1992 was a pivotal year for superheroes, as it witnessed DC and Marvel kickstarting two iconic shows, which would go on to change the comic-book landscape forever. While Bruce Timm gave us the definitive version of the caped crusader with Batman: The Animated Series, with X-Men: The Animated Series, Larry Houston gave fans the definitive X-Men experience.
Considering how influential X-Men: The Animated Series was for the genre as a whole, the series that succeeded had pretty big shoes to fill. However, the creators were shot in the foot by Kids’ WB, after they were denied to include one element, which was crucial for the character’s development.
Kids’ WB Was Against Romance in X-Men: Evolution
When it was announced that X-Men: Evolution was set to follow the mutants in their teenage years, eyebrows were raised, as not everyone was enthralled by the idea. But against all odds, the show proved its skeptics wrong and would go on to enjoy four seasons. However, being a show aimed at kids, its network was hellbent on ensuring no lines were crossed, which would eventually become a problem for the creators.
Similar to what Bruce Timm had to endure with Fox Kids’ execs, as they were against his idea of introducing vampires in BTAS, Kids’ WB wanted to dilute the love shenanigans in Evolution. Being a show aimed at kids, the network felt these storylines would be too icky for their intended demographic. This was a major problem for the creators, as being a show that deals with teenagers, romance was at the center of some of its most captivating storylines.
Boyd Kirkland, one of the directors of the show, told The Dork Review:
“This is one of those areas where the network really boxed us in. We thought this kind of character development was crucial and consistent with the fact that these X-Men were teenagers in high school, but the network felt that 6-10 year old boys (their intended audience) would find such [fare] just icky.”
While it would take Timm another 15 years to bring his vision to life, the X-Men: Evolution team would get creative with their ways of incorporating romance into the narrative.
X-Men: Evolution Team Got Creative to Incorporate Romance Into the Show
Despite resistance from Kids’ WB, it didn’t stop the team from incorporating romance into the show, but they had to get creative with their methods.
The scene in which Lance puts his arm around Kitty in episode 9 of Season 4 is one perfect example, as the show didn’t shy away from alluding to romantic connections between certain characters.
But they weren’t the only victims of such practices back then, as Timm’s Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker underwent a similar treatment after being deemed too dark for kids by its network.
X-Men: Evolution is available to stream on Disney Plus.
