X-Men: Evolution

X-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the  Marvel Comics superhero team, the X-Men. In this incarnation, many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults. The series ran for a total of four seasons consisting of 52 episodes from November 2000 until October 2003 on Kids' WB, which has made it the third longest-running Marvel Comics animated series, behind only Fox Kids' X-Men and Spider-Man animated series. The series began running on Disney XD on June 15, 2009.

Summary
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, who has the mutant ability to read minds, searches for new mutants to train them how to use their powers for good and to prevent the mutants from harming themselves and others at his School for Gifted Youngsters. His opposition, Magneto "Master of Magnetism", is doing the same thing, but for evil purposes. He has made Mystique who is a shape-shifter, a principle of his high school to gather evil mutants to prepare them for war against non-mutants. The most interesting plot of the story is that all the heroes and villains attend the same high school. The classic battle of good vs. evil has begun again.

Season One
The first season contained thirteen episodes, mostly focusing on introducing the core characters and laying the foundations for future story lines. The overall theme of the first season was about "secrets and lies, and also independence." as stated by one of the writers, Greg Johnson. Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Wolverine make up the original X-Men. As the season develops, the ranks of the X-Men are bolstered by the appearance of Nightcrawler in the first episode, Shadowcat in the second, Spyke in the fifth and Rogue (who orginally joins the Brotherhood in the third episode) in the the seventh. In the later episodes of this season, Nightcrawler discovers the identity of his birth mother, Wolverine finds answers to his past, Rogue switches sides to join the X-Men and Xavier's half-brother, Juggernaut, is released from his prison.

Confrontations are typically with the Brotherhood, who vie for new recruits with the X-Men over the course of the season. Toad is the first to be introduced, followed by avalanche, Blob, and Quicksilver. The Brotherhood, led by Mystique, are in fact being directed by a higher power, the identity of whom was "revealed" in the two-part season finale as being Magneto. After Cyclops discovers that his brother, Alex, actually survived the plane crash that killed their parents, they are both taken by Magneto into his "sanctuary" on Asteroid M. Magneto captures several X-Men and Brotherhood members in an attempt to amplify their mutant abilities and remove their emotions. The brotherhood and X-Men show up leaving Magneto and Mystique trapped on the asteroid. Asteroid M is destroyed by Scott and Alex Summers, but not before two metal spheres fly from the exploding asteroid.

Season Two
The second season sees the addition of several new mutants, including Beast, who becomes a teacher at the Xavier Institute and an X-Man, as well as a version of the New Mutants: Boom Boom, Sunspot, Iceman, Wolfsbane, Magma, Multiple, Jubilee, Berzerker, and Cannonball. During the course of the season, it is revealed that the villains who supposedly perished on Asteroid M are actually alive. Sabretooth continues his pursuit of Wolverine, while Magneto continues to work his own agenda. Mystique poses as Risty Wilde, a high school student at Bayville High who befriends Rogue and breaks into the mansion to steal Xavier's Cerebro files. Using the files, she recovers Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, Magneto's daughter and Quicksilver's twin sister. The mentally unstable mutant joins the Brotherhood upon Mystique's return, allowing them to defeat the X-Men in a battle at the Bayville Mall. Before the finale, a pivotal episode aired featuring the telepath Mesmero opening one of three doors that would unleash a mutant known as Apocalypse.

In the season finale, Xavier rigorously trains his X-Men to face Magneto, pairing them with the Brotherhood. Cyclops, furious with having to work with his former adversaries, leaves the team. The mansion is later set to self-destruct with Cyclops and several students still inside. Magneto, meanwhile, recruits Sabretooth, Gambit, Pyro and Colossus as his Acolytes to fight the X-Men/Brotherhood team. At the same time, Wolverine is captured by Bolivar Trask to use as a test subject for the anti-mutant weapon, the Sentinel. Magneto continues to manipulate events by unleashing the Sentinel onto the city, forcing the X-Men to use their powers in public. Wanda tracks down Magneto and attacks him while he is trying to deal with the Sentinel that is targeting him. The Sentinel is damaged and apparently crushes Magneto as it falls. When the mutants who have not been captured by the Sentinel return to the remains of the mansion, Cyclops and the students emerge from the explosion with minor injuries. Scott throws Xavier from his wheelchair and blames him for blowing up the mansion. Everyone is shocked as Xavier calmly stands up, transforming into Mystique.

