Graduation: How X-Men Evolution Outgrows its Setting

[@OpticalSorcerer]

I have mixed feelings about high school settings: you can't travel and stay gone as long, so new locations are usually limited to an episode or two. I think the fun of Evolution isn't just being in high school, but being a youth whose still figuring themselves (and their powers) out.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

That's why the high school setting works. It starts things simple and allows the characters to grow and bond and prepares them for the more complex and uncertain reality that awaits them. It's an allegory for how teenagers have a relatively easy life in high school until things get harder after they graduate. That's why the show is a really clever coming-of-age journey. Which is why it's so sad and disappointing that the show was cancelled when the story was only half-way done. Heck, we were one season away from Evolution's version of the Dark Phoenix Saga. They were even planning to kill off Jean permanently, something which the 90's X-Men TAS chickened out of.

[@zackrider3708]

x-men evolution was the best version of xmen, it gives me heartache that there wasn't a sequel about what happen later after they finish high school

[@OpticalSorcerer]

@@zackrider3708 To my understanding, the writers wanted to avoid time travel and space exploration during their high school years to be more grounded, so maybe that was what was planned. I saw a neat remake concept for 5 seasons of it on reddit.

[@zackrider3708]

@@OpticalSorcerer there's already a version of x-men where all the horrible things that professor xavier(x-men evolution) saw in the future already happened, and they went back in time to prevent that horrible future from happening

[@OpticalSorcerer]

@@zackrider3708 What version is that? Kinda sounds like WATXM. Loved the premise, hated the execution.

[@SwampTiGaH]

I also feel Spyke was a nod to Marrow to connect Storm to the Morlocks

[@ShadowProject01]

I came to this conclusion too

[@anitanielsen1061]

For the original characters, they were so well-done that you couldn’t believe that they didn’t exist before then. Some of the characterizations, the designs of the characters are so iconic, you can hardly believe they were any different-might even feel like a betrayal at times

[@TheShockVox]

Any original mutants aside from X-23 and Spyke? Pretty sure that’s it, I wonder if there’s any I didn’t know were original; but I super agree with you.

[@marcus8836]

@@TheShockVoxavalanche the mutant ability is in the comics, but his personality “Lance Alvers” is completely original

[@zemox2534]

S1 may have been slow and a bit weak but later seasons were so much better. Despite a few hiccups Evolution is the best X men cartoon, rivaled by 90s Cartoon and Wolverine and the X men.

[@thoarnejones6805]

So basically all the X-men shows then?😂

[@JLDReactions]

Evolution doesn't even come close to the 90's cartoon. The only thing that's better is the animation nothing else. This is X-Men for 5 year olds.

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@JLDReactions Nah, the TAS show had serious issues and never explored its premise much. It's best episodes were when it was adapting comic stories, when it tried to do anything original it stunk. And that terrible last episode where Xavier was stupid enough to let Gyrich get within 100 feet of him.

[@coolguy8725]

@@thoarnejones6805 lmao literally I’m like damn there were more than these? But I guess if u consider the anime

[@bigred6884]

Gotta say love this analysis, I won’t lie on the rewatch I do see the loss of potential with the highschool setting but honestly I really love seeing the X-men s world open up in seasons 3 and 4 like the show was ready to have a bigger picture aspect the 90s had. Despite some issues I still love this show for a lot of its ideas such as x23, more focus on X-men rather than wolverine, how they tackled rogues relationship to mystique, scarlet witch in general, and doing away with the love triangle of scott, Jean and Logan. I won’t lie that shit always got on my nerves and to me in media often pigeon holes the characters. I like how in this series Jean has more of a personality and we see scott come into his own as a leader. Low key magnetos sort of a sociopath in this series and kinda reminds me of doom actually as the only reason magneto wants to stop apocolypse is because he wants to prove how superior he is like damn.

[@ShadowSonic2]

The amusing thing that they did their own version of the Logan/Jean/Scott Love Triangle, except with Rogue as Logan, Scott as Jean, and Jean as Scott. Rogue is the tough, angry cynical one attracted to the nice compassionate person (Scott) and wonders why he's so interested in the "Boring" one (Jean).

[@BeenUceSince95]

They definitely showed love to a lot of characters they didn’t give us one off episodes of them so I heavily agree with you , they handled the characters in a unique way and fit it right with their direction and it’s definitely a fresh breathe of air from the past shows and even future ones they did after such as Wolverine and the X men I think evolution is a great take on them

[@julianpeterson4227]

i do appreciate how they potrayed kelly, he started off as a fairly normal guy but the it kinda shows how prejudice developes

[@henrypeters5291]

First, I love how miffed you are about Mystique's alias. And while I have never met anyone from Manchester, I will have to take your word for it. But in the U.S. especially in the U.S. if you come from a small town or population, you are definitely going to list the city and state. Obviously Manchester is in England, but you might be surprised by how many Americans don't know that.

[@PillarofGarbage]

You’re right, of course. But non-Americans taking about being from ‘*city*, *country*’ is a pet peeve of mine. Despite it being utterly unimportant!

[@moll7674]

as a mancunian he’s 100% right about the accent lmao it was something that really stood out to me as well when i first watched evolution 💀

[@JOVONO]

@@PillarofGarbage As an Australian not from Melbourne or Sydney I have to say “I’m from ‘blank… ’, Australia”

[@potatoweaver4116]

I mean there is a Manchester USA, so clarifying she's from England doesn't seem too weird. A lot of cities in New England share names with cities in England, as should be expected.

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@moll7674 I think it was deliberate. Mystique knew Rogue wouldn't know what a Manchester accent would sound like so she didn't bother.

[@Fanatic_Foremem]

I feel your beingjust a bit critical on what evolution fails to be, while brushing over what it succeeds in or what it COULD be if drawn from in a modern series. Also spikes exit wasn't as sudden as you made it sound it was a slow shift and he shows up after that episode.

