SILVER SURFER

SILVER SURFER

(FOX, February 7-May 29, 1998)

Marvel Entertainment Group, Marvel Studios, Saban International A.G., Fox Kids Worldwide

MAIN CAST:

Paul Essiembre – Silver Surfer/Norrin Radd

James Blendick – Galactus

Gary Krawford – Thanos

Colin Fox – Uatu

Camilla Scott – Shalla-Bal

        The character that wasn’t supposed to exist.

The moment that launched a universe.

             Going into the 1960s, Stan Lee’s duties at Marvel Comics had grown exponentially to the point his time was a premium. He and Jack Kirby had just propelled the company into a new era with the debut of Fantastic Four vol. 1 #1 in 1961, with more and more superheroes joining them every year. Lee was editing and writing a good portion of Marvel’s output at the time. With deadlines looming and artists sitting idly by waiting for the next script, Lee devised a way to keep production going around his hectic schedule: let the artists tell the story.

Galactus arrives.

             In what would come to be dubbed “The Marvel Method,” Lee would discuss the plot of a book with the artist either at length or in a brief quickly-typed page and then let the artist go to town. The artist would then give Lee the completed artwork with some notes on what was going on in the story, and Lee would write the dialogue and sound effects and hand it off to the letterer. Lee had already been working this way with Kirby, whose profile in the industry granted him some creative freedom, and with Steve Ditko, although that stemmed from a growing animosity between the two, and had resulted in some of the company’s best-selling books. Over the years, this method of writing has led to debate over how much Lee actually contributed to the books that bore his name; especially when one considers the case of Fantastic Four vol. 1 #48 (1966).

Norrin's sacrifice.

Galactus is a cosmic entity with an overwhelming hunger that could only be satisfied by consuming the entire life force of a planet, rendering it dead and inert. Finally, Galactus set his sights on Earth leaving the heroic Fantastic Four with the herculean task of saving their planet. In what was intended to be a simple story of the Fantastic Four versus the massive Galactus, artist Jack Kirby had snuck in a new character of his own creation: The Silver Surfer, a being whose body was entirely covered in silver and who rode a silvery surf board through the cosmos. Kirby postulated that a being like Galactus would have a herald as a sort of advance scout to do the heavy searching for sustenance sources, to which Galactus would then follow. The reason for Surfer’s mode of transport was because Kirby had grown tired of drawing spaceships.

Creation of the Surfer.

The Surfer began as Norrin Radd, citizen of the planet Zenn-La, which was once on Galactus’ menu. To save his planet and the love of his life, Shalla-Bal, Radd offered himself up as Galactus’ herald to aid in his quest with the intention of leading Galactus to suitable planets devoid of sentient life; thus, sparing billions. Galactus infused Radd with the Power Cosmic, turning him into the Silver Surfer. But it came with a price: Radd’s soul had been altered by Galactus, making him forget his intentions. 

Alicia reawakens the Surfer's humanity.

Lee, initially skeptical of the character, grew to appreciate him and the Surfer became an integral part of the story as he would become touched by the nobility of the Thing’s then-girlfriend, blind sculptress Alicia Masters, and turn against his master. Galactus is driven off, exiling Radd to Earth with the erection of an invisible barrier around the planet. Popular with readers, the Surfer would return for several guest-starring spots in Fantastic Four before gaining his own series in 1968, the first of several, and becoming a mainstay in the Marvel Universe. In 1967, Surfer made his animation debut on Hanna-Barbera’s Fantastic Four cartoon voiced by Vic Perrin, and then had his origin retold in the 1994 version as part of The Marvel Action Hour on Sundays voiced by Robin Sachs.

Norrin and Shalla-Bal.

             Fox Kids head Margaret Loesch had successfully brought Marvel to television in the 1990s with the hit shows X-Men: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Also having an affinity for the Silver Surfer, he was the subject of the next Marvel offering for the network. Developed by Larry Brody, the series was heavily influenced by the work of Kirby and inker Joe Sinnott in its look for both settings and the characters designed by Roy Burdine and Shannon Denton. To create an original visual presentation, the series was done in a blend of traditional cel animation and computer animation; particularly for the scenes set in space and Galactus himself. The computer animation was overseen by art director Dale Hendrickson.

Galactus.

         Silver Surfer debuted on FOX on February 7, 1998 and was co-produced by Saban International. They chose to begin the series with a retelling of the Surfer’s (Paul Essiembre) origin; however, the Fantastic Four was omitted in the Surfer’s decision to save Earth to keep the show’s focus on the Surfer entirely. And, instead of being trapped on Earth, Galactus (James Blendick) punished Surfer by hiding Zenn-La from him. The series was notable for being the most verbose of any action-oriented cartoon; duplicating the dense monologues Lee would script for the character in the comics. Along with Brody, the series was written by Michael Steven Gregory, Dallas L. Barnes, Harlan Ellison, D.C. Fontana, Mark Hoffmeier, Christopher Kane, Jeffrey Knokey, Andrea Lawrence, Alan Swayze and Brooks Wachtel. Shuki Levy and Haim Saban (under the alias Kussa Mahchi) served as the series composers, and animation duties were handled by AKOM.

Surfer vs. Thanos.

