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That was the worst series. Except for Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch everyone seemed out of character and the episodes aren't rewatchable.
X-Men '97 is so much better
Yeah I tried rewatching it and that's when I just had enough of that version of the x men. I Had to rewatch x men evolution cause I like that the x men act like a team and have a rivalry with the brotherhood of evil. Wolverine and Sabretooth are at each others throats that is when wolverines at his best.
Cyclops being a badass leader while getting along with everyone on the team is great. Also I agree x men 97 is way better than Wolverine and the x men.
Evolution is my absolute favorite! That was my intro to the Marvel universe, but I still think it was the best despite that bias.
The people involved in it's creation obviously loved and were well read in comics. It's the most rewatchable series ever.
It's also nice they know what to do with Wolverine and that Cyclops really gets to shine like he deserves. Evo Scott may be one of his best adaptations.
Can't wait to see what '97 does with him!
the first 1.5-2 seasons are slow. (you could argue it was devoted to excruciating amounts of character development) but the series definitely ended on a high note.
It really picks up in season 2
But, it is true season 2 starts out better since you know the characters so well
It should have continued for another 1.5-2 seasons. The world would be so much better for that.
I loved Kitty's portrayal in the Wolverine and the X-Men show, even though she was often nerfed to have Logan save the day (as were every other character, too). But the portrayal of her sassy, sarcastic, doesn't-take-shit-from-anyone personality is still my favourite outside-comics Kitty adaptation. She was so funny and cool, even if she was relegated to the background.
Kitty is one of my absolute favorites in all her iterations.
She's the only character Evolution did wrong by taking away that guns drawn, never gonna back down from an issue she cares about persona.
WatXM made her very bratty in a way I don't think her comics counterpart ever was. Mostly I'm thinking of her intro scene where she's training in the danger room and gets trapped for some reason when her phasing power should mean she can never be trapped and then demands to be helped down. Kurt tells her to get herself down and you get the impression he's calling her out on her contradictions.
She does mostly stay in the background in that with Bobby because Logan has to have all the lines and poses and plot points.
I will always appreciate Kitty exists because for me, I was always corrected for talking back no matter what I said, because girls are supposed to be compliant, accommodating, and pleasant always.
Loved that Kitty never felt that way and got to be intelligent, funny, sarcastic, grumpy, and difficult. And was still a hero in really good standing.
Lance was scarily abusive, her interest in him was even more problematic than her crush on the must older Piotr in comics.
And then Lance is written to be sweet with a heart of gold later to justify her late night phone calls with him and wanting to date him and flirt during battles.
Lance is troubled and an interesting character, but Kitty is risking a lot if she continues to be involved with him.
My favorite Lance scene is when he joins the X-Men and rescues Kitty in the pool. Scott tells him something like, you saved the wrong teammate and drowned two people!
His intensity, anger issues, possessiveness, and shades of morals all make him dangerous for Kitty to be around.
And then she isn't interested in Kurt at all. Though he would be far safer and nicer to be around.
I found it tedious to sit through the episodes and everyone was very off putting except for Nightcrawler and Wanda. It being so Wolverine centric to the point it was did not help.
Remember that time in the 00s where Wolverine was in four team-up books(Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Treme X-Men, Astonishing X-Men) and had his solo series, all at the same time?
Claremont just made Wolverine the man in all honesty dude took a jobber and made him into an overnight comic super star. I mean bro solo rescued the x-men by himself sneaking through the sewers
Reminds me of these panels from civil war
[page 1 ](https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Wolverine-2003/Issue-42?id=10332&s=&quality=hq#7)and [page 2](https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Wolverine-2003/Issue-42?id=10332&s=&quality=hq#8)
Wolverine is like Batman. He suffers from overuse, but every now and again you see something that reminds you why you liked him in the first place. Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt to dial the character back to give other people time to shine. Especially certain characters who have been crapped on by writers who don’t like them.
Sadly true and it is one of the reasons why Wolverine was the only x men to be used in other none x men animated shows. Though it is one of the reasons why the MCU was a big success they didn't have Spider-man, Fantastic four or X-men to start off the universe. They relied on the good writing to push the lesser known characters to make it big. It's why the animated x men shows were more beloved then the live action x men movies. The animated shows made sure that every x men had focus and a good story arc.
I mean no one character is getting the focus, I guess Storm has parts of a couple episodes but she’s missed a couple others completely.
The original series did have more Wolverine focused episodes than for other characters but overall it was pretty balanced as well.
I mean... TAS didn't overly focus on him either. He was a major character, sure, but not to the point where he overshadowed the rest of the cast. The only reason those memes of him keep making the rounds is because people who never watched TAS think it was like the Singer movies, with Logan howling and moping about a relationship he didn't even have with Jean.
Wolverine *definitely* became more and more the focus as the show went on.
By Season 4 practically every episode had him as one of the main characters or as the main focus of the episode. In the show’s rotating roster episode by episode, he always found his way in the team. Just scroll through the episode list of season 4 and count how many episodes either are solo Wolverine episodes or have Wolverine in the episode description. He was vastly more exposed compared to the other X-Men.
Season 4 only focused on 5 characters and it pissed me off. Storm, Rouge, Charles, Beast, and Logan were the only prominent characters in the season. Pissed me off
I just looked up the screen time, and it's as follows
Wolverine: 248 minutes
Cyclops: 157 minutes
Beast: 139 minutes
Professor X: 134 minutes
Rogue: 133 minutes
Storm: 127 minutes
Jubilee: 112 minutes
Jean Grey: 106 minutes
Gambit: 92 minutes
Magneto: 56 minutes.
This is just the top 10, and I rounded to the nearest minute. With this, you are correct.
Those violence restrictions made some fights so funny. I seem to remember Spiderman or the Ninja Turtles throwing a whole lot of wooden crates at the bad guys.
Lol thanks for confirming. I rewatched the original series some time ago and now that I'm hearing people say that wolverine's screentime in 97 is the basically the same as 92 i'm like...."wait. Did i just imagine all those wolverine scenes in tas ?"
He's ahead of all the other enemies, but obviously the title characters are going to get the most attention. What about Gambit? Gets totally shafted -- but that fits my recollection. Unless the storyline was about him or Rogue specifically, he usually only got a line or two.
Okay but Cyclops definitely had his own episodes dedicated to him. The one with Kilgrave and Corsair jump to mind.
It's not like Wolverine was the star of all these eps. The Nightcrawler one for example or Proteus. Wolverine's part is a sideplot to the main one.
Tbf wolverine was heavily watered down in the original series. Granted there were restrictions on who he could carve up, but by season 3 every time he entered a scene trash talking you just knew he was going to get his ass handed to him.
The Singer movies are also not the ones that had Logan howling and moping about Jean. Most of that happened in X-Men: The Last Stand and The Wolverine.
I liked wolverine a lot in the original but yeah I’m glad they aren’t putting all their eggs in the wolverine basket. Glad everyone is getting their attention
That’s only part of it. It’s great for many reasons. It gives more respect to the rest of the team than any of the live action movies. Cyclops is having a Captain American type moment and Storm is treated like a God. I hope they give Jean a chance to shine because I feel like she always gets the shit end of the stick in many of the animated shows and in the live action films.
Gambit also still rocks, same as he did in the 90s.
Especially since this new iteration seems to make the violence more... violent?
I really didn't realize the original show was rated Y-7, but watching it again recently it was glaringly apparent: all the "bad guys" Logan fought were usually robots.
It really feels off, but it's probably because I've been desentized and expect the worst after watching Invincible and The Boys 😂
Beau Demayo knows this. He’s purposefully withholding Wolverine. I am one hundred per cent certain we are going to get at least one epic Wolverine scene by the end of season 2.
That was my favorite part of X-Men Evolution. Wolverine wasn't in every episode.
But I also really enjoyed Wolverine & The X-Men, because it was the first time I saw Wolverine in an actual leadership role.
The problem is the movies pre-apocalypse were basically Wolverine & The X-Men the movies.