[@mahega128]

It’d be great if you made a video(s) analyzing every character. For example, this iteration of Scott is just the best in all of media in my opinion. You can see him more accurately depicted as he is in the comics: a LEADER. The movies & other shows always want to belittle him under Wolverine’s shadow. In this show, there is a hint to the rivalry in S3 E2 but not because of the stupid love triangle thing. It’s because Scott has grown up & truly become the leader of the X-Men, and Logan has to accept that Scott & the others have grown into capable heroes, seeing as to how he was the one that trained them-basically like seeing your kids grow up. Plus it was never about belittling the other, as the movies do. It was more of equal forces clashing yet finding solid ground, both having massive respect for the other. Here shown when Wolverine tells Cyclops “good-job” at the end of that episode for wisely leading the team. Also Scott’s relationship with his brother is so touching. How they reconnect and how Scott easily falls into the big-brother role. Their dialogue is well thought-out & realistic to the point that it actually made me tear up a little when Alex told him that he registered to change his last-name back to ‘Summers’. Also Scott x Jean’s relationship is so well portrayed. (Again no dumb love triangle w/ Wolvie; instead they look up to him as a mentor & that’s just awesome). They start out as best friends but eventually get together romantically, always being there for the other through all their hardships. Speaking of couples…appreciated the little hints to Remy x Rogue’s relationship, especially in Cajun Spice-just a full-on episode dedicated to them. Also the little hints to Kitty x Piotr, although those were more subtle but still apparent since Kitty had the thing with Lance. Also want to mention Logan x Storm. Just how Logan cares for Storm when she’s taken in S2 E7 or in distress from her claustrophobia in S4 E7. There wasn’t anything official as far as I know, but after seeing them together in the 90s X-Men show, I started shipping them together. They just seem like a healthier, happier couple. And just in general, the dialogue & relationships between characters. Every character has a unique dynamic with another. Like Kurt & Rogue embracing their sibling ties. Kurt & Kitty basically acting like siblings lol. Logan being a father figure to Rogue. The Brotherhood basically becoming a band of brothers. Love how Logan, Storm & Beast are the adults of the show, basically the “right-hands” to Xavier and not only teachers but parent figures to a lot of the students. And Professor X IS basically the father to all the X-Men omg bless that man. He is genuinely good-at-heart, never to pry into anyone’s thoughts, always looking for the good of humanity even when people are in reality being malicious (like that PowerAid guy in S3 E6) This show just went above and beyond to the world building, gradually introducing more characters. Don’t get me started on the Acolytes, Brotherhood and New Mutants. (Also they CREATED the character of X23) So cool how they made Gambit & Colossus Acolytes, fans knowing that they would later on become core members of the X-Men. I always theorized Magneto had held hostage Illyana Rasputin, to keep Colossus under his thumb. I also appreciated how Bobby would always be the standout of the New Mutants demonstrating how he was a natural leader. (That one episode with the original 5 members was such a great callback to the comics.) Also shout-out to Boom Boom. She was a wild card. Avalanche was also a standout. Very no nonsense, leave-me-alone kinda guy, that matures throughout the season, from being a bully in S1, to outing everyone in S2, to being used to cause destruction in S3, to helping save the train wreck, taking responsibility for it, & finally helping in the Apocalypse battle in S4. Magneto, Mystique & Apocalypse are the perfect antagonists. Mystique is just satisfyingly conniving and a mastermind. Magneto is so mysterious & just powerful and you want to follow him but then you don’t. And Apocalypse is SO INTIMIDATING-that S3 finale & S4 premiere OMG. You can feel his omnipotence. The ACTION…how everyone’s power set was portrayed was so satisfying. Jean’s flying, Scott’s optic blast sound, Wolverine’s “shink”. Rogue’s flash touch. Mystique’s transformations. The team-playing and how every member brought something different to the table. For example, Kitty and Kurt were constantly vital players in battle to get out of bad situations. I wish they made a season 5...6 & 7… They could have explored so much more of these characters and more. Like in Prof. X's vision having a time jump to them as older characters and the super nod at the Dark Phoenix Saga. Imagine all the possibilities: the Hellfire Club; Emma Frost & Psylocke get introduced; the Shiar & Lilandra arrive; Scott & Alex reunite w/ their space outlaw dad, Corsair; Colossus, Gambit, Havok, Angel & X23 join the X-Men; exploring more of the Marvel universe w/ special appearances of other characters like they did w/ Cap-especially w/ the Brotherhood being in SHIELD, maybe Wanda meeting Vision, also Miss Marvel in who Rogue gains her strength & flight, also maybe the Fantastic Four to introduce Franklin Richards x Rachel Summers for a Days of Future Past story w/ Kitty being the one to return to the past like in the comics; Nimrod & Master Mold?; maybe later on a Messiah Complex storyline w/ Cable & Hope Summers; Rogue learning to control her powers; a Rogue X Gambit romance, a Kitty x Colossus one too; Scott x Jean's continued romance (& marriage?) Mister Sinister & the Marauders (Mutant Massacre? getting much more darker); the struggle of the continued anti-mutant sentiment; Xavier’s son, Legion returning; more backstory to Magneto, his establishment of Genosha as a mutant sanctuary +more interactions between him, Pietro & Wanda (& Lorna?)-they did this in “Wolverine & the X-Men” but i mean the “Evolution” continuity. All that probably entails more than one season (it definitely would), but just wishful thinking. It had an immensely satisfying ending in itself, letting us glimpse into the future of a more established X-Men. Anyways…sorry I got carried away and wrote an essay HAHA. You probably stopped reading lollll. I recently rewatched the entire show after so many years, and I gained a new appreciation for it. However, it would not be the same without Kirby Morrow as Cyclops. He was a perfect Cyclops. Rest In Peace.