             While Galactus would make appearances throughout the show’s run, the ultimate villain of the show was Thanos (Gary Krawford), an all-powerful being set on destroying the universe to win the love of Lady Chaos (changed from Death due to FOX’s standards and practices, voiced by Lally Chadeau). Like the other Marvel shows of the decade, Silver Surfer featured guest-appearances by other Marvel characters; particularly from their space-based stable. Amongst them were Uatu the Watcher (Colin Fox), a being part of a race dedicated to observing history as it transpired without interfering; the genetically engineered perfect being Adam Warlock and his dark counterpart, the Magus (both Oliver Becker); Pip the Troll (Robert Bockstael), a teleporting being created as part of the Kree’s slave labor force; space mercenary Nebula (Jennifer Dale); Ego the Living Planet (Roy Lewis); Gamora (Mary Long & Alison Sealy-Smith), the most dangerous woman in the galaxy; Galactus’ new herald from Earth, Nova, aka Frankie Raye (Tara Rosling), who served as an alternative love interest for the Surfer; Drax the Destroyer (Norm Spencer), a cyborg with an organic brain created by Thanos’ father (brother in the show due to a typo) Mentor (Cedric Smith) to battle Thanos; Beta Ray Bill (Karl Pruner), who in the comics was associated with the Norse thunder god Thor but instead merely shared characteristics with him, and whose people were locked in a group dream utilizing Zenn-La technology; and the cosmic entities Eternity (John Neville), the embodiment of the multiverse, and Infinity (Elizabeth Shepherd), representing the totality of space.

Beta Ray Bill.

             When the show was in production, Marvel was undergoing financial trouble that would result in its eventual bankruptcy and subsequent reorganization. This also led to some legal disputes between Marvel and Saban. The first season had been completed and aired, and production for the second season had already begun. After 8 scripts for season two had been written, production was shut down while both parties worked it out. Ultimately, Silver Surfer ended up being cancelled by Fox despite its strong performance in the ratings in favor of starting over fresh with Marvel and looking into new properties for adaptation. That took the form of Spider-Man Unlimited, also helmed by Brody, and Avengers: United They Stand, both debuting in 1999.

Nova.

In the time since, Brody has released the series bible, the scripts for the first season, and the scripts for season two on his website, along with additional material. Silver Surfer was the last Marvel cartoon to be relatively faithful to the source material as all of the programs since have had a focus on drastically reinventing the characters and story by either changing locations, adjusting character’s ages, or being based on movie properties. In 2019, it became one of the launch titles for the streaming service Disney+.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Origin of the Silver Surfer – Part 1” (2/7/98) – Galactus comes to feed on Zenn-La, and Norrin Radd offers himself as Galactus’ herald if he spares the planet.

“The Origin of the Silver Surfer – Part 2” (2/14/98) – Surfer, devoid of memory, undergoes his new task as herald, but finds deep feelings stirring inside of him.

“The Origin of the Silver Surfer – Part 3” (2/21/98) – Galactus threatens Earth, sparking the return of Surfer’s memory and causing him to rebel against his master.

“The Planet of Dr. Moreau” (2/28/98) – Searching for a way back to Zenn-La, Surfer ends up entangled in a battle against the Kree.

“Learning Curve Part 1” (3/7/98) – Surfer’s search for Zenn-La leads him to the Universal Library, base of the knowledge of the Watchers, and to trouble.

“Learning Curve Part 2” (3/14/98) – Surfer must choose between obtaining all knowledge in the universe or remaining human and free.

“Innervisions” (4/4/98) – To save a planet, Surfer must destroy the foundation of its existence.

“Antibody” (4/11/98) –  Galactus is dying, and only the Surfer can save him.

“Second Foundation” (4/25/98) – Nova attempts to help Surfer find Zenn-La, but they end up on the Skrull homeworld instead.

“Radical Justice” (5/2/98) – Galactus’ survivors capture Surfer and put him on trial for crimes against all life.

“The Forever War” (5/29/98) – Surfer must accomplish a task for the Kree before they will allow him audience with their Supreme Intelligent for help home.

 “Return to Zenn-La” (5/9/98) – Surfer finally returns home, but soon discovers it’s a construct of Ego, the Living Planet, who seeks to repay his debt.

 “The End of Eternity, Part 1” (5/16/98) – Eternity and Infinity recruit Surfer to stop Thanos from causing time to flow backwards, thus destroying the universe.

Originally posted in 2018. Updated in 2025.

SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED

SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED

(FOX, October 2, 1999-March 31, 2001)

Marvel Studios, Saban Entertainment, Koko Enterprise Co., Ltd.

MAIN CAST:

Rino Romano – Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Green Goblin/Hector Jones

Akiko Morison – Dr. Naoko Yamada-Jones

Rhys Huber – Shane Yamada-Jones

John Payne III – John Jameson

Kimberly Hawthorne – Karen O’Malley

Richard Newman – High Evolutionary, J. Jonah Jameson

Ron Halder – Sir Ram

David Sobolov – Lord Tyger

Tasha Simms – Lady Ursula

Jennifer Hale – Lady Vermin, Mary Jane Watson-Parker

Dale Wilson – X-51, Machine Men, Electro

Brian Drummond – Venom/Eddie Brock

Michael Donovan – Carnage/Cletus Kasady

Garry Chalk – Mr. Meugniot

For the history of Spider-Man, check out the post here.

            Fox Kids loved Spider-Man—they just didn’t want to pay for him.

            Although Spider-Man: The Animated Series had come to an end, FOX was under a contractual obligation to produce another season in order to continue airing reruns of Spider-Man for an unspecified amount of time. Because of animosity between Fox Kids head Margaret Loesch and producer Avi Arad, and because continuing the show would have put a damper on their rerun plans, FOX opted to create a new show instead. FOX wanted to make the show as cheaply as possible and considered having Saban Entertainment re-present the very first 26 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man comic series with limited animation; similar to 1966’s The Marvel Super Heroes or today’s motion comics. Unfortunately, those plans were complicated when Marvel Entertainment entered into a deal with Sony Pictures that would eventually lead to the highly-successful Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy, as well as MTV’s Spider-Man: The New Animated Series in 2003. Because of this, FOX and Saban suddenly had lost all access to Spidey’s classic library, his costume, and most of his supporting cast.