Season Three
In seasons three and four, the show notably begins to take a much more serious tone. After the battle with the Sentinel, the mutants are no longer a secret and public reaction is one of hostility. The show is brought into more traditional X-Men lore, dealing with themes of prejudice, public misconception, and larger threats. As the season progresses, the real Xavier is found, Mystique is defeated, the mansion is rebuilt and the X-Men are allowed back into Bayville High. Wanda continues to search for Magneto (who was saved by his son, Quicksilver, at the last minute) until Magneto uses the telepathic mutant Mastermind to change her childhood memories. Scott and Jean develop a stronger and closer romantic relationship (particularly after Mystique kidnaps Scott and brings him to Mexico), and Spyke leaves the X-Men when his mutant ability becomes uncontrollable, deciding to live with the group of sewer-dwelling mutants, the Morlocks.

As part of the series arc, Rogue loses control of her powers, leading to her hospitalization. During this time, she learns she was the adoptive daughter of Mystique. Mystique, through the visions of the mutant Destiny, foresaw that the fate of Rogue and herself lay in the hands of an ancient mutant that would be resurrected. Apocalypse emerges in the season's final episodes. Mesmero manipulates Magneto into opening the second door, and uses Mystique and a hypnotized Rogue to open the last, turning Mystique to stone in the process. Now released, Apocalypse easily defeats the combined strength of the X-Men, Magneto, the Acolytes, and the Brotherhood before escaping.

Season Four
The final season contained only nine episodes. In the season premiere, Apocalypse apparently kills Magneto while Rogue murders Mystique by pushing her petrified figure off a cliff, leaving Nightcrawler without closure. The Brotherhood become temporary do-gooders, Wolverine's teenage girl clone X-23 returns, Spyke and the Morlocks rise to the surface, Shadowcat discovers a mutant ghost who is found in an underground cave, Rogue is kidnapped by Gambit and taken to Louisiana to help free his father, and Xavier travels to Scotland in order to confront his son, David. Also, the character Leech is introduced as a young boy.

In the finale, Apocalypse defeats Xavier and Storm, transforming them, along with Magneto and Mystique, into his Four Horsemen. Apocalypse instructs his Horsemen to protect his three domes and his 'base of operations', which will turn the entire world population into mutants. In the final battle, the Horsemen are returned to normal and Apocalypse is sent through time. Rogue and Nightcrawler refuse the excuses of their mother, Shadowcat and Avalanche find love once again, Magneto is reunited with Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, Storm and Spyke are also reunited, and Xavier sees his students reunited as the X-Men.

Final Moments
The series ends with a speech by Charles Xavier, who had caught a glimpse of the future while being controlled by Apocalypse. If the show had not been canceled, the foreshadowing of Jean Grey becoming the Dark Phoenix, a possible arrival of Scott's father, Corsair, Magneto officially allying himself with Xavier, David Haller and Apocalypse returning, the arrival of the Shi'ar, Madelyne Pryor, Mister Sinister, Bishop, Cable and Rachel Summers (from the present and future; although in the current timeline, Nathan and Rachel are twins whereas the others are not.), and Scott Summers' romance and marriage with Jean Grey. Boyd Kirkland confirmed that the unproduced Season 5 would have expanded on several of these plot threads, with Dark Phoenix being the season's main villain. The following future scenarios were foreseen:
 * Anti-mutant sentiment continues.
 * A reformed Magneto becomes the teacher of the New Mutants, including a returned Jubilee and Wolfsbane.
 * The future X-Men team consists of adult versions of Cyclops, X23, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Rogue (able to fly and, curiously, not wearing gloves), plus Storm and Colossus. The uniforms these future X-Men wear look very much like the dark uniforms in the Ultimate X-Men comic, as well as that of the live-action feature films. Only X23 (who had a dark uniform from the start) looks the same.
 * Adult verisons of the Brotherhood, including Pyro, join S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Freedom Force.
 * Jean Grey becomes possessed by the Phoenix Force and transforms into the Dark Phoenix. (Note: It's unknown whether the Phoenix would have been a cosmic entity or a part of Jean's mind as similar to the films).
 * An attack fleet of Sentinels, led by a Super Sentinel which is hinted to be Nimrod.
 * The last scene shows the entire cast, which includes the X-Men, the New Mutants, Gambit and Colossus (former Acolytes), the previously unaligned Boom Boom, Havok, Angel, and X-23; along with the return of Jubilee, Spyke, and Wolfsbane.
 * The next season was possibly in talks of bringing in Emma Frost and Psylocke.