[@ShadowSonic2]

Another thing about Scott was how they showed his interactions with characters who WEREN'T just Jean and Logan. We saw his friendship with Kurt, clashing a bit with Xavier and even though it never went anywhere romantic his friendship with Rogue was touching.

[@rakino4418]

I would love to see this team take on Cassandra Nova

[@sigurd-333]

The only drawback is that Evolution got cancelled without even taking on the Phoenix. I love Evolution Jean more than any other version (except comics) and seeing her as the Phoenix is my dream.

[@jeangreyfan4148]

Jean Grey 🔥is best

[@DragonbIaze052]

Not only that, but the final scene of season 4 was them teasing a Phoenix arc they planned to use for season 5.

[@GeneralBolas]

I think this video kind of misses the forest for the trees with regard to X-Men Evolution. You spend a lot of time talking about the flow of plotlines and settings through its 4 seasons. And that's fine, but you ultimately ignore the thing that I think fans of the show like the most: The *characters.* Plots and storylines in this show are just flimsy justifications for the characters to bounce off of each other in interesting ways. Evolution Scott is just... the best Scott in any adaptation. 90's X-Men Scott is boring, WotX Scott started vaguely interesting but turned into a gigantic mess by the end, and X-Men Anime Scott was passable at best. Evolution Scott just has it all. He's the leader, the team respects him, and the writers take the time to really show you why. Evo-Scott gets to make tough decisions like threatening to leave Mystique in Mutant Auschwitz if she doesn't tell them where Charles is. And when she refuses... *he leaves her there!* This Scott Summers doesn't screw around. Oh sure, it comes back to bit him, but that's just a chance to show how awesome this Scott is. Rogue is just a wonderful and engaging character, especially her initial arc in the early show. And the relationship between her and Scott is solid storytelling (and *way* better than Scott/Jean. Yes, I ship Scott/Rogue). Jean got the preppy-good-at-everything characterization, but there was depth to even her. Evolution may have weird Valley-Girl-in-Upstate-New-York Kitty, but she's still more interesting as a character than, say, WotX Kitty who barely gets screen-time. Yes, she had that episode where she had to hide a mutant nuclear bomb from an army of Sentinels, and that was pretty cool. But WotX Kitty just doesn't get much personality. Compare WotX-Kitty's personality to just one facet of Evo-Kitty: the fact that everyone in Evolution, including a man who can heal from any injury, is absolutely *terrified* of her into the driver's seat (she doesn't avoid obstacles because... why bother ;) ). Indeed, Evo-Kitty is basically constantly violating people's personal space because that's literally her superpower. I can really keep going, but I think you see my point. If you're going to write High-School AU fanfiction, you *have* to make it about the characters and their interactions. And X-Men Evolution gets that. Once you have that down, you can go anywhere you want with it. And even as Evolution expanded out to larger and more complex plots, it retained its focus on characters. The first episode of the Apocalypse arc was about the team having to fight their own members than who the master villain was. The second episode of that arc was really a flimsy justification to get Scott, Jean, Beast, Angel, and Iceman together fighting Magneto, as a callback to the very first issue of the X-Men. Even the introduction of X-23 (probably what Evo is best known for) is primarily about who this person is, not any of the larger ramifications of her existence. It's not about hunting down the people who raised a cloned child to be a soldier. It's about the fact that she *is* a cloned child raised to be a solder. It's about who X-23 is, not who did it to her.

[@nolhok]

@GeneralBolas Good points! The characters were quite fun and entertaining as a general rule. I especially liked what they did with Night Crawler after mutants were exposed, with him being the only one who can keep his identity a secret, and he does because of all the past discrimination that he's experienced, he's not about to give up a normal life, even if his friends are mad at him, he's legit scared to go back to that discrimination. That right there is interesting because of the conflict it creates between Night Crawler and the rest of the X-men, as well as Night Crawler and the one girl who discovers his "fuzzy" self and accepts him anyway. Another really cool part was the Brotherhood's characterization. In other X-men shows, the Brotherhood are usually just "the bad guy mutants," with very few of them ever getting a chance to shine or have character development. In Evolution, however, each character is given some interesting characterization, like Lance's desire to be a hero or X-man, or Quicksilver's relationship with his father. The Brotherhood felt a lot more like people in this show, and I actually sympathized with them, which I can't really say about any other animated version of them. So, I'd agree with you, the characters and their growth were probably the best part of the show for me. And, as you said, the charm of X-23 wasn't where she came from, or who made her (I could almost forget that Hydra was involved at all), but rather who she is, and what that means for her and Wolverine.

[@JayJ4y95]

You described exactly why I had a hard time listening to this dudes video. Ok they ditched the school setting but we actually saw the characters EVOLVE and how they are coping in the new world in season 3 and 4

[@jakesimpson3373]

Evolution scott is the sole reason why I love cyclops. He’s just such a cool character in this show its a shame every other version of scott is mediocre at best, even the comic version most of the time is never as good as evolution scott.

[@alexandrefrauches132]

Good analysis. Another character I like in the series was Beast. Even though George Buza will always be the definitive Beast for me, I like how the series reinvent the character, making him older and turning him into one of the Xavier school teachers (another good concept added by show, making the series feel more like a My Hero Academy). Not to mention the explanation for him to become the blue furry beast from the comics is much better executed in the show than in the comics. There, he became the blue Beast after trying to remove his powers so he could fit in with society, which is pretty pointless since before that Beast could hide his mutation very easly and I don't think people would consider a guy with big feet as mutant. In the show, his transformation is part of evolution in his mutation. He tries to control with the help of serum, which just make things worse and result in him becoming a wild beast, going on a rampage until Xavier and the X-men help restore his humanity.

