10 Mature And Darkest Moments of X-Men: The Animated Series – Most Balanced And Comic Accurate Show!

In the 1990s, the X-Men animated series was hailed for its depth in narrative, and the overarching ideals of equality, justice, and camaraderie affected a whole generation at the time. The finest thing about the story was that it was able to hide the serious portions of the stories under some exciting, action-packed adventures.

In the play, there were a few well-liked and respected characters that wowed audiences not only with their abilities but also with their sympathetic thoughts. This human aspect in the stories contributed to the series is as engaging for adults as it was for children.

This famous series became ingrained in mainstream culture, appearing in everything from advertisements to action figures. Despite the fact that the program was aimed at children, it included some unsettling and tear-jerking scenes. In this video, we present a compilation of 10 of the series’ darkest, most emotionally destructive scenes, all of which were handled maturely by the creators.

Wolverine discovers everything about his past life – Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape [Season 3 Episode 19]

Sometimes certain discoveries about the past life are best left unknown! This episode begins with a disturbing flashback, where Wolverine and Silver Fox are being attacked by Sabretooth inside a log cabin. However, we soon learn that it is only a dream and the other X-Men watch him toss and thrash about in his sleep.

Professor X tries to calm him down, but Wolverine is woken up by a sudden shock and he rushes out before anyone can stop him. After he drives off, Jean Grey finds out that Wolverine had recently received a strange delivery containing the picture of Silver Fox, with certain coordinates and a map.

Meanwhile, Wolverine finds himself in an abandoned Weapon X facility, and being there causes him to have some flashbacks of his past life there. He realizes that someone or something has been messing with his head all along, and even Beast trying to calm him down doesn’t solve the problems. He finds out that some of his teammates are also experiencing certain memories that are supposed to train them to become better killers.

In the middle of this confusion, Sabretooth arrives, and we learn that even he received a letter similar to Wolverine. He felt that Wolverine was the one to send the letter, and the two mutants soon engage in an intense fight. However, even their fights are interrupted by some more flashbacks, where they see Sabretooth sacrificing his own teammates to die. Soon, the mystery is answered with the arrival of Silver Fox and Maverick.

Silver Fox reveals that Weapon X messed up their memories, and even the flashbacks were implanted with proper plans. Now, all the former Weapon X members start wondering which parts of their memory can be trusted, and which parts are completely make-believe. Things take a violent turn after Beast finds out a computer that reveals more about the past of the four mutants. They all underwent hypnotic suggestion and it was all set up such that they could always be summoned back to Weapon X.

The group soon finds a door, and unlocking it using their DNA brings out a video message that suggests that a killer robot named Talos is waiting to eliminate them all. This robot is released, and after a brief scuffle, they destroy the robot.

However, they learn that more such robots would keep coming to destroy them, and soon, a powerful mental blast knocks them out. Beast barely manages to take them out of the facility before it all explodes, and later, the four mutants walk away in their separate ways. The bitter knowledge of their unstable past was to torment them all for years to come.

The Abandoned Child – Bloodlines – [Season 5 Episode  6]

Graydon Creed is well-known for his bigotry and hates against the mutants. He formed the friends of Humanity and continued his efforts to curb the rights and freedom of the mutants. However, things change for him, when the others discover some concealed secrets about his past. They learn that he was born to mutant parents, who abandoned him as a child. Now, in order to prove his allegiance to the group, and his drive to hunt down mutants, Creed promises to capture and eliminate both his mother and his step-brother.

It is the night of Halloween, and some kids turn up at Wolverine’s place. He scares them away, but soon someone is at the door again. This time it is Nightcrawler, who is quite disturbed ever since he received a mysterious message from his birth mother, suggesting that she is in trouble. He is quite certain that the messages are original because the handwriting is the same as some of the other written documents of his mother that he has.

This birth mother had abandoned him as a baby, and he has no idea who she is. However, Nightcrawler has submitted himself to a righteous life, and he has turned to God to guide him to be good under any complex situation. He seeks help from Wolverine, Rogue, and Jubilee, who choose to accompany him although the message clearly mentioned that he should go alone.

They promise to be discreet, and Nightcrawler is determined to protect his mother from any trouble. They all head to the Friends of Humanity compound, but there is a twist in the plot. Rogue recognizes the voice of Nightcrawler’s mother, and it is none other than Mystique! Nightcrawler is stumped by the discovery, but he is even more surprised to find that Creed is present there, waiting to shoot them down. It is revealed that Creed and Nightcrawler are actually brothers, but Creed is in no mind to cater to familial ties.

He is disgusted that he is the son of Sabretooth and Mystique, and a mutant brother is the last thing that he wants. They barely manage to escape, and Nightcrawler learns some more about his traumatic childhood. Mystique, the shape-shifting mutant was used to a life of luxury, and she married a Count to live comfortably.

