Wolverine and the X-Men is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Studios. It is the fourth animated adaptation of the X-Men characters. In the show, Wolverine attempts to reassemble the X-Men and becomes their new leader, following a devastating incident that led to the disappearances of both Jean Grey and Charles Xavier.
Plot At the start of the series, the X-Men disband following an explosion that destroys the X-Mansion and causes Professor X and Jean Grey to disappear. One year later, Wolverine and Beast decide to reunite the X-Men after witnessing the rise of the Mutant Response Division, a government-supported organization dedicated to capturing mutants.
The X-Men receive funding from Angel and reunite with junior members Iceman, Shadowcat and Forge. However, the X-Men are unable to locate the group's other members without a competent telepath to operate Cerebro. Emma Frost arrives and volunteers to join the X-Men in exchange for helping them find Professor X. Frost finds Professor X on the shores of Genosha in the care of Magneto. After their arrival on Genosha, Magneto permits the X-Men to take Professor X into their care. Upon their return, Xavier telepathically contacts a future version of the X-Men, who originate from a dystopian future twenty years from the present.
Meanwhile, Magneto welcomes new mutants to Genosha, one of whom is Nightcrawler. Magneto claims that Genosha is a safe and secure area for mutants, rather than a threat. Nightcrawler initially believes this, but later learns that Magneto is exploiting other mutants for power. Nightcrawler escapes, but is captured by Mystique when he arrives back at the mansion.
Cyclops has constant memories about Jean Grey and is depressed. He believes she is still alive, so, with the help of Frost, he seeks out Mister Sinister. The X-Men and Mister Sinister have a confrontation that does not result in them finding out any new info about Jean's whereabouts. Wolverine has Cyclops swear an oath to be in the X-Men again and promise not to go off searching for Jean. Somewhere across town, Jean is shown waking up in a hospital after months of being in a coma.
In the series finale "Foresight", it is revealed that the previously assumed attack on the X-Mansion was not from the efforts of a third party, but rather from the result of Jean Grey, who had unwittingly released the Phoenix Force in an attempt to halt an oncoming telepathic attack led by Frost (who was working as a double agent for the Inner Circle). The Inner Circle intended to obtain the Phoenix Force and destroy it before it could do any harm. Unbeknownst to Frost, the rest of the Inner Circle sought to manipulate the Phoenix Force and cater to their own agenda. Upon realizing the error of her ways, Frost betrays the Inner Circle and sacrifices herself to stop the Phoenix Force.
The now fully reformed X-Men are praised for their actions by Professor Xavier, but are warned that the initial future has been replaced with a new timeline dominated by Apocalypse.
Characters The overall situations and the look of the series and character designs were inspired by the Astonishing X-Men comic series.
X-Men X-Men (present)
Wolverine (Leader) Beast (second-in-command) Cyclops Storm Nightcrawler Angel Shadowcat Iceman Rogue Colossus Jean Grey Forge Emma Frost
X-Men (future)
Professor X"Hindsight (Part 1)" Bishop Berzerker Domino"Hindsight (Part 2)" Hellion Firestar Kamal Marrow Polaris Rover Vanisher Wolverine X-23
Brotherhood of Mutants
Quicksilver Avalanche Blob Toad Domino Rogue
Acolytes
Magneto"Hindsight (Part 3)" Mystique"Greetings From Genosha" Scarlet Witch Polaris"Battle Lines" Scanner Pyro Blink Juggernaut Mercury Seamus Mellencamp Suvik Senyaka Kleinstock Brothers
Marauders
