Which X-Men cartoon was your favorite?

[Arachne]

Oh shoot. Maybe that means it's somewhere else then? Sorry, I figured it would be there as well

Doesn't appear to be. OTOH, New Mutants is on Disney+ in Canada and apparently not in the US. Weird.

[Dementia5]

TAS by a mile. There was a purity to it that the other two series lacked IMO.

[RachelGrey]

Wolverine and the X-Men because it portrayed Emma Frost properly for the first time on screen. Plus the voice actress Kari Wahlgren doing Emma was absolutely amazing.

[Reigna]

Of the three wolverine and the xmen was actual ass cheeks. Like what the hell was that?

TAS was the best... there is a reason why after 30 years it is still remembered extremely fondly by most, because it simply reflected the greatness of the comics onscreen.

[Gripstir]

Evolution was objectively better at a lot of things. While I credit the cartoon of the 90s a lot of good X-men evolution is very comfy for me. It’s very Batman Beyondesque in terms of youthenizing the heroes but improving on it.

And yes the list does coincide with how well Gambit is portrayed in each. Though that is more an indication that the writers cared more

X-men evolution - favorite Gambit (bad voice).
X-men tas. - awesome Gambit (Great voice)
Wolverine - bad Gambit (horrible voice).
Anime - no Gambit (no voice).

[Starfish]

Wolverine and the X-Men, for no reason other than Mercury making a small appearance in it.

[Nicoclaws]

WatXm was very good in my opinion. Too short and maybe just too focused on Wolverine. It didn't last long enough to get bad though.
The 90s cartoon was my first meeting with the X-men so I loved it at the time but I tried re-watching it and I found it kinda meh.
Evolution was really cringey for me, because of the high school setup. I mean it worked for the new mutants but x-veterans being so young felt weird. And I didn't like much of the designs and animation.

[mugiwara]

I don't really like any of them.
90 and anime suck.
Evolution and WATXM are flawed, but better.

I'd say Evolution because of that scene where Rogue "kills" Mystique. I've never laughed that much at a Marvel cartoon.

[Kingdom X]

Just based on "feeling" with no analysis probably WatXM or at least the potential of WatXM. I watched reruns of the 90s series and Evo as it aired but I was super young. I was the right age to get invested in a show when WatXM was on and I remember being devastated when it got cancelled.

If I look at quality... probably the 90s series just because the set up made sense and it was pretty dedicated to adapting Claremont's stories. The Evo high school setting didn't always work for me and I honestly struggle to revisit it because I cannot get over some of the choices regarding who got to be a teen and who didn't (basically I'm still mad that Ororo didn't get to be a peer and instead ended up default team mom).

[ChronoRogue]

X-Men TAS.
Characterization: While very era-focused, I think TAS was able to characterize pretty much everyone right. No one really felt OOC and each one got focus and development. Some characters did feel a bit too hammy and theatrical at times, for better or worse (Storm, Magneto, Apocalypse).
Animation: TAS biggest weakness, unlike Bruce Timm's Batman, it hasn't aged well. I would still say it's not outright ugly but definitely shows its age.
Plot: Very strong and memorable arcs. Feels the most comic-bookish of all the shows with high octane scif and epic vibes with exploration of the Savage Land, Mojo, the Shi'ar and several iconic locations and storylines.
Longevity: The most impactful of all the shows, probably the reason the Fox films existed and why we kept getting the Dark Phoenix saga.

Evolution.
Characterization: A bit of a departure for some characters but I think got the core of the characterization right. Probably most fun versions of several characters including Scott, Jean, and Shadowcat. Points off for regulating some of the cast to support like Storm.
Animation: Very good animation, still holds up today. Frank Paur and the animation team did a good job exploring different looks for the characters.
Plot: While not as epic as TAS, I think Evolution does the best "human" exploration of all the shows. Good portrayals for discrimination and more grounded concepts with the high-school setting.
Longevity: The second most well-known show to the public and lasting the second longest. Most well-known for it's setting and different direction compared to the other shows.

Wolverine & X-Men.
Characterization: Like Evolution, WATM deviates from the standard formula placing Wolverine in a leadership position and changing certain dynamics among of the cast. Some are good, others are hit n miss in my opinion.
Animation: Decent animation, though I'd rank it below Evolution. Some of the redesigns are not to my taste, but does have some nice portrayals of certain characters such as Wanda, Polaris and Nightcrawler.
Plot: I think the show suffers from an identity crisis in not being able to decide whether it wants to be an X-Men or Wolverine show. The main plots of the season being a dystopian future and the phoenix, while iconic as X-Men story-lines, were both done better in other shows.
Longevity: Was a clear hit for Nicktoons which would of continued if not for higher-up meddling, but doesn't seem to have as much impact as it's two predecessors.

