Parents' Guide to

Wolverine and the X-Men

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Fun action series for kids has enough depth for older fans.

TV Nicktoons Kids' Animation 2006
Wolverine and the X-Men Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

chocolatebat
chocolatebat Adult
September 21, 2016
age 7+

Cartoon that delves into the full complexity of the X-Men mythos

It's a shame this show was cancelled after one season. Even so, it is definitely worth viewing, particularly if this is your first experience with the X-Men. The storyline highlights crucial themes of the X-Men universe, prejudice and discrimination. The show fully utilizes the metaphors for racism, homophobia, and general prejudice against those who are considered the "other" found in the discrimination against mutants. On top of that, it does great justice to so many well-known X-Men characters, Wolverine, of course, but also Nightcrawler, Emma Frost, Magneto, the Scarlet Witch, and Professor Xavier. I would have been nice to see a bit more diversity in the body types of female characters (the men are well-done in this area), but at least the female characters are well fleshed out.

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MT CRITIC
MT CRITIC Adult
July 19, 2014
age 12+

The Xmen show to watch

Wolverine and the X Men is a well written show with engaging stories, developed characters and superb animation. However this shows places too much focus on the title character. rather than the X men team itself, leaving some characters underutilized. Nevertheless, whether you an Xmen fan or even if you love superheros, Wolverine and the X men is fantastic for all ages.

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What's the Story?

In WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, the long-simmering conflict between mutants and humans has erupted into all-out war. Mutants have been declared a menace to society, and when Professor Xavier (voiced by Jim Ward) disappears in a mysterious attack that destroys their headquarters, the X-Men decide to disband. After a year on the run, Wolverine (Steve Blum) returns to coax his former teammates to come out of hiding and rebuild their group of powerful heroes. But he faces a new world -- in which the Mutant Response Division is hunting down his fellow mutants and a band of mutant criminals, the Brotherhood, is planning a series of terrorist-style strikes aimed at the anti-mutant government forces.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (16 ):

The mutant-human conflict in the X-Men stories has always served as a metaphor for racism, and by placing this issue front and center, the series makes it clear to even young viewers what can happen when intolerance is taken to the extreme. With mutants -- and sometimes even their human supporters -- being rounded up for no obvious crime, the X-Men are forced to be heroes in a world that doesn't seem to want them. It provides a fascinating backdrop to the story and gives the developing plotlines more urgency.

Though aimed at kids, Wolverine and the X-Men has enough depth to appeal to older fans of the popular Marvel Comics franchise as well. The characters are well-developed, with unique personalities and conflicting needs that are true to the themes developed in the comic books and lend themselves to generating plenty of drama. The animation is excellent, and the stories are much more nuanced than the average animated action show.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether cartoon violence has the same impact as live-action violence. Why or why not?

  • In the show, mutants have been declared criminals simply because they're mutants. Is that fair? Are the show's anti-mutant laws similar to any real-life laws -- either now or in the past?

  • Some of the mutants actually are criminals; do you think that's because of the laws against them? Or do some mutants choose to become criminals just as some regular people do?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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