Spider-Man 2099.

            Producers Will Meugniot and Michael Reaves toyed with the idea of producing a series around the futuristic Spider-Man 2099 comic; however, they came to feel that Batman Beyond—which had debuted that January—already covered any territory they would have visited. They looked over the “shopping list” of characters Marvel wanted to see utilized and decided that Counter-Earth would allow them optimal storytelling opportunities while explaining away the absence of recognizable Spidey characters. Counter-Earth was an extra planet in the Marvel solar system that was an exact duplicate of Earth. By this time in the comics, three versions had been featured, each with a different creator (2006 would yield a fourth). Meugniot and Reaves decided to use the first version created by the mad geneticist The High Evolutionary as a means to conduct his experiments in an almost god-like fashion. 

Spidey's new duds.

The original plan was to feature an Uncle Ben who didn’t die, resulting in that Peter Parker never learning the valuable lesson of power and responsibility and denying him the will to resist bonding with the alien Venom symbiote. The Spidey we all knew would somehow wind up on Counter-Earth and come into conflict with this alternate Peter while trying to find a way back home. Production began on the show until Marvel nixed the whole double Peter idea. The company was still feeling the effects of a particularly disastrous time in Spidey comics known as “The Clone Saga”; a decades-later sequel to Amazing Spider-Man #149 wherein the clone Spidey once battled returned and eventually replaced Peter in the webs while also establishing that Peter was the actual clone the whole time. Naturally, they were eager to avoid any association to that and forbade having two Peter Parkers present. Interestingly enough, the previous show ended with a truncated version of the saga using alternate reality duplicates; a precursor to the Spider-Verse event that would hit the comics in 2014 and cinema in 2018.

Carnage and Venom sporting a very different look.

With the core of their show gone, producers scrambled to salvage the work they had already done while adhering to Marvel’s restrictions. The result became Spider-Man Unlimited, which shared its name (and nothing else) with the double-sized quarterly anthology series that ran from 1993-98. In the show, John Jameson (John Payne III), son of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson (Richard Newman), embarked on a mission to Counter-Earth, but Venom (Brian Drummond) and Carnage (Michael Donovan) were compelled by their symbiotes to hitch a ride on his ship in order to connect with a hive-mind known as the Synoptic; which wanted to spread symbiotes across Counter-Earth and eliminate all the human life there. Failing to stop them and vilified by the elder Jameson because of it, Spider-Man (Rino Romano) faked his death and briefly contemplated retirement. However, a message from John prompted him to “borrow” nanotechnology from Mr. Fantastic to create a new suit (utilizing elements of Spidey 2099’s costume in FOX’s attempt to emulate the success of Batman Beyond) and pursue the symbiotes on another mission launch. 

 

Spider-Man squares off against the Knights of Wundagore.

Spider-Man found Counter-Earth was ruled by the High Evolutionary (Newman) and his Beastials; hybrids of animals and humans that he created. Apart from the average citizens were Evolutionary’s personal attack squad: The Knights of Wundagore (named for the mountain that served as their base in the comics). Jameson had fallen in league with human freedom fighters that were against the Evolutionary and his forces and refused to leave until they were free. Unwilling to return home without Jameson, Peter set himself up as a photographer for The Daily Byte under publisher Mr. Meugniot (originally named “Mineo” but changed to resemble the show’s producer during a spat between him and Arad where he feared he might lose screen credit, voiced by Garry Chalk), rented a room from single mother Dr. Naoko Yamada-Jones (Akiko Morison) and her son, Shane (Rhys Huber), and aided the freedom fighters as Spider-Man. Along the way, he encountered Counter-Earth versions of familiar Marvel characters, including heroic versions of the Green Goblin (Romano) and Vulture (Scott McNeil), an electric eel Beastial named Electro (Dale Wilson), a Kraven the Hunter-like mercenary called The Hunter (Paul Dobson), and X-51 (Wilson), one of the Evolutionary’s android law-enforcers that gained sentience and joined the rebels.

Spidey with Karen O'Malley.

Spider-Man Unlimited debuted on October 2, 1999. While not intended as a direct continuation of the prior show, Unlimited did attempt some connection to it; particularly by the inclusion of a snippet of Joe Perry’s theme when Spidey first appeared in the first episode. It also shared at least one cast member in Jennifer Hale, who voiced Mary Jane in her only appearance as well as Lady Vermin, another animal-themed character who developed an infatuation with Spidey. It’s notable that this was the first animated series to feature the underarm webbing on Spidey’s regular costume often seen in the comics.

The series was written by Meugniot and Reaves along with Steve Perry, Brynne Chandler Reaves, Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, Robert Gregory Browne and Mark Hoffmeier, as well as comic book writer Roger Slifer and creative consultant Larry Brody. The show was animated by Koko Enterprises Co., Ltd. An attempt was made to give the show a more comic-like appearance with the use of dark shadows and picture-in-picture to simulate comic panels, not to mention comic book-like captions. Spidey’s spider-sense was toned down from the previous series to be a sound with some accompanying flashes on the screen. The theme’s composers were Jeremy Sweet and Ian Nickus, who also composed the rest of the show’s music with Shuki Levy, Haim Saban (under the alias Kussa Mahchi) and Ron Kenan. 

Spidey and Shane attempt to fix up X-51.

