Marvel’s X-Men have been a mainstay in animation since the late 1980s, but with multiple series, confusing episode orders and at least one revival years after the fact, it can be tough to make sense of their cartoon adventures. We’ve put together a comprehensive X-Men watch order to help, including X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men: Evolution, and Disney+’s current X-Men ’97.

How to watch the X-Men animated series in release order

• X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men (1989)
• X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997)
• X-Men: Evolution (2000)
• Wolverine and the X-Men (2009)
• Wolverine (2011, part of Marvel Anime)
• X-Men (2011, part of Marvel Anime)
• X-Men '97 (2024-present)

Although the X-Men made their animated debut in an episode of the 1966 series The Marvel Super-Heroes —  they stood in for the Fantastic Four as guest-stars in episode 12's 'Dr. Doom's Day / The Doomed Allegiance / Tug of Death' three-parter — and guest-starred in four episodes of the 1981 series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, they didn't headline their own animated project until 1989's Pryde of the X-Men. That TV movie was, in fact, a failed pilot to bring the best-selling comic to the screen — a dream that wouldn't be fulfilled for another three years. The 1992 debut of X-Men: The Animated Series made the characters stars, and established the heroes (and their villains) as mainstays of superhero animation, with no less than five more projects following the show's 1997 conclusion... including the current X-Men '97, which acts as an official sequel to The Animated Series. 

How to watch the X-Men animated series in chronological order

Most X-Men animated series take place in separate continuities and can be watched independently. The only direct continuation is X-Men '97, which follows the events of X-Men: The Animated Series. 

X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men

There’s only one X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men episode — a 30-minute (shorter, sans commercials) pilot for an ongoing series that ultimately never materialized. This lone Pryde of the X-Men installment takes place in its own continuity, so once you’ve watched it, you’re done!

X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men '97

X-Men: The Animated Series was notorious for airing episodes out of order, as its script and production timelines were often out of whack. (Additionally, there are errors in writing that complicate matters; Magneto seems to meet the X-Men for the first time in Season 1, even though it's established he's been fighting them for years in later seasons.) We’ve outlined our preferred chronology below — plus where the Spider-Man: The Animated Series crossover and revival show X-Men '97 fit in:

• Season 1: “Night of the Sentinels” Parts 1-2, “Enter Magneto,” “Deadly Reunions,” “Captive Hearts,” “Cold Vengeance,” “Slave Island,” “The Unstoppable Juggernaut,” “The Cure,” “Come the Apocalypse,” “Days of Future Past” Parts 1-2, “The Final Decision”
• Season 2: “‘Til Death Do Us Part” Parts 1-2, “Whatever It Takes,” “Red Dawn,” “Repo Man,” “X-Ternally Yours,” “Time Fugitives” Parts 1-2, “A Rogue’s Tale,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “MojoVision,” “Reunion” Parts 1-2
• Season 3: “Out of the Past” Parts 1-2, “Phoenix Saga” Parts 1-5, “No Mutant Is An Island,” “Obsession,” “Longshot”, “Cold Comfort,” “Savage Land, Savage Heart” Parts 1-2, “Dark Phoenix Saga” Parts 1-4, “Orphan’s End,” “Love In Vain,” “The Juggernaut Returns,” “A Deal with the Devil”
• Season 4: “Sanctuary” Parts 1-2, “Xavier Remembers,” “Courage,” “Secrets Not Long Buried,” “Nightcrawler,” “One Man’s Worth” Parts 1-2, “Proteus” Parts 1-2, “Family Ties,” “Bloodlines,” “The Lotus and the Steel,” “Weapon X, Lies, and Videotape,” “Have Yourself A Morlock Little Christmas,” “Beyond Good and Evil” Parts 1-4.
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series Season 2: “Chapter IV: The Mutant Agenda,” “Chapter V: Mutants' Revenge” (both set at an unspecified point in X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4)
• Season 5: “The Phalanx Covenant” Parts 1-2, “Storm Front” Parts 1-2, “The Fifth Horseman,” “Jubilee’s Fairy Tale Theatre,” “Old Soldiers,” “Hidden Agendas,” “Descent,” “Graduation Day”
• X-Men '97 Season 1: "To Me, My X-Men," "Mutant Liberation Begins," "Fire Made Flesh," "Motendo," "Lifedeath - Part 1," "Remember It," "Lifedeath - Part 2," "Bright Eyes," "Tolerance is Extinction"
• X-Men '97 Season 2: "Days of Past Future," "A Force to Be Reckoned With," "Rise of Apocalypse," "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs," "Danger.Exe," "Strange Land, Savage Heart," "The Dead Man's Hand," "Survival of the Fittest"

X-Men: Evolution

Unlike its predecessor, X-Men: Evolution released all four of its seasons in the correct chronological order. This 2000 cartoon reboot also boasts its own, unique continuity – so, queue up Season 1 and let ‘er rip, bub!

