X-Men (TV series)

For the newer X-Men animated series see X-Men: Evolution. For other uses see the X-Men (disambiguation) page.

X-Men
Format	Animated Series Action Adventure
Created by	Larry Houston Frank Squillace
Voices of	Cedric Smith Cathal J. Dodd Norm Spencer Iona Morris
Country of origin	United States Japan
No. of episodes	76 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	22min
Broadcast
Original channel	Fox Kids
Original run	October 31, 1992 – September 20, 1997
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

X-Men is an animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992 in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup (see 1992 in television).

X-Men is Marvel Comics’ second attempt at an animated X-Men program, after the poorly received half-hour pilot “Pryde of the X-Men” was broadcast multiple times between 1989 and 1992. It is considered to be one of the most faithful animated series based on a comic book. The popularity and success of X-Men (along with Batman, which also debuted in the Fox Kids 1992–93 season) helped launch a number of comic-based animated series in the 1990s.

Background

X-Men was originally going to premiere over the Labor Day weekend in September; however, due to production delays, it was pushed to the end of October. The “Night of the Sentinels” two-part episode originally aired as a “sneak preview” even though it truly wasn’t ready for broadcast. So, there were many animation errors in these two episodes. The errors were later corrected when Fox re-aired the pilot in early 1993.^[1]

X-Men was one of the longest-lasting series on Fox Kids, second only to Batman: The Animated Series, its most acclaimed and successful to date. Despite its final new episode airing in late 1997 after five complete seasons, Fox did not remove the show from their line-up until 1998. The show is also one of the highest-rated and most-viewed Saturday morning programs in American history. During its peak years (1995 and 1996), the show was often shown weekday afternoons, in addition to Saturday mornings.

X-Men also stands as the longest-running Marvel Comics-based show, running for five seasons and 76 episodes. The second longest, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, lasted for five seasons and 65 episodes. Although produced by different animation studios, both series were set in the same animated universe, and the X-Men even made guest appearances on Spider-Man’s show. (The second X-Men animated series, X-Men Evolution, does not share this continuity.)

After the box office success of the live-action X-Men movie in the summer of 2000, Fox began airing reruns of the cartoon on weekday afternoons. This ended in early 2001. Soon after, ABC Family and Toon Disney, due to Disney’s buyout of all Saban Entertainment programs, began airing reruns.

Synopsis

The show features an X-Men similar in look and line-up to the early 1990s X-Men drawn by Jim Lee, composed of Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Professor X, and as well as an original character, Morph.^[2] Though they were not part of the team as featured in the animated series, the following X-Men have all guest-starred in at least one episode: Colossus, Nightcrawler, Emma Frost, Forge, Havok, Polaris, Cannonball, Banshee, Iceman, Archangel, Longshot, Dazzler, Sunfire, Psylocke, Cable, and Bishop. Keen-eyed fans may also spot cameos by other familiar mutants, such as Feral or Rictor. One prominent X-Men, Shadowcat, did not appear in the whole series in any way. Other lesser knowns characters such as Blink also made cameos.

A number of famous storylines and events from the comics are loosely adapted in the series, such as the Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past, the Phalanx Covenant, and the Legacy Virus. The third episode, “Enter Magneto,” features a confrontation at a missile base: this is largely based on the X-Men’s first battle with Magneto, as told in their 1963 debut X-Men #1. The season four episodes “Sanctuary, Parts I & II,” which involve Magneto creating an orbiting haven for mutants, were influenced by several storylines from the comics, chiefly the first three issues of X-Men (Volume 2) and the "Fatal Attractions" crossover.

Beyond faithfully recreating many of the popular characters and stories from the comic books, the series also dealt fairly openly with mature social issues. The ills of prejudice, intolerance, isolation, and racism were all frequent themes in the animated series, as they were in the comics. The series also deals with other social issues, albeit sometimes in subtext, that are not often handled by children’s programming: divorce (“Proteus”), Christianity (“Nightcrawler” & “Bloodlines”), the Holocaust (“Enter Magneto,” “Deadly Reunions,” “Days of Future Past,” and “The Phalanx Covenant”), AIDS hysteria (“Time Fugitives”), and even satires of television itself (“Mojovision” and “Longshot”). The Friends of Humanity, a prominent anti-mutant group that appears in the second season, bears great resemblance to the Ku Klux Klan and other white-supremacy groups. Adult sexual themes are also explored: in “Till Death Do Us Part,” Morph shapeshifts into Rogue to attract Gambit, and in “Whatever It Takes,” he morphs into Jean Grey, to manipulate Wolverine’s emotions. Likewise, Mystique would often shapeshift into, and flirt with, men and women.