X-Men Anime
Characterization: Very trope-y and superficial view of the characters. Probably the biggest deviation in characterization from the comics.
Animation: Gorgeous animation, probably it's biggest strength. The villains also have surprisingly nice designs which stand-out amongst the cartoons.
Plot: Like WATM, it suffers from trying to redo the Phoenix when it was better keeping a tighter focus. The main plot dealing with kidnapped mutants was refreshingly dark but not fully executed. Points off for plot-induced stupidity and severely limiting certain powers like Storm's weather manipulation and Emma's telepathy.
Longevity: The most forgettable adaptation, a combination of bad marketing, lukewarm reception and awkwardness of trying to emulate a more popular medium without understanding why it's popular.

So for me it's TAS >>>> Evolution >>>>>>> Wolverine & The X-Men >>>>>>> X-Men Anime.

[AppleJ]

There were aspects to each cartoon that I enjoyed and appreciated, but I have to go with my first love XTAS. Simply put, I wouldn't have started reading comics if it didn't exist. Also it gave me the most time with both of my favorite characters, Gambit and Rogue. It covers all the classic story lines, including the best interpretation of the Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Saga.

EVO I grew to appreciate more recently, but the high school aspect of it frequently didn't work for me. I like this Rogue, but this Gambit design was terrible. The age disparities for Storm and Wolverine and Beast felt weird.

If WatX had more seasons I might have moved it up, but I didn't care for this version of Rogue and the hyper focus on Wolverine. It was a clever plot set up though and BAMF Gambit was fun.

The anime has great animation and action, but it was a bit too dramatic and Emma Frost is a weird school marm. Also, no Gambit! Boo.

For me it goes: XTAS > EVO > WatX > Anime

[yogaflame]

I guess if Evo was your first, you're going to look at it with rose-colored glasses, but their use of Spyke deserves criticism. First, how can Storm have an older[American?] sister when she was definitely orphaned and grew up in Africa? The fact that the show completely invents this but doesn't bother to explain it at all is ridiculous. Second, so they wanted a relatable young black character, but they give him stupid powers, make him blonde, make him a skater, and make him a bad student who doesn't work well with the team, gets addicted to energy drinks, further mutates into a monstrous form and runs away to the sewers? Excuse me?

[ChronoRogue]

I guess if Evo was your first, you're going to look at it with rose-colored glasses, but their use of Spyke deserves criticism. First, how can Storm have an older[American?] sister when she was definitely orphaned and grew up in Africa? The fact that the show completely invents this but doesn't bother to explain it at all is ridiculous. Second, so they wanted a relatable young black character, but they give him stupid powers, make him blonde, make him a skater, and make him a bad student who doesn't work well with the team, gets addicted to energy drinks, further mutates into a monstrous form and runs away to the sewers? Excuse me?

I think the creators were definitely a bit tone-deaf with Sypke, but I think half of those things were just them deciding to turn him into male Marrow.

That said, would've definitely appreciated more diversity on the show. The New Mutants becoming more prominent was appreciated and the episodes that focused on them were fun, but if felt like only Iceman and Magma got 'elevated' to more than background characters.

[The Kid]

Overall, I think I like evo the best. It was a pretty unique take on the X-Men franchise and has mostly aged well or at least better than TAS. TAS is by far the best adaptation of the comics but IMO was always a mediocre cartoon. Wolverine was OK.

[Sandmans_Raven]

Evolution was objectively better at a lot of things. While I credit the cartoon of the 90s a lot of good X-men evolution is very comfy for me. It’s very Batman Beyondesque in terms of youthenizing the heroes but improving on it.

And yes the list does coincide with how well Gambit is portrayed in each. Though that is more an indication that the writers cared more

X-men evolution - favorite Gambit (bad voice).
X-men tas. - awesome Gambit (Great voice)
Wolverine - bad Gambit (horrible voice).
Anime - no Gambit (no voice).

I actually think Gambit in WatXM is my favorite design and maybe my favorite characterization but I do agree that the voice acting for him was bad. Phil Lamarr was not a good fit.