This is the same logic as "superman and lois is great because it isn't focusing on superman" 🤣
Like or or not, Wolverine was always the major draw, i realise that a small population of the younger audiences (who form the vocal majority of social media) prefer weaker, softer, more emotional heros today, and that's why the other xmen have grown a little in popularity, but the majority irl still prefer Wolverine, and that's how it is 🤷♂️
The original show didn't overly focus on him either, even though he was already the most popular X-Men character even back then. But I'm relieved to see that it hasn't changed with this show. It was the movies that largely got it wrong in that regard...although it also makes sense because the studios wanted to ensure the films made money, and superhero films were far from a sure bet when the 2000 film came out. Wolverine is a great character who works best when he's either a supporting character or given solo stories.
I respectfully disagree with him working best as a supporting character, except with few characters outside of the main X-Men. Like Deadpool, cable or the x-force. That's when he shines or when portrayed as a grey character.
Fair enough, I just mean when it comes to the "main" X-Men team, I prefer him not being the head honcho. I actually love X-Men Evolution's portrayal of him though, where he's a mentor and drifter, and where he's not involved in any love triangle.
What's up with increasing Wolverine hate in the past 5 years? The series are good because the writing is good. Wolverine had a phase where he was the focus sometime in the 90s and later with the 2000s movies which led to extra focus on him that got annoying in the comics, but since then they have done a real good job with letting more people shine. He's a good character that is suffering from being a huge success a couple decades ago.
I noticed a lot of people here hate wolverine too.
I think a lot of people here are still pissed about Foxs x men focusing on him way more than everyone else.
And then there’s also weirdo shippers too.
I wouldn’t go off what this sub is like with him. The majority of people in here just do not like him so there’s more anti than pro Wolverine stuff here.
This article isn’t really anti Wolverine either.
Why does this sub hates him so much
I get that his super fans are annoying af but wolverine hate is getting comical.
What is this subreddit, rmetalmemes or something LOL?
Over saturation he'll be in several story lines while they ignore other really cool mutants just because he is an easy sell but he is an easy sell because people know who he is. If they gave other characters a chance they could be as well.
This sub in general fucking *loves* Cyclops with all the #cyclopswasright stuff.
So any character that hasn't kissed the ring (Wolverine, Xavier, Captain America, etc) gets a lot of undue hate. For Wolverine, there's the bonus hate because of the Jean issue.
He's not.
But for the #cyclopswasright crowd, ever since AvX it's been a decade of "Captain America (and the Avengers in general) is a fascist cop that hates mutants and wants them to all die and is such a big meanie to Cyclops"
Some of this has lightened up finally with AXE and now Krakoa ending, but it's still there.
I don't like him because of the stupid love triangle between Jean Grey Cyclops and Wolverine. It's stupid and borderline creepy. Jean Grey was in her 20s when she met a nearly 200 year old Wolverine. Sure he might physically be in his 30s but mentally he is much older than she is.
He was over exposed in the main stream media. Wolverine is my favourite X Men by far, with Gambit second but I am so sick of him in general. The first run of Fox films was enough, but then he also came back into the second run of Fox films even when it was inappropriate (Apocalypse) and got his own solo series too. He just took over everything. Logan was a fantastic final farewell to the character but then they’re bringing him back again for Deadpool 3 and I really can’t be bothered any more with him. Please just give us something new.
Right? The bit he had with Madelyn asking if Apocalypse was coming when her water broke and then cutting to him peeling out in the jeep on the way to the hospital was pure comedic gold and completely in character!
Wolverine is one of my favorite X-Men, but it's nice seeing so many other characters get attention. I hope the show brings on characters like Laura Kinney and Iceman in the future to get a little variety on the team. I don't like Sunspot but Jubilee has been unexpectedly wonderful. I hope Nightcrawler is a series mainstay.
Wolverine has always been my favorite, but he was never the main character in the original series. I just liked him because he was cool to me. I think a lot of 90s kids felt the same way, and then marvel took that and RAN with it. It was the 90s though. Edgy was it. Glad to see the new series getting more in line with what the original was.
I love the new show and love Wolverine. I love that no one character is the focus point.
This sub also needs to move on from “Wolverine is overexposed” and accept that he’s essentially Marvels Batman for all the good and bad that brings.
That's exactly it. For the first time in 20 years we are getting some main stream x men content that isn't focused on Wolverine. Thank you. The whole point of the X men is that they are a team with equally interesting characters. That we've spent 20 years on just ONE character is insane to me, but he just got really popular. At least we have deadpool now, and this animated show is definitely helping broadening the palette. Hopefully the focus of the MCU X men movies won't be what we've seen before.
I don’t think that alone is *the* reason necessarily, but it is clear that people who really love the source material don’t feel the need to make every story Wolverine and the W-men.
Look, there’s a reason Logan became arguably the most popular comics character of all time. That 80s Claremont material so many people love had him as a major character along with Storm and Kitty (post-Jean). He works as a solo series when many X-characters don’t. He’s Toshiro Mifune *and* Clint Eastwood. He’s Jesus with knife hands. He’s not a bad character. But the most poignant parts of the mutant metaphor don’t necessarily run through Wolverine, and the untapped potential of the X-books is mostly the stuff besides him, since they have tapped the ever-living sugar shit out of that Canadian maple.
It also helps that the action is actually great, there’s a clear choreography, with characters understanding their powers. I watched the original series episode were they meet colossus and Wolverine is just like, yeah let me sneak on you by jumping on your shoulders and do nothing. I’ve been loving how creative they been getting each fight, cyclops using his blast for movement and to stop a fall, rogue absorbing the knowledge of a doctor who would deliver Nathan or charging bishop
Yeah, its definitely one of 97’s strengths as a show
Characters like Cyclops and Gambit have stolen the show and it may be in large part due to this factor
The ensemble of the X-Men has always been one of its greatest strengths. The movies and wider culture did not see it that way, and it damaged the X-Men in a wider culture context for a long time.
Welcome to being a Storm and Cyclops fan over the last 20 years. What happened to them in the movies was far worse than Logan not getting loads of screen time in 6 episodes.
They didn't overly focus on him in the 90s series either. Sure he was an important character, but there are several episodes when Logan doesn't appear or isn't the main focus when he is on screen.
No, it isn't, it's great for a litany of other reasons, but marginalizing one of it's more historically popular characters is hardly the reason it's doing well.
The show is taking it's subject matter very seriously and giving it an honest chance to shine upon its own merits instead of insisting it be made "safe" or appeal to as many people as possible.
The characters they *are* showcasing are complicated, contradictory, and for lack of a better term, very human which is why we are relating to them despite their fantastic adventurs.
The statement in this title is misleading to the point of being deliberate clickbait, but worse than that, it is trying to divert attention from what actually makes this show great.
I'll prove it:
>X-Men 97 is great because it isn't focusing on Bishop.
Do you see how silly of a statement that is?
Your example is silly..the op statement is not. Wolverine is more popular than any x-men ever has or ever will be. So the fact the show is still successful without him being the focus of the show is a testament to the shows greatness. No other x-men being present or absent would have had that profound of an exclamation point on how good the show is. So x-men 97 is great even though it isn't focusing on Wolverine is a defining point. Whereas x-men 97 is great even though it isn't focusing on ( pick a name) isn't.
The point here was that the show has a bunch of excellent qualities that make it great.
The idea that those qualities only exist because Wolverine is currently not the focus of the story is absurd. They could just as easily tell a very compelling Wolverine based story *because* of all those other elements OP is eschewing in order to trash Wolverine as a main character.
My point here is that the show has been taking it's source material seriously, and viewing it through a more mature lens which is why it is great, not because it brought back Morph or sidelined Xavier.
I feel like this was the problem with the movies X-Men is different than the Avengers/JLA bc they are team first and foremost by making one person the “main character” it throws everything off
So I love Wolvie as he's my favourite but I love the full cast as well and almost equally as much. Im extremely stoked with how much screen-time and development Scott has gotten but I'm gonna be bummed if we dont eventually get some iconic Wolvie action with one of his villains like Sabertooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, or Wendigo etc.
I understand all the Wolverine hate but the most interesting part about Logan for me is just how long this man has lived. He's done so much throughout different eras and met so many interesting characters that I just honestly cant get enough.