Mister Sinister"eXcessive Force" Arclight Blockbuster Harpoon Multiple Man Vertigo Archangel"Guardian Angel"
Inner Circle
Sebastian Shaw"Shades of Grey" Donald Pierce Harry Leland Selene Gallio Emma Frost Stepford Cuckoos"Foresight, Part I"
Mutant Response Division/Project Wideawake
Robert Kelly Warren Worthington II (father of Angel) Bolivar Trask Sentinels Prowlers Master Mold"Future X" Sybil Zane Colonel Moss Kavita Rao Agent Haskett Dr. Peterson
Weapon X
Truett Hudson / Prof. Andre Thorton Abraham Cornelius Sabretooth Maverick
Other mutants
Apocalypse Big Bertha Boom Boom Dazzler DJ Dust Feral"X-Calibre" Fever Pitch Firestar Gambit"Thieves Gambit" M Magma Network Nitro"Time Bomb" Petra"Past Discretions" (Maverick's daughter) Pixie Psylocke Quill Rachel Summers Rockslide Roulette Sauron Shadow King"Overflow" Shatter Kenuichio Harada / Silver Samurai"Code of Conduct" Squid-Boy Surge Synch Tildie Soames Hope Abbott / Trance Vanessa Carlysle"Foresight, Part II" Vindaloo Washout Wolf Cub Wolfsbane
Supporting characters
Mojo Spiral Reavers Angelo Macon Murray Reese Ricochet Wade Cole Nick Fury"Wolverine Vs. Hulk" Bruce Banner / Hulk Wendigo Mariko Yashida
Episodes
Voice cast Main voice cast
Steve Blum – Logan / Wolverine, Vanisher, Vindaloo, Fever Pitch, Reavers Susan Dalian – Storm, Kavita Rao Jennifer Hale – Jean Grey, Boom Boom Danielle Judovits – Shadowcat, Tildie Soames Tom Kane – Magneto, Professor Thorton Yuri Lowenthal – Iceman Nolan North – Cyclops, Colossus, Pyro, Berzerker Liam O'Brien – Angel / Archangel, Nightcrawler, Nitro Roger Craig Smith – Forge, Hellion, Kamal Fred Tatasciore – Beast, Hulk, Blockbuster, Juggernaut, Harpoon Kieren van den Blink – Rogue Kari Wahlgren – Emma Frost, Magma, Sybil Zane, Christy Nord Jim Ward – Professor X, Warren Worthington II, Abraham Cornelius, Sentinels
Additional voices
Charlie Adler – Mojo, Reavers Tamara Bernier – Mystique Clancy Brown – Mister Sinister Benjamin Bryan – Young Scott Summers A. J. Buckley – Toad Corey Burton – John Grey Grey DeLisle – Psylocke, Spiral, Network Alex Désert – Nick Fury Richard Doyle – Robert Kelly Chris Edgerly – Agent Haskett Crispin Freeman – Multiple Man, Maverick Kate Higgins – Scarlet Witch, Pixie Mark Hildreth – Quicksilver Michael Ironside – Colonel Moss Dominic Janes – Squid-Boy Phil LaMarr – Gambit, Bolivar Trask Peter Lurie – Sabretooth Gabriel Mann – Bruce Banner Vanessa Marshall – Vertigo Graham McTavish – Sebastian Shaw Phil Morris - Randy Liza del Mundo – Polaris Laraine Newman – Marjorie Kevin Michael Richardson – Bishop, Shadow King James Sie – Sensei Ogun, Yakuza Leader André Sogliuzzo – Arclight Stephen Stanton – Blob April Stewart – Selene Tara Strong – Marrow, Dust, Firestar, X-23, Stepford Cuckoos James Patrick Stuart – Avalanche Gwendoline Yeo – Domino, Master Mold, Mariko Yashida Keone Young – Silver Samurai
Crew Jamie Simone - Casting and Voice Director
Production Toonz Animation India and First Serve International formed a joint venture Toonz First Serve to produce Wolverine. By November 2007, Toonz First Serve began production on the series.
On November 4, 2008, a second season, consisting of 26 episodes was confirmed as being in production by Toonz Entertainment and Marvel Animation. During Comic Con 2009, images of season 2 were shown, consisting of Bastion, Cable, Colossus, Deadpool, Havok, Jubilee, and Magik. It was announced that these characters were to appear in season 2. Colossus was set to receive a reintroductory storyline and would have been a regular character in season 2. Joshua Fine also revealed that Holocaust, Sunfire, and Unus the Untouchable would have made appearances in season 2. Joshua Fine confirmed that Deadpool would have been in a Weapon X episode also featuring X-23 / Laura Kinney, and other obscure characters.