Main Characters

 * Cyclops/Scott Summers (Kirby Morrow) - A handsome and confident leader who exudes natural authority, although he is still somewhat standoffish. While the other students tend to look up to him, Scott's competitive nature and closely held temper will get in the way at times. He is the most officious and rule-abiding of the X-Men and the least likely to fool around. Like in the comics, Cyclops has optic blasts that can only be controlled by special visors made of ruby-quartz.
 * Jean Grey (Venus Terzo) - Smart, athletic, beautiful, well-liked, and the second-in-command after Cyclops, Jean was "Miss Popular" of the X-Men. However, she was insecure and possessed a jealous streak when it came to Scott Summers. Jean Grey's unique telekinetic mutant abilities allow her to manipulate matter through the force of thought alone and generate force fields, and tap into the minds of others with her telepathic powers.
 * Spyke/Evan Daniels (Neil Denis) - An entirely new character, is Storm's nephew, with the ability to project bonelike spikes from his skin. Spyke is the youngest member of the team and would much rather play basketball or skateboard than study. Stubborn, hot-headed and has problems with authority, this instintly makes him the "rebel" of the main team.
 * Wolverine/Logan (Scott McNeil) - A distant man with a past shrouded in mystery, Wolverine's in charge of the students combat and survival training and is famous among the students for his apparently difficult and challenging methods, as well as his strict and unyielding teaching manner.
 * Storm/Ororo Munroe (Kirsten Williamson) - Like her codename implies, Storm is able to harness and manipulate the forces of nature. She is known for her calm personality and regal manner, and was even worshipped as a Goddess in Africa due to her ability to summon the rains.
 * Rogue (Meghan Black) - A reclusive, paranoid goth, Rogue has a great deal of angst with respect to her powers, which keep her from ever safely touching anyone. Due to the machinations of Mystique, Rogue initially distrusted the X-Men, but after learning that Mystique tricked her by attacking her posing as members of the X-Men, she accepted their membership. At first annoyed by Nightcrawler's joking behavior, she becomes close to him after learning that she is his adopted sister, and both renounce Mystique for abusing them.
 * Professor X/Charles Xavier (David Kaye) - Owner of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Charles Xavier is also the X-Men's telepathic mentor and financier. He is somewhat secretive and manpulative, if only for the protection of his students.
 * Beast/Hank McCoy (Michael Kopsa) - Originally a gym coach and chemistry teacher at Bayville High before Hank's latent transformation into the apelike Beast could no longer be controlled with the medications he had formulated upon first learning of his mutation. This change of fortune forced him to retire and join the X-Men, where he could continue to teach. It was during the initial discovery of his mutation that he became acquainted with Professor Xavier.
 * Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde (Maggie Blue O'Hara) - The second youngest member of the team, Kitty led a very sheltered life before joining the X-Men and was initially afraid of Nightcrawler's "demonic" appearance, but she has since grown into a very open-minded and worldly young woman, and she and Nightcrawler eventually develop a very close brother and sister friendship. Shadowcat possesses the mutant ability to become cognitively intangible, allowing her to pass or "phase" through solid objects at will.
 * Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner (Brad Swaile) - Is the teleporting humorist of the team. Kurt is the biological son of Mystique, but was raised by kind foster parents in Germany. He speaks with a German accent, although he makes a concerted effort to use vernacular typical of an American teenager (for instance, he often exclaims "Oh, man!" or "Dude!" when surprised). For much of the show, Nightcrawler uses a holographic image inducer in public to hide his demonic appearance. It is later revealed that Rogue is his adopted sister and it seems that he and Kitty Pryde have a very close friendship.

