10 Best X-Men: The Animated Series Episodes

The movies could learn a lesson or two here.

By Kyle McManus /

Marvel
Long before Marvel and DC's competing Cinematic Universes, in a magical time known as the 1990s, superheroes were more at home in colourful Saturday morning cartoons. Many a comic-book character starred in their own animated series, from fairly obscure heroes like Swamp Thing to game-changing icons like Superman.

For many of us, Batman: The Animated Series is revered as one of the best cartoons to emerge from this era, proving a huge hit for DC and Warner Bros. when it debuted in 1992. However, another well-loved series arrived that same year, starring one of Marvel's most popular licenses: the X-Men.

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While it might not have the depth or bold visual style of Batman, X-Men: The Animated Series was a faithful translation of the comic books, with stories flowing into each other week after week (an unusual move for the time). The X-Men movies may make big bucks today, but the 90s animated series remains the truest, finest adaptation of the characters so far.

While other X-Men series have been produced since, the original has yet to be bettered, and many episodes still impress despite being more than 20 years old.

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