X-Men: The Animated Series, Revisited
Although essentially another children's vehicle within the era of Saturday Morning cartoons, Marvel's 90's fueled spotlight on its most famous crop of outsiders feels more timely than ever before.
Welcome to issue #12 of Throwdowns.
No basketball, professional wrestling or interviews this week. I instead take a stroll down memory lane and reconnect with an important part of my childhood — a cartoon.
Like almost everyone sheltered in place within the current worldwide pandemic, I have experimented with a vast assortment of options to occupy my mind, and sanity.
Writing this newsletter has helped. As has exercising, and watching every dog video known to existence. But like the majority of the country, I have more often than not found myself turning to streaming services at a nauseating rate.
After sifting through the Netflix, Hulu, Shudder (pretty underrated) and The Criterion Channel catalogs these past few months, I realized Disney+ was still there sitting in the corner, gathering dust. The SEGA Dreamcast of streaming if you will.
Although experiencing a not so successful launch given the absurd amount of hype it built, the nostalgia dripped creation is actually more appealing now given the current climate.
In reality I had forgotten I was even signed up for the service. I watched the essentials when it launched of course (looking at you Brink!), but found little intrigue in including it in my regular rotation. But, with the world figuratively and literally crumbling around us, I thought it would be nice to travel back to a simpler time.
The neon, fluorescent drenched 90’s to be precise.
Photo by: Marvel Entertainment | Throwdowns Illustration
I am not sure why I ultimately chose to watch the X-Men Animated Series over that of Spiderman, or others I loved growing up.
There was a hunch that it would hold up a bit stronger given the adult themes I recalled noting even when I was too young to fully comprehend them, which ended up being right.
At first it was supposed to be just an episode, which quickly turned into three and then suddenly the entire first season was devoured in a few days. Dumbfounded by the subject matter, themes and eerie currentness it extruded, the roughly 18 minute bite-sized entries continued to impress at each pass.
The 1992 premiere was the first of a two-parter, a trend that would become synonymous with the show. X-Men’s risky story structure relied on it’s young viewers to be able to follow a continuous storyline that often interweaved at several points, making the “Previously on X-Men” introduction a necessary staple for each viewing.
“Night of the Sentinels: Part 1” began with a television report of live footage of a mutant (Sabretooth) and city police fighting in an unnamed burning downtown. The reporter cited the incident as “yet another example of mutant hysteria.” A central theme of season one.
The outrages/protests across the country in this universe primarily consisted of that aforementioned hysteria between the enraged super-powered mutants who were tired of being imprisoned and discriminated against, those “normal” in society and the X-Men who attempted to bridge both sides in hopes of peaceful inclusion of all parties.
It is revealed that the government instituted the “Mutant Registration Act,” a bill which institutes all mutants must be registered and accounted for in a proposed veil of support.
Of course, it is later discovered the program is in actuality an aim to more efficiently track down and eliminate the mutants with the help of the “Sentinels,” giant robots.
A creation likely conceived out of the fear of the unknown, of something different or potentially superior.
There are buds of the current ongoing fight against injustice seen in the Black Lives Matter movement. As well as reoccurring traces/references of The Holocaust, and an overarching theme of acceptance. The relevancy of the cartoon in 2020 is striking.
Since it’s inception, the X-Men both in literary and visual media, has arguably been the most overt of all the superhero serials in reflecting various sociological and historical injustices.
The 1990’s animated venture did not only not shy away from using their platform to continue this tradition, but built upon it in hopes of teaching children tolerance, empathy and acceptance.
As I closely watched the season one feud between the three central parties, I jotted down these other apparent themes and issues that were addressed within just 13 episodes.
Xenophobia: American construction workers taunt and ultimately attack Colossus (a Russian mutant) due to his arrival and ability to perform their job duties at a more efficient rate. “Go back to Russia!” is yelled by one of the workers.
Slavery: Mutants, and the X-Men including Jubilee (an Asian teen) and Storm (an African American woman) are captured and forced to work against their will on “Slave Island.”
Intimacy: Rogue’s inability to have a relationship with a man due to her powers, specifically when taking part in human contact. She nearly goes through a procedure to make her “normal.” Wolverine and Beast, also experience similar fates later in the series.
Orphanage/Foster Care System/Acceptance: Jubilee ultimately joins the X-Men’s School for Gifted Youngsters after a rocky relationship with her foster parents, who “fear what the neighbors would say if they knew their daughter was a mutant.” Many mutants also share that their family’s inability to accept their powers is the chief reason for needing a home/lashing out.
I think what I found so captivating from the series as I watched from adult eyes and a 2020 lens, is the level of respect the writers had for their audience.
With the knowledge that viewers were primarily children, this did not mean the creative staff would sugarcoat these important messages nor would they simply attempt to sell “merchandise.”
They instead used the shroud of superheroes and vibrant colors to reel them in and gracefully interweave thought-provoking content that lasts far after the credits rolled. Something that is unfortunately absent from most children’s media today.
This however was no easy feat nor was it without pushback as Showrunner Eric Lewald explained:
“There was incredible pressure to change it around and make it younger, sillier, or give them a pet dog. To dumb it down or make it younger. Luckily, everybody on the creative side banded together and had, "No, you'll have to fire me" moments. [Marvel would say], "Put toys in or give Wolverine some Wolverine curtains."
"No we're not going to do that. If you were a 30-something serious defender of right and justice in your world, would you be wearing pajamas of yourself or would you be calling yourself on your Wolverine phone? No, you wouldn't. He's a serious guy. This is not a toy show. Sorry. You'll have to fire me to change it."
Ultimately a cartoon, yes. But there is reason, and evidence why the X-Men animated series is to this day still lauded as one of, if not the best depiction of superheroes in any medium.
Not because of impressive animation, fight sequences or even excitement, but because of it’s nuanced character building and courage to tackle subject matters that warrant attention.
This may best be demonstrated by the character of Beast, who often serves as the group’s moral compass and only appears sparingly throughout the first season as he is imprisoned in episode two due to the X-Men’s involvement with the gathering of information on the Mutant Registration Act.
After turning down multiple breakout attempts by friends and foes alike, Beast instead opts to wait inside his cell patiently. Putting his faith solely in the country’s legal system and morality.
A choice that he believes will help convince the world that mutants should not be feared, but treated as equal.
During his trial, in which those in the courtroom throw fruit at his back, Beast (an avid reader) quotes Shylock’s famous speech from Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” before getting shown to his cell.
“If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"
Beast is ultimately set free in the final episode of the season, viewing this as hopeful proof that there is indeed good out there.
“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day.” “Ah, the immortal Bard, so wise about the struggle of the oppressed. Yet, today, by the good graces of a prominent senator, I find myself no longer numbered among them.”
In the series — and in reality — this fight against injustice only continued from there on out. Beast and the X-Men ultimately just serving as fictional examples of a hopeful future that continues to be riddled with reoccurring errors of the past.
This has been Throwdowns. If you enjoyed this, or any other post in the archive, please feel free to share it on social media or with your friends and family. It is greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions, concerns, feedback or want to send me recent work for consideration in future “Spotlight Corner” installments, feel free to email me: Alexm.regla@gmail.com. As always, thank you.
This deserves a Pulitzer..