The X-Men are one of the most iconic superhero teams of all time. Introduced in 1963, the team really found its feet in the 1970s and has been a mainstay of Marvel Comics ever since. The X-Men’s characters and storylines have been adapted into movies, video games, and animation. The X-Men franchise has a rich history in animation and most likely much of the fanbase first came into contact with the characters through one of the many animated series.
Update March 21, 2023: This article has been updated with more information about each X-Men series and recent announcements to the X-Men franchise and recent additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans went into overdrive after Patrick Stewart’s performance Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madnesswhere he appeared to be a variant of his film counterpart mixed with the animated series version of the character sporting the iconic yellow hover chair and parts of the 1990s X-Men play theme music.
A continuation of the titled animated series XMen ’97 will premiere on Disney+ sometime in the future and fans are excited to see the story continue. With that in mind, here’s the list of each animation X-Men show ever made, ranked.
6 X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men
Originally aired in 1989, and narrated by Marvel legend Stan Lee, X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men only had one episode to his credit. The series was greenlit in an attempt to launch an X-Men animated series, which unfortunately fell through and the franchise would have to wait another three years before becoming an animated series.
In this case, it was a shame because the ally showed promise, with cameos like Emma Frost. The episode was quite action-packed and featured a mission to outer space to fight Magneto and his evil Brotherhood. The character designs were later reused in the popular ones X-Men arcade game. Despite its great potential, one episode lands at the bottom of this list.
5 Marvel anime: X-Men
More a limited series than anything, X-Men anime ran for 12 episodes in 2011. The main focus was the X-Men as they traveled to Japan to investigate a series of mysteries surrounding a mutant named Armor.
There wasn’t much in the way of story here, but the animation style, background, and characters are so beautifully drawn that the show begs to be watched. Marvel has dipped into anime on several occasions, and the series has the distinction of being the last animated series based on the X-Men for more than a decade.
4 Wolverine
Everything you’d expect from a Logan story is tone-wise: violent and dark. Another selection from the Marvel Anime library, Wolverine portrayed a sole focus on the titular mutant, which followed the comic strip of the same name. In terms of anime, the show, which ran in 2011, was one of the best pieces released under the Marvel Anime library, with titles like Iron Man And Sheet.
Tonally, the show brought much more than X-Men anime and didn’t sacrifice aesthetics to do it. Wolverine offered fans the rare combination of a great comic book adaptation at a time when Hollywood found itself taking liberties, which continues to this day.
3 Wolverine and the X Men
Wolverine and the X Men premiered on Nicktoons on January 23, 2009 and was created in part to tie in with the premiere of X-Men: Origin Wolverine that summer. On the heels of the popular ones X-Men moviesthis show spotlighted Wolverine as the leader of the team with traditional X-Men leaders Professor X and Cyclops taking on supporting roles.
Anyone with a basic understanding of the characters could jump right in and immerse themselves in the story, making it easy to follow. It drew from many eras of the X-Men, including the comics, but also played off the movie version of the franchise. The series was sadly canceled after only one season as Disney acquired Marvel and canceled all animated series on non-Disney networks, including the brilliant Spectacular Spider-Man And Wolverine and the X Men. If Disney hadn’t bought Marvel, there’s a chance Wolverine and the X-Men could have run for a few seasons.
2 X-Men: evolution
Movie Ronan
At a time when animated offerings were incredibly underpowered and used mostly to attract kids to sell toys, X-Men: evolution wasn’t even in the same stratosphere. The show was easily one of the best animated TV shows of the 2000s, and many might consider putting it number one on this list. X-Men: evolution dealt with several adult themes as it showed the iconic team as high school kids and the forces of good and evil recruiting teens to their side.
Magneto was first portrayed as a shadowy character, and while there were certainly metabolisms between the X-Men and the Brotherhood, by the show’s end, all sides found they had to work together to stop the greatest threat. : En-Sabah-Nur, also known as Apocalypse. The show was memorable for fleshing out character dynamics – Rogue and Nightcrawler with their mother Mystique, Magneto and his children, the difficult decision to imprison Wanda due to her powers out of control, and Scott dealing with the death of his parents.
In addition, the series introduced the favorite X-23, aka Laura, who would later be featured in the comics and eventually in the movie. Logan. X-Men: evolution ran for four seasons and while it may have been less faithful than the 1990s series, it used the core themes of the X-Men franchise in a fresh way that was also relatable to the target audience of kids watching the series .
1 X-Men: The Animated Series
Runs from 1992-1997, X-Men: The Animated Series was just great. The offering had a different tone than most Saturday morning cartoons. Right off the bat, the show dealt a devastating blow to audiences with the loss of X teammate Morph, demonstrating the series’ willingness to tackle mature themes. The series adapted many iconic X-Men storylines, including “Days of Future Past” and “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” in a way that set the bar high for feature films.
Like Evolution, TheAnimated series has worked out its own set of issues, such as mutants and their acceptance into society being different, a struggle familiar to many in the current climate of the world. With universal themes, great action, and plenty of cameos, including Spider-Man from his neighboring cartoon that ran in a similar timeslot, the show resonated with fans everywhere — and the toys were incredible.
The success of the series probably gave 20th Century Fox the confidence to invest in a live action X-Men movie. The show just accomplished everything it was meant to do, which is probably why it’s being revived on Disney+ as an upcoming project for the House of Mouse Marvel selections.