X-Men: The Animated Seriesis enjoying a timely renaissance thanks to the popularity of its spiritual continuation,X-Men ‘97. Regarded as one of the best cartoons of the 1990s and a bold swing worthy of its socially conscious comic book inspirations,X-Men’s Saturday morning episodes introduced countless children to Marvel’s mutant world.Those names that blast their waythrough the rocking opening credits — Cyclops, Wolverine, Professor Xavier — entered the cultural vernacular.
In April 2024,X-Mendirector, producer, and artistLarry Houstonshared with Calgary Expo convention audiences thatMarvel Comics requested he change the X-Men team line-up. It wasn’t a substantial change, but three decades later, time has proved it crucial. Swapping out two characters before might have shaped X-Men media as we know it. Doubtlessly,key components ofX-Men ‘97’s story wouldn’t exist.
X-Men: The Animated Series
“X-Men: The Animated Series” follows the adventures of a group of mutants with extraordinary abilities led by Professor Charles Xavier. Known as the X-Men, they fight for peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants in a world where they are often feared and hated. The series tackles various social issues through its stories, set against a backdrop of action-packed superhero conflicts and complex villainous schemes.
What Was The Original ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ Team?
LikeThe Avengers,X-Menis an ensemble. Choosing which characters to include informs the core dynamics. Initially,Larry Houston conceived hisX-Men: The Animated Seriesgroupwithout Rogue (Lenore Zann) or Gambit (Chris Potter). “The original team had Colossus and Shadowcat,” he said, “butMarvel asked us to swap them for Rogue and this new character named Gambit.”
Setting aside the nostalgic knee-jerk reactions, how would those fundamental differences have affectedX-Men?Colossus and Shadowcat might differ from Gambit and Rogue, but every character brings potential to the table. The question, then, becomes whether one character duo was better suited toThe Animated Series’s larger narrative goals.
Who Is Colossus In The X-Men Comics?
Colossus, aka Piotr Rasputin, premiered in 1975 alongside Storm andNightcrawlerin writerLen Weinand artistDave Cockrum’sGiant-Size X-Men#1. Born to farmers in Soviet Russia, Piotr is intimately acquainted with the dual labors of responsibility and loss. He believes his older brother, Mikhail, died in acosmonauticaccident, and his mutant powers manifest while saving his sister Illyana (also a mutant, portrayed byAnya Taylor-Joyin theNew Mutantsmovie). At will, his body transforms into a steel strong enough to resist almost any weapon or weather condition.
Instead of seeking fame and heroism, Piotr is a wary X-Men recruit. Paired with his nobility and preference for pacifism,his personality contrasts with first-glance presumptions about his size and strength. A sensitive and artistic soul, Piotr wields his powers with enough humility to makeSpider-Man’s Uncle Ben proud. Committing violence haunts him. He loves his family, be they chosen like the X-Men or blood like Illyana. His brother Mikhail’s return as a supervillain considerably complicates his world. Worse still, Illyana’s death from the Legacy Virus prompts Piotr to briefly join Magneto and his Acolytes, a morality-questioningmove Rogue fulfillsinX-Men ’97. Although Colossus reunites with the X-Men, he later joins the Excalibur team co-founded byRachel Summers.
Colossus’s tenure with the X-Men doesn’t lack material to mine. Mind control, death, resurrection, internal conflict, and grief fit right in withX-Men: The Animated Series’s fearless storylines. An American superhero group including two Russian members in the lingering shadows of the Cold War wouldn’t be lost on anyone, either. As it stands, Colossus guest stars in twoX-Menepisodes. Outside theDeadpoolseries, where he’s played byStefan Kapičić, 20th Century Fox’s live-action films limit Piotr to cameo appearances.
Who Is Shadowcat In The X-Men Comics?
Shadowcat, created byChris Claremontand artistJohn Byrne, debuted in 1980’sThe Uncanny X-Men#129. Since then, she’s secured her place as one of Marvel’s most relatable superheroes. A small-town Midwesterner and a genius prodigy at 13 years old,Kitty Pryde’s ability to change her atoms and “phase through” matter makes her coveted by both Xavier and the Hellfire Club. Once she enrolls at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters under the alias Shadowcat, Kitty trains in ballet, martial arts, and hand-held weapons. Ironically, Kitty was the namesake behindPryde of the X-Men, a failed cartoon pilot that precededX-Men: The Animated Series.
