Remember the X-Men: Evolution cartoon series from the early 2000s?
 

I did not watch it as a kid. I first watched it as an adult a couple of years ago or so.

It's considered rather different from your average X-Men adaptation, since many of the characters are teenagers and attend a regular high school. The only X-Men that remain grown ups are Beast, Storm, the Professor and Wolverine. Jean and Scott are 18 and in 12th grade, thus making them the oldest of the youngsters. The rest are all 15-17 or so.

The cartoon starts out as a typical HS drama which happens to have a superhero element to it. But it picks up as it goes on, getting better each season. It was meant to have a 5th season, but it got cancelled before it had the chance to do that.

I think the show particularly had interesting incarnations of Rogue and Kitty Pryde.

Yeah, I remember and I have watched it multiple times since I was a kid.

Incidentally, I watched the 1992 show recently because I wanted to refresh my memory before watching '97 and, I must somewhat begrudgingly admit, that Evolution is the better show. I say begrudgingly because Evolution does have some story telling problems of its own and isn't as faithful as the 90's one, but the 90's one has way more problems with continuity, animation consistency and general comprehension level (way too heavy on the time travel crap that one). Evolution really is better paced and focused, if nothing else I never wonder where the missing frames of animation went...

By the way, I like '97 a lot having watched that now in case anyone wondered, I just find it odd that they include stuff from like 2005 in a show meant to be a nostalgia throwback to 90's X-men.

I haven't watched either of those. Apparently, '97 is a pretty good show.

I have been reading the classic X-Men comics for a while now. Evolution is definitely not the most faithful adaptation of those, but I still think it keeps things within the spirit and themes of the property. Most of the mutants being teenagers attending a regular high school makes a lot of sense, actually. Mutants are discriminated against in the Marvel universe. And I think a HS setting is the perfect way to showcase that. Look at how popular and admired Jean Grey was until other kids found out she was a mutant, for example.

Everyone watched X-men Evolution in the U.S. it aired on KidsWB right before Pokemon and alongside Batman Beyond and the other DC shows.

Ah, really? It was a very hot show? Maybe that's why they also made a couple of X-Men movies around the same time period starring Hugh Jackman?

I remember werewolf Rogue.

Dunno about werewolf, but lots of people to this day still fawn about goth Rogue.

The show literally came out because of the first X-men movie. Most cartoons back then came out right after live-action movies. Jackie Chan Adventures only exists because of Rush Hour.

Even Batman:TAS only exists because of Batman '89 and Batman Returns. That's why Catwoman and Penguin's designs reflect the movie versions.

That makes sense. Gotta strike while the iron is hot and make some money. Perhaps the same happened during the Toby Maguire Spider-Man movie era?

For an X-Men cartoon I was rather uninterested in it. I much preferred the style of the original animated series at the time and it felt like a departure enough to sort of be a blind spot for me.

I caught the occasional episode and enjoyed it but it wasn’t something I was excited about. I do kind of want to go back and watch it now though.