However, when she gave birth to a mutant child it was all threatened. In order to preserve her way of life, she abandoned him as an infant. Nightcrawler seems surprisingly calm because he has adapted to God’s ways of forgiveness, and Mystique is baffled by his forgiving behavior. Creed appears in a helicopter and starts shooting at them, and suddenly, Mystique is overwhelmed by her motherly instinct to protect her son. She jumps in front of him and gets hit, and she falls into a flowing stream.

Nightcrawler is enraged and attacks his brother, and eventually, with the help of Wolverine and the others, Creed is defeated. Nightcrawler wonders why his mother behaved that way, and we see that Mystique is not dead as she quietly walks away. The episode ends with a glimpse of Creed’s fate, as he is dropped from a helicopter straight in front of the house of Sabretooth!

Mr. Sinister taking Jean Grey and Scott powers – Till Death Do Us Part 2 [Season 2 Episode  2]

This episode held the cards pretty close to its chest, and we didn’t expect the shocking twist that the plot had for us. It all starts off on a happy note as Cyclops and his newlywed wife Jean Grey head off for their honeymoon on a yacht. They set sail for an island, completely oblivious to what is in store for them! On the other hand, we see Beast struggling with the multiple weapon attacks in the Danger Room until he manages to flee.

Morph is caught in a dilemma as he stands before the X-Mansion because he has flashbacks of his life as an X-Man. However, Mister Sinister is quick to sway the tides of his thoughts and he reminds Morph how he was abandoned by the X-Men in his hour of crisis. He promises to deal with Cyclops and Jean Grey himself, and this drops the first hint of something bad that’s about to happen!

The moment the newlywed couple reaches the island they are ambushed by Mr. Sinister’s Nasty Boys. Ruckus knocks over their boat, and Cyclops and Jean are chained up in Mutant Slave collars. Meanwhile, Rogue and Beast head out to check on an injured Storm in the hospital. Creed walks Jubilee before a rogue crowd that wants to get rid of her.

Just as she is about to be escorted away, Wolverine saves her by jumping in through the ceiling in a surprise attack. Professor Xavier arrives and warns the X-Men about a neural disruptor that might be altering their brain waves. However, Wolverine is not fooled by the deception and he soon figures out that it is all a plot by Morph. It turns out that the Professor is actually Morph, trying to pose as Professor Xavier to deceive the X-Men.

He quickly turns into Wolverine and caught in this chaos, Jubilee ends up attacking the real one instead of Morph. Back on the island, Mr. Sinister wants to use the DNA of the newlywed couple to create a slave army of mutants. Morph arrives and reveals that he conducted the wedding as a reverent, and Mr. Sinister is able to stop him from killing Cyclops just in time. But by now the word is out that Morph is working alongside Mr. Sinister. The X-Men arrive in pursuit and attack the Nasty Boys. As the battle ensues, Cyclops convinces Morph to turn to his good side and reminds him that he is one of the X-Men.

The tactic works and he turns against Mr. Sinister. After some intense fighting, Sinister is forced to retreat, and Morph leaves as well with Wolverine in pursuit. Meanwhile, Professor Xavier discovers that he has walked right into a trap set for him in Antarctica, and he gets trapped under an avalanche! The way Cyclops and Jean were handled in this episode, the sheer helplessness of their situation was quite traumatic for their fans to watch.

Death of Our Own – Night of the Sentinels: Part 2 [Seaon 1 Episode 2]

Previously, the X-Men have learned about a mutant outreach program that holds a dark secret, and they decide to launch an all-out attack to put an end to it. They decide to attack the Mutant Registration Office in the building so that they can destroy the entire list of mutants who are being systematically eliminated by the organization.

We witness the calm around the Mutant Control Agency outside Washington, and suddenly the darkness is illuminated by Spotlight. The scene pans onto Cyclops, Rogue, and Gambit, as they inch closer to the facility. Inside the building, Storm is followed by Wolverine, Beast, and Morph. The attack is made a lot worse after Morph changes into a high-ranking security officer, and he orders the men inside a room. The road is now clear for the others to enter, and Storm states that it is important for them to destroy every single file in the area. Wolverine uses his claws to open the locked drawers because even the hard copies holding the data have to be destroyed.

Meanwhile, we see Jubilee being interrogated by a man regarding the mutants who saved her previously. She knows nothing and being a child, she is confused about the treatment. The man warns her that her powers will continue to grow and she will become a threat to all around her.

She cries out in panic, claiming that none of this is her fault, but the man offers her a way out if she identifies the mutants who saved her. When another person walks in we learn that Jubilee is just a random pick from the lists to check how easily a mutant can be captured.

On the other hand, the X-Men soon end up fighting with their mechanical opponents after a Sentinel appears to take them down. When they are cornered, the X-Men are forced to flee, and Cyclops is grabbed by Storm as they fly away. However, there is a heavy price to pay! Beast is captured while he tries to escape, and he believes that the opponents have got Morph as well!