[@conradlorgar5508]

@@alexandrefrauches132 just a note but beast didn't try to remove his powers with a serum in the comics that's just in the film

[@easyJat99]

This show was absolutely amazing to watch, it was awesome. It introduced me to characters like Kitty who I thought were boring

[@champcpr]

Unpopular opinion, but I prefer this X-Men over all others 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@Clark-shoots-bricks]

💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@douglasbrownell2704]

Okay I like the shift that you're talking about. But I also like the high school point of view as well. Is an interesting point of view. Kids doing high School and puberty as well as being mutants. I think they could have kept the high school vibe and expanded it at the same time.

[@robchuk4136]

The Holiday and Bayville Sirens episodes happen to be 2 of my favorites, actually. I thought the High School episodes were cute. I know it's the weaker half of the show, but it was still a pretty good representation of teens feeling like outsiders. And it does something that's actually connected to the first comics, that I don't see people talk about: It played on their secret identities. Honestly, I think the early eps are endearing in their own way, thanks to being more character-driven, and if they weren't, I don't think viewers would have stuck around.

[@MTV2O2O]

“How Evolution Evolved” had to read that twice

[@PillarofGarbage]

very good words B)

[@MTV2O2O]

@@PillarofGarbage Sounds like something Mister Sinister would say in one of his evil speeches

[@sickmountains]

Just binge watch a lot of your videos and I have to say that I'm a Huge Fan. I love the interesting ideas you bring on your videos and I love how you challenge my thinking on some of the show that I watched back in High School. I may not agree with all of them (especially your take on X-Men Evolution), I still respect your take. Keep up the great work 👍

[@PillarofGarbage]

Thanks for the kind words, glad you’re enjoying the channel!

[@shinkaiatsuya950]

That fem Nightcrawler seems like something Totally Spies would do. Also while some viewers might have known something was off with Risty, I doubt Rogue would have as not everyone pays attention to accents so a generic one would be fine. I can see people saying the city and country they are from as I have when I studied and worked in places where that happened, either because they are proud of where they are from, its a place not many people would know (eg. Newport), or they just wanted to. Also with that purple hair surprised she didn't name herself Betsy, aka Psylocke, another character that could have been in X-Men Evolution had the series continued. Liked her possible design by Steven E. Gordon, a storyboard artist of the show, at least according to the fandom wiki page.

[@PillarofGarbage]

I definitely expected a Pyslocke/Betsy reference too!

[@Indigo_Boi757]

He means people don’t say "Manchester, England". They’d just say "I’m from England" or "I’m from Manchester" and if prompted they’d give more detail. But normally people don’t say both city and country one after the other. Also, accents definitely are important, especially in how they can reveal character detail and also become pivotal to certain characters (Rogue’s southern drawl or Gambit’s cajun accent are integral to those characters and immediately implies a lot to the audience about who they are or their background and personalities). And with Manchester having such a recognisable and distinct accent I don’t understand why the writers would put it in if they weren’t gonna do it right? It makes no sense and seems like they didn’t put much thought into that part and just threw out a city.

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@Indigo_Boi757 I think it was deliberate. Anyone who knew what a Manchester accent was would know her accent was wrong, which hinted that she wasn't really from there.

[@miniwolfsbane2407]

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm glad you revisited it in response to the slight criticism. But, IDK, if they'd managed to put Gambit and Colossus in high School, I think the shippers (for Rogue and Kitty respectively) would've lost their dang minds. Most of the fandom was insistent like it was written in stone that they were in their 20s, but Iet them "slide by" at 19 at the start of my fics, because it made sense to me. (Not sure why I keep mentioning my fics, I guess I'm just proud of the little off-shoot of this AU I've created over a decade. Not trying to shameless plug!) Good video essay. I'm sure they could've done more in the high school setting, but on the other hand, it's part of what made the show work for it to grow out of its original narrative and onto bigger and better storylines. It might've become stale and repetitive otherwise or seen as using the high school as kind of a storyline crutch. Keeping this much briefer than my last comments, I can kind of see your point in regards to Risty. I am half Puerto Rican. (I still have trouble getting in touch with that side of my heritage, for the record.) You do not see many Puerto Ricans, whole or half, in media. The attention is geared towards Mexican people when creating characters for shows because everyone and their dad is familiar with Mexico. I find it demeaning to be completely ignored and irritating. That said, most kids/family shows aren't about getting every real-world detail spot-on accurate and probably think ignorant Americans won't know the difference between regional dialects. And they're right, mostly. I didn't give Risty's accent a second thought because I'm very unfamiliar with England or its regions. I mean it genuinely, thanks for educating us. I'm all for a season 4 deep dive. The more people giving this show the attention it deserves, even freaking 20 years after its cancellation, the better! Because it still holds up!

[@ShadowSonic2]

Eh, if they made Colossus a teenager it would've reduced the ick factor of him and Shadowcat....in the comics they got together when he was 19 and she was like 15. Yuck.

[@mhawang8204]

Idk…this show certainly suffered from its very 2000’s-ness, but I still loved it, and I’m sure it had many fans. It felt fresh at the time having the X-Men not dealing with world-ending supervillains but just high school stuff. Learning to drive, relationship drama, and just being a teenager. It was a new take on the beloved characters that most fans didn’t get to see in the popular 90’s show. Skipping on the social commentary but using superpowers as an allegory for puberty works, too. This video feels like you’re looking for something specific in your expectation and criticizing the show for not doing what you want.

[@annkatrinengj6420]

The show did the best job of forming the characters and there relationship. They put the characters first and I for one enjoyed it more because the plots where small or slowly handled. It is more about who they are not what they are.

