Every X-Men Animated Series in Order of Release (2024)

The X-Men have been a popular flagship franchise for Marvel since the team's debut in 1963. They have been a part of the comics ever since, and hit their stride with their "All New, All Different" incarnation in the '70s and '80s. For a period, they were the most popular characters in the Marvel line-up, which made them early entries in Marvel's extremely successful film line. Their film franchise has morphed into a sprawling epic with multiple timelines and character portrayals, and several animated shows have been based on them.

The X-Men have had several guest star appearances in Marvel animated shows, both old and new, but have also starred in many of their own X-Men cartoons. Each series features not only different styles of animation but drastically different tones, stories, and character interpretations. While some became all-time fan-favorite classics, others have been forgotten over the years. A few of them even appeared when Marvel itself was limited to the comics and a few minor animated series. Like their parent company, they've undergone a lot of growth and change over the years.

Updated by Robert Vaux on July 29, 2024: X-Men '97 has finally hit Disney+, reinvigorating interest in Marvel's animated X-Men properties. Which X-Men animated series are the best so far? And can the new series live up to its predecessors? The question depends on tastes, but there is certainly no shortage of options to choose from. The article has been expanded to include new information on each series and the formatting has been adjusted to meet CBR's current guidelines.

1 The X-Men Appeared as the Allies for Peace in 1966's The Marvel Super Heroes

The first animated appearance of Marvel's heroes in any form came in 1966 with the release of The Marvel Super Heroes. The show featured lightly animated cartoon panels of heroes like the Avengers and Namor the Sub-Mariner. It has since been derided for its cheap style, though its technique of drawing from images of the comics themselves carried the seeds of much bigger future projects.

The X-Men made their animated debut in Season 1, Episode 12 of the Sub-Mariner's line from the series, in a short titled "Dr. Doom's Day." It was adapted from an early issue of Fantastic Four with the X-Men swapped in under the name the Allies of Peace. The original line-up of X-Men appeared in their earliest costumes but wouldn't reappear on TV for over a decade, owing to poor sales before the arrival of the All-New, All-Different lineup in 1975.

The Marvel Super Heroes

TV-G

Animation

Action & Adventure

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Kids

An animated series features a rotating lineup of iconic superheroes who confront various villains and challenges. Each episode highlights the exploits of different heroes, including a man with a mechanical suit of armor, a god of thunder, a supersoldier, and a scientist with a monstrous alter ego, as they protect the Earth from evil forces.

Release Date

September 5, 1966

Cast

Vita Linder , Chris Wiggins , John Vernon , Jack Creley

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

2 The X-Men Appeared on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends in the '80s

Iceman was one of the founding members of the X-Men, though his first animated starring role was on a different series. Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends starred the titular web-slinger as he formed a crime-fighting team with Iceman and Firestar. The show retains a high nostalgia value among fans, and its version of Bobby Drake was the first exposure many fans had to any X-Man in any form. Firestar was a mutant too, created specifically for the series after it failed to secure the rights to the Human Torch, and they eventually became another of Marvel's canon mutants in the comics.

Thanks to Firestar's inclusion, the X-Men appeared several times on the series in versions of their costumes from the '80s. Their first appearance in the series came during a flashback that explored Iceman's origins with the X-Men in their original costumes. They starred in the season 1 finale, "A Firestar Is Born," featuring a reunion at the X-Mansion with Iceman and his former teammates. That episode included the first non-comics appearance of Wolverine. The final appearance — Season 3, Episode 7, "The X-Men Adventure" — featured Spidey and his friends training in the X-Men's Danger Room before an enemy took it over.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

TV-Y7

Spider-Man battles crime in New York City with the help of Iceman and Firestar.

Release Date

September 12, 1981

Cast

Dan Gilvezan , Frank Welker , Kathy Garver , June Foray

Main Genre

Superhero

Creator

Dennis Marks, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

3 X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men Was a 1989 Pilot for an Unaired Series

"Pryde of the X-Men" was the aired pilot for an animated series that never got off the ground due to financial issues with Marvel at the time. The late '80s and early '90s were dire for the comics company, which is hard to believe when compared to their financial situation today. Pryde of the X-Men the show would have focused on Kitty Pryde, AKA Shadowcat, as the newest member of the team, hence the pun-tastic title.

