Trivia: Despite its guitar-driven sound, the theme song for this show was actually written entirely on a keyboard using MIDI technology. Composer Ron Wasserman attributed this to having hardly any gear to work with, which only consisted of a nice mixer board that had EQ in it, and one compressor. He even admitted to pouring a Coke into the first console so that they would buy him a new one.
Days of Future Past: Part 1 - S1-E11
Trivia: After Bishop travels into the past, he hears one kid telling another that they will be playing the new Punisher game "Assassin." When the Punisher was first being developed, he was originally going to be called The Assassin.
Trivia: Following Disney's acquisition of Fox, the creators of this show pitched a revival to stream on Disney+. Producer Larry Houston has said he would come out of retirement specifically to work on this. The revival - titled X-Men '97 - was announced on Disney+ Day in November of 2021 for a 2024 premiere date, with much of the surviving original cast returning.
The Juggernaut Returns - S3-E17
Trivia: When the new Juggernaut crashes through the film studio, the production being filmed is a parody of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. There is even a short musical phrase similar to MMPR's theme song. (00:16:10)
Trivia: At the end of the opening titles, there is a short bald man in a green outfit running with Magneto's crew. For years, fans had wondered who this character was, as he has no counterpart in the comics, and he only had a fleeting appearance in the season 1 episode "Slave Island." Series director Larry Houston finally revealed that the character is nobody in particular, and that he was mistakenly placed in the opening titles by the animation company AKOM.
One Man's Worth: Part 1 - S4-E1
Trivia: The man that aids Wolverine in the coffee shop is Johnny Strabler, Marlon Brando's character from the film "The Wild One." (00:16:45)
Trivia: This episode depicted Bella Donna as being Gambit's former fiancée. In the comics, the two were actually married. This change was likely made for the show due to it being too mature of a theme for a kids' show for Gambit to have both an estranged wife and an extramarital relationship with Rogue.
Mojovision - S2-E11
Trivia: The robot that attacks Jean Grey is a replica of the Punisher. (00:16:05)
Trivia: When Wolverine is explaining Omega Red's back-story to Colossus, a picture of Captain America is briefly visible. This is a nod to the comic books, where Omega Red was the Soviet Union's attempt to create their own super soldier similar to Captain America. (00:14:05)
Trivia: One of the images in Gambit's mind-scan is of fellow Marvel Comics superhero Ghost Rider. (00:07:45)
The Dark Phoenix (2): The Inner Circle - S3-E12
Trivia: The main antagonists in this episode as well as the episode that follows it are the Inner Circle. In the comics, the Inner Circle are a sort of clandestine group of mutants that operate within an elitist social group known as the Hellfire Club. Due to censorship reasons, the Hellfire Club aspect of the group is not acknowledged. Its members are visually based on famous actors. Sebastian Shaw is based on Robert Shaw, Harry Leland is based on Orson Welles, Donald Pierce is based on Donald Sutherland, and Mastermind in his Jason Wyngarde persona is based on Peter Wyngarde. The White Queen/Emma Frost is based on the character Emma Peel from the British television series "The Avengers."
Night of the Sentinels: Part 1 - S1-E1
Trivia: The beginning of this series sees a young mutant serving as a proxy for the audience, where they discover their mutant powers, try to elude sinister forces that are after them, and meet and later join the X-Men along the way. Showrunner Larry Houston claims director Bryan Singer borrowed this idea for the first X-Men film, substituting Rogue for Jubilee.
Trivia: Rogue's voice actress Lenore Zann titled her memoir after this episode.
Trivia: Gambit's brother Bobby is voiced by Tony Daniels. Daniels would go on to voice Gambit for the final 6 episodes of the series after Gambit's original voice actor, Chris Potter, had left.
Time Fugitives: Part 2 - S2-E8
Trivia: SPOILER FOR X-MEN '97: When Jean Grey scans Cable's mind, she sees an image of Cyclops, and seemingly herself as well, with her hair down (as opposed to her usually having it in a ponytail). Following the revelation in X-Men '97 that the Jean Grey seen in the first few episodes was actually a clone, producer Larry Houston revealed that he deliberately drew the Jean seen in Cable's mind to have her hair down, to suggest it was actually the clone who is Cable's real mother.
Trivia: Lenore Zann originally turned down the role of Rogue, as she had no interest in working on a cartoon, deeming it not serious enough. Her agent eventually convinced her to audition. When she finally read for the part, the casting directors immediately told her that she was exactly what they were looking for.
Answer: It appears a number of factors led to its demise. It was originally intended to air for 65 episodes, but its popularity extended that. However, there were continual production quality problems, issues regarding whether the content was suitable enough for children, as well as financial considerations that finally led to it being ended.
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