[@rabbidlobo]

My guy sounds like Hank Hill talkin about New York City 😂😂😂😂😂 I was just happy to see a X-Men series actually have an ending for once. Then Wolverine and the X-Men didn't help, let's hope X-Men 97 actually concludes.

[@emmaelson6770]

I liked the episode where Iceman, Angel, Beast, Cyclops and Jean Grey all went on a mission together. It was a fun homage to the OG comics and it was really neat seeing the OG 5 back together with there new designs

[@AifDaimon]

I love this series!!!! Their take on the Apocalypse Saga was so cool

[@TheRealArrendondo]

i definitely like the idea of xmen evolution having been a fully realized high school show with their interaction with the world at large through field trips and introducing more mutants as transfer students or students new to the neighborhood or the x-institute. This would have been way more pleasing than what we were given.

[@theserpent8667]

The 2nd Wolverine and the X-Men video. X2, you might say...

[@PillarofGarbage]

2nd Evolution video! Only one on WatXM (so far!)

[@theserpent8667]

@@PillarofGarbage Oh well. Decent film reference though.

[@andyjackblacksmith6044]

great video, Ima be honest the Mystique/Risty reveal caught me some what off guard, as I heard England, saw the purple hair and thought Psylocke. Until I remembered her actual name and it threw me for a loop for a bit.

[@VVallago]

oh god i wish Spider-man had cameo in this show, I really enjoyed this show even as an adult

[@delix787]

I literally just finished this series the other day! The character writing is very on par with teen titans both being realistic and human. But there’s a few things I do not understand about this Series. 1) The character avalanche! They tried to redeem him and make him a bad guy over and over again. One episode he’s doing good and tries to join the X-Men. Then he goes back being a bad guy for no reason?! There’s other episodes where he’s trying to decide what he wants. But they just kept making him going back to the evil side. It’s like they didn’t know what to do with him?! 2) Why did nightcrawler care so much trying to understand his mother’s actions after being turned into stone? When he found out Mystique was his mother. There is no storyline of him trying to understand why? He just went with it treating her like a villain? So when mystique turned into stone and nightcrawler tried to treat her human and being all nice. You had this emotional scene where rogue wanted her statue to be out of the house, after all of the disrespectful lies she treated her daughter. Even trying to be a fake friend to get in the house for information! So when rogue pushed mystique off the edge and broke and killed her mother, why in the last two minutes of the series of season four.. mystique tried to talk to both of them explaining her actions! Nightcrawler literally put his finger to her and told her we don’t want to hear it get lost, same thing goes with Rogue! Why have this comforting storyline of nightcrawler trying to understand his mothers actions, and the moment mystique is back being normal again. That could’ve been his opportunity to FINALLY understand his mother fully after him wanting to get behind her actions to begin with!! Why would nightcrawler tell her to stop don’t even try? When he wanted to know the full story of her life? He was about to get what he wanted, she tried to tell him but it was basically a screw off moment? To me that whole ending was completely rushed in season 4! Speaking of season four that was the worst season!! They had this storyline with apocalypse right? And they completely just left it in the dust to show FILLER episodes! And they finally got back to the canon of apocalypse with the two remaining last episodes of season four. I knew the last episode was going to be completely rushed! Why in the world would they not tell the whole nine episodes storyline of apocalypse? Instead show wasted filler episodes that had nothing to do with that story arc? I was completely sad that it ended the way that it did. I thought the last season was going to end off well. But it did not! I will still love X-Men evolution but I was disappointed in season four!

[@Dhampir101980]

Season 4 had the most interference from the WB. It was meant to be 13 episodes, but the network cut it down. Presumably, the toys sales were down and the network stopped supporting the show. It’s not totally surprising, given how the WB treated Static Shock the same way, which also had a tonal shift starting in its third season as well.

[@delix787]

@@Dhampir101980 Aw :c

[@ShursGarden]

Avalanche and to a lesser extent Toad were just victims of society as a whole, and were struggling to figure out what to do with their lives.

[@jruss9851]

Loved Evolution as a kid, but after watching TAS and WaTXM, it's the 3rd best for sure

[@a.half.cadence]

So I sort of understand Kurt's behavior in regards to the whole Mystique thing. To me, it seemed like he wanted to understand her better, maybe even get to know her better, but he never lost his fear of or his disgust with her. When he finds out he's horrified. So why does this change when she turns to stone? Well because she's stone! What frightened and disgusted Kurt about Mystique? Her actions. She can't act when she's stone. It more or less felt like when a kid's scared to admit something to a parent, like an insecurity or a broken rule, so they talk to a picture instead. So when she was no longer petrified, when she was capable of acting - lying and decieving - Nightcrawler was more weary.

[@Nightengale90]

Nice video! X-Men Evolution is my favorite cartoon, so I look forward to watching all your X-Men Evolution content!

[@zinkrichardson1949]

I am from Alabama (USA) and I have to say your southern accent is terrible, AND I LOVE EVERY INCH OF IT!!! Seriously, every animation of X-men holds a special place in my heart, but I can't help but agree that Evolution missed out on the High School and Mutant rights angle. I think they were more focused on the adventure and the "clever" changes they made to the X-men mythos and less on the message and themes.

[@PillarofGarbage]

Yee haw cowboy 🤠 (don’t worry I know the cowboys were mostly in the west, not the south!)

[@MADLADCOMICS]

THIS is my generations X-men

[@indra_vrtrahan]

9:00 dude, that was actually really f*cking cool

[@freddyfaerie3499]

Sorry but I just adore thia show. And the buffy reference in the theme song is amazing

[@jeffco5237]

I really liked X-Men Evolution, thank you for the insight.

[@riduckulus1574]

I think the show was always going to have to expand out and away from the school, eventually to leave it behind. As high school in and of itself an "evolution". As you go through the metamorphosis of the child you were, to the adult you become. In the end, I feel the show should've taken more time to reach that point. However, the speed at which it did so may have less been a creative choice,, and more of the uncertainty of television. How many seasons do we have to tell our story? Dunno.

