X-Men: Evolution was an animated series in the 2000s that premiered after the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series finished. Evolution did a few new things that make it stand out as an adaptation from the classic 90s animated series and the Fox films. For much of the early seasons, the mutants exist in a world where their mutant powers are secret, and most people assume that they’re normal humans. Later, this secret is revealed to dramatic effect. The other main change is that most of the characters are aged down to high school years and have to deal with typical school drama on a regular basis. Some characters, like Storm and Wolverine, remain adults who have to watch over the teens as they learn to control their powers.
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X-Men: Evolution was a unique take on the X-Men mythos and was ultimately unafraid to experiment with the characters and try something original while also keeping to the spirit of the X-Men. With the reveal that Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in live action and the 90s animated series reboot on the horizon, now is the time to watch X-Men: Evolution. Here’s why.
Same Characters, New Situation
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One of the biggest strengths of X-Men: Evolution is how it puts familiar X-Men characters into new situations. You get the benefit of seeing iconic X-Men characters, but also you get to see them in different situations than you’re used to. One of the main ways the show does this, as outlined by Screen Rant, is with its teenage characters, who have to live in a normal high school and pass as normal human children. Characters like Cyclops and Jean Grey, who are usually adults in the comics, movies, or TV shows they appear in, now have to deal with everyday teen drama. Characters have school assignments or driving tests they have to deal with, on top of being part of a superhero team. Intra-team in-fighting is not lost, though it changes slightly. Cyclops no longer has a romantic triangle with Wolverine and Jean Grey — because Wolverine is much too old — instead, Cyclops ends up butting heads with Nightcrawler, as the blue-furred mutant is very happy-go-lucky, which clashes with Cyclops’ serious attitude.
This shift in setting also gives minor characters a chance to shine. Given the secrets they have to keep and the lower stakes conflict of high school, characters like Toad or the Blob, who would normally be throwaway villains, have greater chances to develop as serial antagonists. Also, because the team has to interact with them regularly, you can see a real rivalry begin to form between the Brotherhood of Mutants and the X-Men.
X-Men Learning to Control Their Powers
One of the things that’s rarely shown is the idea that Xavier’s institute exists to help young mutants control their powers and learn to be superheroes. Though we see this occasionally in the comics, it’s a core theme that’s somewhat underrepresented in the movies and the original 90s animated show. One of the main draws of the X-Men, especially for young teens, was that it, in a way, fulfilled the fantasy of being special and super-powered. It took elements of mundane life, school, and being an outcast, and made it more supernatural and exciting. Young people could imagine themselves as X-Men, answering the question of “What power would you want to have if you were a superhero?”
The idea of young people learning to control their powers is a core part of X-Men that’s often explored, but underrepresented in adaptation. The fact that X-Men: Evolution explores it is refreshing, especially as all the characters are young enough to experiment and makes mistakes with their powers. The characters often do make mistakes and have to learn lessons, or find that their powers are out of control and have to learn something about themselves to rein them in. Rogue often lacks full control over her powers, leading to the team having to help her try and control said powers.
The Heart of the X-Men’s Story
The heart of the X-Men’s story is ultimately the prejudice against mutants. The fact that mutants begin as a secret from regular humans may concern those interested in X-Men: Evolution, however, the seasons where the mutants are still unknown handle this prejudice really well, foreshadowing it in the future. We see this especially in the character of Hank McCoy (Beast), who turns into a blue-furred beast-like mutant. Hank can’t be seen outside the X-Mansion, otherwise he may give away the whole mutant secret. Though he is seen a few times, he’s mistaken for a wild animal. Angel, who shows up for a few episodes, similarly has to deal with themes of being outcast for being different.
Then, when the mutants’ secret is revealed, the floodgates for drama naturally burst open. The X-Men are abandoned by the people whom they once thought of as friends. Spyke manages to make a new friend later on, but realizes quickly that this friend is only interested in using his mutant power to protect him from bullies. Jean Grey’s boyfriend at the time, Duncan Mathews, began treating her differently after he discovered her mutant abilities leading to the two of them breaking up. This season’s payoff wouldn’t have worked without all the setup of the earlier seasons, showing us Bayville High before the mutant revelation and then changing everything with that revelation.
X-Men Evolution is a good show, if a bit dated. It is like its sister show X-Men: The Animated Series: as it is very much a product of the 90s, X-Men Evolution, too, is very much a product of the early-2000s. And though there’s a lot of allegory you can point to between X-Men: Evolution’s mutant prejudice and homophobia, racism, or other discriminatory beliefs, the show doesn’t tackle a lot of those issues as directly as more modern X-Men productions do. Despite this, it’s still well worth watching as a unique look at the X-Men in a unique high school setting.
