  • Jean Grey
  • Angel
  • Beast

Pryde of the X-Men (1989)[]

  • Professor X
  • Storm
  • Cyclops
  • Wolverine
  • Colossus
  • Kitty Pryde
  • Dazzler
  • Nightcrawler
  • Lockheed (by the end)

X-Men (1992)[]

  • Professor X
  • Cyclops
  • Wolverine
  • Storm
  • Rogue
  • Gambit
  • Jean Grey

X-Men: Evolution (2000)[]

  • Cyclops
  • Jean Grey
  • Rogue
  • Wolverine
  • Nightcrawler
  • Shadowcat
  • Storm
  • Professor X
  • Spyke
  • Beast
  • Iceman
  • Jubilee
  • Colossus
  • Gambit
  • Angel
  • Boom Boom
  • Havok
  • Magma
  • Multiple Man

Wolverine and the X-Men (2008)[]

The Super Hero Squad Show (2009)[]

  • Professor X
  • Cyclops
  • Storm
  • Wolverine
  • Colossus
  • Jean Grey
  • Iceman
  • Shadowcat

Black Panther (2010)[]

  • Storm
  • Cyclops
  • Wolverine
  • Nightcrawler

X-Men: Anime (2011)[]

  • Cyclops
  • Wolverine
  • Storm
  • Beast
  • Professor X
  • Jean Grey (Formerly; Deceased)
  • Armor
  • Emma Frost

Parodies[]

  • Irresistable Angel: Suck It All Up (2003) was a Japanese pink film which parodied the X-Men in a softcore pornographic style.[37]
  • Most of the popular X-Men characters were parodied in the comedies "Epic Movie" and "Superhero Movie," most notably Wolverine and Storm within the latter film
  • In the animated Codename: Kids Next Door, the episode "Operation: N.A.U.G.H.T.Y." features a parody of the X-Men called "Elfa Strike Squad", who are a group of super-powered elves who work for Santa Claus. The members are Wintergreen (a parody of Wolverine), Nutcracker (a parody of Nightcrawler), Conniferus (a parody of Colossus), and Snow Angel (a parody of Storm).
  • In the animated series of The Mask, the episode "They Came from Within" a comic-book parody episode. the mask disguises himself as X-Men spoofs, Professor Latex (a parody of Professor X), Byclops (a parody of Cyclops) and Toolverine (a parody of Wolverine) to stop the 'Dark Star Trio' super villain's that escaped from a comic-book.
  • One of the episodes in animated series "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" was called "N-Men".

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Mangels, Andy (August 1993). "Scorching the Screen". Wizard: X-Men Turn Thirty: pp. 70–73. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Goldman, Eric (May 31, 2011). The X-Men's TV History. wikipedia:IGN. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved on August 16, 2011.
  3. Reaves, Michael (n.d.). Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends - The X-Men Adventure. Spider-Friends.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved on August 20, 2010.
  4. "Marvel Anime to Run on G4 in the United States in 2011". wikipedia:Anime News Network. July 23, 2010. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-23/marvel-anime-to-run-on-g4-in-the-united-states. Retrieved July 24, 2010. 
  5. SDCC: G4 Announces New Marvel Anime Series. Superhero Hype! (July 26, 2010). Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved on July 26, 2010.
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