[@ricardomiles2957]

i think your take on the "soft resets" in s1 through the show are a little tainted by your previous experiences with X-men. Evolution was my introduction to X-men and everytime xavier intervened or a drastic change happened to be reverted i saw it has a growing ticking bomb, this x-men had the chance to hide and try to live a normal live, which creates this anxienty everytime they use they powers that something could go out of control and their lives change with no turning back, which eventually happens and at least to me made the Sentinel arc x10 more interesting. Unlike most adptations that resume iconic stories to easter eggs or rushed versions of it, although not has dense, in evolution i felt a progression, a scaling of issue for mutants to face.

[@gustavowadaslopes2479]

I still like the show overall. And I think using the high-school setting as an introductory one before slowly expanding the scope, world and issues involved was really good. Death Con 4 happening at a highschool party that Mystique used to infiltrate the school and get data from the x-men? The clear shit from out of their regular lives with how them being mutants was revealed and we saw the school setting being used less? Approaching each new character as young students, often discovering their powers or strugling in relation to them? Really good stuff.

[@r.b4889]

my favorite show

[@smileychanvideo7330]

I really enjoy this series. it was about being yourselfs instead of being afraid of who you really are. I kinda like this show. it was pretty exciting about season 4 and season 3, it was outstanding.

[@Quinton151]

Thank you! So glad I wasn't the only one that got really hot and bothered by Fem Nightcrawler growing up. I KNEW I WASN'T ALONE!

[@MTV2O2O]

I forgot that, well, happened…why is the female hologram more revealing though? It’s gets more disturbing now that I remember that Xavier is the one who designed that…

[@PillarofGarbage]

To be fair it’s pretty in character for some comics Xavier depictions, he’s often a real creep

[@mog-myownbestfriend]

Finally explains that fanart I saw of Kurt awhile back...

[@LikaLaruku]

In the 90s, Rogue's idea of casual attire was a brightly colored Tube Top & Daisy Dukes, & here she does for black paten leather mesh. I didn't know spike originated from this series. I seem to remember him getting resurected in the "House of X Powers of 10" comic storyline.

[@Solo-vh9fm]

The Manchester, England thing is almost certainly because there’s a Manchester in New Hampshire. I’m from the North of England and I know that

[@acemaison2834]

So before saying anything I’m glad my recommended gave me this because I was curious how other persevere this x-men version . Iv seen pretty much every x-men cartoon but gotta say this one and the wolverine & x-men were definitely my childhood. I can admit the flaws of both and potential felt off but gotta say they were definitely interesting In there own ways. On a great note this series introduced x23 into cannon and comics so in way we got The character from show moving forward . I really am curious how In coming years these characters will evolve but for now thanks on giving my childhood show a look & some attention after it’s finale. If possible I hope u do the rest of their shows to compare them .

[@MrGeo-EmitFodrol]

I really liked this show growing up. It wasn't as good as Xmen TAS but nothing marvel was really on tv at the time so I was atleast happy with this. I remember really liking the character design of Magneto especially the shadow hiding his face. I loved that they showed Apocalypse the respect and time he deserves and would of loved to see a season 5 with Mr. SINISTER and maybe even Nimrod or Onslaught

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodGeek99]

Great video i loved Evolution made me more of a Xmen fan ✌

[@NyJoanzy]

Mystic really just doing a Ms. Doubtfire at the start.

[@kennethlaurie7809]

Darn you had a opportunity to have Tombstone explain irony. Just found X-Men Evolution on Apple TV+, for any Australian viewers its on there.

[@EldrickJag]

Fem Nightcrawler totally helped awakened something in me at a young age... anyway, Fun Fact for you! The VA for Xavier is David Kaye, who also voiced Soun Tendo in Ranma 1/2, whose title character was also a guy who turned into a girl... which also may have contributed in my awakening... I'm seeing a pattern. Maybe I should go watch something else Mr. Kaye was in, such as Transformers...

[@ShadowSonic2]

Funny you mention that, Female Ranma was actually Jean Grey in this show

[@blazingfury057]

I'm loving these Xolution videos

[@midnightfox3157]

I love x men evolution

[@juanmata9814]

1. Gothic Scarlet Witch 2. Gothic Rogue 3. The Creation of X 23 This is the only reason why I watch the show this show could have been awesome if The Avengers and The Fantastic Four were in it and have Crossovers with the Xmen but oh well the closest thing to the Avengers was Scarlet Witch Quicksilver and Captain America and it would have been awesome if Rogue and Cyclops had a Romantic Relationship since Rogue had a crush on Cyclops since one but it never happened

[@ShadowSonic2]

I don't think that this was some "forced" shift or a "soft reboot", it's kind of clear that the show was always meant to "Evolve" itself beyond that. A slower, gradual growth from the school stuff to a world resembling the modern comics more. I think it did so quite well, actually.

[@lexruptor]

It did well because there's a big Evolutions base, if you know how to get their attentions.

[@brandonlee2284]

Rogue thicc

[@deffientllynotjalenbutler1736]

Fem nightcrawler bussy might be the reason I subed

[@sahilhossian8212]

Lore of Graduation: How X-Men Evolution Outgrows its Setting momentum 100

[@cyshadowx]

The last scene with the grownup adults xmen seeing rogue fly and having magneto part of the xmen it and the phoenix tese .they could have done 4 more years with grown up stories comic arcs the age of apocalypse acr it should have done 4 more years to balance out the show and showing a true evaluation

[@charlesintune]

Sounds like after they got picked up for season 2 they were like "alright now that we have that sweet Kids WB paycheck, we can do whatever we want LMAO" but also the success of the X-Men movies certainly helped.

