Summary
- The changes made to Morph’s character in
X-Men ’97
are intentional and important for representation, says creator Beau DeMayo. - Showrunner DeMayo defends the romantic implications between Morph and Wolverine, calling any denial “offensive.”
- Larry Houston sees Morph’s shapeshifting ability as equivalent to being nonbinary, addressing backlash faced by the show.
Beau DeMayo, the showrunner for the first season of the Marvel animated series X-Men ‘97, has responded to the depiction of the character Morph and the implied feelings they have towards fellow X-Man, Wolverine. The sequel series made several changes to Morph compared to the original 90s run, making the character nonbinary and changing them from a thin-faced, dark-haired man into a character with light gray skin, a bald head, white eyes, and no nose. Taking to social media, DeMayo defended this latest iteration, calling any denial regarding their sexuality “offensive and straight-washing.”
“From story bible to the script, Morph’s confession to Logan was always romantic. I discussed this openly and often during production. Suggesting otherwise, never mind contradicting the intention of a queer writer-showrunner, is both offensive and straight-washing.”
For DeMayo, the representation that was intended with the changes to Morph matters, with the writer hitting back against those who wish to contradict his ambition.
“To talk about representation and it mattering, and then contradict a gay black creator once they are able to become one of the few showrunners who are gay and black, is just disingenuous.”
This is not the first time that someone involved in bringing The X-Men to animation has responded to the backlash faced by the show and the changes made to Morph. Larry Houston, the director of the original series, takes the position that the character’s shapeshifting ability is “the same” as them being nonbinary. As they explained to Variety…
“For me, the word ‘nonbinary’ is the same as the word ‘shapeshifter.’ Every character that can change from one gender to another, or from human to animal, that’s just another word for ‘shapeshifter’ for me.”
A Second & Third Season of X-Men ‘97 Are Now in the Works
Released back in March, X-Men ‘97 follows a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them. During the series, they’re challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future. The series picks up after the events of X-Men: The Animated Series, and sees the X-Men battling dangerous new challenges following the loss of their leader, Professor X.
Related
If You’re Mad That X-Men ’97 Has Gone “Woke”, You’re Missing the Point
After X-Men ’97 details and the trailer dropped, some viewers described the new animated show as “woke”. Clearly, they’ve never read an X-Men comic.
The series sees the return of several cast members from the beloved 90s series, and features Ray Chase as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Cal Dodd as James Howlett/Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Anna-Marie Raven/Rogue, Alison Sealy-Smith as Ororo Munroe/Storm, George Buza as Dr. Henry “Hank” McCoy/Beast, A.J. LoCascio as Remy LeBeau/Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilation Lee/Jubilee, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor/Goblin Queen, J.P. Karliak as Kevin Sydney/Morph, and Matthew Waterson as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto.
X-Men ‘97 has been a huge hit with both critics and audiences alike, and currently stands at an impressive 99% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. A second season is now in production, with a third in early development, though DeMayo will not be involved in season 3 after being unceremoniously fired just before the first season premiered.
X-Men ‘97
is available to stream on Disney+.
