X-Men is one of the most favorite superhero teams. The team’s adventures have been adapted into several series and movies over the years. The first attempt at an adaptation was made in 1989 with X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men. However, the show was not picked up for a second season.
A second attempt at adapting the mutant superhero team’s adventures was made a couple of years later; X-Men: The Animated Series debuted in the U.S. in October 1992. The show was a hit with the fans and was aired for 5 seasons.
Much to the delight of the fans of the superhero team, the epic show was revived decades later. However, this new show, known as X-Men ’97, has deprived everyone of the one character that the 1992 show worked so hard to perfect.
X-Men: The Animated Series Creator on How Mystique’s Character Came to Be in the Second Season
X-Men: The Animated Series, directed by Larry Houston, was based on the X-Men comics by Jim Lee. The show, which was almost scratched off, specifically featured the Blue Team, which consisted of numerous characters Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Jean Grey, and Professor X. Another important character in the show was Mystique.
Ardent fans of the show might have noticed how Mystique’s design in the first season was different from the one in the second. In an interview, Steven Gordon, who worked as a character designer and storyboard artist on the show, opened up about how Mystique’s character design came about in the second season.
Speaking to The Dork Review, Gordon said:
“I was never happy with the original Mystique I designed. I felt that she had a very dated feel, but the clock was ticking and we just ran out of time. The second design was influenced by having seen the film and also a better understanding of what Mystique needed to be as a character.”
Art and creativity are all about the satisfaction the artist or creator gets from creating it. Gordon feeling satisfied with Mystique’s design for the second season proves this.
Steven Gordon on What His Original Vision for Mystique Was
In addition to revealing what ultimately inspired Mystique’s design, Steven Gordon elaborated on what he originally wanted for the character. In the same interview, he stated:
“If we could have gotten away with a nude – look like in the film we would have, but I don’t think Kids WB was quite ready for that. I also tried to make her more physically imposing.”
The character designer also went on to say that he wanted Mystique to resemble a weight-lifter like an Adam Hughes character. However, that did not work well, so he decided to settle on a slimmer version of the character. Despite all of this hard work, X-Men ’97 has not introduced the character yet.
Both X-Men series are available for streaming on Disney+.