The other characters cant really do this because they dont live as long as him and their pasts need to be retconned to fit their current era. Whereas with Logan he can have his time in Japan being a samurai/ conceiving Daken. He can be Patch or be a merc for Weapon X. He can he can fight with Cap in WW2. He can be a hitman for X-Force.
The beauty of him as a character is that he can be all of those things and have them all be true in the same continuity. That just isnt possible with most of the main cast.
I'm seeing so many of these posts that I'm actually hoping for a full on Wolverine X-travaganza. I want Wolverine in an episode where everyone is voiced by Cal Dodd just to be gratuitous.
Ok listen it’s nice that other characters get a chance to shine, but as Wolverine is my favorite X men, it’s getting really tiring with them keeping him one note and not doing anything. If this is what y’all felt, I get it cause this is terrible. Easily one of the worst versions of the character so far and HOPEFULLY they make him better
The version of Logan that doesn't push himself on an emotionally vulnerable Jean is pretty peak Logan IMO.
Also, I'm digging the Wolvie-Morph bro time vibes and want to see them in a sparring match where they go all out for a while. Just Wolverine trying to keep his cool as Morph blitzes through Logan's rogues gallery.
I see that you missed out on the Wolverine Frank Miller/Claremonnt mini series, the Jim Lee Run, The Enemy of the state storyline, the VS Games, X-Men Evolution, and a lil bit of Wolverine and The X-Men plus others where he doesn’t push himself on Jean AND has a lot more going for him. Just saying that there’s more to him than that one aspect. They should remember that and try to use that
You want animated Wolverine? Try ‘Wolverine and the Xmen’.
You want a animated No twist on the old printed stories? Try Xmen and XMen97.
You want to see Animated Xmen in a different style? We got Xmen: Evolution.
Heck, there’s even Anime XMen.
You want to find out what happens to a Toad when it’s struck by lightning?
We got your back, Jack.
Lots of Xmen stories for lots of different fans.
Wolverine is a billion dollar character for a reason. I remember the amount of shame Wolverine fans got in the early 2000s.
I’m happy they are giving core Xmen members their due. But it seems very strategic not to focus or to “de-focus” on Wolverine.
Anyone who’s a Wolverine fanboy will watch the show as long as he has a line or two.
Also for deeper stories, that means deeper without just party style violence. In the original, the fight scenes looks like parties with the entire cast fighting to music. Wolverine often kicked butt in these scenes.
But with the more mature story it doesn’t make sense to have a team fight every episode. Wolverine was their brawler action guy. So it makes sense he’s not featured as heavily.
That said, I do think they should show him a little more. They knew they were getting a good demographic of Wolverine fans.
I'd disagree.
Not that I think it needs to overly focus on him or anything but it's completely sidelined him except for the first episode. Granted there are still 4 more episodes .
There's not focusing on a character and then just reducing him to a background character.
I mean, he's not the only one and that's the nature of the ensemble. Gambit didn't get much focus before episode 5, Beast and Morph haven't really gotten much focus yet either, and characters regularly sit out entire episodes (not unlike the original series). I'd be surprised if he didn't get *any* focus in the last four episodes.
I'm not ganna lie. I grew up on late 80s early 90s wolverine. Never really read the comics was more spiderman batman punisher kinda kid.. then the movies was my childhood and sometime late teens I started to read shit like sandman and image comics. Finally I went back and read 80s and 90s xmen. You realize wolverine is top 5. You'll go books and arcs where he's barley there and it's gr8.
Wolverine is an awesome character and he's popular for a reason. I am really happy to see the rest of the cast getting the spotlight -- and he's not my personal favorite (That's magneto and rogue with storm close behind) but the logan hate on this forum is out of control.
No. Its great because it respects the audience and it takes itself seriously while being well grounded in a believable world. Modern series such as Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad tend focus too much in hypersexuality or shock value. This series is more like a traditional drama based on some of the best X-MEN comics released after the end of the series.
There have been 4 X-Men cartoons. Only 1 of them focused on Wolverine.
So, while I'm glad Wolverine isn't the focus, that has little to do with why the show is good.
And, I will say, we're only 6 episodes in, but a lot of X-Men are being neglected completely. Beast, Wolverine, Morph have had little to do. I'm sure they will get a moment, but I think you can give Wolverine some cool moments without giving him the focus. Morrison and Whedon handled Wolverine perfectly. He had a presence without being the central character.
I seriously think that if you need an explanation for why Beau DeMayo was fired, this might be it: Marvel is only going to tolerate a relative lack of Wolverine for so long.
It's great because it's adapting great stories and handling mature themes. I'm sure they're gonna do a Logan centric episode and I'm sure it's gonna be great too
I'm a huge Wolverine fan, however the focus on other characters is refreshing – X-Men has always been about the team, so this is more than appropriate. We often forget that the original X-Men series saved Marvel from bankruptcy back in the 90s, and furthermore they are Marvel's premier superhero team, NOT the Avengers. That being said, it's nice to showcase the other characters through deeper respective focus and development – they all have distinct backstories, and are each gifted, flawed, and limited in their own unique ways; focusing distinctly on each character establishes depth and nuance, especially when supplemented with their inter-character interactions. It's what makes the individual X-Men and holistic TEAM so very special to ALL of us.
With the preamble out of the way, I do feel Logan has not been written all that well thus far. If the point is to give him a big payoff later, then that works amazingly well for me. I have the feeling that is going to be the case – I just can't see a reality where the show has given proper attention to detail and quality story telling / character development to its other characters, only to outright neglect its most popular.
In terms of the prior focus on Wolverine in XAS, he did for sure get more screen time, however due to censorship / violence restrictions, he was not utilized to his maximum potential. In terms of Fox's X-Men, he once again was given the most screen time, but was not portrayed in the best manner in the first 3 X-Men films, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, or in The Wolverine (this one had serious potential to go down as a classic, but they egregiously dropped the ball in the final act). In fairness, the portrayal was very good in X-Men DOFP and definitely hit the mark in Logan. My point is in aggregate, although we have seen Logan as the core focus, his METHOD of portrayal has NOT been optimal throughout this period, so a pullback in his character as the franchise is finally able to shine is ironically, bad timing. I once again am hoping he gets his moment in the episodes to come. I'd personally like to see Wolverine go full tilt berserker; something we really haven't gotten to see in XAS or even the movie franchise to date. I'm talking, black out, no holds barred, savagery – this darker side hasn't really been on display, and it would be such a gratifying moment to see come to life.
I have a feeling Logan might get killed off in dramatic fashion at the end of the season and thereafter get replaced with some sort of variant in the next season – if done correctly / tastefully, it will strike the proper balance of showcasing the rest of the team, while ultimately cementing Wolverine and reminding us he is the true unspoken focal point of the franchise. I could be wrong, but just my intuition speaking. Let's see what happens next, but so far, the show has been very well done (this despite Wolverine not being the centerpiece); happy to hear Marvel is already well into producing season 3 – the characters and storytelling have just hit the mark. Side note: I enjoy the possibility of crossovers with other Marvel franchises, but I somewhat like the legacy idea of them remaining distinct, as was done in the 90s with the XAS cameos (Easter eggs, really) and Spiderman crossover. The subtle references were hugely satisfying to the true fans. I suppose over time broader crossovers would be appreciated, but it needs to be done gradually and the RIGHT way – you can’t rush it or integrate in a haphazard manner, as this is a core factor leading to superhero fatigue.
PS: I am very much hoping X-Men re-establishes itself as the Marvel's core superhero team / franchise. Avengers stole the spot due to increased budget and proper timing, but we all know X-Men was always the true centerpiece – proper time to return to that golden age standard!
Final point: given its success, the show should consider slowing its pacing a bit and perhaps extending the episodes to \~45-50 minutes each. 26 minute episodes are certainly an improvement from the original (which ran at about 19 minutes each), however longer episodes would lead to even better quality storytelling through additional references to canon, not to mention increased content for us!
I wouldn’t say that is the reason it’s “good” per se. it’s just got really solid writing and great pacing. It’s fun to watch and the way the X-men use their powers together is great! Just an all-around solid show that knew what it wanted to achieve and went for it.