Episodes

Main article: List of X-Men episodes

VHS & DVD releases

Main article: X-Men TV Series Episode Releases

Select episodes, predominantly from the first season, were released on VHS during the show’s original run. Within Australia, the first two episodes "Night of the Sentinels Part 1 & 2" was included in an X-Men branded Showbag in the Royal Show of each state.

At the height of the series’ popularity, Pizza Hut sold two VHS tapes that featured Night Of The Sentinels (Parts 1 & 2) and Enter Magneto/Deadly Reunions. Also contained was round-table discussion between prominent names such as X-Men creator Stan Lee and writers Scott Lobdell, Fabian Nicieza, and Bob Harras.

So far, very few episodes have been released on DVD. According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, X-Men is the ninth most requested unreleased television show and the second most requested animated television show behind MTV's Daria.^[3] Regardless, there are no plans for an official release of season box sets.

As of 2008, the series is planned for release on Region 2 DVD in the UK in 2008 by Liberation Entertainment as part of a release schedule of Marvel Animated series. The first season is scheduled for release on August 25, 2008 in two volumes. Season two will also be released in two volumes scheduled for release on October 27, and November 14. Due to the closure of the UK division of Liberation Entertainment Season 2 will not be released.^[4]

Alternate versions

The original opening sequence featured the X-Men demonstrating their mutant abilities to a now very distinctive instrumental theme. This intro is used throughout the first four seasons. A modified version is eventually introduced in season five, episode five (“Longshot”). In this new intro, the beginning of the theme is slightly changed. New fighting scenes are also added.

In the first season only, the credit sequence consisted of computer-animated rotating 3D models of the different team-members created by graphic design artist, Dave McCarty, set to a different, electric-guitar-based heavy-metal theme. In subsequent seasons, the computer-animated sequence and guitar-based closing theme were dropped and replaced with clips from the regular animation over the regular instrumental theme. When UPN began airing repeats on Sunday mornings an alternate credits sequence was used: a high-quality Japanese-animated version of the original opening.

• Brazil

Rede Globo cut all of the intro sequence except for the logo at its end—which they do to almost all animated series they air. The American intro was retained when it was aired later on Fox Kids and Jetix.

• Japan

The opening intro was replaced with a new, Japanese-animated segment of the characters as well as a new Japanese theme with vocals called “Rising (ライジング),” by the Japanese band Ambience (アンビエンス). Starting with episode 46 an alternate anime intro was used, featuring the new theme “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 X-Men comic books set to the song “Back to You (バック･トウ･ユー),” also by Ambience.

Several very well-known seiyū (Japanese voice actors) played roles in the TV Tokyo edition of the Japanese dub, such as Kōichi Yamadera (Cyclops), Shinobu Adachi (Jean Grey), Rihoko Yoshida (Storm), Akiko Hiramatsu (Jubilee), Masashi Ebara (Wolverine), Norio Wakamoto (Mr. Sinister), Yūko Kobayashi (Rogue), Yoshito Yasuhara (Gambit), Ayako Shirashi (Dazzler), Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (Magneto) and Rokurō Naya (Professor X).

Cast and characters

See also: List of characters in X-Men (TV series)

In other media

X-Men Adventures
X-Men Adventures vol. 1 #1 (Nov 1992). Art by Steve Lightle.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Publication date	November 1992–March 1997
Number of issues	57
Main character(s)	X-Men

X-Men Adventures

X-Men Adventures was a comic book 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.^[5] The comic book lasted until March 1997, shortly after the show’s cancellation by the Fox Network.

In the final issue of Adventures of the X-Men, it is revealed that the Marvel animated universe existed prior to the main Marvel Universe, and was destroyed by the fracturing of the M'Kraan Crystal.^[6]

Bibliography

• X-Men Adventures vol. 1 (1992-1994) (17 issues) ^[7]
• X-Men Adventures vol. 2 (1994-1995) (15 issues)^[8]
• X-Men Adventures vol. 3 (1995-1996) (13 issues)^[9]
• Adventures of the X-Men (1996-1997) (12 issues)^[10]

Video games

• X-Men Cartoon Maker: The X-Men Cartoon Maker was a recreational software package that allowed the user to create animations with a minimal level of sophistication by utilising a library of backdrops, animations and sound effects from the show. Wolverine (voice-only) helps you out.

• X-Men: Children of the Atom: Released by Capcom in 1994 for Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC. 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 series of video games.^[11]. 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 in 2001. The other games in this series are:
  • Marvel Super-Heroes: Released by Capcom in 1995 for Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn.
  • X-Men vs. Street Fighter: Released by Capcom in 1996 for Arcade, PlayStation, Sega Saturn.
  • Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter
  • Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

References

External links

• DRG4’s X-Men the Animated Series Page
• Marvel Animation Page Presents: X-Men
• X-Men TV series cast