Wolverine and the X-Men

2009’s Wolverine and the X-Men also came out in chronological order and only lasted one season. That said, series co-creator Craig Kyle and writer Christopher Yost have since confirmed that the X-Men characters seen in direct-to-DVD movie Hulk Vs. and Disney XD series The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are the same as their Wolverine and the X-Men counterparts. Here’s how it all fits together:

• The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Season 1, Episode 4, “Meet Captain America”
• Hulk Vs. Wolverine
• Wolverine and the X-Men Season 1, Episodes 1-26
• The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Season 2, Episode 11, "Infiltration," Episode 23, “New Avengers,” and Episode 26, “Avengers Assemble!”

Marvel Anime

It’s unclear whether the Marvel Anime X-Men shows are actually set within the same continuity. Although the character models in Wolverine and X-Men are different, the Japanese and English dub voice casts are the same for both. What’s more, neither anime explicitly contradicts the other, so – given they’re both part of the same parent production – we’re going to treat them (and the rest of the Marvel Anime line) as connected.

Based on plot details littered through the various Marvel Anime shows, here’s how Marvel Anime’s X-centric chronology (probably) shakes out:

• Iron Man Episode 4: Wolverine makes a guest appearance; continuity details are thin on the ground, so it could arguably take place at any point in the Marvel Anime timeline.
• Blade Episode 7: Wolverine makes a guest appearance, ultimately departing in search of A.I.M. – which seemingly ties into the start of his solo Marvel Anime series.
• Wolverine Episodes 1-12: Cyclops makes a guest appearance in Episodes 5-6, which implies the X-Men haven’t disbanded yet.
• X-Men Episodes 1-12: The X-Men are disbanded when Episode 1 kicks off, indicating that the X-Men anime takes place after Wolverine.

How many X-Men animated series are there?

There have been seven X-Men animated series over the years, but there are some caveats to that statement. Pryde of the X-Men was just a television pilot that never got a full series run. Also, X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men '97 are technically the same show, just spaced out by nearly 20 years. With that in mind, you could argue that there are only five X-Men animated series, but, for the sake of clarity, we're counting it as seven.

Why is it called X-Men '97?

X-Men '97 is an X-Men: The Animated Series revival and effectively functions as that show’s sixth season. That’s why it’s called X-Men '97: because both its fictional setting and real-world touchpoint is the year 1997 – when the 1990s X-Men: The Animated Series ended.

Should I watch X-Men: The Animated Series before X-Men '97?

You do not have to watch X-Men: The Animated Series before watching X-Men '97, though there are characters and events that will feel a bit jarring if you don't. For example, Professor X being in space and Magneto becoming leader of the X-Men might seem jarring if you aren't familiar with the original show. However, the writers have done a good job of introducing key concepts so you shouldn't feel completely overwhelmed.

Is Morph in X-Men '97 non-binary?

Yes, Morph is non-binary in X-Men '97 and uses they/them pronouns. 

Where can I watch the original X-Men cartoon?

It depends on what you mean by “original.” If you mean X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men – technically the first-ever X-Men solo cartoon – you’ll have your work cut out for you. Pryde of the X-Men isn’t currently available to stream on any streaming service or VOD platform (although bootleg uploads are on YouTube). VHS copies of the pilot still crop up on the likes of Amazon and eBay, too.

By contrast, the other “original” X-Men cartoon, X-Men: The Animated Series, is much easier to access. All five seasons of the show (plus the Spider-Man: The Animated Series crossover) are on Disney+ , as part of its library of legacy Marvel content. Continuation series X-Men '97 streams on Disney+ , as well.

How long did the X-Men cartoons run?

Interested in how long each X-Men cartoon lasted? Here’s a rundown of each show’s duration, measured in seasons, episodes, and years:

• X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men – N/A (pilot episode only) (1989)
• X-Men: The Animated Series – Five seasons (76 episodes); five years (1992–1997)
• X-Men: Evolution – Four seasons (52 episodes); three years (2000–2003)
• Wolverine and the X-Men – One season (26 episodes); one year (2009)
• Wolverine (part of Marvel Anime) – One season (12 episodes); one year (2011)
• X-Men (part of Marvel Anime) – One season (12 episodes); one year (2011)
• X-Men '97 – Two seasons to date (19 episodes to date) Ongoing (2024-)

What are the upcoming X-Men cartoons?

Currently, only one new X-Men cartoon is on the horizon: X-Men '97. This X-Men: The Animated Series continuation show is slated to premiere on Disney+ on March 20, 2024. Season 2 of X-Men '97 is set to debut on July 1, 2026.

Once you've finished with their animated exploits, let Popverse guide you through the X-Men's live action films as well.