X-Men has been one of the fan-favorite stories when it comes to the superhero universe. The one thing that sets these characters apart from the rest of the superheroes is the fact that they have always been the epitome of inclusivity, albeit in a more fictional sense. The X-Men are not your usual superheroes. They are outcasts and misfits who came together to fight evil while simultaneously battling the prejudice against them.
And now, the much-loved franchise is getting yet another addition to it real soon. Marvel’s X-Men ’97 is all set to hit your screens next month and it has already caused a stir in the fandom. While many are excited to have their favorite mutants back, others are disappointed by the fact that a fan-favorite character has been confirmed as non-binary. However, the other side of the spectrum was quick to shut this criticism down as they truly understood the essence of the mutant group.
Fan-Favorite X-Men Character Confirmed to be Non-Binary
The first trailer of X-Men ’97 graced the Internet on February 15, snowballing the excitement of fans everywhere. The animated series, which will be the sequel to the 90s’ X-Men: The Animated Series, will see many returning characters including, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and so on. Morph, who was based on the comic book character, Changeling, will also return in the upcoming series.
Back in 2022 creator, Beau DeMayo made it quite clear that Morph would return to the screens as a non-binary character during the San Diego Comic-Con. According to AIPT, DeMayo changed Morph’s pronouns to they/them.
Very recently, DeMayo once again talked about Morph’s character in a discussion with Empire where it was noted that X-Men ’97 will show “a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine.”
Needless to say, this creative decision has been met with mixed reactions from the fans. While one-half of the fandom agrees that this is a good move and will highlight the X-Men’s inclusivity purpose, the other half believes that there was no need to make this change.
Fans Support the Creators’ Decision
Morph being non-binary is certainly a new update for the fans who have been following the franchise since the start. The character’s gender identity was never discussed previously, neither in the comic books nor in the original show. Consequently, the news has fans divided into two factions.
On one hand, fans strongly oppose the change and are calling out the creators for unnecessarily adding wokeness to the mix. On the other hand, though, fans are totally in support of the decision as they believe X-Men has always been about diversity and inclusivity. Check out what fans have to say in support of Morph coming out as non-binary:
Bigots being X Men fans is both hilarious and pathetic.
— 🎃 Synthetic Nora 🔆 (@Network_Synth) February 15, 2024
Nonbinary Morph is breaking people, wait until they find out Iceman is gay, Kitty & Betsy Braddock are Bi.Or were Nightcrawler comes from
Wait till they find out that majority of big X-men stories are political/socially based. The X-men is unapologetical "Woke" and proud of it.
— Carlyle talking about comics (@Turtz911) February 15, 2024
The people complaining were likely never X-Men fans. Just outrage morons
— Jorby (@JorbyPls) February 16, 2024
Its just weird to me how a bigot could stan the xmen 🤣🤣 same for star trek like does the message not come through?
— based frøsty (@lyonnesbitch13) February 15, 2024
Thank you. X-Men was always about acceptance and inclusion. Obviously many people didn't get that message even after all these years.
— High Class Vulpine Master. (@neofox5) February 15, 2024
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, the team is made up of mutants from every type of background. Sure, the superhero universe showcased diversity in a more fictional way, but let’s not forget that it subtly managed to mirror the real-life prejudices of the world with its unique storylines.
X-Men ’97 will be available to stream on Disney+ on March 20.
