Ranking the X-Men Animated Shows From Best to Worst

Prior to the arrival of the MCU, the Avengers were not the flagship superhero team for Marvel. Instead that honour went to the mutant team, the X-Men. They were used for the ability to show not just superhuman heroics, but also the issues within society for discrimination and racism. When Marvel decided to head into production with the MCU they were unable to even consider featuring the mutant team as they were licenced and owned by Sony, who had already started a X-Men film series.

This saw Marvel halt attention on the mutant race and moving their marketing and focus more onto the Avengers. But now Marvel have the rights once again to the X-Men they have already shown an amped interest in using them once again. With the X-Men 1997 animated series being revived, here we will look at the various animated shows the X-Men have had over the decades, starting with the worst and ending on the best.

Wolverine - The Anime Series

Perhaps lesser known than the other entries, but Wolverine has indeed helmed his own anime series. Following a younger Wolverine and his time in Japan, the series brings you Japanese anime style to the style of Wolverine. Now the series isn't bad and does provide an outlet for fans to watch some of the complex history of Wolverine. In a fight for love, Wolverine is seen heading to Japan to rescue his girlfriend Mariko who disappeared a year earlier. Turns out, her dad is the head of the Japanese crime syndicate Kuzuryu and they also supply to A.I.M. Taken by her father she is set to be forced to marry Hideki Kurohagi. This puts Logan on a quest to rescue his love for her fate.

The series ran for 12 episodes and was linked to other Marvel anime series which were set in a shared universe. In Wolverine it showcased the hero Yukio and long-running Wolverine villain Omega Red. It also had a guest appearance from Cyclops in episodes five and six to connect the Wolverine Anime Series to the X-Men Anime Series, which we will get to later. But much like much of Marvel at the time, Wolverine was more the one to link the various series together as he also appeared in the Ironman Anime Series and the Blade Anime Series. So, while the series is enjoyable, it is literally just Marvel using Wolverine for the sake of using him as was the trend at this time.

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men

Now some may consider this a joke, as X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men never actually got a full series. Instead it was a single pilot episode produced in attempts to make a full series. However, this single pilot actually needs to be praised for what became the norm for X-Men animated series. Rather than using the initial line-up of X-Men of Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, Angel & Jean Grey, they opted for their own team. Instead the pilot used Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, and Dazzler. This simple mechanic has been used on every new incarnation of an X-Men team, including shows, movies, computer games and even the comics.

While the animation is dated, the designs for the characters are still instantly recognisable. Even Magneto and his Brotherhood of mutants can easily recognised in their versions for the pilot. But while it failed to obtain the first X-Men animated series, it did see continuation in the comics in 1990s through a special release. It also had a few early computer games produced based off the team and their designs further adding to the story. So, for a single pilot you do have to admire the impact and legacy it had on the X-Men franchise.

X-Men - The Anime Series

Compared to the Wolverine Anime Series, the X-Men Anime Series did bring an interesting idea to their premise. Starting off with the massive event of the death of Jean Grey as the Dark Phoenix. A year later the X-Men are called together for a crisis in Japan. A young mutant call Armor is abducted by the U-Men and the X-Men must find her. Joined by Emma Frost who has been a teacher to Armor, they soon discover secondary mutations are occurring within mutants with devastating consequences. The X-Men must try and stop the crisis before it is too late.

Now, secondary mutations are not unheard of in mutants, either through forced means or natural. Beast for example, forced a secondary mutation into his blue physique we all know and love, where Emma Frost's diamond form was a natural secondary mutation. The anime series brings a new idea, to how a secondary mutation could be as dangerous as when a mutant's powers first manifest. The anime does a good job of displaying the abilities of the characters. But with only 12 episodes and a fast-paced story you do not get much character development for some of the character. If it had gotten a second series, they could have flesh out the characters more and bumped this up on the list.

X-Men: Evolution

Launched not long after Sony's X-Men films started, X-Men: Evolution brought a new take to the X-Men. With Professor Xavier, Storm, Wolverine and later Beast being the teachers at the institute teaching Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Spyke, Kitty Prude & Rogue how to use their powers. What was interesting was how the teen versions of the heroes also attended a normal school, with the institute acting purely as a port of call to teach the teen mutants. This was played up on the Brotherhood side also, with Magneto and Mystique being the mentors to more troubled mutant teens.

One thing the series did do that many fans appreciated was the introduction of many characters who would join the institute as the series went on. It showcased many lesser-known mutants better than they have been. X-Men: Evolution was also smart in its approach. With them taking such a different approach to depicting the mutants for fans, they ensured the issues the X-Men face such as discrimination were also linked with the issue’s teens can go through. This enabled viewers to emulate with some of the issues faced by the characters and bring new fans to the X-Men table by doing so.

Wolverine and the X-Men

Another some may think is too high on this list, but for a single series show it had everything going for it. It was cancelled due to contract agreements for a second series, not because of viewership of negative responses from audiences. While earlier I mentioned how Marvel would use Wolverine for the sake of using him earlier, well this is another example of this, but this time done right. Traditionally with X-Men we will witness most likely Cyclops in charge of the team and occasionally Storm. Instead for this one Wolverine took the place of leader being guided by a comatose Professor Xavier to avoid an apocalyptic event from occurring.

In the first episode a psychic attack at the school causes an explosion, resulting in Jean Grey and Professor Xavier vanishing. This results in the X-Men disbanding and a year later Wolverine is forced to bring the team back together. Joined by Emma Frost, they search for the cause of the end of the world that Charles is warning about, only to discover it is the Phoenix Force and Jean Grey. Sacrificing herself, Emma Frost stops the disaster taking place and ended with a cliff-hanger, that now an Age of Apocalypse stands in place for the future. If X-Men 1997 is a success, this is the next X-Men show worthy of a revival to continue where it left off.

X-Men: The Animated Series

What else could be in the top spot? The X-Men: The Animated Series is still considered by many as the best interpretation the comic book title has ever received. Using a diverse mix of popular X-Men in the comics, the show pulled the best elements from the comics into the small screen. It offered each character growth and time to shine, which enabled every viewer to have a favourite character. In fact, Beast was never intended to be a main character on the show, but test audiences loved the initial appearance of him the writers wrote him into the show.

The reason this series is so beloved is it stayed true to many elements and stories the X-Men have faced in the comics. It brought to audiences the best adaptation of the iconic Phoenix Saga and did not shy away from controversial topics. Unlike even the films, it depicted the hate mutants faced on a daily basis and the intolerance than the characters would face. This is the reason why X-Men is so beloved by fans, as it has always been a voice for discrimination. With the show set to return soon, fans eagerly anticipate seeing how the team will continue and what X-Men stories will be adapted. As the X-Men have been on plenty of adventures since 1997.

Which X-Men animated series is your favourite? Which X-Man do you love the most and is it because of one of the animated shows?