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Review: X-Men Evolution
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Martin Phipps
Mar 6, 2013, 10:56:01 AM3/6/13
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Review: X-Men Evolution
In Season 1, the X-Men (Cyclops, Jean, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler and
Spyke) and the Brotherhood (Toad, Avalance, Blob, Quicksilver and
Rogue) are attending high school together. Seriously. At first, it
doesn’t make sense because if the X-Man are attending Xavier’s school
then why are they also attending Bayville High?
Well, in Season 2, it makes a bit more sense because the New Mutants
(Ice Man, Jubilee, Boom Boom, Bezerker, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Magma,
Canonball and Maddrox) are introduced: apparently Xavier’s school only
covers Grades 5 and 6 and students who graduate from Xavier’s school
go on to attend high school and college elsewhere. Fair enough.
Season 2 also introduces Beast, Forge, the Scarlet Witch, Magneto’s
Acolytes (Sabretooth, Colossus, Gambit, Pyro), the Sentinels and
Principal Kelly. Yes, Principal Kelly. Everybody in X-Men Evolution
is younger than their comic book or movie counterparts so he isn’t a
Senator. The plot in Season 2 is that he suspects that there are
mutants in the school, much like Crocker would suspect there were
fairies on the Fairly Odd Parents.
Things get more serious in Season 3 after the world learns about
mutants. Season 3 introduces Angel, the Morlocks (Callisto, Caliban
and some unnamed mutants), Mastermind, Mesmero and Destiny. Well,
actually, Destiny was introduced in the Season 1 episode that
introduced Rogue but in Season 3 it is made clear that Mystique and
Destiny are a same-sex couple who adopted Rogue “when she was four
years old”. Seriously. This is from all the comics. Look it up.
Anyway, Season 4 is only 9 episodes and it involves Apocalypse and
Mesmero facing the X-Men, the New Mutants, Mystique and the
Brotherhood, Magneto and his Acolytes, the Sentinels and Nick Fury and
SHIELD. This is the David Hasselhof version of Nick Fury and not the
cooler Samuel Jackson Nick Fury. Season 4 is quite scary, actually.
It also ends quite abruptly, as if there was a whole season planned
but it got cancelled pre-maturely.
For the most part, the characters on X-men Evolution are more powerful
than their comics or movie counterparts. For example, when Rogue
absorbs a mutant’s powers in the movies or in the comics she usually
only takes their powers temporarily but on X-Men Evolution she keeps
the mutant powers even after the mutant she absorbed the powers from
wakes up and recovers. Rogue eventually becomes as powerful as the
entire X-men, Brotherhood and Acolytes combined.
Another difference is Wolverine: in the comics and movies he is a
loner but on X-men Evolution he is an “old friend’ of Xavier and the
other X-Men refer to him, Xavier and Storm as their “teachers” as
though they had all founded the school together. Beast later also
served as a teacher for the New Mutants.
Other mutants that appear include Scott’s brother Havok (in Season 1),
Legion and Danielle Moonstar (both in Season 4). There is also a
homage to the original X-Men (Cyclops, Jean, Beast, Angel and Iceman)
in an episode in which they all go up against Mesmero.
I’m curious as to why the series was cancelled. The show got more
like the comics as it went along and that is actually good for
ratings: it is also a good way to introduce kids to the comics; the
introduction of Apocalypse was particularly well done. I suspect that
the suits at WB Kids objected to the serious tone of Season 4: this
was not kids stuff; besides all the business of Apocalypse “killing” X-
Men there’s the episodes in which Legion and Danielle Moonstar were
introduced. Nightcrawler’s dimension as seen in Season 3 was also
quite scary. If there were plans to go on and do the Dark Phoenix
Saga, Days of Future Past and Age of Apocalyse then I can see why WB
Kids might have deemed the series no longer suitable for them.
Frankly, I think it is a shame that the series got cancelled so
abruptly: what started out as a rather silly take on the X-men turned
out to be one of the better and more realistic takes on the X-Men to
date.
Martin
In Season 1, the X-Men (Cyclops, Jean, Shadowcat, Nightcrawler and
Spyke) and the Brotherhood (Toad, Avalance, Blob, Quicksilver and
Rogue) are attending high school together. Seriously. At first, it
doesn’t make sense because if the X-Man are attending Xavier’s school
then why are they also attending Bayville High?
Well, in Season 2, it makes a bit more sense because the New Mutants
(Ice Man, Jubilee, Boom Boom, Bezerker, Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Magma,
Canonball and Maddrox) are introduced: apparently Xavier’s school only
covers Grades 5 and 6 and students who graduate from Xavier’s school
go on to attend high school and college elsewhere. Fair enough.
