The Most Underrated X-Men Animated Series Is Still Worth Watching 21 Years Later

Marvel's mutants are once again dominating animation, and it's the perfect time to revisit an underappreciated theme. X-Men cartoon that ended in 2003. X-Men: The Animated Series is back in the public discourse, and for good reason. Although expectations were high for X-Men '97few predicted it would be one of the best Marvel projects of all time – animated or otherwise.

However, while X-Men: The Animated Series is legitimately iconic, it's far from the team's only show worth watching. X-Men:TAS defined Xavier's team of heroes for a generation in the '90s, but it's far from the only show to prove influential and contribute to the overall X-Men mythos. Just three years after the end of the famous animated series, X-Men: Evolution began its four-season run and introduced a bold new take on the mutant formula.

Why X-Men: Evolution isn't as remembered as X-Men: TAS

Marvel's Other Animated Show Gets More Attention

X-Men: Evolution It delivered wonderful takes on classic characters and ran for a reasonable four seasons, but it isn't remembered as widely or as fondly as X-Men: The Animated Series. While it's unfortunate, it makes sense for a few different reasons. Simply put, Evolution It wasn't the first. While the show can do a wonderful job with popular Marvel characters, not being the first to do so means it was simply doing a good thing rather than breaking new ground. Also worth noting is that X-Men: Evolution premiered in 2000, just three years after the end of X-Men: The Animated Series.

With X-Men '97 Season 1 now in the rearview mirror, Marvel audiences may be looking for more mutant content to pass the time until X-Men '97 Season 2 and the eventual reboot of the MCU's X-Men movie. This does X-Men: Evolution'Four seasons are a perfect watch. Although it takes some liberties with characterization and famous stories, Xavier's school functioning as a school is worth checking out, and the entire series is available to stream on Disney+.

X-Men: Evolution takes Xavier's school seriously

An interesting new dynamic that cannot be ignored

Very similar Batman: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series It is deservedly the definitive animated version of its titular characters due to the iconic voice work and successful adaptation of several famous comic books. However, X-Men: Evolution It changes the formula, ages most of the characters, and allows for bold reimaginings of famous mutants and X-Men stories through the lens of a more traditional high school show. While the general setting may have incorrectly led viewers to think the show is for a younger Marvel audience, the school setting actually gets to the heart of the X-Men better than most other shows.

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Xavier has always run a school for gifted youngsters, but few X-Men movies or shows take much time to really focus on the teaching and learning elements that Charles offers to Marvel's mutants. By delving into real social issues with mutant teachers and students, familiar ideas are presented in a new way. The show is lighter on global commentary and heroism, but makes up for it by focusing more on the smaller, interpersonal, social, and moral issues that the X-Men are famous for addressing.

X-Men: Evolution made serious contributions to the X-Men canon

Evolution gave us Wolverine's daughter

While Batman: The Animated Series the famous Harley Quinn, who became one of DC's most iconic anti-heroes, X-Men: Evolution did something similar for Marvel. The show was the first appearance of X-23a clone of Wolverine who became one of the pillars of Marvel Comics and was the co-protagonist in Logan. In the series, X-23 is the result of Hydra's experiments to create a better, controllable Wolverine. Just like the Winter Soldier, she is isolated and mentally manipulated into becoming a heartless killer. Possibly, Evolution sees her meet, blame, and eventually accept Wolverine and free herself from Hydra.

It's a surprisingly dark origin, supposedly born out of a desire to have a younger, Wolverine-like character for audiences, as Logan is portrayed as older and a member of the faculty. X-23's origins have changed a few times in Marvel Comics, but the character has starred in memorable stories about trying to understand her role in the world as a clone and even taking on the mantle of Wolverine herself. Watching its debut in X-Men: Evolution It's a piece of Marvel history.