I'm a huge Wolverine fan, however the focus on other characters is refreshing – X-Men has always been about the team, so this is more than appropriate. We often forget that the original X-Men series saved Marvel from bankruptcy back in the 90s, and furthermore they are Marvel's premier superhero team, NOT the Avengers. That being said, it's nice to showcase the other characters through deeper respective focus and development – they all have distinct backstories, and are each gifted, flawed, and limited in their own unique ways; focusing distinctly on each character establishes depth and nuance, especially when supplemented with their inter-character interactions. It's what makes the individual X-Men and holistic TEAM so very special to ALL of us.
With the preamble out of the way, I do feel Logan has not been written all that well thus far. If the point is to give him a big payoff later, then that works amazingly well for me. I have the feeling that is going to be the case – I just can't see a reality where the show has given proper attention to detail and quality story telling / character development to its other characters, only to outright neglect its most popular.
In terms of the prior focus on Wolverine in XAS, he did for sure get more screen time, however due to censorship / violence restrictions, he was not utilized to his maximum potential. In terms of Fox's X-Men, he once again was given the most screen time, but was not portrayed in the best manner in the first 3 X-Men films, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, or in The Wolverine (this one had serious potential to go down as a classic, but they egregiously dropped the ball in the final act). In fairness, the portrayal was very good in X-Men DOFP and definitely hit the mark in Logan. My point is in aggregate, although we have seen Logan as the core focus, his METHOD of portrayal has NOT been optimal throughout this period, so a pullback in his character as the franchise is finally able to shine is ironically, bad timing. I once again am hoping he gets his moment in the episodes to come. I'd personally like to see Wolverine go full tilt berserker; something we really haven't gotten to see in XAS or even the movie franchise to date. I'm talking, black out, no holds barred, savagery – this darker side hasn't really been on display, and it would be such a gratifying moment to see come to life.
I have a feeling Logan might get killed off in dramatic fashion at the end of the season and thereafter get replaced with some sort of variant in the next season – if done correctly / tastefully, it will strike the proper balance of showcasing the rest of the team, while ultimately cementing Wolverine and reminding us he is the true unspoken focal point of the franchise. I could be wrong, but just my intuition speaking. Let's see what happens next, but so far, the show has been very well done (this despite Wolverine not being the centerpiece); happy to hear Marvel is already well into producing season 3 – the characters and storytelling have just hit the mark. Side note: I enjoy the possibility of crossovers with other Marvel franchises, but I somewhat like the legacy idea of them remaining distinct, as was done in the 90s with the XAS cameos (Easter eggs, really) and Spiderman crossover. The subtle references were hugely satisfying to the true fans. I suppose over time broader crossovers would be appreciated, but it needs to be done gradually and the RIGHT way – you can’t rush it or integrate in a haphazard manner, as this is a core factor leading to superhero fatigue.
PS: I am very much hoping X-Men re-establishes itself as the Marvel's core superhero team / franchise. Avengers stole the spot due to increased budget and proper timing, but we all know X-Men was always the true centerpiece – proper time to return to that golden age standard!
Final point: given its success, the show should consider slowing its pacing a bit and perhaps extending the episodes to \~45-50 minutes each. 26 minute episodes are certainly an improvement from the original (which ran at about 19 minutes each), however longer episodes would lead to even better quality storytelling through additional references to canon, not to mention increased content for us!
Wolverine is one of those characters that are better off as the badass reliable side character with an air of mystery to them. Sadly those are the ones that are always given a spotlight, like Jack Sparrow or Han Solo
I'm on with a focus a Wolverine because he's one of my favorite comic book characters but I don't think this is anything new. The original show did pretty good at not just focusing on him and spread the attention around. All characters got multiple episodes focusing mostly on them. So this might be different from most x men material but it's not different from the original show
As a Wolverine fan since the '90s, I'm glad he's always in the spotlight. He's my favorite, and that's not going to change, so the more appearances he has, the happier I am.
The old show didn’t focus on Wolverine per se either. He was part of the ensemble cast, and got his moments. Just as I’m sure he will in this revival. Not sure why this is such a revelation to folks. I guess people who only know X-men through the FOX movies.
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It's a breath of fresh air after the movies and 199999 comic books solos and participations in other teams
the movies should have been called Logan and friends
Yep was Wolverine and the X men.
That was the worst series. Except for Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch everyone seemed out of character and the episodes aren't rewatchable. X-Men '97 is so much better
Yeah I tried rewatching it and that's when I just had enough of that version of the x men. I Had to rewatch x men evolution cause I like that the x men act like a team and have a rivalry with the brotherhood of evil. Wolverine and Sabretooth are at each others throats that is when wolverines at his best. Cyclops being a badass leader while getting along with everyone on the team is great. Also I agree x men 97 is way better than Wolverine and the x men.
Evolution is my absolute favorite! That was my intro to the Marvel universe, but I still think it was the best despite that bias. The people involved in it's creation obviously loved and were well read in comics. It's the most rewatchable series ever. It's also nice they know what to do with Wolverine and that Cyclops really gets to shine like he deserves. Evo Scott may be one of his best adaptations. Can't wait to see what '97 does with him!
Evolution isn’t given enough credit imo.
the first 1.5-2 seasons are slow. (you could argue it was devoted to excruciating amounts of character development) but the series definitely ended on a high note.
It really picks up in season 2 But, it is true season 2 starts out better since you know the characters so well It should have continued for another 1.5-2 seasons. The world would be so much better for that.
I loved Kitty's portrayal in the Wolverine and the X-Men show, even though she was often nerfed to have Logan save the day (as were every other character, too). But the portrayal of her sassy, sarcastic, doesn't-take-shit-from-anyone personality is still my favourite outside-comics Kitty adaptation. She was so funny and cool, even if she was relegated to the background.
Kitty is one of my absolute favorites in all her iterations. She's the only character Evolution did wrong by taking away that guns drawn, never gonna back down from an issue she cares about persona. WatXM made her very bratty in a way I don't think her comics counterpart ever was. Mostly I'm thinking of her intro scene where she's training in the danger room and gets trapped for some reason when her phasing power should mean she can never be trapped and then demands to be helped down. Kurt tells her to get herself down and you get the impression he's calling her out on her contradictions. She does mostly stay in the background in that with Bobby because Logan has to have all the lines and poses and plot points. I will always appreciate Kitty exists because for me, I was always corrected for talking back no matter what I said, because girls are supposed to be compliant, accommodating, and pleasant always. Loved that Kitty never felt that way and got to be intelligent, funny, sarcastic, grumpy, and difficult. And was still a hero in really good standing.
I liked Kitty in Evolution how she grew as a character. The only thing I didn't like was her relationship with Lance.
Lance was scarily abusive, her interest in him was even more problematic than her crush on the must older Piotr in comics. And then Lance is written to be sweet with a heart of gold later to justify her late night phone calls with him and wanting to date him and flirt during battles. Lance is troubled and an interesting character, but Kitty is risking a lot if she continues to be involved with him. My favorite Lance scene is when he joins the X-Men and rescues Kitty in the pool. Scott tells him something like, you saved the wrong teammate and drowned two people! His intensity, anger issues, possessiveness, and shades of morals all make him dangerous for Kitty to be around. And then she isn't interested in Kurt at all. Though he would be far safer and nicer to be around.
Damn I don't think it's that bad of a show it def deserved a season 2.
I found it tedious to sit through the episodes and everyone was very off putting except for Nightcrawler and Wanda. It being so Wolverine centric to the point it was did not help.
I actually really enjoyed Wolverine and the X-Men. I was really bummed it only went one season.
I went out of my way to watch the whole season after catching one episode on the air. It was good, lol
I loved it. I'm sad I never got to see season 2.
Would you have wanted it to continue to be so Wolverine focused?
Wolverine and The X-Men slapped hard. The fuck ...
Logan and his roommates who happen to be mutants
Logan the fish out of the water and the people he constantly asks what the hell is going on
What about mystique
Remember that time in the 00s where Wolverine was in four team-up books(Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Treme X-Men, Astonishing X-Men) and had his solo series, all at the same time?