This Is What Makes X-Men Stand Out From the Avengers and Justice League
“It represents a lot more than just capes and cowls,” says Head Director Jake Castorena.
The star character in Claremont, Byrne, andTerry Austin’sDays of Future Pastarc (and played byElliot Pagein thefilm of the same name), Kitty is often the youngest X-Men member. Storm and Wolverine view her as a little sister or daughter figure. Within the context ofX-Men: The Animated Series,that dynamic is redundant with Jubilee (Alyson Court) on deck as the newest teen initiateand the audience’s surrogate. Kitty requires enough difference to warrant her presence. Aging up the character and exploring her identity as an Ashkenazi Jewish-American whose grandfather survived a World War II concentration camp would be a phenomenal angle. She necessarily diversifies the team and has natural ties toMagneto’s (David Hemblen) perspectiveas a Holocaust survivor.
Together,Piotr and Kitty share a love story to root for. Like Jubilee (Holly Chou) and Roberto da Costa (Gui Agustini) inX-Men ‘97, they contain all the required awkward sweetness of eager adolescents harboring hopeful crushes and navigating new experiences. Even though Kitty and Piotr’s on-again, off-again status ultimately doesn’t last, they maintain a devoted friendship. Concurrently, Kitty and Illyana become best friends.
Gambit And Rogue Are ‘X-Men ‘97’s Heart
Examining the flip side, Gambit debuted in the summer of 1990, the same yearX-Men: The Animated Seriesstarted pre-production. Although a well-received character from the jump thanks to inventors Chris Claremont andJim Lee,there’s little doubt Remy LeBeau’s presence inX-Menspringboarded his popularity beyond the comics. A witty rapscallion with kinetic powers and a fantastic coat, audiences accepted Gambit (Chris Potter) as an unassailable member of the X-Men. His feisty, endearing, and unconsummated romance with Rogue became one of the series’ trademarks, enough so thatX-Men ‘97’s dramatics hinge upon theGambit, Rogue, and Magneto(Matthew Waterson) love triangle.
At the time, Rogue’s arrival in 1981’sAvengers Annual#10 made her a newer character than Storm and Colossus, contemporaneous with Kitty Pryde. Another Claremont creation, this time with artistMichael Golden, her emotional struggles groundX-Men: The Animated SeriesandX-Men ‘97.Her isolation taps into a singularly human need for intimate connection.‘97brings Rogue’s arc full circle throughher half-rekindled romance with Magneto. By understanding what fulfills her as a person, she discovers solid ground for the first time.Choosing Gambit only to lose himdrives Rogue toward devastated fury, and it’s a heartbreaking bleakness only achievable because of the five prior seasons.
Rogue and Gambit’s romance might lack the charm of young teenage love, but their affair offers a hearty grit familiar to the adults watchingX-Men ‘97with a matured perspective. Aside from Jubilee and Sunspot, the X-Men are in their 20s and 30s. They carry uniquely personal but still universal fears, dreams, and insecurities.Rogue and Gambit toil through their confusion and emerge stronger on the other side. Cyclops and Jean Grey might be the series’ royal couple, but what isX-Men: The Animated Serieswithout Rogue and Gambit? Children discovered themselves through Rogue’s ferocious courage and sympathetic vulnerability. Others found their way by watching Gambit’s devoted heart stumble through his checkered past. Together, they’re electric.
On a macro scale, wouldAnna Paquin’s Rogue have played a pivotal role in 2000’sX-MenifLenore Zann hadn’t made the character culturally significant? Series writerEric Lewaldtold Inversein 2022, “I also know that this show helped to inform the firstX-Menmovies, which, of course, set the stage for the MCU and all the incredible movies they’re making.” Piotr Rasputin and Kitty Pryde are dynamic characters who share a lovely romance. Butwithout Rogue and Gambit, it’s fair to assume that no onscreenX-Menworld would be the same. We definitely “remember the name” — both their names.