[@ShadowSonic2]

The funny thing is, this show actually affected the movies going forward. Nightcrawler and Shadowcat were in X2 and X3 because of this show. Heck, stuff from this show even made it to the comics like X-23 and Wolverine becoming more of a teacher to younger students.

[@LaddRusso91]

I really like this show when I was a young teen, I remember the character named Spike being a favourite. Most likely it would not hold up if I watched it now.

[@defunctgoosebumpsaccount]

You should do a video on ironman Armoured adventures

[@PillarofGarbage]

Could definitely be a fun idea!

[@UltraInstinctLink]

"...down right fellates..." has just been added to my lexicon. Thank you for that line lmfao

[@robertdeffenbaugh9004]

I read it was only canceled because nobody was buying the Toys it’s very sad we never got to see Season 5.

[@ShadowSonic2]

It was also because there were Marvel Higher-Ups who never liked the show.

[@julianpeterson4227]

should do a video on batman beyond

[@therealk3hlab]

I honestly understand where your comming from. But bro it was a kids show. I think the story telling like you said was paced fine. They used high-school to focused on character development. And as the graduated the show graduated. If we would have got a season 5 and 6. They would have def looked different then three and four if you remember the last episode. I think the show was fine remember it's a kids show. What 10 year old is gonna know a Manchester accent. He'll reaching it at 27 mystique had me fooled. Do put to much stock in the small things the show becomes unenjoyable

[@ElJorro]

X-men evolution is my default Xmen

[@michael12196]

we neeed a live action adaptation i would love it

[@Star_Wars_With_PercyMan]

I gave up on the show after the first season because I thought it was so far from the Xmen I wanted to see, maybe I’ll give the rest of the show a chance.

[@axels3188]

I think the change in between seasons of X men Evolutions was good.

[@gohan3448]

I wish they would have made a season 5. Great show

[@Blackblax]

The X-Men are interesting & beloved characters, so pretty much anything they're going to be involved w/ is going to be successful (there's a reason why they single-handedly kept Marvel afloat in the 90s). Evolution was an odd take on the X-Men, which didn't do well w/ their initial high school setting. The X-Men have always had their own "special" school for mutants, so them being plopped in a regular HS where they had to "keep their powers secret" was odd, at best & kinda boring at least. I'm glad the writers quickly started to switch up, in order to get better & more interesting stories out of them. The show only "evolved" & got better once they started to incorporate more of the material that made X-Men so popular in the 1st place.

[@ShadowSonic2]

At the same time, having them go to a Human school and interact with people there showed Xavier actually was serious about wanting Humans and Mutants to co-exist. Usually all he does is cloister the kids up in his mansion and they barely interact with humans.

[@Blackblax]

@@ShadowSonic2 That's true, but it's rather reckless, especially considering some of the student's powers. Cyclops almost killed students, Nightcrawler has to hide his true appearance, & Rogue's dangerous (as part of the Brotherhood or X-Men). I much rather prefer the later setting of the "mutant school", because they not only learn what regular kids learn, but they also are trained w/ their powers. And in the comics, Xavier has human students mixed in w/ the mutant ones. But that ended w/ the majority of them being killed by anti-mutant groups.

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@Blackblax It is reckless, but it does show he actually was serious about co-existence here. In most adaptations he talks big but doesn't do anything to prove it.

[@Blackblax]

@@ShadowSonic2 I don't see Xavier being that reckless though, especially w/ "young X-Men". Magneto & Emma are the more "reckless" of the "Big 3 Mutant Liberators". W/ Mags being the most reckless, Emma being "in-between", & Xavier being the least. The 90s cartoon made Xavier prove more of what he meant, & he wasn't endangering young mutants to do so either. That's somethings Mags, or even Emma would do more readily. I think the whole "teen mutants in normal school" aspect of "Evo" was trying to be too much like Spider-Man. And the show actually improved once they did away w/ "hiding in human school".

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@Blackblax It did give us good stories like "Mainstream" though, where the Mutants have to deal with the Human students knowing who they were and getting harassed. Heck, this show actually bothered showing us how someone could go from a normal person (Principal Kelly) to an anti-mutant fanatic (Mayoral Candidate Kelly). In the comics, other cartoons and movies they never bother explaining WHY Kelly hated mutants so much. Here, they actually tried to.

[@MammothBehemoth]

HS-AU is not as common or as acceptable at that time. This might've been one of the first to do it, together with Batman Beyond. But I'm not a fan of a totally HS setting. Disney's Nickelodeon gets old pretty quick and doesn't capture a wider audience. It was nice they did it, and it was nice they didn't got stuck to it

[@ShadowSonic2]

I mean at least here they did the logical thing and have them graduate from the school partway through the show.

[@Gittykitty]

I wish they had Wolverine and Storm team up stuff.

[@toanuva6178]

Would've there been a way for Spider-Man to have made an appearance both Legally and Lore wise?

[@burnthetrolls5971]

I would've loved to see how this series did the Phoenix storyline that would've been good damn shame it got cancelled

[@saudbintalib5701]

According to some of the early screening reviews Spider-Man No Way Home is the absolute best Spider-Man movie since Into The Spider-Verse and a masterpiece of Superhero storytelling apparently.......

[@PillarofGarbage]

I'm very excited! (and hoping for no comment section spoilers!)

[@saudbintalib5701]

@@PillarofGarbage most hype I've been since Infinity War/Endgame honestly....

[@r.pizzamonkey7379]

I mean, I think the bayville high episode you were describing was an LGBT allegory more than a race one. Kurt is enjoying his ability to stay in the closet while everyone else doesn't have that privilege.

[@Joshua_Shadow_Manriguez]

Unfortunately there was more actually planned than we got. I think there was at least 2 or 3 more seasons planned after Season 4.