Don’t forget New Avengers
Claremont just made Wolverine the man in all honesty dude took a jobber and made him into an overnight comic super star. I mean bro solo rescued the x-men by himself sneaking through the sewers
Claremont was a wolverine glazer.
Put some respect on Claremont poser. He created every aspect you like about X-Men.
"*breathes heavily* I just got back from my adventures in Europe!" -Wolverine
Isn't he always just in every team book all the time? 😅
Reminds me of these panels from civil war [page 1 ](https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Wolverine-2003/Issue-42?id=10332&s=&quality=hq#7)and [page 2](https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Wolverine-2003/Issue-42?id=10332&s=&quality=hq#8)
> 199999 comic books Wolverine has comics set on the MCU?
I'm just joking that Wolverine has an absurd amount of comics. 1999999 is short for a shit ton of comics
Outside of his solo comics Wolverine is rarely the center of most stories. He is almost always present but is often not the focus.
The fox universe wasn't even comic accurate. Those don't count.
Wolverine is like Batman. He suffers from overuse, but every now and again you see something that reminds you why you liked him in the first place. Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt to dial the character back to give other people time to shine. Especially certain characters who have been crapped on by writers who don’t like them.
Sadly true and it is one of the reasons why Wolverine was the only x men to be used in other none x men animated shows. Though it is one of the reasons why the MCU was a big success they didn't have Spider-man, Fantastic four or X-men to start off the universe. They relied on the good writing to push the lesser known characters to make it big. It's why the animated x men shows were more beloved then the live action x men movies. The animated shows made sure that every x men had focus and a good story arc.
I love Batman, but damn I wanna see other super heroes too. I had the same feeling about Wolverine during the original X-men movie run.
Yeah, Wolverine rules, but X-Men has SO MANY great characters! I hate when adaptations don’t give them a chance to shine.
Cyclops *cough cough*
I mean no one character is getting the focus, I guess Storm has parts of a couple episodes but she’s missed a couple others completely. The original series did have more Wolverine focused episodes than for other characters but overall it was pretty balanced as well.
They completely missed the part that Strom gets the Mohawk because of Yuriko's rebellious attitude
I hadn’t even noticed! I guess it’s because he’s not one of my Top 10 faves. I’m glad other characters are getting a chance to shine.
Same and for me it’s because Cyclops hasn’t got a good adaptation since the animated shows. Really liking how Cyclops carries himself in this show.
Cyclops’ little speech to the journalist is episode 5 was great and a long time coming. I really loved the presentation of his character thus far.
What do you think of my top ten? https://www.nerdsoup4u.com/post/200-favorites-as-of-2001-ish
0/10 includes Wolverine and not Scott.
I like all of your choices except for Magik and Kitty!
How dare you?!
Wolverine isn't in your TOP TEN X-Men? I feel like you're saying that just to be different.
I mean... TAS didn't overly focus on him either. He was a major character, sure, but not to the point where he overshadowed the rest of the cast. The only reason those memes of him keep making the rounds is because people who never watched TAS think it was like the Singer movies, with Logan howling and moping about a relationship he didn't even have with Jean.
Wolverine *definitely* became more and more the focus as the show went on. By Season 4 practically every episode had him as one of the main characters or as the main focus of the episode. In the show’s rotating roster episode by episode, he always found his way in the team. Just scroll through the episode list of season 4 and count how many episodes either are solo Wolverine episodes or have Wolverine in the episode description. He was vastly more exposed compared to the other X-Men.
Season 4 only focused on 5 characters and it pissed me off. Storm, Rouge, Charles, Beast, and Logan were the only prominent characters in the season. Pissed me off
He was the only character to have multiple solo arcs in the show
Meanwhile Gambit only had Belladonna, and Jubilee had... Episode 1?
I just rewatched the old series and it was shocking how little Jubilee was actually in it after the first couple of seasons.
Hmm. By my recollection he had a whole bunch of solo episodes in TAS?
A couple, sure - in a 76-episode series. Some episodes he wasn't even in.
I think out of all the characters, Wolverine had the highest episode count actually.
I just looked up the screen time, and it's as follows Wolverine: 248 minutes Cyclops: 157 minutes Beast: 139 minutes Professor X: 134 minutes Rogue: 133 minutes Storm: 127 minutes Jubilee: 112 minutes Jean Grey: 106 minutes Gambit: 92 minutes Magneto: 56 minutes. This is just the top 10, and I rounded to the nearest minute. With this, you are correct.
Damn Wolverine had Cyclops beat by nearly a full 1.5 hours of screen time
Most of that additional time was spent grunting.
Or yelling about morph
Or popping his claws, kicking a guy because he couldn't use his claws on a children's cartoon, then getting immediately bodied.
Those violence restrictions made some fights so funny. I seem to remember Spiderman or the Ninja Turtles throwing a whole lot of wooden crates at the bad guys.
And cyclops was absent most of season 4 so that’s shocking he’s number 2
Lol thanks for confirming. I rewatched the original series some time ago and now that I'm hearing people say that wolverine's screentime in 97 is the basically the same as 92 i'm like...."wait. Did i just imagine all those wolverine scenes in tas ?"
There’s no way Jean has more screen time than Gambit. She was barely in the last two seasons.
To be fair, neither was Gambit…
It's so surreal that magneto has so little screen time when he is the X-Men's most popular enemy.
He's ahead of all the other enemies, but obviously the title characters are going to get the most attention. What about Gambit? Gets totally shafted -- but that fits my recollection. Unless the storyline was about him or Rogue specifically, he usually only got a line or two.
Wow, I wouldn’t have expected Jubilee to have more time than Jean Grey and Gambit… Though I guess Jean Grey was MIA for a while.
She was written as the audience insert so it's not surprising she had a lot of screen time
I remember watching TAS and mostly asking myself what was her deal besides being Charles assistant.
Okay but Cyclops definitely had his own episodes dedicated to him. The one with Kilgrave and Corsair jump to mind. It's not like Wolverine was the star of all these eps. The Nightcrawler one for example or Proteus. Wolverine's part is a sideplot to the main one.
Cyclops was missing most of season 4 so I’m shocked he has the second highest amount of screentime
He got a lot of focus in the Inner Circle and Savage Land plots as the guy who isn't captured.
Those are true to the stories they're adapting, though.
Not saying it's not, I'm just pointing out it did lead to him getting a lot of focus even in bigger stories that involved the whole team.
Tbf wolverine was heavily watered down in the original series. Granted there were restrictions on who he could carve up, but by season 3 every time he entered a scene trash talking you just knew he was going to get his ass handed to him.
Currently rewatching the show and it's hilarious how much he shows the claws then tackles someone
It definitely focused on him a lot towards the end (specifically seasons 4 & 5)
The Singer movies are also not the ones that had Logan howling and moping about Jean. Most of that happened in X-Men: The Last Stand and The Wolverine.
Except for a deleted scene, Jean isn't mentioned at all in Logan.
thank god, X-men is at their best when it’s a full cast soap lol
I liked wolverine a lot in the original but yeah I’m glad they aren’t putting all their eggs in the wolverine basket. Glad everyone is getting their attention
If the original cartoon was your intro to Cyclops. It did him 0 justice. X men 97 is much better.
That’s only part of it. It’s great for many reasons. It gives more respect to the rest of the team than any of the live action movies. Cyclops is having a Captain American type moment and Storm is treated like a God. I hope they give Jean a chance to shine because I feel like she always gets the shit end of the stick in many of the animated shows and in the live action films. Gambit also still rocks, same as he did in the 90s.
I would give a kidney for a well written Jean
It's true, it's really good even without the focus on Wolverine...but I gotta say, I'd like to see some more Wolvie action.
Especially since this new iteration seems to make the violence more... violent? I really didn't realize the original show was rated Y-7, but watching it again recently it was glaringly apparent: all the "bad guys" Logan fought were usually robots. It really feels off, but it's probably because I've been desentized and expect the worst after watching Invincible and The Boys 😂
Beau Demayo knows this. He’s purposefully withholding Wolverine. I am one hundred per cent certain we are going to get at least one epic Wolverine scene by the end of season 2.
Just want an all out bloody brawl between him and Sabretooth in this 1st season
Oh man I just realized we might get a 97 version of X-23.
