6 Things I Like
6. Imprisoned
I enjoyed every time we checked in with Beast in his prison cell. His literary references are charming, and his desire to remain jailed and let the justice system take its course so he can legally clear his name—rather than breaking out, which would be easy enough but would give people more reason to fear and hate mutants—makes perfect sense.
On top of that, it was so unusual in the early 90’s to watch a cartoon with such heavy serialization, where they sideline a major character all season, so he doesn’t get to be a part of any of the big storylines. I’ve always loved this continuity.
5. Unsung Heroine
I didn’t have too much to say about Rogue from episode to episode. But I like this version of her.
I remember being surprised seeing a teenage Anna Paquin play Rogue in the original movie, because this adult version is the Rogue I knew.
She’s fun, she’s sassy, she’s charming, and she’s more powerful than I remembered, with flight and super strength to go along with her ability to absorb power from anyone she touches.
Speaking of which, her sadness over her inability to physically connect is still a hallmark of her character. And though I don’t like how things play out regarding the potential cure of the mutant gene, and how quickly Rogue changes her mind about it, her suffering sets her apart from her teammates and makes her one of the most sympathetic X-Men.
4. X-Men Everywhere
Part of the fun of this show is seeing who’s going to pop up next. A number of X-Men who aren’t members of this version of the team are sprinkled in as allies.
(Well, usually as allies.)
There’s Colossus, who impresses when they battle the Juggernaut. He helps rebuild the mansion, and it sounds like, after he finds his sister and sees more of the country, he might return…
There’s Archangel, who’s cured of his brainwashing and will want to help in any fight against Apocalypse…
There’s Cable, the one-man wrecking crew…
And there’s my guy Bishop, who will hopefully find his way back from the future again—and maybe will play a little nicer with the team this time.
3. The Anti-Mutant Agenda
Senator Kelly is a fascinating character. He comes around by the end of the season, after the X-Men save his brain from Master Mold. But prior to that, he’s a powerful senator who announces his candidacy for president, and the only issue we see him running on is an anti-mutant agenda.
The series also begins with the Mutant Registration Act, which sure seems unconstitutional. But things quickly get worse, as the plan becomes about rounding up all mutants, literally enslaving them, and depriving them of their powers.
The Sentinels are a tool of the government—or at least of rogue government agents like Henry Gyrich and Dr. Trask. But they, too, go rogue under the control of Master Mold.
The divisiveness of the pro- and anti-mutant camps, both within and outside the government, is every bit as topical today as it was in the early 90’s.
2. The Villains
Master Mold kinda becomes the Big Bad this season. But we get a bunch of heavy hitters. Magneto, of course, is the ultimate X-Men villain—at least, until he fights alongside them. We also get a few episodes with Apocalypse, who wants to bring on the dystopia from “Days of Future Past,” and who loves to hear himself make grand proclamations about his superiority.
Sabretooth is the villain we deal with most in the first half of the season. His past with Wolverine, and the way he splinters the team early on, are really fun.
Mystique pops up as a nameless mutant on Genosha, but she becomes Apocalypse’s secret weapon later on, and is the would-be assassin who tries to kill Senator Kelly.
And Juggernaut is a big X-villain. He’s only in one episode, but he’s a formidable opponent. And he brings the added intrigue of being Professor X’s brother. They don’t cross paths because the professor is away when Juggernaut comes calling. But hopefully that’s something to look forward to in the future.
1. Wolverine and Gambit
As a kid, I think I resisted liking these two too much because they were the “cool” X-Men. Now I realize they were considered cool for a reason.
Wolverine delivers zinger after zinger all season, and he’s always fun to spend time with, even when he’s moping over Jean. Meanwhile, Gambit’s past is just as mysterious as Wolverine’s. His isolation from his teammates becomes a throughline all season, especially when Bishop accuses him of being the assassin.
But by the final fight against Master Mold, these two are working together, and that helps the whole team gel.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. Cyclops
Sometimes it’s funny to make fun of Cyclops for being such a square. But sometimes he’s genuinely annoying.
1. Jubilee
At the beginning of the season, Jubilee is the entry point POV character. I said at the time that it makes sense, considering she’s the youngest member of the team. Kids could relate to her more easily, especially because she’s dealing with the onset of her powers. I don’t want to dismiss that just because I’m watching the series now as an adult.
But she can also be pretty irritating. She makes terrible decisions and doesn’t take a whole lot of accountability for them. And based on the way she talks—who can forget her calling Sabretooth a dweeb—she feels more dated than anyone else.
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. The “Cure”
I love the idea of a mutant cure, and the tough questions it would force most mutants to wrestle with—especially Rogue.
But this is such a thorny, provocative issue that it could’ve played out for a lot longer. Instead, we quickly find out the cure is bogus, and Rogue comes to grips with who she is way too suddenly. Not only are we robbed of a confrontation between Rogue and Wolverine, which looked like it might be in the cards, but the issue isn’t given the weight it deserves.
1. The Morlocks
The Morlocks are also cool in theory. I’m fascinated by the idea that there’s not just a line between humans and mutants, but also between the mutants who can blend in with regular society, and those—like the Morlocks—who can’t.
Unfortunately, this storyline gets way too silly. Kidnapping Cyclops so he can provide the Morlocks’ leader with a baby… Storm winning leadership of the Morlocks in a duel, then immediately offering them sanctuary in the mansion… there’s a good reason I feel it’s by far the weakest episode of Season 1.
Tim Matassa