After the first three episodes aired, Unlimited was removed from the schedule and replaced with Avengers: United They Stand. At this time, the Fox Kids schedule was in a state of chaotic flux as new VP of programming Roland Poindexter attempted to revitalize the network’s standing from fourth place behind Kids’ WB, Nickelodeon and ABC, as well as compete against the growing Pokémon craze. The second season for the show was already six scripts into production by the time FOX finally cancelled it in November of 1999, having met their contractual obligations to Marvel. Unlimited ultimately returned to the network in December of 2000 after re-airing the first three episodes and finished its run that March. As a result, the show ended on a cliffhanger that would never be resolved. Future episodes would have had the rebels win against Evolutionary and showcased more solo adventures of Spidey as he continued to search for a way home.

The comic series.

            To promote the series, Marvel Comics began publication of a new short-lived volume of Spider-Man Unlimited in December of 1999. The first two issues, including the special #1/2 issue released through Wizard Magazine, recounted the first three episodes of the series, with the final three issues featuring original stories before the book was cancelled. All of the issues were written by Eric Stephenson with Andy Kuhn as the regular artist; however, Min Sung Ku drew #1/2 with Ty Templeton providing the cover, an homage to Spidey’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15. Marvel also attempted to integrate Unlimited into their regular comics by featuring the suit in issues 13 and 14 of the anthology series Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man. A version of Unlimited’s world appeared in the cross-dimensional storyline Spider-Verse as one of the obliterated alternate dimensions. A surviving Spidey in the Unlimited suit later showed up in the 2018 follow-up, Spider-Geddon. While there was never a dedicated toyline, the Unlimited suit’s design was used by Toy Biz for the action figures Air Strike Spider-Man in the Spider-Man 2000 line and the Wild Water Action multi-pack, and Spin ‘N Trap Spider-Man with a spring-loaded web projectile and included Venom target.

The DVD.

Liberaton Entertainment UK acquired the rights to release the show on DVD in 2009, but went bankrupt before they could proceed with their plans. Clear Vision Ltd. gained the rights and released the complete series in 2010. No American home releases have been announced or planned, however the show was made available for streaming on Amazon. In 2019, it became one of the launch titles for the streaming service Disney+.

The mainstream appearance of the Unlimited suit.

Arad had planned for Unlimited to launch a series of Spidey mini-series, the first one to be called Spider-Man 2001. The failure of the show squashed those plans, but Romano was kept on as the official voice of Spidey in the years following; voicing him in the video games Spider-Man (2001), Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (both games also featured the Unlimited suit as an alternate costume), X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 and a deleted scene in X2: Wolverine’s Revenge. Hale would also reprise her role of Mary Jane in the Spider-Man game alongside her role of Black Cat from the prior series. In 2023, Unlimited Spidey made an appearance in both the advertising and the actual film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as one of the plethora of featured alternate Spider-Men. In 2025, Hasbro released an Unlimited figure as part of their Marvel Legends Spider-Man: Retro line.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Worlds Apart, Part One” (10/2/99) – Spider-Man fakes his death in order to develop a new costume and find a way to rescue John Jameson from Counter-Earth.

“Worlds Apart, Part Two” (10/9/99) – Spider-Man discovers Jameson has joined the rebellion against the High Evolutionary and sets up a new life for himself.

“Where Evil Nests” (10/16/99) – The heroic Green Goblin believes Spider-Man to be a villain before the two team-up to rescue Dr. Yamada-Jones from Venom and Carnage.

“Deadly Choices” (12/23/00) – The rebellion and Beastials are forced to team-up to stop a freedom fighter from destroying New York.

“Steel Cold Heart” (1/13/01) – X-51, a machine man and one of Evolutionary’s operatives, refuses to hurt innocent people and defects to the rebellion.

“Enter the Hunter!” (2/3/01) – Sir Ram hires an assassin named The Hunter to kill Spider-Man.

“Cry Vulture” (2/10/01) – Another heroic version of his foes, the Vulture, joins Spider-Man in stopping Firedrake.

“Ill-Met by Moonlight” (2/17/01) – Spider-Man breaks into Evolutionary’s plant to find a cure for Jameson, who has been turned into a Man-Wolf.

“Sustenance” (3/3/01) – Green Goblin figures out Spider-Man is Peter Parker before they’re both kidnapped by the failed Beastials known as Rejects.

“Matters of the Heart” (3/10/01) – Spider-Man agrees to help a freedom fighter locate his lost brother.

“One is the Loneliest Number” (3/17/01) – Eddie Brock becomes separated from his symbiote and Spider-Man must retrieve it before he dies.

“Sins of the Fathers” (3/24/01) – Spider-Man and X-51 attempt to rescue Karen O’Malley from Evolutionary’s machine men.

“Destiny Unleashed” (3/31/01) – The rebellion stop Evolutionary, but the Synoptic unleashes its plan to populate the world with symbiotes and eliminate all human life.

Originally posted in 2017. Updated in 2025.

X-MEN: EVOLUTION

X-MEN: EVOLUTION

(WB, November 4, 2000-October 25, 2003)

Marvel Studios, Film Roman Studios

MAIN CAST:

David Kaye – Professor X/Professor Charles Xavier, Apocalypse

Scott McNeil – Wolverine/Logan

Kirsten Williamson – Storm/Ororo Munroe

Kirby Morrow – Cyclops/Scott Summers

Venus Terzo – Jean Grey

Brad Swaile – Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner

Maggie Blue O’Hara – Shadowcat/Katherine “Kitty” Pryde

Meghan Black – Rogue

Neil Denis – Spyke/Evan Daniels

Colleen Wheeler – Mystique/Raven Darkholme

Christopher Grey – Avalanche/Lance Alvers

Noel Fisher – Toad/Todd Tolansky

Michael Dobson – Blob/Fred J. Dukes, Caliban

Richard Ian Cox – Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff

Christopher Judge – Magneto/Erik Lensherr

Michael Kopsa – Beast/Henry “Hank” McCoy (season 2-4)

Kelly Sheridan – Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (season 2-4)

For the history of the X-Men, check out the post here.