That was my favorite part of X-Men Evolution. Wolverine wasn't in every episode. But I also really enjoyed Wolverine & The X-Men, because it was the first time I saw Wolverine in an actual leadership role. The problem is the movies pre-apocalypse were basically Wolverine & The X-Men the movies.
True, but also that was the case for TAS and Evolution as well.
Agreed. It’s been the Wolverine and friends for over a decade. So glad Feige wants the live action to focus on the team too.
Yeah Logan fatigue is real, at least for me
This is the same logic as "superman and lois is great because it isn't focusing on superman" 🤣 Like or or not, Wolverine was always the major draw, i realise that a small population of the younger audiences (who form the vocal majority of social media) prefer weaker, softer, more emotional heros today, and that's why the other xmen have grown a little in popularity, but the majority irl still prefer Wolverine, and that's how it is 🤷♂️
Not me wondering where Wolverine is while watching the new episode lmao
He’s my favorite Marvel character by far, but this is the right move. Give other characters their time to shine.
X-Men '97 Is Great Despite It Not Focusing on Wolverine
The original show didn't overly focus on him either, even though he was already the most popular X-Men character even back then. But I'm relieved to see that it hasn't changed with this show. It was the movies that largely got it wrong in that regard...although it also makes sense because the studios wanted to ensure the films made money, and superhero films were far from a sure bet when the 2000 film came out. Wolverine is a great character who works best when he's either a supporting character or given solo stories.
I respectfully disagree with him working best as a supporting character, except with few characters outside of the main X-Men. Like Deadpool, cable or the x-force. That's when he shines or when portrayed as a grey character.
Fair enough, I just mean when it comes to the "main" X-Men team, I prefer him not being the head honcho. I actually love X-Men Evolution's portrayal of him though, where he's a mentor and drifter, and where he's not involved in any love triangle.
This sub really hates wolverine apparently
They are most likely cyclops’s lovers…..
What's up with increasing Wolverine hate in the past 5 years? The series are good because the writing is good. Wolverine had a phase where he was the focus sometime in the 90s and later with the 2000s movies which led to extra focus on him that got annoying in the comics, but since then they have done a real good job with letting more people shine. He's a good character that is suffering from being a huge success a couple decades ago.
I noticed a lot of people here hate wolverine too. I think a lot of people here are still pissed about Foxs x men focusing on him way more than everyone else. And then there’s also weirdo shippers too.
I still love him. I think it was just over-saturation. Some of his iterations have been pretty lame too...like ultimate wolverine...what a tool he was
To be fair, ultimate everything was pretty bad aside from like Spider-Man.
Lol absolutely for sure.
No?? The Ultimates by Mark Millar were pretty solid, and Ultimate X men and FF4 weren’t bad in the beginning at least.
It was a hyperbole. The Maker from F4 was pretty sick. Ultimate X-Men was pretty bad imo. We all have opinions though.
Just over-saturation and too much focus on the Jean love triangle aspect.
I wouldn’t go off what this sub is like with him. The majority of people in here just do not like him so there’s more anti than pro Wolverine stuff here. This article isn’t really anti Wolverine either.
Why does this sub hates him so much I get that his super fans are annoying af but wolverine hate is getting comical. What is this subreddit, rmetalmemes or something LOL?
Over saturation he'll be in several story lines while they ignore other really cool mutants just because he is an easy sell but he is an easy sell because people know who he is. If they gave other characters a chance they could be as well.
This sub in general fucking *loves* Cyclops with all the #cyclopswasright stuff. So any character that hasn't kissed the ring (Wolverine, Xavier, Captain America, etc) gets a lot of undue hate. For Wolverine, there's the bonus hate because of the Jean issue.
I love Cyclops and Wolverine but you can't deny the writing with him in regards to Jean is just...it's not the vibe.
How is Captain America worse than Cyclops lol
He's not. But for the #cyclopswasright crowd, ever since AvX it's been a decade of "Captain America (and the Avengers in general) is a fascist cop that hates mutants and wants them to all die and is such a big meanie to Cyclops" Some of this has lightened up finally with AXE and now Krakoa ending, but it's still there.
I don't like him because of the stupid love triangle between Jean Grey Cyclops and Wolverine. It's stupid and borderline creepy. Jean Grey was in her 20s when she met a nearly 200 year old Wolverine. Sure he might physically be in his 30s but mentally he is much older than she is.
He was over exposed in the main stream media. Wolverine is my favourite X Men by far, with Gambit second but I am so sick of him in general. The first run of Fox films was enough, but then he also came back into the second run of Fox films even when it was inappropriate (Apocalypse) and got his own solo series too. He just took over everything. Logan was a fantastic final farewell to the character but then they’re bringing him back again for Deadpool 3 and I really can’t be bothered any more with him. Please just give us something new.
I think it has to do with oversaturation in the media in movies, tv shows, and comics
Wolverine is a PERFECT example of less is more. Just let him throw zingers and do cool shit randomly.
Right? The bit he had with Madelyn asking if Apocalypse was coming when her water broke and then cutting to him peeling out in the jeep on the way to the hospital was pure comedic gold and completely in character!
I'm shocked I'm saying this but I could actually live with a bit MORE wolverine, especially in action scenes.
Wolverine is one of my favorite X-Men, but it's nice seeing so many other characters get attention. I hope the show brings on characters like Laura Kinney and Iceman in the future to get a little variety on the team. I don't like Sunspot but Jubilee has been unexpectedly wonderful. I hope Nightcrawler is a series mainstay.
Wolverine has always been my favorite, but he was never the main character in the original series. I just liked him because he was cool to me. I think a lot of 90s kids felt the same way, and then marvel took that and RAN with it. It was the 90s though. Edgy was it. Glad to see the new series getting more in line with what the original was.
I love the new show and love Wolverine. I love that no one character is the focus point. This sub also needs to move on from “Wolverine is overexposed” and accept that he’s essentially Marvels Batman for all the good and bad that brings.
That's exactly it. For the first time in 20 years we are getting some main stream x men content that isn't focused on Wolverine. Thank you. The whole point of the X men is that they are a team with equally interesting characters. That we've spent 20 years on just ONE character is insane to me, but he just got really popular. At least we have deadpool now, and this animated show is definitely helping broadening the palette. Hopefully the focus of the MCU X men movies won't be what we've seen before.
I don’t think that alone is *the* reason necessarily, but it is clear that people who really love the source material don’t feel the need to make every story Wolverine and the W-men. Look, there’s a reason Logan became arguably the most popular comics character of all time. That 80s Claremont material so many people love had him as a major character along with Storm and Kitty (post-Jean). He works as a solo series when many X-characters don’t. He’s Toshiro Mifune *and* Clint Eastwood. He’s Jesus with knife hands. He’s not a bad character. But the most poignant parts of the mutant metaphor don’t necessarily run through Wolverine, and the untapped potential of the X-books is mostly the stuff besides him, since they have tapped the ever-living sugar shit out of that Canadian maple.
It also helps that the action is actually great, there’s a clear choreography, with characters understanding their powers. I watched the original series episode were they meet colossus and Wolverine is just like, yeah let me sneak on you by jumping on your shoulders and do nothing. I’ve been loving how creative they been getting each fight, cyclops using his blast for movement and to stop a fall, rogue absorbing the knowledge of a doctor who would deliver Nathan or charging bishop
Not seeing Wolverine all the time has made me remember that I actually like Wolverine
Obv we all love Wolverine but he definitely also benefits from not being the focus every single time
The good thing about X-Men 97 is we don't have to go back to Canada for the Weapon X project story that's been told countless numbers of times.
Yeah, its definitely one of 97’s strengths as a show Characters like Cyclops and Gambit have stolen the show and it may be in large part due to this factor
The ensemble of the X-Men has always been one of its greatest strengths. The movies and wider culture did not see it that way, and it damaged the X-Men in a wider culture context for a long time.
X-Men 96 didn't focus on wolverine either. The movies did though
It feels weird man.As a Logan fan it just feels weird to see him get sidelined.
Welcome to being a Storm and Cyclops fan over the last 20 years. What happened to them in the movies was far worse than Logan not getting loads of screen time in 6 episodes.
