Between 1992 to 1997, there was a kids’ cartoon version of the X-Men, which was very popular. It even had Logan and Gambit in it. I remember enjoying it immensely, as I could turn on the telly and watch it as part of my hangover therapy at University. I had been an avid X-Men comics fan throughout my adolescence.
My love of Marvel comics was still there, but I was too stingy to pay for them in my late teens/early twenties because they were expensive. However, I could get a free Marvel fix after going out and drinking copious amounts of Alcohol at University the night before.
By the way, my student days were some of the best of my life, hence the high expectations for the show, as it was part of the package of my weekends. I needed my Logan and Gambit fix
Disney+ had started making new episodes of the X-Men cartoon that I had so enjoyed whilst watching Saturday morning TV at college. I was delighted.
I watched a couple of episodes and enjoyed it. They were able to deal with more adult concepts, which is in the cartoon’s favour as it had a 14+ rating.
Logan Charisma and Storms Weather Witchery lose their appeal
However, I quickly became ‘X-Men weary’ after 5 episodes. Still, because I had been saturated with the Marvel Universe since Bryan Singer’s original X-Men at the beginning of the millennium, I could not enjoy putting myself in Logan’s body, slashing a baddy, or visualising myself with the powers of Storm, etc. That kind of ‘out of body’ swashbuckling experience you get whilst watching that kind of stuff was absent due to overkill. It is still fun seeing them kill sentinels, though.
Gambits personality is better than his lycra
Also Gambit is a style king though he would look better if he did not wear lycra :-). The cool New Orleans accent would be so much more effective if he wore something normal. They are the XMen though and they have to wear Lycra.
I am 53 now, and I was a student then. The phrase that you should, ‘never go back’ to your youth, as you will be disappointed never rang more true..
Things change about you, technology changes, Marvel films are more sophisticated, and bringing back a revived cartoon from the early 90s does not do anything for me. The millennials may love it, but not me. It was not axed for being bad. It was cancelled for various reasons, including Marvel’s precarious financial state at the time. Lots of things.
The Millenials are right, I am wrong
Disney is releasing another batch of X-Men cartoons this year, 2026. The X-Men cartoons I watched were made in 2024, not the early 90s, so I am obviously wrong on this. Many younger people like them and want to watch them. Disney would not be making a second series if they were unpopular.
Maybe I had set myself up for a fall. I loved the 1992 animation too much. It would always be an anti-climax re-immersing myself into the X Men at this later age, 53.
It hasn’t put me off the X-Men, though. Just not the cartoons for me. If you are a Marvel fan, you will make up your own mind. I guess I am not a millennial. Younger generation, please enjoy.
Finally, and I hadn’t thought of this till the end, I preferred the first film versions as the CGI allows the special effects to do more. However, it is what you millennials grew up with, and I like watching things that I grew up with
This first movie transformed the potential of what a superhero movie could do, and Hugh Jackman’s Logan and Halle Berry’s Storm were superb.
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