If you were to do a brand-new X-men cartoon, how would you go about it?

[bat39]

Okay, just to be clear, this is not an anti-X-men '97 thread at all. I'm as excited as everyone here about the impending return of the classic show and I hope it gets at least a few seasons under its belt.

But eventually, it will end...but the story of the X-men in animation shouldn't.

So if at some point there were to be a brand-new X-men cartoon, how would you go about it? What would your lineup be, what characters/plotlines would you explore and what would the tonality be like?

Here's my attempt:

My series would be called X-men: Children of the Atom. Stylistically, and in terms of plot, it would borrow heavily from the Morrison New X-men era (much as the 90's cartoon was largely based on the Claremont era), while taking inspiration from other eras as well, plus the movies and Ultimate X-men. It would go for a slightly more adult tone, while maintaining a PG-13 rating.

The suits would be based largely on the New X-men suits (plus, the versions of them seen in Dark Phoenix), with some variations for each individual member. The main lineup would be Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Colossus, Shadowcat and Iceman...with Emma Frost joining before the end of the first season, and Professor Xavier as a significant secondary character. Tons of other mutants will appear as well, within the Xavier Institute, and beyond.

When the show begins, its an unprecedented era of relative human-mutant peace. Magneto was defeated three years ago, in a climactic battle that witnessed the death of Jean Grey, and he's been presumed dead since then. The Sentinel program has been completely decommissioned and outlawed. The X-men are hailed as public heroes and celebrities, and the school is bustling with students amidst a boom in new mutants - with mutants now a legitimate subculture who, while still feared by some, are idolized by many others.

However, tensions soon emerge amidst the tenuous peace, with human and mutant extremists alike starting to rear their ugly heads. Within the Xavier Institute itself, there's a subsection of students who start to believe that 'Magneto was Right'. A new, more sophisticated generation of Sentinels is being developed overseas. The Weapon Plus program is active again, and has its own designs upon the X-men, with Wolverine drawn into them. The threat of Xavier's mysterious twin sister lurks in the shadows, waiting to emerge. There is the possibility of a 'cure' for mutation. And somewhere amidst the increasing chaos, a social worker named Erik Lensherr is troubled by visions of an identity and past that was stripped from him, even as a section of mutant extremists actively seek him out as their leader...

Other notable subplots - Wolverine further exploring his past, and the full hitherto unknown scope of Weapon Plus, which might include an encounter with his long-lost son Daken. Colossus and Shadowcat's relationship. Iceman grappling with coming out. Cyclops still mourning Jean while beginning a relationship with Emma, even as they suspect that Jean might still be out there in some form.

[Grunty]

Choices choices.

There are so many ways a new X-men cartoon could be made, especially since there have only been a failed pilot, two full shows and one that only lasted a single season, so it's not like the IP has been worn out in terms of animation (and judging by Spiderman who had cartoon show after cartoon show for the past 3 decades, there is a lot of room). Meanwhile the western and eastern animation output by now offers a lot of points of references and inspiration.

Not to forget that when it comes to adaptations of american super hero comics there seems to be no expectation or pressure to keep them in line with the source material, unlike the anime adaptations of manga. So the creators of a X-men cartoon are free to either draw heavily from the comics, go completely original and only retain "the spirit" of the source material or somewhere in between.

For example.

A Generation X based show taking place in the late 90's to early 2000's using the team of the same name. Using the exact team from the comic of the same name and several of their adventures (using synergy with X-men TAS via Jubilee being implied to be the one from the show or very similar to her).

A direct adaptation of New X-men Acadamy, that goes into a full "what if" direction by disregarding Decimination and just progressing the characters further in an organic way.

A full X-men show which the above mentioned New X-men Acadamy could actualy a companion series to, with the two shows occasionaly having direct crossover episodes.

A 6 to 8 episodes per season "mature rated" (ala. Blue Eyed Samurai or various seinen anime) X-23 show initialy taking inspiration from NYX and her origins mini series, before going into an original direction with new adventures.

A Wolverine show similar to the above.

A Gambit show which starts episodic with various little heist, before developing into an overarching plot, with various supporting characters becomming regulars, including Rogue who eventualy introduces him to the X-men.

A X-force show, with any of the comics being a valid inspiration.

A show aimed at younger viewers, about the adventures of a bunch of oddball young Morlocks and their human friends. Basicly a bit of culture clash comedy, paired with children super hero adventures and the occasional PSA moment.

A X-factor investigation inspired show about funny and weird mysteries, somewhat akin to Gravity Falls.

Etc.

[Kingdom X]

Grunty I love all your ideas!!!

I think I’d definitely do something school-based. I would maybe call it Academy X but it would actually function like a real school with different grades. The New Mutants are juniors, Gen X are sophomores, and New X-Men are the freshmen. The A-listers (y’all know who) are the active X-Men who only occasionally interact with students and function similarly to the Justice League in the first season of Young Justice. You can have arcs later in the show where characters graduate and try to join the main team. The faculty of the school would consist of B- and C- list adult X-Men that don’t get as much attention (Forge, Northstar, Cecilia Reyes, etc.). I would start off with Charles as the Headmaster and Emma running a rival school, but this could definitely change over time.