            While the acclaimed X-Men: the Animated Series was still running, Marvel Comics’ merry mutants made their first leap into live action in the failed 1996 TV-pilot movie Generation X, starring the next generation of mutants from the comic series of the same name. Two years later, Marvel made the first push towards the respect comics films currently enjoy with the release of the first Blade movie from New Line Cinema. Blade, unlike previous attempts, was a serious and grounded film about the little-known vampire hunter (by general audiences, that is) who got his first exposure to non-comic audiences courtesy of Spider-Man: the Animated Series. It showed Hollywood that comic-based films need not be cheesy neon-colored fare, as Batman & Robin had regressed the genre into.

            With that in mind, and the success of the recently-concluded X-Men on TV, 20^th Century Fox began production of the first X-Men movie. Executive producer Avi Arad, who was also working on the film as head of Marvel Films, shopped around the idea of bringing X-Men back to television in the meantime. Kids’ WB snapped up the rights and production was underway, handled by Film Roman Studios as Marvel no longer had an animation division following the end of Spider-Man. However, since Kids’ WB was geared towards a particular age demographic, the show had to undergo some drastic changes from previous incarnations of the X-Men.

The de-aged Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Rogue and the all-new Spyke.

For one thing, a lot of the drama and violence needed to be extremely toned down; especially with then-current Federal Communications Commission rules that were particularly strict for Saturday morning programming. This forced the crew to come up with various ways to circumvent those restrictions while telling compelling stories and keeping up the standards they set up on previous projects. In order to better connect with their intended audience, many of the familiar X-Men characters were reduced in age from adults to teenagers, and much of the focus was placed on the students (and mostly in life out of costume) rather than the remaining adults. Although, despite the fact that the characters were teens, when it came time to portray romances on the series the network made sure to quash any overt depictions in order not to scare away their younger male audience (because, y’know, girls are icky at that age). In order to get any romance into the show, producers would slip in little things like an arm around the shoulders while the show was being animated overseas, as the network only oversaw all aspects of production from script to storyboard.

Xavier's School: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Professor X, Shadowcat, Spyke, Nightcrawler, Rogue and Storm.

While the crew of the series was not allowed to see much of anything in relation to the movie, Arad kept pushing for elements of it to be included in the series. As a result, the Xavier Institute began with the same core cast as the film. Powerful telepath Professor Xavier (David Kaye) and his fellow teachers, the weather-controlling Storm (Kirsten Williamson) and quick-healing Wolverine (Scott McNeil), oversaw the daily training in the use of the powers of teenagers Cyclops (Kirby Morrow), who fired optic blasts from his eyes, and Jean Grey (Venus Terzo), a telepath and telekinetic. Besides the ages of two of the founding X-Men (depicted as teens for the first time since the original run of the comics in the 1960s), the biggest change was the fact that their primary education happened not at Xavier’s, but in a nearby public high school in the town of Bayville, New York (changed from Salem Center in the comics) in order to truly demonstrate Xavier’s dream of co-existence. However, their human classmates had no idea they were mutants, or that mutants even existed—at least, not at first. That was a secret Xavier struggled to keep until the timing was right to announce their presence to the world.

The Brotherhood: Avalanche, Quicksilver, Blob and Toad.

Bayville High wasn’t without its own share of secrets. The principal, Raven Darkholme, was actually the shape-shifting Mystique (Colleen Wheeler), an associate of their arch-villain Magneto (Christopher Judge), the master of magnetism. She kept an eye out for potential new mutants to recruit to her own team, the Brotherhood, while watching the young X-Men. Her Brotherhood consisted of their seismically-powered leader Avalanche (given the name Lance Alvers instead of Dominikos Petrakis, voiced by Christopher Grey), who started out as a thug with an intense rivalry with Cyclops; Toad (renamed Todd Tolansky from Mortimer Toynbee, voiced by Noel Fisher), a slacker with the ability to leap great heights and poor physical hygiene; Blob (Michael Dobson), a bully whose increased body mass made him super strong and resistant to injuries; and Quicksilver (Richard Ian Cox), the self-serving, arrogant speedster who was the son of Magneto. The Brotherhood was little more than a plot device in the first season, a reason for the X-Men to suit up and fight, and Magneto himself was barely seen; played as more of an ominous presence with a hand in events as they unfolded.

Mystique's Raven Darkholme guise.

Over the course of the first season, new mutants were introduced and a competition emerged between the X-Men and Brotherhood to recruit them. Amongst them were the teleporting Nightcrawler (Brad Swaile, retaining the character’s German accent), who enjoyed goofing around and used an image inducer to hide his blue-fur and tail to appear normal; and Shadowcat (Maggie Blue O’Hara, who had a Valley girl accent during the first season), a sheltered young girl who could phase her body through solid objects. Rogue (Meghan Black), who could absorb a person’s memories and abilities with skin-to-skin contact, received the most drastic reimagining. She was portrayed as a reclusive and paranoid Goth girl who had an understandable angst about her powers keeping her from any kind of physical contact. She was initially tricked by Mystique, later revealed to have been her adoptive mother, into joining the Brotherhood until Rogue learned the truth and joined the X-Men. She also had a crush on Cyclops and showed an open resentment towards Jean and their affections for each other (replacing the traditional Wolverine-Jean-Cyclops love triangle due to the new age difference). 

Spyke living up to his name.