[@ShadowSonic2]

At least one more season, with Dark Phoenix being the villain.

[@albertjose8879]

I know its a bit late but does anyone know why prof X couldn't read kelly's mind in this series?

[@ShadowSonic2]

He could? He was just too overtaxed from wiping everyone elses' memories that he didn't have enough strength to fully wipe Kellys.

[@nopenopington2880]

Man I forgot about fem Nightcrawler... I'd tap.

[@Paradeboy]

As a scouser from Liverpool people from Manchester do not sound like that she was more London south sounding 😀

[@thegreatgatsby2635]

Bayville sirens slapped

[@PillarofGarbage]

Hey everyone! Join the brand new Pillar of Garbage Discord! discord.gg/WQEk4UPeC6

[@vernonhampton5863]

I just might do that.

[@justnojustn3036]

" Hey I'm from Kingston Jamaica" No I just say I'm from Jamaica mostly because no one cares about what city you are from in Jamaica that is just Jamaica

[@y345vash9]

I loved this show and I really don't like school settings.

[@delix787]

X-Men evolution is better than Ben 10 alien force. I’ll tell you that! 🗿

[@delix787]

@ǞЯƮΦЯiǞ РęПDЯǞgΦП Ben 10 as a main character did not age well my Guy. His whole character keeps getting Rekoned. Even in the original series! 😂

[@moephileo63]

I enjoy your videos a lot but this one l felt I don't truly understand your thesis. I enjoyed the show as the third best animated X-Men show, 90', wolverine and the X-Men, then evolution. I never cared much for it's high school centric plots or really any of it's plot short of apocalypse. I did love it's unique exploration of character. Wolverine as a more nurturing role model is interesting and was later explored in the comics in wolverine and the X-Men. Who they choose to make young vs an older adult is interesting and how they are interpreted. I'll end on this, the Manchester voice acting error is more of a reflection of the audience. American children have limited knowledge of non American geography, even into adulthood. Short of extremely famous places such as London, or Paris. So saying city and county is sadly important and the accent is also a reflection of the lack of international awareness.

[@ShadowSonic2]

The funny thing is, stuff from this show ended up making it into the comics. Like Logan becoming more of a teacher type character at the school, X23, the mutant students and human students trying to attend classes together, the world finding out Xavier was a mutant, etc.

[@thibaultl1956]

14:36 Professor X indeed…

[@starshipjive411]

Was there anybody else who thought/was hoping that Risty Wilde was Psylocke and that Risty Wilde was just a cover name? Seeing as she worked as a spy in the comics. Like she was in there to gather information for S.T.R.I.K.E. on the x-men but genuinely becomes friends with Rogue and then defects. Because my first reaction was okay it's a British girl with purple hair in a show about the X-Men...Sadly I was disappointed. :(

[@ShadowSonic2]

Yes, at the time a lot of folks saw a British girl with purple hair, they thought "Psylocke".

[@SwampTiGaH]

Did we get a Kang mention?

[@PillarofGarbage]

One of Kang’s aliases is Rama-Tut, who is semi-important to the S3 finale :)

[@SwampTiGaH]

@@PillarofGarbage did not know that. Thank you

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@SwampTiGaH They gave a lot of hints in the show, but only if you were a bigger Marvel fan would you know what they meant. Like, they said Rama-Tut's spaceship wasn't alien but built on Earth and it "would be built ages from now".

[@NickFajardo]

You missed the chance for a bad callback by saying "All that stuff in Little Rock, America" :)

[@PillarofGarbage]

The best joke in the video and I didn’t even think of it 😭

[@josehenr1que7]

the accent isn't about mystique tho, more so the voice actress

[@ShadowSonic2]

It was deliberate though, because when we see other English characters in the shows they speak with believable British accents

[@0whatman]

I liked spyke it's a shame he was lazily written out

[@ShadowSonic2]

He came back though

[@davelightsaber1621]

…it didn’t make sense that they de-aged the charscters, then had them go to high school, even though they lived in a school ..

[@ShadowSonic2]

It's because Xavier wanted them to actually interact with humans and prove that they COULD. As opposed to how the comics usually do it, where the X Men talk about co existence but never do anything about it

[@ilanishere]

B O N K

[@_SYDGAMING_]

I feel like I have to say I'm from Dublin Ireland to foreigners lol mainly because of Dublin in Ohio

[@Facade953]

In my opinion, Wolverine And The X-Men was better. This show is decent but at times, it feels drastically different than the source material.

[@ShadowSonic2]

But the shows shouldn't just imitate the comics. Look at the MCU, they did a great job reinventing lots of stuff

[@EHH246]

12:51 ...because it celebrates Christmas? Does anybody know what he is talking about? Because the way he is phrasing it with that clip, he seems to be saying that a show that would address gay rights issues (or at the very least allegorical ones) wouldn't have episodes that show Christmas in a positive light, even though there is such a thing as openly gay Christians.

[@youtubestudiosucks978]

Since when? When did that update drop? What more did they update? I think my system is lagging or somerhing, i didnt get a notification of them adding new npcs. I wonder what class build they are, are they friendly or hostile npcs and what the quest reward give for completing the mission. What mission do they give and what location on the map do i have to fasttravel to accept the quest? Is the loot worth it?

[@BumFluffer1999]

There are a few Manchester’s in America so it makes sense to a point

[@PillarofGarbage]

Sure, but people from those places don’t speak with an English accent!

[@BumFluffer1999]

@@PillarofGarbage that’s very true 😂😂😂😂😂

[@ShadowSonic2]

@@PillarofGarbage It was deliberate though. When they showed us other English characters like in "Sins of the Son" they spoke with proper English accents. Mystique was putting on a deliberately stereotype because she knew Rogue DIDN'T know what a Manchester girl would sound like.