Cancellation On April 13, 2010, Comics Continuum reported that (according to an inside source) a second season seemed very unlikely. On April 15, 2010, Marvel Animation Age confirmed the recent report that Wolverine and the X-Men would not be returning for a second season. The reason for this was due to financial problems with their financing partner.
Later allusions in other Marvel media Steve Blum, Tom Kane, and Fred Tatasciore reprise their respective roles as Wolverine, Professor Thornton, and Hulk in Hulk Vs. Wolverine. Alex Désert, Gabriel Mann, Fred Tatasciore, Steve Blum, and Tom Kane reprise their respective roles as Nick Fury, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Wolverine, and Professor Thornton in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Nolan North reprises his role as Cyclops in Black Panther. Steve Blum, Jim Ward, and A.J. Buckley reprise their roles as Wolverine, Professor X, and Toad in The Super Hero Squad Show. Steve Blum, Liam O'Brien, Jim Ward, and Tom Kane each return as Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Professor X, and Magneto in Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Video Game. Steve Blum, Tara Strong, Tom Kane, Susan Dalian, Jennifer Hale, and Jim Ward reprise their roles as Wolverine, X-23, Magneto, Storm, Jean Grey, and the Sentinel in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Steve Blum, Nolan North, Phil LaMarr, and Kari Wahlgren reprise their roles of Wolverine, Cyclops, Gambit, and Emma Frost in X-Men: Destiny. Steve Blum, Jennifer Hale, and Fred Tatasciore reprise their roles of Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Beast in Marvel Anime: X-Men while Gwendoline Yeo reprises her role of Mariko Yashida in Marvel Anime: Wolverine. Steve Blum, Kate Higgins, Liam O'Brien, Fred Tatasciore, Kari Wahlgren, Danielle Judovits and Jim Ward reprise their roles as Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, Nightcrawler, Beast, the Hulk, Emma Frost, Shadowcat, and Professor X in Marvel Heroes. Steve Blum, Tom Kane, Kate Higgins, Jennifer Hale, and Liam O'Brien reprise their respective roles as Wolverine, Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Phoenix, and Nightcrawler in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. Fred Tatasciore also reprises his roles as the Hulk and Beast. Jennifer Hale reprise her role as Jean Grey in X-Men '97, a continuation of the 1992 animated series produced by Marvel Studios Animation.
Broadcast history United States On May 1, 2008, the show was pre-sold to Nicktoons Network in the United States and was set for a Spring 2009 airdate. It was also confirmed in an article by USA Today's website in which it specifically mentions the cartoon starting on January 23, 2009, on Nicktoons Network. On January 23, 2009, the show premiered in the United States, with the first two episodes shown back-to-back on Nicktoons Network, which were re-aired on Nickelodeon two days later. The next 6 episodes followed weekly before a two-month break. New episodes began on May 22, 2009, as advertised with commercials on the channel then stopped after June 19, 2009, till the network advertised that they will be showing new episodes on July 31, 2009, after or before new episodes of Iron Man: Armored Adventures.
United Kingdom On June 23, 2008, a second preview for the series, starring the main X-Men team, was released to announce the special screening of the 3-part pilot episodes that aired at San Diego Comic-Con in late July 2008. Press releases indicated that the first episode was due to premiere on August 2, 2008, on BBC Two in the UK, however, it was postponed and premiered on January 4, 2009, on the CBBC Channel. Initially, one new episode aired every Sunday, but on January 25, 2009, CBBC started airing two new episodes every Sunday. The time slots varied, and the episodes were available for viewing on the BBC iPlayer for a limited time after they aired. As of mid-February 2009, some new episodes were shown on weekdays instead of at the weekend. Some episodes with scenes showing heavy violence were censored and Episode 17 was not shown on CBBC as there was a duel to the death in the storyline (along with one scene depicting blood). CBBC in the UK overtook Canada on March 4, 2009, when it aired the 20th episode, "Breakdown.”