Music
X-Men: Evolution featured several songs that were produced exclusively for the show: The theme and score for X-Men Evolution was composed and produced by William Kevin Anderson. Several characters had distinct musical cues, including Avalanche (heavy guitar riffs) and Storm (orchestra piece). Others had special sound effects, including Jean Grey (light chime noise), Rogue (also has a unique, black and white special effect), Magneto, Gambit, Shadowcat, Mystique and Nightcrawler. The main theme song was recorded by William Anderson.
 * Only a Girl (The Bayville Sirens' Theme) in "Walk on the Wild Side".
 * T-O-A-D (Toad's Theme) in "The Toad, the Witch and the Wardrobe".
 * Who Am I Now? (Rogue's Theme) in "Rogue Recruit".
 * Wolverine (Wolverine's Theme) in a promotional video.
 * Evolution Theme (Theme Song) in the start of the show.

Comic Books
In January 2002, Marvel Comics began publishing an X-Men: Evolution comic book series, partially based on the show. The series was written by Devin K. Grayson with artwork by Studio XD, it was abruptly canceled after the ninth issue due to low sales. The series has been reprinted in two trade paperbacks.

The comic introduced the Evolution version of the Morlocks before they appeared on the show, and their appearances and motivations were radically different in both versions. It also featured an appearance from Mimic who never appeared on the show.

An ongoing plot line would have introduced the Evolution version of Mister Sinister, but the comic was canceled before it could be resolved. However, the cover of the unreleased issue ten does reveal his intended character design.

Merchandise
X-Men: Evolution had its own line of merchandise (including the comic book series), but lack of sales forced Marvel to cut back on production.

Toy Biz created a line of action figures which included Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Cyclops, Storm, Sabretooth, Toad, Spyke, Magneto, Juggernaut, and Blob. Hard Hero also released maquettes of Storm, Professor X, Juggernaut, Magneto, Wolverine, Colossus, Cyclops, and the X-Men: Evolution design of Captain America.

Taco Bell ran the first X-Men: Evolution themed promotion with its Kid's Meals. Burger King also ran a Kid's Meal promotion which included X-Men: Evolution toys. Each toy included a mini-disc with games, screen-savers, and a mini-comic related to the character. The lineup included Rogue, Mystique, Cyclops, Wolverine, Magneto, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, and Toad.

Season 1

 * UnXpected Changes (Strategy X, The X-Impulse, Rogue Recruit)
 * Xplosive Days (Mutant Crush, Speed and Spyke, Middleverse)
 * X Marks The Spot (Turn of the Rogue, SpykeCam, Survival of the Fittest)
 * Xposing The Truth (Shadowed Past, Grim Reminder, The Cauldron Parts 1 & 2)

Season 2

 * Mutant Rising (Growing Pains, Bada Bing Bada Boom, Power Surge, Fun and Games)
 * Powers Revealed (The Beast of Bayville, Adrift, On Angel's Wings, African Storm)
 * Enemies Unveiled (Joyride, Walk on the Wild Side, Operation: Rebirth, Mindbender)
 * Mystique's Revenge (Shadow Dance, Retreat, The Hex Factor, Day of Reckoning Parts 1 & 2)

Season 3

 * Two-Disc DVD Set (The Day of Recovery, The Stuff of Heroes, Mainstream, The Stuff of Villains, Blind Alley, X-Treme Measures, The Toad, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Self Possessed, Under Lock and Key, Cruise Control, X-23, Dark Horizon Parts 1 & 2)