The character made a good audience surrogate for those being introduced to the X-Men for the first time, much as Jubilee did later in the triumphant X-Men: The Animated Series. With a cast comprising Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Cyclops, Storm, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, and more going against the likes of Magneto and Pyro, it wasn't a bad pilot and could have led to something special. Alas, one episode was all fans got. Not to worry, however, for it planted the seeds of something much more special.

4 X-Men Starred in a Hit Five-Season Series That Launched in 1992

X-Men: The Animated Series is the first show most Marvel fans think of when it comes to a cartoon about the X-Men, or even what they think when the name pops up in general. It was the beginning of the animated Marvel universe that would last through the late '90s, including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the often-forgotten Iron Man series. It was also the X-Men's first big chance to stand on their own outside the comics.

The results turned the show into a classic. With progressive writing that was ahead of its time (often compared to Batman: The Animated Series), respect for the characters, still impressive animation, and an earworm of a theme song, it is understandable to see why X-Men: TAS lasted as long as it did. Nowadays, X-Men is still available on Disney+, allowing a whole new generation of fans to enjoy it. As a testament to its popularity, Disney+ released a direct sequel, X-Men '97, in March 2024 to high acclaim and strong ratings.

X-Men: The Animated Series

TV-Y7

In X-Men: The Animated Series, a team of mutant superheroes fight for justice and human acceptance in the Marvel Comics universe.

Release Date

October 31, 1992

Main Genre

Animation

Creator

Main Cast

5 X-Men: Evolution Reimagined the Team as High School Kids in 2003

More akin to the visual and atmospheric tones of the popular movies at the time, X-Men: Evolution lasted four seasons. It was effective at putting more emphasis on other characters besides the main A-list X-Men members, as well as emphasizing their original status as students first and superheroes second. While the show never reached the same heights as the '90s series, it had enough fans to make it last a few years before cancelation.

Evolution even brought about the creation of a now-famous Marvel character. Just as DC's Harley Quinn debuted in a cartoon, X-23, AKA Laura Kinney, was introduced in the series. She would go on to become a significant character in the comics and then a major player in 2017's Logan, which many consider the best Wolverine film to date.

X-Men: Evolution

TV-Y7

Animation

Action

Adventure

Superhero

This rendition of X-Men features Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and Spike as teenagers as they fight for a world that fears and hates them.

Release Date

November 4, 2000

Cast

Scott McNeil , Meghan Black , Christopher Judge , Kirby Morrow , Venus Terzo , David Kaye

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

4

Creator

Robert N. Skir, Marty Isenberg, David Wise

6 2009's Wolverine and the X-Men Reimagined the Team in a Dark Future

The same production team behind X-Men: Evolution brought Wolverine and the X-Men to Nickelodeon. This show took a darker and even more mature approach to the X-Men, revealing a dark future where Professor X has disappeared. With some iconic characters dead, others retired, and mutant-kind being hunted down by the Mutant Response Division and their Sentinels, Wolverine reunited the X-Men and became their new leader.

Wolverine and the X-Men was a mature series that was still meant for the whole family, which led to the show getting a ton of praise for the first season. Unfortunately, due to Disney buying Marvel properties, Marvel's relationship with Paramount ended. This led to the cancelation of Wolverine and the X-Men after only one season and the planned Age of Apocalypse storyline was scrapped. The show retains a strong reputation among fans and is well worth a look for anyone who hasn't seen it before.

Wolverine and the X-Men

TV-Y7

Action

Animation

Superhero

After a mysterious explosion at the Xavier Mansion, and the disappearance of Professor X and Jean Grey, the remaining mutants must reassemble under the leadership of Wolverine. Together, they face threats both old and new, striving to prevent a catastrophic future while searching for their missing friends.