Created specifically for the show was Evan Daniels, aka Spyke (Neil Denis). Storm’s nephew, he had the ability to produce bone-like spikes from his skin. He was introduced with a quickly-dropped rivalry with Quicksilver after the speedster framed Spyke for a robbery. Of Spyke’s creation, supervising producer Boyd Kirkland had stated that they needed more diversity in their cast, and none of the pre-existing mutants fit the bill. He was originally going to be called “Armadillo” and featured a cornrow hairstyle, but they ultimately went with the different name and took inspiration from skateboarding magazines to give him a hip contemporary style. When the underground mutant outcasts known as the Morlocks debuted in the third season, Spyke eventually left the X-Men to join them and become a vigilante. The Morlocks themselves, while featuring familiar faces, also had several new mutants created for the series.

The "New Mutants": Cannonball, Jubilee, Multiple, Sunspot, Magma, Berzerker, Iceman and Wolfsbane.

In the second season, the producers wanted to show that some time had passed while the network liked how populated Xavier’s school appeared in the film. As a result, a horde of new recruits--dubbed “New Mutants” by fans after the original comic spin-off featuring a second class of rookie X-Men--were introduced. They were a mixture of characters that had previously appeared in animation before, along with some new blood. Amongst the veterans were the genius scientist Beast (Michael Kopsa), who was a teacher at Bayville and later at Xavier’s following his acquiring his more bestial appearance; the ice-manipulating Iceman (Andrew Francis); the rocket-powered Cannonball (Bill Switzer); the plasma-blasting Jubilee (Chiara Zanni); Multiple (Multiple Man in the comics, voiced by David A. Kaye) who could generate duplicates by absorbing kinetic energy; and the wolf-girl Wolfsbane (Chantal Strand). New characters included the volcanically-powered Magma (Alexandra Carter), who was changed from her blonde hair, blue eyed comics version to truly Brazilian with brown hair and eyes, and Berzerker (renamed Ray Crisp from Ray Carter, voiced by Tony Sampson), one of the Morlocks from the comics who could harness electricity. These new recruits were generally background characters, with very few of them playing any significant role in an episode and relegated to just scenery or background gags. Another new recruit was Risty Wilde (Nicole Oliver), a purple-haired girl from Britain that many believed to be the Evolution version of Psylocke. It was actually an identity assumed by Mystique in order to stay close to Rogue and steal information on the X-Men. Mystique dropped the persona after a single appearance in the third season. The new recruits all wore black suits with gold accents.

The "Acolytes": Magneto, Gambit, Sabretooth, Mastermind, Colossus and Pyro.

The villains received new recruits as well. Boom-Boom (Megan Leitch), a girl with a troubled past who could generate explosive energy “time bombs,” was originally at Xavier’s until deciding the Brotherhood was a better fit for her. They also rescued Quicksilver’s sister, Wanda (Kelly Sheridan), from the asylum that Magneto placed her in out of fear of her reality-altering powers. She was introduced as an unstable and angry individual, until Mastermind (Campbell Lane), a telepath, altered her memories at the behest of Magneto to make her more pliable to the cause. Mastermind was also a member of Magneto’s other team, formed upon a falling out between himself and Mystique, unofficially known as The Acolytes after his second team in the comics. The other members included the savage Sabretooth (Michael Donovan), the Cajun thief and mercenary Gambit (Alessandro Juliani), the flame-wielding Pyro (Trevor Devall) and the organic steel-skinned Colossus (Michael Adamthwaite) who, unlike the others, was forced into Magneto’s service with his family held hostage.

Apocalypse model sheet.

Seemingly in keeping with the name, the show continued to evolve. By the end of the second season, mutantkind was revealed to the world. The third season was spent dealing with the fallout of the revelation, leading to the standard hatred from ordinary humans. Several of the new recruits disappeared in the third season, many of them said to be as a result of their public outing. Mystique left her post as Bayville High’s principal after her differences with Magneto, being replaced by Edward Kelly (Dale Wilson), who in the comics was an anti-mutant Senator named Robert with presidential aspirations as well as a minor antagonist in the film. Kelly did eventually exhibit political ambitions when he tried to run for mayor of Bayville. He also expelled the Brotherhood from the school. Shadowcat and Avalanche began a forbidden romance, which made Avalanche try to unsuccessfully switch sides. The biggest bad of all, Apocalypse (Kaye), was gradually introduced beginning in the second season, culminating in his appearance for the final battle in the series finale and with a changing form to match. 

Fashion sense: Wolverine, Mystique and the Future X-Men.

Steve Gordon, showrunner Kirkland and Frank Paur designed most of the characters, giving them new and simple-to-animate looks that also paid homage to their long history and remained true to their original characterizations. Several characters underwent changes as the series progressed. Wolverine, originally wearing an homage to his brown comics costume, was given his costume from the Ultimate X-Men comics beginning in season 3. In fact, the other Ultimate costume designs for the rest of the X-Men were used for Xavier’s vision of the future in the series finale. If they could have gotten away with it, Mystique would have been designed in her “nude” form as she appeared in the film, but as that was too risqué she instead was depicted in a version of her classic white dress from the comics. Never happy with that “dated” design, Gordon gave her a smaller black two-piece dress, boots, and a covering on one wrist beginning in season 2 (he also wanted to make her be more imposing by resembling a female weight-lifter, but that idea wasn’t received very well). Also in season 2, Boom-Boom shaved off Blob’s Mohawk as a joke, and Blob maintained the look until the series’ end. Several characters, in an unusual move for an animated series, had different civilian outfits. While they didn’t change every episode, it did defy the usual practice of a character wearing the same clothing for the duration of a show.