Season 2 also introduces Beast, Forge, the Scarlet Witch, Magneto’s
Acolytes (Sabretooth, Colossus, Gambit, Pyro), the Sentinels and
Principal Kelly. Yes, Principal Kelly. Everybody in X-Men Evolution
is younger than their comic book or movie counterparts so he isn’t a
Senator. The plot in Season 2 is that he suspects that there are
mutants in the school, much like Crocker would suspect there were
fairies on the Fairly Odd Parents.
Things get more serious in Season 3 after the world learns about
mutants. Season 3 introduces Angel, the Morlocks (Callisto, Caliban
and some unnamed mutants), Mastermind, Mesmero and Destiny. Well,
actually, Destiny was introduced in the Season 1 episode that
introduced Rogue but in Season 3 it is made clear that Mystique and
Destiny are a same-sex couple who adopted Rogue “when she was four
years old”. Seriously. This is from all the comics. Look it up.
Anyway, Season 4 is only 9 episodes and it involves Apocalypse and
Mesmero facing the X-Men, the New Mutants, Mystique and the
Brotherhood, Magneto and his Acolytes, the Sentinels and Nick Fury and
SHIELD. This is the David Hasselhof version of Nick Fury and not the
cooler Samuel Jackson Nick Fury. Season 4 is quite scary, actually.
It also ends quite abruptly, as if there was a whole season planned
but it got cancelled pre-maturely.
For the most part, the characters on X-men Evolution are more powerful
than their comics or movie counterparts. For example, when Rogue
absorbs a mutant’s powers in the movies or in the comics she usually
only takes their powers temporarily but on X-Men Evolution she keeps
the mutant powers even after the mutant she absorbed the powers from
wakes up and recovers. Rogue eventually becomes as powerful as the
entire X-men, Brotherhood and Acolytes combined.
Another difference is Wolverine: in the comics and movies he is a
loner but on X-men Evolution he is an “old friend’ of Xavier and the
other X-Men refer to him, Xavier and Storm as their “teachers” as
though they had all founded the school together. Beast later also
served as a teacher for the New Mutants.
Other mutants that appear include Scott’s brother Havok (in Season 1),
Legion and Danielle Moonstar (both in Season 4). There is also a
homage to the original X-Men (Cyclops, Jean, Beast, Angel and Iceman)
in an episode in which they all go up against Mesmero.
I’m curious as to why the series was cancelled. The show got more
like the comics as it went along and that is actually good for
ratings: it is also a good way to introduce kids to the comics; the
introduction of Apocalypse was particularly well done. I suspect that
the suits at WB Kids objected to the serious tone of Season 4: this
was not kids stuff; besides all the business of Apocalypse “killing” X-
Men there’s the episodes in which Legion and Danielle Moonstar were
introduced. Nightcrawler’s dimension as seen in Season 3 was also
quite scary. If there were plans to go on and do the Dark Phoenix
Saga, Days of Future Past and Age of Apocalyse then I can see why WB
Kids might have deemed the series no longer suitable for them.
Frankly, I think it is a shame that the series got cancelled so
abruptly: what started out as a rather silly take on the X-men turned
out to be one of the better and more realistic takes on the X-Men to
date.
Martin
William December Starr
Mar 6, 2013, 10:11:11 PM3/6/13
to
In article <01dbb9c1-ffbd-4cb2...@y7g2000pbu.googlegroups.com>,
-- wds
Martin Phipps <martin...@yahoo.com> said:
> Season 2 also introduces Beast, Forge, the Scarlet Witch,
> Magneto's Acolytes (Sabretooth, Colossus, Gambit, Pyro), the
> Sentinels and Principal Kelly. Yes, Principal Kelly.
> Everybody in X-Men Evolution is younger than their comic book
> or movie counterparts so he isn't a Senator. The plot in
> Season 2 is that he suspects that there are mutants in the
> school, much like Crocker would suspect there were fairies on
> the Fairly Odd Parents.
Was he voiced by Armin Shimerman? Please?
> Season 2 also introduces Beast, Forge, the Scarlet Witch,
> Magneto's Acolytes (Sabretooth, Colossus, Gambit, Pyro), the
> Sentinels and Principal Kelly. Yes, Principal Kelly.
> Everybody in X-Men Evolution is younger than their comic book
> or movie counterparts so he isn't a Senator. The plot in
> Season 2 is that he suspects that there are mutants in the
> school, much like Crocker would suspect there were fairies on
> the Fairly Odd Parents.
-- wds
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