by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Welcome to Cross-Platform Partners! In honor of a new movie release, I have selected a TV show to watch to pair with the movie. Think of it as a way to get hyped for the new movie, a preview of things to come, a means to tide you over if the movie won’t be released where you live for a little while, or a change of pace if you’ve run out of related movies or sequels.
For July, I picked the limited series, Wolverine and the X-Men to pair with Deadpool and Wolverine!
The X-Men’s time in the MCU is upon us! As a lifelong fan of Charles Xavier’s team of mutants, I’m so happy that my favorite comic book will finally be part of one of the most successful film franchises ever. With such a deep bench of heroes and villains to choose from, the X-Men will have a place in the MCU for a long time. Fox produced films in various versions of the live action film continuity, but the animated TV series is the definitive screen interpretation of X-Men stories. I adore the original animated series, and X-Men ‘97 is already one of my favorite TV shows of the year. Deadpool and Wolverine should be a great addition to the MCU, even though Fox has already run Wolverine down our throats for nearly 20 years.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Wolverine as a character. He’s one of the most complicated heroes in comic book lore due to his rage and aggressive fighting style. Many people have taken advantage of his unique abilities to inflict pain for personal gain. At his core, Wolverine is a survivor who knows how to be a predator. It’s easy to see him as a lone wolf, destined to roam alone. While, he still found a home at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, a leader is one of the last things I would call him. That, though, is the premise of Wolverine and the X–Men.
The series, based on Marvel’s Astounding X-Men comic book series, finds Wolverine (voiced by Steve Blum) being placed in charge of the X-Men after Charles Xavier (Jim Ward) is knocked out by a mysterious force that has also destroyed the X-Mansion (again). Wolverine must reassemble the team, figure out what caused the explosion, and learn what it means to be the leader of the X-Men. On top of that, the X-Men must also deal with the brewing war due to humans’ desire to “cure” or eradicate mutants.
Wolverine has never been a strong leader in my eyes. He usually marches to the beat of his drum. At first, I struggled with Wolverine being in charge of the team, but he oddly makes sense in this iteration. With his tactical skills and tenacity, Logan sets an example that others can follow. The most intriguing part is his one-on-one conversations with various team members. Between pep talks and tough love conversations, he knows how to handle many situations regarding the team. Through it all, though, his main objective is clear: Help Profession X at all costs.
If you are a fan of the X-Men, Wolverine, and the X–Men will be a treat for you thanks to the number of storylines it manages to weave together. Many famous storylines have been adapted to this particular show. Days of Future Past with the Sentinels, the Phoenix saga, the Cure, and Genosha are all part of this series, along with numerous less noteworthy events. There is one single storyline that drives the entire season, but each episode has characters doing side missions while putting pieces together to help the more excellent mystery. This method of storytelling takes advantage of the X-Men’s greatest strength: the number of people on the team who could have a part to play.
The leading team consists of Beast (Fred Tatasciore), Storm (Susan Dalian), Cyclops (Nolan North), Iceman (Yuri Lowenthal), Nightcrawler (Liam O’Brien), Emma Frost (Kari Wahlgren), and Kitty Pryde (Danielle Judovits). Like so many other iterations of X-Men in pop culture, Storm and Cyclops’ characterization and development get the short end of the stick. Both are relegated mainly to sideline parts. At least Cyclops has two stories to lean on: his quest to find Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) and grappling with losing his leadership role to Wolverine. But Storm doesn’t do much in this series, which is frustrating, because her power set plays well with animation. In addition to the X-Men, many other characters and teams will make any fan of the comic happy. There are heroes and villains all around that one can spot. It’s like a Where’s Waldo book on the screen.
The greatest strength of X-Men stories continues to be their commentary on social issues, and Wolverine and the X-Men is no different. It plays some of the greatest hits, including prejudice, tolerance, and justice. The interaction between human and mutant forces does a fantastic job of conveying the delicate balance on both sides of the argument. Humans are scared of being replaced, whereas mutants just want to live their lives. Driven by this fear, the humans’ resentment towards mutants only grows, as scientists, people in business, and politicians continue to find ways to solve the mutant issue. It’s easily the best part about the X-Men, and I’m glad Wolverine and the X–Men continue this trend.
Like any X-Men property, though, it’s not perfect. The show sexualizes a lot of the women by emphasizing skimpier costumes and more revealing clothing. As well, if you’re not already a fan of the X-Men, it can be hard to keep track of everything. A number of non-X-Men Marvel characters show up, so it can be a little confusing and distracting. There are also a lot of X-Men, affiliates, and villains that show up, sometimes briefly and without context.
But all in all, Wolverine and the X–Men is a fantastic addition to the X-Men library. The stakes are high, and the consequences are dire, and I’m bummed we didn’t get a Season Two due to financial issues with the studio. But it did encourage me to read more Astounding X-Men comics, and if that’s the legacy this will leave on me, I’d be happy with the results.
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