X-Men: Evolution debuted on Kids’ WB on November 4, 2000. Along with Kirkland, writers for the series included Bob Forward, Greg Johnson, Simon Furman, Katherine Lawrence, Adam Beechen, Christy Marx, Randy Littlejohn, Pamela Hickey, Dennys McCoy, Len Uhley, Cydne Clark, Steven Granat, Doug Molitor, Brian Swenlin, William Forrest Cluverius, Nick Dubois, Michael Merton, Jules Dennis, Sean Roche and Marsha F. Griffin. Throughout the series’ production, it was never known when the network would renew the show for another season until the last minute, making it hard for the producers to plot out their seasons very far in advance while telling a satisfying story. William Kevin Anderson composed the theme and score for the series, giving several characters their own distinctive music. Ultimately, the series ran for four seasons with the final being an abbreviated nine episodes. The series won the Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Sound Mixing” in 2001 and “Outstanding Sound Editing” in 2003, and the Cover of the Year Award in 2004 for the animated figure of Beast. It was nominated for additional Emmys and Golden Reel Awards, and Steve Gordon was nominated for “Production Design in an Animated Television Production” for the 2001 Annie Awards.

X-23 comin' at ya!

One of the lasting contributions from the series was the creation of the character X-23 (Andrea Libman & Britt Irvin). Conceived by producer Craig Kyle and appearing in episodes written by Kyle and his writing partner Christopher Yost, she was the female clone of Wolverine, the 23^rd in a series of failed attempts (hence the name), possessing all of his powers, two adamantium claws inside each forearm, and one that came out of each foot. As told to iF Magazine, there was a push to get the younger audience to connect to Wolverine, but fearing they wouldn’t be because he was one of the adult characters, Kyle created X as a younger surrogate. Unlike the character of Spyke, X-23 proved immensely popular and she was soon integrated into the official Marvel Comics universe like Firestar and Morph before her (although Spyke was possibly recycled into the character that appeared in X-Statix, whose name was spelled with a proper “i”). Whereas in the cartoon she was created by the terrorist organization known as Hydra, in the comics she was made the product of a new version of the Weapon X Program that created Wolverine. She first appeared in the 2003 mini-series NYX before making her presence known to the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #450. Her slightly-tweaked origin was fleshed out in two mini-series, she eventually gained her own ongoing, and briefly became the all-new Wolverine.

Taco Bell ad.

Toy Biz produced a line of action figures, including the standard 5” variety, 8” figures with interchangeable cloth outfits, and 9” talking figures. In 2000, Taco Bell offered clip-on mini-busts of Mystique with a changing face, Wolverine with extending claws, Storm with sparkling eyes, Cyclops with disc-firing eyes and Toad with a darting tongue in their kids’ meals. In 2001, Burger King was set to offer 28 figurines as part of their Big Kids’ meal with a hero and villain being offered in each set. However, the plan was scrapped and scaled down to feature only 8 figures (Wolverine, Rogue, Magneto, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Toad and Cyclops) on a base with a character bio visible through a small viewing window, and a miniature CD-ROM disc with some show-related content. Hard Hero released a line of limited-edition maquettes, featuring Juggernaut, Magneto, Xavier, Colossus, Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops and Captain America from his guest-appearance. 

DVD cover.

In 2002, Marvel published nine-issues of a comic based on the series, presenting original adventures by Devin Grayson, Jay Faerber and UDON. A 10^th issue was planned, but the series was ultimately cancelled due to low sales. The series remained out of print until 2020, when a collection was released in time for the show’s 20^th anniversary. The comic would introduce the Morlocks before their appearance on the show, however it was a radically different interpretation. They also featured characters that didn’t appear, including Mimic and Mr. Sinister in the cancelled issue. Three seasons of the show had been released to DVD between 2003 and 2006. The first two seasons were broken up across four volumes each, while the third was released in its entirety. The fourth has yet to be released. The series was made available on various streaming sites, including iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and Google Play. In 2019, it became one of the launch titles for the streaming service Disney+.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Strategy X” (11/4/00) – Nightcrawler gets acclimated to his new home while Mystique plots to use Toad to infiltrate the Xavier School.

“The X-Impulse” (11/11/00) – Jean and Avalanche both try to recruit new mutant Kitty Pryde while Wolverine’s old foe Sabretooth comes to town.

“Rogue Recruit” (11/18/00) – Rogue runs away after discovering her powers, and Xavier is determined to find her before the Brotherhood.

“Mutant Crush” (11/25/00) – When Jean tries to help Blob adjust to his new school, he mistakes her kindness as her liking him.

“Speed and Spyke” (12/9/00) – When Spyke gains his mutant powers, he plans to use them for revenge against Quicksilver.

“Middleverse” (1/27/01) – Rogue and Nightcrawler stumble upon an abandoned lab of Forge’s where Nightcrawler is sucked into another dimension—just as Forge had been decades before.

“Turn off the Rogue” (2/3/01) – A class trip pits Cyclops and Rogue against their classmates.

“Spykecam” (2/10/01) – Spyke records his life for a school project, but his tape could lead Sabretooth to Wolverine and the school.

“Survival of the Fittest” (3/3/01) – With the X-Men in a training boot camp, Mystique frees Juggernaut to break into the school, but Juggernaut has plans for his own revenge on Xavier.

“Shadowed Past” (3/31/01) – Dreams about Nightcrawler set him and Rogue off to discover the truth about his past.

“Grim Reminder” (4/14/01) – A chip in Wolverine’s brain sends him on fits of blind rage after a strange Canadian news broadcast.

“The Cauldron, Part 1” (5/5/01) – Xavier helps Cyclops discover his brother is alive and race to recruit him before the Brotherhood does.

“The Cauldron, Part 2” (5/12/01) – Magneto transports the X-Men to Asteroid M in order to begin his plans for the future of mutant kind.