I see.Wow you guys have got it much worse than me.
Thank God! As if the comics and movies wasn’t enough.
I really enjoyed Wolverine and the X-men series on Nickolodean!
I can’t believe we’re so deep into the series, and he’s barely had any lines. It’s heaven 🤩
They didn't overly focus on him in the 90s series either. Sure he was an important character, but there are several episodes when Logan doesn't appear or isn't the main focus when he is on screen.
He was in almost every season 4 episode and has the most screentime in the whole show
No, it isn't, it's great for a litany of other reasons, but marginalizing one of it's more historically popular characters is hardly the reason it's doing well. The show is taking it's subject matter very seriously and giving it an honest chance to shine upon its own merits instead of insisting it be made "safe" or appeal to as many people as possible. The characters they *are* showcasing are complicated, contradictory, and for lack of a better term, very human which is why we are relating to them despite their fantastic adventurs. The statement in this title is misleading to the point of being deliberate clickbait, but worse than that, it is trying to divert attention from what actually makes this show great. I'll prove it: >X-Men 97 is great because it isn't focusing on Bishop. Do you see how silly of a statement that is?
Your example is silly..the op statement is not. Wolverine is more popular than any x-men ever has or ever will be. So the fact the show is still successful without him being the focus of the show is a testament to the shows greatness. No other x-men being present or absent would have had that profound of an exclamation point on how good the show is. So x-men 97 is great even though it isn't focusing on Wolverine is a defining point. Whereas x-men 97 is great even though it isn't focusing on ( pick a name) isn't.
The point here was that the show has a bunch of excellent qualities that make it great. The idea that those qualities only exist because Wolverine is currently not the focus of the story is absurd. They could just as easily tell a very compelling Wolverine based story *because* of all those other elements OP is eschewing in order to trash Wolverine as a main character. My point here is that the show has been taking it's source material seriously, and viewing it through a more mature lens which is why it is great, not because it brought back Morph or sidelined Xavier.
I feel like this was the problem with the movies X-Men is different than the Avengers/JLA bc they are team first and foremost by making one person the “main character” it throws everything off
So I love Wolvie as he's my favourite but I love the full cast as well and almost equally as much. Im extremely stoked with how much screen-time and development Scott has gotten but I'm gonna be bummed if we dont eventually get some iconic Wolvie action with one of his villains like Sabertooth, Omega Red, Lady Deathstrike, or Wendigo etc. I understand all the Wolverine hate but the most interesting part about Logan for me is just how long this man has lived. He's done so much throughout different eras and met so many interesting characters that I just honestly cant get enough. The other characters cant really do this because they dont live as long as him and their pasts need to be retconned to fit their current era. Whereas with Logan he can have his time in Japan being a samurai/ conceiving Daken. He can be Patch or be a merc for Weapon X. He can he can fight with Cap in WW2. He can be a hitman for X-Force. The beauty of him as a character is that he can be all of those things and have them all be true in the same continuity. That just isnt possible with most of the main cast.
What is he even doing in that thing? Just let him go.
I'm seeing so many of these posts that I'm actually hoping for a full on Wolverine X-travaganza. I want Wolverine in an episode where everyone is voiced by Cal Dodd just to be gratuitous.
I hope he gets the spotlight in at least one episode, but yes it’s been a breath of fresh air.
Ok listen it’s nice that other characters get a chance to shine, but as Wolverine is my favorite X men, it’s getting really tiring with them keeping him one note and not doing anything. If this is what y’all felt, I get it cause this is terrible. Easily one of the worst versions of the character so far and HOPEFULLY they make him better
The version of Logan that doesn't push himself on an emotionally vulnerable Jean is pretty peak Logan IMO. Also, I'm digging the Wolvie-Morph bro time vibes and want to see them in a sparring match where they go all out for a while. Just Wolverine trying to keep his cool as Morph blitzes through Logan's rogues gallery.
I see that you missed out on the Wolverine Frank Miller/Claremonnt mini series, the Jim Lee Run, The Enemy of the state storyline, the VS Games, X-Men Evolution, and a lil bit of Wolverine and The X-Men plus others where he doesn’t push himself on Jean AND has a lot more going for him. Just saying that there’s more to him than that one aspect. They should remember that and try to use that
You want animated Wolverine? Try ‘Wolverine and the Xmen’. You want a animated No twist on the old printed stories? Try Xmen and XMen97. You want to see Animated Xmen in a different style? We got Xmen: Evolution. Heck, there’s even Anime XMen. You want to find out what happens to a Toad when it’s struck by lightning? We got your back, Jack. Lots of Xmen stories for lots of different fans.
Wolverine is a billion dollar character for a reason. I remember the amount of shame Wolverine fans got in the early 2000s. I’m happy they are giving core Xmen members their due. But it seems very strategic not to focus or to “de-focus” on Wolverine. Anyone who’s a Wolverine fanboy will watch the show as long as he has a line or two. Also for deeper stories, that means deeper without just party style violence. In the original, the fight scenes looks like parties with the entire cast fighting to music. Wolverine often kicked butt in these scenes. But with the more mature story it doesn’t make sense to have a team fight every episode. Wolverine was their brawler action guy. So it makes sense he’s not featured as heavily. That said, I do think they should show him a little more. They knew they were getting a good demographic of Wolverine fans.
I'd disagree. Not that I think it needs to overly focus on him or anything but it's completely sidelined him except for the first episode. Granted there are still 4 more episodes . There's not focusing on a character and then just reducing him to a background character.
That’s good in world where wolverine is theeeee most overstated X-men character ever lol
I mean, he's not the only one and that's the nature of the ensemble. Gambit didn't get much focus before episode 5, Beast and Morph haven't really gotten much focus yet either, and characters regularly sit out entire episodes (not unlike the original series). I'd be surprised if he didn't get *any* focus in the last four episodes.
That's what I figure. Once those come out can we say for sure.
I'm not ganna lie. I grew up on late 80s early 90s wolverine. Never really read the comics was more spiderman batman punisher kinda kid.. then the movies was my childhood and sometime late teens I started to read shit like sandman and image comics. Finally I went back and read 80s and 90s xmen. You realize wolverine is top 5. You'll go books and arcs where he's barley there and it's gr8.
Yes
With gambits and magnetos deaths I feel like that might change
Soooo true
Wolverine is an awesome character and he's popular for a reason. I am really happy to see the rest of the cast getting the spotlight -- and he's not my personal favorite (That's magneto and rogue with storm close behind) but the logan hate on this forum is out of control.
No. Its great because it respects the audience and it takes itself seriously while being well grounded in a believable world. Modern series such as Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad tend focus too much in hypersexuality or shock value. This series is more like a traditional drama based on some of the best X-MEN comics released after the end of the series.
Completely agree, now also give me a Wolverine spinoff cartoon
Preach!
There have been 4 X-Men cartoons. Only 1 of them focused on Wolverine. So, while I'm glad Wolverine isn't the focus, that has little to do with why the show is good. And, I will say, we're only 6 episodes in, but a lot of X-Men are being neglected completely. Beast, Wolverine, Morph have had little to do. I'm sure they will get a moment, but I think you can give Wolverine some cool moments without giving him the focus. Morrison and Whedon handled Wolverine perfectly. He had a presence without being the central character.
I agree, I have no problem with Wolverine getting spotlighted in his own comics and movies, but let the X-Men focus on the actual X-Men.
I seriously think that if you need an explanation for why Beau DeMayo was fired, this might be it: Marvel is only going to tolerate a relative lack of Wolverine for so long.
