Jade
Well-known member
October 31, 1992 – September 20, 1997
The show features X-Men similar in look and line-up to the early 1990s X-Men drawn by Jim Lee, composed of Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Professor X, as well as an original character, Morph (an adaptation of previous X-Men member Kevin Sydney). Though they were not part of the team as featured in the animated series, the following X-Men have all guest-starred in at least one episode: Colossus, Nightcrawler, Emma Frost, Forge, Havok, Polaris, Cannonball, Banshee, Northstar, Iceman, Archangel, Longshot, Dazzler, Sunfire, Psylocke, Cable, and Bishop. Keen-eyed fans may also spot cameos by other familiar mutants, such as Feral, Rictor, Deadpool, Punisher, Ghost Rider, and Blink. Of all X-Men members (at that point), Shadowcat was the only member to never appear in the series.
A number of famous storylines and events from the comics are loosely adapted in the series, such as "The Dark Phoenix Saga", "Days of Future Past", the "Phalanx Covenant", and the "Legacy Virus". The third episode, "Enter Magneto", features a confrontation at a missile base: this is largely based on the X-Men's first battle with Magneto, as told in their 1963 debut The X-Men #1. The season four episodes "Sanctuary, Parts I & II", which involve Magneto creating an orbiting haven for mutants, were influenced by several storylines from the comics, chiefly the first three issues of X-Men (Volume 2) and the "Fatal Attractions" crossover.
Beyond faithfully recreating many of the popular characters and stories from the comic books, the series also dealt fairly openly with mature social issues. The ills of prejudice, intolerance, isolation, and racism were all frequent themes in the animated series, as they were in the comics. Anti-mutant prejudice and discrimination was depicted through minor characters as well as more prominent ones, including Senator Robert Kelly, the Friends of Humanity (whose activities and masks in later episodes echoed white supremacy groups such as the Ku Klux Klan) and robotic Sentinels. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Professor Xavier and Magneto, much like their comic-book counterparts, bear similarities to civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, respectively. While Xavier advocates non-violence in the struggle for equality, Magneto takes on a more aggressive 'by any means necessary' stance; the duo's differing views are the source of much discussion throughout the series.
The series also deals with other social issues, including divorce ("Proteus"), Christianity ("Nightcrawler" & "Bloodlines"), the Holocaust ("Enter Magneto," "Deadly Reunions", "Days of Future Past", and "The Phalanx Covenant"), AIDS hysteria ("Time Fugitives"), and even satires of television itself ("Mojovision" and "Longshot").
Main Characters
Professor X
Xavier is paraplegic, although his body houses one of the world's most powerful mutant minds. As a high-level telepath, Xavier can read, control and influence human minds. A scientific genius, he is also a leading authority on genetics, mutation, and psionic powers.
He is the leader and founder of the X-Men.
Cyclops
A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes (an "optic blast"). In uniform, he wears a battle visor with a single, ruby-quartz lens running eye-to-eye; the resulting one-eyed appearance is why he is codenamed "Cyclops."
He is the son of Corsair (Major Christopher Summers) of the Starjammers; the brother of Havok (Alex Summers) and Vulcan (Gabriel Summers); the father of Cable (Nathan Summers); and, the widower of Madelyne Pryor and Jean Grey. He is also a long-time friend of Beast (Hank McCoy). In alternate realities, he has also been the father of Rachel Summers and Ruby Summers, and a biological parent of X-Man and Stryfe.
Jean Grey
Jean Grey is a mutant born with telepathic and telekinetic powers. Her powers first manifested when she saw her childhood friend being hit by a car. She is a caring, nurturing figure, but she also must deal with being an Omega-level mutant and the physical manifestation of the cosmic Phoenix Force. She faces death numerous times in the history of the series, the first being when, in her guise as Marvel Girl, she dies and is "reborn" as Phoenix, which in time leads to her second - though not last - death in the classic "Dark Phoenix Saga".
Jean is an important figure in the lives of other Marvel universe characters, mostly the X-Men, including her husband Cyclops; her mentor and father-figure Charles Xavier; her close friend and sometimes romantic interest Wolverine; her best friend and sister-like figure Storm; and her genetic children Rachel Summers, X-Man, Cable, and Stryfe.
Storm
Ororo's mother, N'Dare, is the princess of a tribe in Kenya and the descendant of a long line of African witch-priestesses with white hair, blue eyes, and a natural gift for sorcery. N'Dare falls in love with and marries American photojournalist David Munroe. They move to Harlem in uptown New York City, where she becomes pregnant with Ororo and bears her, and then to Egypt during the Suez Crisis, where they are killed in a botched aircraft attack and leave six-year-old Ororo as an orphan. There, her violent claustrophobia is also established as a result of being buried under tons of rubble after that attack. She then becomes a skilled thief in Cairo under the benign Achmed el-Gibar and wanders into the Serengeti as a young woman. There, she is worshipped as a goddess before being recruited by Professor X for the X-Men.
Storm can control the weather.
Wolverine
Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing factor that allows him to recover from virtually any wound, disease or toxin at an accelerated rate. The healing factor also slows down his aging process, enabling him to live beyond a normal human lifespan. His powerful healing factor enabled the supersoldier program Weapon X to bond the near-indestructible metal alloy adamantium to his skeleton and claws without killing him.
Rogue
Rogue was born as a mutant. More so than most, Rogue considers her powers a curse: she involuntarily absorbs and sometimes also removes the memories, physical strength, and (in the case of superpowered persons) the abilities of anyone she touches. For most of her life, this potentially fatal power prevented her from making any physical contact with others, including her longtime on-off love interest, Gambit, but after many years Rogue finally gained full control over her power.
Gambit
As a mutant, Gambit possesses the ability to manipulate kinetic energy, as well as a hypnotic charm. He is also skilled in card-throwing, hand-to-hand combat, and the use of a Bō staff.
Few X-Men trusted Gambit, who was originally a professional thief, when he first joined the group. There was consistently a source of stress between him and his on again and off again, although longterm, love interest Rogue. This was exacerbated when his connections to villain Mister Sinister were revealed, although some of his team members accept that Gambit honestly seeks redemption.
Jubilee
A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to Wolverine. She eventually joined the junior team Generation X.
Beast
When first introduced, the Beast—a mutant—possesses ape-like superhuman physical strength and agility and oversized hands and feet, though he otherwise appears to be a normal human being. Throughout his history, the Beast undergoes progressive transformations to his physiognomy, permanently gaining increasingly animalistic physical characteristics. These include blue fur, feline facial features, pointed ears, fangs, and claws. His physical power increases to even greater levels, as do his senses.