Season 2:

“Growing Pains” (9/29/01) – The Brotherhood threaten to expose mutants to the world.

“Power Surge” (10/6/01) – Only Rogue can help Jean regain control of her powers.

“Badda-Bing, Badda-Boom” (10/13/01) – Boom-Boom’s father asks her to commit a crime for him, leading her to eventually joining up with the Brotherhood.

“Fun and Games” (10/20/01) – While Xavier tends to Juggernaut’s cell, the younger X-Men trick Cyclops and Jean into leaving the mansion so they can hold a party.

“The Beast of Bayville” (10/27/01) – Dr. Henry McCoy’s mutation turns him into a raging beast, and only Spyke has a chance of stopping him.

“Adrift” (11/3/01) – Cyclops sets out to rescue his brother after a surfing accident, but a huge storm threatens them both.

“On Angel’s Wings” (11/17/01) – Rogue and Cyclops discover a mysterious heroic angel is a new mutant, whom Magneto wants to frame in order to instill hatred of humanity in him.

“African Storm” (12/1/01) – Hungan, an African shaman, wants Storm’s powers in order to take over Africa.

“Joyride” (12/15/01) – Avalanche wants to join the X-Men to be with Kitty, but he becomes the first suspect in a series of mutant-related joyrides.

“Walk on the Wild Side” (1/26/02) – The X-Women strike out on their own to become a vigilante crime-fighting team.

“Operation: Rebirth” (2/2/02) – Wolverine, Rogue and Nightcrawler are sent by Nick Fury to retrieve the device that created Captain America from Magneto.

“Mindbender” (2/16/02) – Mesmero kidnaps and brainwashes several X-Men to commit crimes for him.

“Shadow Dance” (3/2/02) – While the kids prepare for a Sadie Hawkins dance, Forge creates a device that augments Nightcrawler’s teleportation.

“Retreat” (3/30/02) – Kitty arranges a field trip with the new recruits to cheer Beast up, but hunters end up capturing Beast believing him to be Bigfoot.

“The HeX Factor” (4/20/02) – The Brotherhood breaks Quicksilver’s sister Wanda out of a mental institution and enlists her onto the team.

“Day of Reckoning, Part 1” (5/11/02) – Bolivar Trask pits Wolverine against his Sentinels while Magneto commands his Acolytes to provoke war between the species.

“Day of Reckoning, Part 2” (5/11/02) – The X-Men and Brotherhood unite to defeat the Sentinel, exposing the existence of mutants to the world.

Season 3:

“Day of Recovery” (9/14/02) – The X-Men and Brotherhood go to Area 51 to rescue their captured friends, and Cyclops blackmails Mystique into revealing Xavier’s location.

“The Stuff of Heroes” (9/21/02) – While the X-Men try to save a dam from Juggernaut, Beast and Storm speak to the Senate about mutants.

“Mainstream” (9/28/02) – Xavier urges the young mutants return to school, but new principal Robert Kelly has plans for them.

“The Stuff of Villains” (10/5/02) – The Brotherhood is expelled and Magneto tries to recruit them while freeing Quicksilver from prison.

“Blind Alley” (10/19/02) – The X-Men rebuild the mansion while Mystique breaks free and plans revenge against Cyclops.

“X-Treme Measures” (11/2/02) – The Morlocks create a sports drink that’s harmful to mutants, and which Spyke drinks.

“The Toad, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (11/9/02) – Toad steals Nightcrawler’s image inducer in order to woo Wanda.

“Self Possessed” (11/16/02) – Rogue’s powers go out of control, all the abilities she’s absorbed resurfacing including Mystique’s, which changes her into the mutants she’s emulating.

“Under Lock and Key” (11/30/02) – Mesmero takes control of Gambit to free Apocalypse.

“Cruise Control” (8/23/03) – Shunned on a vacation cruise, the X-Men head to a nearby island where their lives are threatened by an erupting volcano.

“X23” (8/2/03) – Hydra used Wolverine’s DNA to create the female clone X-23, who follows her programming to destroy him regardless of whatever—or whoever—is in her path.

“Dark Horizons, Part 1” (8/9/03) – Mesmero takes control of Rogue and has her absorb all the abilities of the X-Men, Brotherhood and Acolytes in order to free Apocalypse.

“Dark Horizons, Part 2” (8/16/03) – Mesmero has Rogue and Mystique free Apocalypse, who absorbs Rogue’s powers and escapes before the X-Men can stop him.

Season 4:

“Impact” (8/30/03) – Magneto takes Apocalypse on while the X-Men try to understand their foe.

“No Good Deed” (9/6/03) – After rescuing people from an accident of Wanda’s, the Brotherhood enjoys their new status as heroes and continues causing trouble they can rescue people from.

“Target X” (9/13/03) – After escaping Omega Red, Wolverine finds X-23 and joins her in her revenge against her creator.

“Sins of the Son” (9/20/03) – Xavier and the X-Men head to Scotland when he learns he has a son.

“Uprising” (9/27/03) – Spyke returns in time to help the X-Men and Morlocks put a stop to hate-crimes against mutants.

“Cajun Spice” (10/4/03) – Gambit kidnaps Rogue to trick her into helping him rescue his foster father.

“Ghost of a Chance” (10/11/03) – After being rescued by Danielle Moonstar, Kitty invites her to the school where the students begin having powerful nightmares upon her arrival.

“Ascension, Part 1” (10/18/03) – Apocalypse unleashes his Four Horsemen and the X-Men take them on with the help of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Sentinels.

“Ascension, Part 2” (10/25/03) – The X-Men, Brotherhood and Acolytes join forces to save humanity from Apocalypse.


Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2022.