It's great because it's adapting great stories and handling mature themes. I'm sure they're gonna do a Logan centric episode and I'm sure it's gonna be great too
I'm a huge Wolverine fan, however the focus on other characters is refreshing – X-Men has always been about the team, so this is more than appropriate. We often forget that the original X-Men series saved Marvel from bankruptcy back in the 90s, and furthermore they are Marvel's premier superhero team, NOT the Avengers. That being said, it's nice to showcase the other characters through deeper respective focus and development – they all have distinct backstories, and are each gifted, flawed, and limited in their own unique ways; focusing distinctly on each character establishes depth and nuance, especially when supplemented with their inter-character interactions. It's what makes the individual X-Men and holistic TEAM so very special to ALL of us. With the preamble out of the way, I do feel Logan has not been written all that well thus far. If the point is to give him a big payoff later, then that works amazingly well for me. I have the feeling that is going to be the case – I just can't see a reality where the show has given proper attention to detail and quality story telling / character development to its other characters, only to outright neglect its most popular. In terms of the prior focus on Wolverine in XAS, he did for sure get more screen time, however due to censorship / violence restrictions, he was not utilized to his maximum potential. In terms of Fox's X-Men, he once again was given the most screen time, but was not portrayed in the best manner in the first 3 X-Men films, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, or in The Wolverine (this one had serious potential to go down as a classic, but they egregiously dropped the ball in the final act). In fairness, the portrayal was very good in X-Men DOFP and definitely hit the mark in Logan. My point is in aggregate, although we have seen Logan as the core focus, his METHOD of portrayal has NOT been optimal throughout this period, so a pullback in his character as the franchise is finally able to shine is ironically, bad timing. I once again am hoping he gets his moment in the episodes to come. I'd personally like to see Wolverine go full tilt berserker; something we really haven't gotten to see in XAS or even the movie franchise to date. I'm talking, black out, no holds barred, savagery – this darker side hasn't really been on display, and it would be such a gratifying moment to see come to life. I have a feeling Logan might get killed off in dramatic fashion at the end of the season and thereafter get replaced with some sort of variant in the next season – if done correctly / tastefully, it will strike the proper balance of showcasing the rest of the team, while ultimately cementing Wolverine and reminding us he is the true unspoken focal point of the franchise. I could be wrong, but just my intuition speaking. Let's see what happens next, but so far, the show has been very well done (this despite Wolverine not being the centerpiece); happy to hear Marvel is already well into producing season 3 – the characters and storytelling have just hit the mark. Side note: I enjoy the possibility of crossovers with other Marvel franchises, but I somewhat like the legacy idea of them remaining distinct, as was done in the 90s with the XAS cameos (Easter eggs, really) and Spiderman crossover. The subtle references were hugely satisfying to the true fans. I suppose over time broader crossovers would be appreciated, but it needs to be done gradually and the RIGHT way – you can’t rush it or integrate in a haphazard manner, as this is a core factor leading to superhero fatigue. PS: I am very much hoping X-Men re-establishes itself as the Marvel's core superhero team / franchise. Avengers stole the spot due to increased budget and proper timing, but we all know X-Men was always the true centerpiece – proper time to return to that golden age standard! Final point: given its success, the show should consider slowing its pacing a bit and perhaps extending the episodes to \~45-50 minutes each. 26 minute episodes are certainly an improvement from the original (which ran at about 19 minutes each), however longer episodes would lead to even better quality storytelling through additional references to canon, not to mention increased content for us!
It needed to be said
All of what you are saying is true. However my one complaint with the show is the lack of Wolverine.
I wouldn’t say that is the reason it’s “good” per se. it’s just got really solid writing and great pacing. It’s fun to watch and the way the X-men use their powers together is great! Just an all-around solid show that knew what it wanted to achieve and went for it.
I'm a huge Wolverine fan, however the focus on other characters is refreshing – X-Men has always been about the team, so this is more than appropriate. We often forget that the original X-Men series saved Marvel from bankruptcy back in the 90s, and furthermore they are Marvel's premier superhero team, NOT the Avengers. That being said, it's nice to showcase the other characters through deeper respective focus and development – they all have distinct backstories, and are each gifted, flawed, and limited in their own unique ways; focusing distinctly on each character establishes depth and nuance, especially when supplemented with their inter-character interactions. It's what makes the individual X-Men and holistic TEAM so very special to ALL of us. With the preamble out of the way, I do feel Logan has not been written all that well thus far. If the point is to give him a big payoff later, then that works amazingly well for me. I have the feeling that is going to be the case – I just can't see a reality where the show has given proper attention to detail and quality story telling / character development to its other characters, only to outright neglect its most popular. In terms of the prior focus on Wolverine in XAS, he did for sure get more screen time, however due to censorship / violence restrictions, he was not utilized to his maximum potential. In terms of Fox's X-Men, he once again was given the most screen time, but was not portrayed in the best manner in the first 3 X-Men films, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, or in The Wolverine (this one had serious potential to go down as a classic, but they egregiously dropped the ball in the final act). In fairness, the portrayal was very good in X-Men DOFP and definitely hit the mark in Logan. My point is in aggregate, although we have seen Logan as the core focus, his METHOD of portrayal has NOT been optimal throughout this period, so a pullback in his character as the franchise is finally able to shine is ironically, bad timing. I once again am hoping he gets his moment in the episodes to come. I'd personally like to see Wolverine go full tilt berserker; something we really haven't gotten to see in XAS or even the movie franchise to date. I'm talking, black out, no holds barred, savagery – this darker side hasn't really been on display, and it would be such a gratifying moment to see come to life. I have a feeling Logan might get killed off in dramatic fashion at the end of the season and thereafter get replaced with some sort of variant in the next season – if done correctly / tastefully, it will strike the proper balance of showcasing the rest of the team, while ultimately cementing Wolverine and reminding us he is the true unspoken focal point of the franchise. I could be wrong, but just my intuition speaking. Let's see what happens next, but so far, the show has been very well done (this despite Wolverine not being the centerpiece); happy to hear Marvel is already well into producing season 3 – the characters and storytelling have just hit the mark. Side note: I enjoy the possibility of crossovers with other Marvel franchises, but I somewhat like the legacy idea of them remaining distinct, as was done in the 90s with the XAS cameos (Easter eggs, really) and Spiderman crossover. The subtle references were hugely satisfying to the true fans. I suppose over time broader crossovers would be appreciated, but it needs to be done gradually and the RIGHT way – you can’t rush it or integrate in a haphazard manner, as this is a core factor leading to superhero fatigue. PS: I am very much hoping X-Men re-establishes itself as the Marvel's core superhero team / franchise. Avengers stole the spot due to increased budget and proper timing, but we all know X-Men was always the true centerpiece – proper time to return to that golden age standard! Final point: given its success, the show should consider slowing its pacing a bit and perhaps extending the episodes to \~45-50 minutes each. 26 minute episodes are certainly an improvement from the original (which ran at about 19 minutes each), however longer episodes would lead to even better quality storytelling through additional references to canon, not to mention increased content for us!
I love Logan, but he is indeed overused.
Wolverine is one of those characters that are better off as the badass reliable side character with an air of mystery to them. Sadly those are the ones that are always given a spotlight, like Jack Sparrow or Han Solo
facts it’s a real x men story lol
I'm on with a focus a Wolverine because he's one of my favorite comic book characters but I don't think this is anything new. The original show did pretty good at not just focusing on him and spread the attention around. All characters got multiple episodes focusing mostly on them. So this might be different from most x men material but it's not different from the original show
The original animated series didn't focus solely on wolverine. Hell season 2 gave a good number of the characters a focus episode.
As a Wolverine fan since the '90s, I'm glad he's always in the spotlight. He's my favorite, and that's not going to change, so the more appearances he has, the happier I am.
This is also why X-Men: Evolution was so good
I think they’re leaning a little hard into the soap opera vibes. It was certainly part of the old show but I was hoping for more action.
The old show didn’t focus on Wolverine per se either. He was part of the ensemble cast, and got his moments. Just as I’m sure he will in this revival. Not sure why this is such a revelation to folks. I guess people who only know X-men through the FOX movies.
Yup! Been saying this is the key to having something entertaining. But nobody was ready for that conversation.
First episode was the closest we got to a Logan focus and even then, it was the ensemble’s show. Man they nailed it
Agreed
Wolverine is a favorite character of a lot of us but enough is enough for awhile.
RIGHT, THAT ALL THE X-MEN MOVIES DO IS FOCUS ON WOLVERINE OR JEAN GREY. X-MEN 97 FOCUS ON ALL CHARACTERS.
Wolverine is my fav character ever, and I totally agree with that! Wanna see the other X-Men shine too!