I think X-Men Evolution's finest attributes was that it grounded the X-Men in a very plausible, relatable universe. This made it much easier for me to get into because I never really watched the old cartoon or read comics back then. But I saw the movie and enjoyed the premise. The first season had it's problems but it set everything up very nicely.
This show kind of does the opposite. It thrusts it's viewers into a world they're at least semi-familiar with (largely thanks to Evo and the movies) and dives right into time travel and sentinels and whatnot. Incidentally, I thought Evo's sentinel was better in every way. EsPecially the way it was set up. Anyway, this gung-ho approach takes advantage of the X-Men's standing in popular culture and take our understanding of the characters to a whole 'nother level. One we had in the early 90s that sort of sPread itself too thin between alot of sci-fi themes that made the show's univers a bit too unrelatable. For me, anyway.
Leave out the flying sPace whales, and it should do alright.
I agree that I liked how X-MEN EVOLUTION tried to keep things as "grounded" as possible. They only had one episode dealing with an alternate reality in Season One (and it was very simple), alter-dimensional monsters once in Season Two, and only touched the surface on time travel with Apocalypse (which alone felt awkward compared to the rest). I have to admit I didn't miss the far out alternate timeline stories or the space aliens. Some people said that Evolution took a while to dive into the central themes because mutants were kept a secret until the end of Season Two, more than halfway through the episode run. I agree in way, but I thought that helped show the shift in tone from trying to live a "normal" life to such a life becoming impossible because of who they were. It was something that hadn't been shown in an X-Men cartoon before.
WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, much like the first X-MEN cartoon, gets things rolling very quickly will the prejudice themes, a dark tone (recall that Beast was arrested and mortally injured, and Morph seemingly killed, by Episode 2 of the original show, and new mutie Jubilee was hunted down by giant robots no matter where she fled; in the early 90's, this was hardcore). I don't have a major problem with that approach really; just because how EVOLUTION handled it was different, didn't mean it had to be copied exactly.
That said, I didn't miss distractions like aliens, time travel, and yes, space whales. If W&TXM can balance these elements into the story without having them overshadow things, they can work as fun larks to break up some tension.
I actually wouldn't mind a decent stab at Arcade, with Mark Hamill (who voiced the villain in MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE) at the helm. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he? Maybe he can serve as an eccentric hitman out to kill mutants, a million bucks a head, via his deathtraps and whatnot. I mean, if we can have Mojo, why not him?
The problem with the 90's was excess and taking things to too many extremes and distractions. Style was a priority over substance for comics and many shows. I won't knock the original X-MEN cartoon too much; it set the stage for a proper team cartoon long before Justice League was a twinkle in Bruce Timm's eye. I rewatched it a year or so ago and while a product of it's time, it's aged better than other cartoons of the era. That said, I'm all fine with updated material. At the very least, W&TXM is trying to homage what has been done in the comics after the 90's.
I'm suprised thay're getting away with so much cleavage, especially domino
Emma Frost is rather "busty" herself. I don't mind it. Hey, I've seen much worse. I see anime. Breasts on cartoons don't scare me.
SwordOfMorningSuper Moderator
squeeknessI'm a poor lost puppy