[Gray Lensman]

First thing is I'd build the roster. The starting point is the trio of Cyclops, Storm, and Wolverine. Those 3 are probably the most popular characters on the entire roster, and without at least one of them it is likely the team would feel more X-adjacent rather than X-Men. Spin offs are entirely possible after, but a starting point is needed.

Sadly, I'm sure some of the others are going to be filled by executive demands. Possibly a specific character, but probably someone saying that the show needs a fill-in-the-blank because of either a desire to appeal to a specific demographic or maybe simply because the guy who signs the checks is obsessed with a specific character trope.

The others get filled in by the episode writers and directors. Who are they excited about? I want buy in from the staff for multiple characters so no single one takes over the show. It's X-Men, not Producer's Fave and the Useless People.

Once you have your roster, it's time to develop the character beats you want each person to hit, basically their personal story arc. Part of this is also picking your villains. Invent new ones if you must, but the villains need to reflect the heroes. Wolverine has this in spades - just off the top of my head, but Sabertooth and Silver Samurai both showcase parts of Who Logan Is, by virtue of being twisted reflections of him. The others will need someone to do the same for them. This is also where you grab some supporting cast members - choose them based on what qualities you need them to bring out in the core cast. Once you know where you want your characters to develop, weave that journey into the episodes. Every episode should have an A and a B plot, and if for some reason you need to have a much heavier focus on one character for a season, keep their story beats as the B plot for multiple episodes rather than always giving them the primary spotlight all the time.

[davetvs]

I'd do a Justice League Unlimited style show, set on Krakoa. Core cast of 7 (Cyclops, Storm, Jean, Rogue, Wolverine, Gentle, Pixie) with a huge rotating cast of characters for different missions. Some black ops (enter X-Force), some PR (enter Dazzler), some core superheroics, and some political missions.

[Chris0013]

Along the lines of Avengers: EMH. Start at the beginning and let the first season focus on the O5 then over time bring in others.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

An X-men evolution style show with the Academy X kids.

Westchester Academy would be a hub in the early seasons but Krakoa would be a hub later on.

[Malachi]

The best thing would probably not to have a set roster. Agreeing on a roster is damn near impossible. If we all whittle it down to the most popular seven, it becomes agreeing on what metric to use deciding popularity. Popular with who? General audience? Then we are missing so many characters and we get repeats on stories. It turns into new animation on old classics.

The best thing would probably be to have the central setting like the mansion or Krakoa. Then we revolve characters. Some arcs focusing on new mutants, x-force, academy kids, gen x… with some characters appearing more than others, maybe in a support role in some arcs. With a sprawling cast like the x-men you will never please everyone or even the majority when it comes to the cast.

[bat39]

The best thing would probably not to have a set roster. Agreeing on a roster is damn near impossible. If we all whittle it down to the most popular seven, it becomes agreeing on what metric to use deciding popularity. Popular with who? General audience? Then we are missing so many characters and we get repeats on stories. It turns into new animation on old classics.

The best thing would probably be to have the central setting like the mansion or Krakoa. Then we revolve characters. Some arcs focusing on new mutants, x-force, academy kids, gen x… with some characters appearing more than others, maybe in a support role in some arcs. With a sprawling cast like the x-men you will never please everyone or even the majority when it comes to the cast.

I think there are X-men characters who are popular with the general audiences (or at least known to them) which haven't really gotten the spotlight in previous cartoons.

Colossus for instance. Angel, arguably. But you do need at least some of the marquee X-men for the show to be successful.

Though a JLU-like scenario where you have a core team, and then a bunch of lesser-known X-men team up with a few of the core characters every episode could work.

[MechaJeanix]

I would love a cartoon heavily influenced by Morrison's New X-men. However I would not want to see one where Jean is dead or presumed dead, because we had that already in Wolverine and the X-men as well as the X-men anime.

I'd love to see E is for Extinction as a series or a stand alone animdated movie. I would add Storm to the cast and guest appearances from some others.

It my fever pitched mind imagine a X-men cartoon but instead of going by the blue team we have Storm, Iceman, Archangel, Bishop, Colossus, and Jean. No Scott, Wolverine, or Gambit.

But I would say a lot of folks here would love to see the Generation X characters in animated form or the New Mutants (Dani, Karma, etc.), or even those Academy X kids. And of course they'd want Emma Frost front and center as a X-men mainstay and leader.

Or imagine an animated series or film based on House of X/Powers of X.

[ChronoRogue]

The best thing would probably not to have a set roster. Agreeing on a roster is damn near impossible. If we all whittle it down to the most popular seven, it becomes agreeing on what metric to use deciding popularity. Popular with who? General audience? Then we are missing so many characters and we get repeats on stories. It turns into new animation on old classics.

The best thing would probably be to have the central setting like the mansion or Krakoa. Then we revolve characters. Some arcs focusing on new mutants, x-force, academy kids, gen x… with some characters appearing more than others, maybe in a support role in some arcs. With a sprawling cast like the x-men you will never please everyone or even the majority when it comes to the cast.

Agreed. The X-Men is such a large franchise, with a huge backlog of characters both fan favorite and niche that it gets very difficult picking n choosing.

Even for video games, which usually have a bit more room to showcase characters for games like X-Men Legends (20-30 characters), it can be hard to pick a roster.

A JLU type animated series seems like a good idea. Or even, though much more optimistically, pushing out multiple teams concurrently.