First Telecast: November 4, 2000
Last Telecast: October 25, 2003
Episodes: 52 Color Episodes (52 half-hour episodes, 4 two-part episodes)
Production: Marvel Enterprises
Distributors: Kids' WB
Theme
X-Men Evolution premiered on November 4, 2000. This series focused on the popular X-Men comic-book characters still in their teenage years. If being teenagers wasn't hard enough, these 'special kids' have to deal with their special abilities in a world of people who see them as freaks… Some of them see these abilities as a gift, but some others see them as a curse, or even a weapon.
X-Men Evolution doesn't follow the Comics' canon as faithfully as
X-Men did; it has its own independent storyline. Initially the series targeted children, but in its latter seasons, it "evolved" and gained a darker and more adult tone.
The first season slowly introduced the heroes and the villains of this incarnation. In the first five episodes, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Spyke and a reluctant Rogue join Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean Grey in Professor Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children, and try to live ordinary lives while learning how to control their powers and use them for the good of humankind. On the other hand, under the command of Magneto, Mystique works to create her own team of mutants. By resorting to fear, envy and hatred, she lures and recruits Toad, Avalanche, Blob and Quicksilver, thus forming the
Brotherhood. This season also introduces the well-known villains Sabertooth and Juggernaut.
In the second season new recruits join the mansion: Iceman, Boom-Boom, Wolfspane, Berzerker, Multiple Man, Sunspot, Magma, Cannonball, and Jubilee – the
New Mutants; and the High School gets a new teacher: the Beast. We also meet the ambiguous S.H.I.E.L.D.. In this season, Mystique gets a more important role than before, whereas she has been just one of Magneto's minions, now she has an agenda of her own, and seeks for a weapon to get back at her former ally. This season sets us up for a new nemesis that is lurking in the dark. In the meanwhile, Magneto recruits a new team of mutants: Sabertooth, Pyro, Gambit and Colossus – the
Acolytes – to fight the X-Men.
The third season starts off right after the events of the second season finale. Now, the young X-Men must deal with the fact that the whole world knows about their existence. So, besides trying to balance their troublesome adolescence with their powers, now they also have to struggle to be accepted in a world that fears and hates mutants. We are introduced to the
Morlocks, mutants that due to their external appearance were forced to outcast themselves from society and rebelled against it. The X-Men also lose one of their dearest friends to them. The menace brought up subtly in the previous season plays a bigger role here, and it is highly hinted that Rogue will play an important part in it. After being put 8 months on hold, we finally get to see the final four episodes of the season. We meet a young girl with Wolverine's powers... and claws. The three teams join forces to try to stop the powerful mutant known as Apocalypse from rising from his ancestral prison... but at end, they fail.
In the fourth season, mutants and humans try to come up with a solution to their predicament and try to stop Apocalypse from accomplishing him diabolical plan. We also meet Lucas, Leech and Danielle Moonstar. One old friend comes back to help his troubled X-Men friends. The plot thickens when the leaders of each team are captured by Apocalypse. In the end, the young heroes, and their temporary allies, must fight and stop Apocalypse on their own. The season ends with the inevitable victory of Good over Evil, but compared to what Professor X foresaw that is yet to come, this last episode was just a walk in the park. In a not-so-distant-future, our heroes will have to face a world that hates mutants, more advanced and deadlier Sentinels and the Dark Phoenix.
After months on hiatus, Kids' WB announced that X-Men Evolution wouldn't be renewed.
Wolverine and the X-Men is coming out soon, which is done by some of the crew members from X-men Evolution.
USA)