Producer reveals details of new animated TV series 'Wolverine and the X-Men'

GET ready for more mutants on the screen - a new animated series, Wolverine and The X-Men, is to premiere in the UK on BBC2, starting on Saturday, August 2.

The series will be released on DVD on November 3 this year, and it will come to the USA on the Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour cartoon channel, sometime in 2009. Each of the UK episodes will also be repeated on Wednesdays at 4.30pm.

I've posted the trailer for this 26-episode series at the end of this article, so have a look and tell me what you think. The series begins with an explosion targeting Jean Grey and Professor Xavier, leaving Storm wounded and Cyclops distraught. Telepathic mutant Emma Frost locates Xavier, who orders Wolverine to lead the X-Men against Magneto and his brotherhood and against the government's mutant-hunting robots called the Sentinels.

While the idea of more X-Men is brilliant, there have been some reservations from fans - and I agree with them - that the title makes it sound like Wolverine is, yet again, hogging the limelight and becoming the focus. He's already done that in the three X-Men movies and is getting his own spin-off prequel coming out next May. Are we simply getting too much Wolverine?

Over at ComicUS, the cartoon's co-producer Stefan Brunner gave some insight into the upcoming animated series, explaining that "the producers mutually agreed upon a version of the X-Men in which Wolverine would take centre stage."

In the interview on June 20, Brunner added: "In terms of story, this series stands independently. The intent was to return to the spirit of the first animated series aired on Fox in the early 90s, in which the stories and characters followed the literary tradition closely. The series starts with a bang, setting the scene for the upcoming war between the X-Men and [Magneto's] brotherhood, leaving the series protagonists struggling to look for meaning in their lives as X-Men and reunite following the mysterious disappearance of Professor X. All characters will need to grow responsibility and understand their importance for mankind; above all, it will be up to Wolverine to take charge and fill their mentors shoes, until they can find a way to bring him back.

"If one follows the original comicbooks, we know that Wolverine is a very unlikely leader for the X-Men, since he operated outside of their rules, while logically Cyclops would take control. In this series, we have Wolverine as an uncertain leader, who develops leadership qualities along the way, while trying to bring Cyclops back into the fold again. We simultaneously remain very faithful to the overall treatment of the characters in the comic series, but break new ground. New fans will be able to experience the X-Men in a new way, with a rebel as its leader and a story arc that brings us from chaos to order."

Brunner's interview does indicate a respect for the roles of the comicbooks and yet the series' title implies Wolverine is more dominant and more significant than the other characters.

In the comics, Cyclops has almost always been the long-standing leader of the X-Men, although Storm (right) took on the mantle for a time. The leader has never been Wolverine.

But this new animated series won't be the first time Cyclops has taken a back seat - Cyclops was challenged by Wolverine in the first X-Men movie, pushed aside in the second film and then killed off in the third (X-Men: The Last Stand) as Wolverine stepped into a combat leader role in a storyline that caused a massive outcry online.

Wolverine is clearly popular. Marvel's list of the 10 Greatest X-men, which was updated just this month, counts down as follows: Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost (below left), Cable, Colossus, Jean Grey, Professor X, Nightcrawler, Storm, Cyclops and (in the No 1 spot) Wolverine. Marvel justifies Wolverine's placing thus: "A complex and layered character beyond his violent temper and fierce claws, Wolverine gave the X-Men the franchise character it lacked and opened the doors for new types of stories. Whether through his rivalry with Cyclops, close friendship with Nightcrawler, unrequited love for Jean Grey or mentoring of Kitty Pryde and Jubilee, Logan has enriched the characters around him through his relationships with them. The most popular X-Man of all time, we think Wolverine also lays legitimate claim to being the best there is at what he does."

At my last count, Wolverine features in eight comicbook series every month (at one time it was as many as 11 comics), including solo titles, various X-Men titles and also as a member of Marvel's New Avengers, so he's obviously thought of as a 'cash cow' in the comics universe as well as the movieverse.

But over at the Superhero Hype's comics forum, it's a somewhat different story. A thread created for Wolverine discussion has, at this time, had 312 replies and been viewed 5,515 times. The character comes above Angel and Polaris, but below Jean Grey/Phoenix (394 replies, 7,561 views) and well below Rogue (1,431 replies, 22,760 views), Gambit (2,495 replies, 36,052 views), Cyclops (2,434 replies, 36,786 views); and Storm (who's the clear winner with 7,284 replies and 128,385 views). There was even a thread created called 'Wolverine overkill' and another entitled 'I'm getting tired of Wolverine.'

All these indicate Wolverine isn't as popular among fans as is widely believed. And I share those views - Wolverine just isn't as exciting to me as characters like Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Phoenix and Magneto, who seem to have more spirit and grace and more visually appealing abilities than Wolverine with his gruff moods and metal claws. However, I don't share the massive love for Cyclops either - although I acknowledge his role as the core of the X-Men, the solid base upon which the team has always stood (even if his dependabllity sometimes seems like a dullness with far less excitement value than Wolverine).

But at least Wolverine isn't on his own in this latest animated series. The known roster of characters also appearing in the new series is, so far: Professor X, Cyclops, Beast, Storm, Jean Grey/Phoenix, Kitty Pride/Shadowcat, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Angel, Colossus, Emma Frost/White Queen, Forge, Rogue, Squidboy, Boom Boom, Pyro, Dust, Wolfsbane, Multiple Man, Gambit, Polaris, Senator Robert Kelly, John Wraith, Weapon X scientist Dr Cornelius, Mojo, Vertigo, Spiral, Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Avalanche, Blob, Domino, Mystique, Sabretooth, Toad, Juggernaut and Kamal, and even an appearance by Bruce Banner/Hulk.

This will be the third X-Men animated series. The first - called simply X-Men - aired between 1992 and 1997; the second, X-Men: Evolution ran from 2000 to 2003. Neither has been issued on DVD as complete series - only selected episodes are available, a move which has led to many pirate DVD releases including all the episodes.

Below is the trailer for the new Wolverine & The X-Men. Let me know what you think and whether you are interested in seeing this show.

Also, I'd be interested to hear who is your favourite X-Men character and why, and whether you think Wolverine is overrated and overposed - or whether he deserves his dominant position in the comics, the movies and now this new cartoon. Are we getting too much Wolverine? Which other characters deserve to be in the spotlight?