The Animated Series Team Knew Absolutely Nothing About Marvel’s Mutants

These days, the creatives responsible for bringing beloved pop culture properties to the screen are expected to also be fans of those properties. And when they aren’t, it immediately causes an uproar, like when ‘The Acolyte’ Had Non-‘Star Wars’ Fans Among Its Writing Staff. But often, this lack of attachment to the source material turns out to be the secret ingredient behind the best adaptations. Take “Andor,” for example. Creator Tony Gilroy has repeatedly confessed to not being a lifelong “Star Wars” fan, which gave rise to arguably the greatest “Star Wars” media of all time. Likewise, Christopher Nolan not being a huge Batman nerd led him to direct some of the best comic book movies of all time with his Dark Knight trilogy.

Essentially, being detached from a property allows creatives to focus on telling the best story possible without worrying about trying to please fans with cameos and endless fan service. It is why ‘Andor’ avoided shoehorning well-known villains like Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine or more obscure, Glup Shito style characters.

This was also the case for one of the most beloved superhero animated series of all time: “X-Men: The Animated Series.” In a 2020 oral history for Marvel.comshowrunner Eric Lewald revealed that he was just one of many creatives on the show who had virtually no knowledge of the “X-Men” franchise at the start:

“I knew absolutely nothing about the X-Men. All I had to do was smile and nod. Having to deal with scripts and stories, I immediately called [producer Larry Houston]. SO, [series writer] Mark Edens and I directed the first 26 episodes. […] But Mark was as ignorant about the X-Men as I was. We were really passionate about heroic storytelling. »

Granted, it’s not like the writers and producers of “X-Men: The Animated Series” are completely ignorant. Early on, producer Larry Houston gave executive producer Eric Rollman and writer Julia Lewald photocopies of every page of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Bob Harras also worked with the series’ creatives as a consultant, and he explicitly told them not to go too far in trying to stick to the franchise’s previously established canon.

“You guys go in whatever direction you want, as long as you stay with the spirit of the characters and don’t go outside of the world we’re dealing with,” Lewald recalled telling Harras. Still, the lack of intimate familiarity with the source material ended up being a blessing, at least according to Lewald. “Not being a fan, I didn’t have an agenda like, ‘Oh, my God. I have 38 different characters, and I have to fit them all into every episode!'” she added.

This may be surprising news, given that “X-Men: The Animated Series” manages to include virtually every major character from the “X-Men” comics (and plenty of minor characters as well) at one point or another in its run, but it makes sense. The series shifts perspective and focus with each episode, making almost every X-Man feel important to the larger story. Perhaps it’s because it came from a group of outsiders that it was able to become the rare superhero series that actually adapts storylines from its source material rather than creating entirely original ones. And think It all started with a trick involving Marvel’s top dog, Stan Lee.

“X-Men: The Animated Series” is currently streaming on Disney+.