Release Date

January 23, 2009

Creator(s)

Craig Kyle , greg johnson

Cast

Steve Blum , Kieren van den Blink , Susan Dalian , Jennifer Hale , Danielle Judovits , Tom Kane , Yuri Lowenthal , Nolan North , Liam O'Brien , Roger Craig Smith , Fred Tatasciore , kari wahlgren , Jim Ward

Main Genre

Action

Seasons

1

Writers

Craig Kyle , greg johnson

Streaming Service(s)

Disney+

Directors

Nicholas Filippi , Steven E. Gordon , Doug Murphy , Boyd Kirkland

7 Marvel Anime: Wolverine Was a Dark Brutal Adaptation of the Comic

Fans of 2013's The Wolverine and the Chris Claremont Wolverine comic series by Marvel Comics should be familiar with this story of Logan returning to Japan, only to be swept up in another deadly mission. Though the Hugh Jackman movie was mostly a loose adaptation, the anime follows the comic much closer by comparison.

Wolverine featured the same stunning animation used for the other Marvel Anime miniseries by Madhouse. Starring Milo Ventimiglia as the voice of Logan, Marvel Anime: Wolverine was dark, brutal, and provided the best anime experience for Marvel fans by far. It also takes advantage of anime's embrace of adult storylines to deliver a mature and serious look at the character's Japanese adventures.

Wolverine

NR

Animation

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

An animated series follows a well-known mutant with regenerative powers as he travels to Japan. There, he becomes embroiled in a conflict involving the Yakuza and a struggle over the succession in a powerful family, all while trying to protect a woman he loves from an arranged marriage.

Release Date

July 23, 2011

Cast

Rikiya Koyama , Vic Mignogna , Romi Park , Kazuki Yao

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

8 The X-Men Traveled to Japan to Star in a Marvel Anime in 2011

Marvel is no stranger to venturing into anime, as shown by their productions of Blade, Wolverine, and Iron Man anime shows and the Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher movie. The rest of the X-Men followed the path laid out by Wolverine in a miniseries that aired on G4.

Marvel Anime: X-Men was twelve episodes long and focused on a grieving team of X-Men investigating a strange case in Japan, featuring a mutant named Armor and individuals known as the U-Men. Fans of anime and Marvel alike should give Marvel Anime: X-Men a watch; it features stellar animation quality and a lot of respect for the X-Men property. Like the earlier stand-alone Wolverine anime, it's tailored for grown-up fans and those who prefer their X-Men on the serious side.

X-Men

TV-14

Animation

Action

Adventure

Superhero

An animated series focusing on a team of mutants with extraordinary abilities who battle both to protect a world that fears them and to combat threats from within their own ranks. Led by a powerful telepath, the team faces off against various villains while grappling with personal and collective challenges.

Release Date

April 1, 2011

Cast

Scott Porter , Jennifer Hale , Steve Blum , Danielle Nicolet , Cam Clarke , Stephanie Sheh

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

9 X-Men '97 Is a Revival Series That Picks Up Where X-Men: TAS Left Off

The characters from the '90s X-Men continued to appear in comics like X-Men '92, though fans were still hoping to see a revival of the animated series. It was finally announced that a revival series called X-Men '97 would carry on the comic storylines adapted by X-Men: The Animated Series.

The series, which is now streaming on Disney+, continues the epic storyline that the original series began. Though it hasn't been without its controversies, X-Men '97 is one of the most highly acclaimed series of the year, as audiences finally get to reunite with some of their favorite mutants. Even as it moved the story in more modern directions — including the shocking death of a main character — it aptly recaptured the magic that made its predecessor so beloved. Its success helped bolster the spirits of Marvel fans following a disappointing 2023, and a second season is already in the works.

X-Men '97

Animation

Action

Adventure

superheroes

X-Men '97 is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992).

Release Date

March 20, 2024

Cast

Jennifer Hale , Chris Potter , Alison Sealy-Smith , Lenore Zann , Cal Dodd , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Chris Britton , George Buza

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

2

Franchise

X-Men

Characters By

Jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Distributor

Disney+

Main Characters

Logan / Wolverine, Gambit, Jean Grey, Storm, Scott / Cyclops, Hank / Beast, Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler, Rogue, Jubilee, Magneto, Professor X, Mystique

Prequel

X-Men: The Animated Series

Producer

Charley Feldman

Production Company

Marvel Studios

Writers

Beau DeMayo

Number of Episodes

10 Episodes

X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men '97, Wolverine and The X-Men, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, and X-Men: Evolution are all streaming on Disney+.