Save a Dying Professor X – Graduation Day [Season 5 Episode 14]

Henry Peter Gyrich is a man associated with the Mutant Control Agency and he is severely opposed to the mutants. He is also linked to the creation of the Sentinels, and this time around he holds a press conference to push for a Mutant Containment Bill. This document intends to spread anti-mutant sentiments all over the country, and even though Professor X arrives time to oppose the bill, he is extremely sick.

However, Gyrich thinks that Xavier is a mutant and shoots at him with an energy disruptor. This causes his powers to go out of control and the professor slips into a coma. The X-Men somehow manage to retrieve his body and bring it onto the Blackbird, but Beast has some terrible news after examining the professor. He states that the professor is on the verge of death, and he is struggling to stay alive at the moment.

Desperate to save Professor X, Cyclops contacts his old friend Moira MacTaggert, who is also an expert on mutants. But she gives up stating that its beyond her capacity to help the dying Professor. The X-Men consider contacting Lilandra, another close associate of Professor Xavier, but they don’t know how to get to her!

Meanwhile, the shooting of Professor Xavier has sparked outrage in the mutant community, and there is an uncontrolled uprising. Magneto leads these angered mutants, and Morph’s attempt to assume Xavier’s form to calm them down fails. This means that Xavier’s dream of an everlasting peace between the humans and the mutants is all set to fail, and the X-Men are determined to stop that from happening.

They decide to attack Magneto’s forces, but the fight is cut short when Magneto learns that time is running out for Professor X. He decides to give up his new army out of respect for the professor, and he also helps Xavier to send a psychic message to Lilandra. She arrives and reveals that the only way for Xavier to live is to be under Shi’ar care, and thus, she takes him away. We watched this episode with a heavy heart, as Xavier leaves Earth, leaving the X-Men and Magneto behind!

Mutants Being Hunted By Sentinels – Days of Future Past: Part 1  [Season 1 Episode 11 ]

This episode brings us to a nightmarish future, where the Sentinels rule over a post-apocalyptic world. It opens with a scene, where the Statue of Liberty is seen in ruins. Soon, we see that the entire city has been turned into a wasteland, and we see two Sentinels flying by. Beneath all this, Wolverine emerges from a sewer tunnel.

He has grown old, and he leads a band of mutant fighters who continue their fight against the oppression of the Sentinels. We see a small instance of their mutiny as they take down a few Sentinels together. However, Wolverine is not quite happy with the performance of his strong adamantium claws. These could destroy the Sentinels quicker than before, and he has a feeling that age is catching up to him.

Suddenly they are spotted by Bishop, who apparently works for the Sentinels to track down such rebels. After a brief scuffle, he takes the three mutants, including Wolverine, to a Mutant Termination Center. Bishop wonders why the rebels cannot simply take the hint and give up because their fight is an impossible one.

Wolverine tries to make him understand that the Sentinels are after all mutants, but Bishop believes that only the ones rebelling are in trouble. However, a rude shock awaits Bishop. The Sentinels check that his quota of bringing in fugitives is fulfilled and now, they decide to terminate him as well. As they are marched to their deaths, Wolverine comes across a cemetery and watches the gravestones of his fellow X-Men, Cyclops, Jubilee, and Rogue. Eventually, they manage to break free after slaying a few Sentinels, and the episode takes an interesting turn when they come across a Time Portal.

This should be able to take Wolverine to a time period of his liking, and he goes back to the 90s. It is during this time that the assassination of Senator Kelly took place, and if they can make sure that it never happens then the future would be very different. Senator Kelly was killed by another mutant, and the killer mutant was supposedly a member of the X-Men. The episode after this brings a lot of twists as we see an exact double of Gambit, who was thought to be the one responsible for the assassination. This episode was disturbing simply because of the dark futuristic portrayals. The idea of the Sentinels taking over was shocking enough, and the terrible setting around the cities was enough to dampen the moods.

A Demonic-Looking But Kind-Hearted Monk – Nightcrawler [Season 3 Episode 18]

We have already mentioned how some episodes of the X-Men animated series would deal with serious and philosophical stuff. This was one of them, and we get a glimpse of some deep religious theories in the story. It starts off in a town in Germany, where the locals believe that a demon is residing in their town.

What they believe to be a demon is none other than Nightcrawler, and he is seen hiding in the town’s church. While all these pan out, the X-Men are enjoying a skiing vacation in the Alps. They get curious after hearing the stories about a demon in the town, and they decide to look out for one just in case. However, their plans are abruptly interrupted due to a freakish accident. When Wolverine goes skiing with Rogue and Gambit, the latter accidentally causes an avalanche that buries them all.

They are knocked unconscious under the snow, and later they wake up in front of Brother Reinhardt from the local chapel. Reinhardt is skeptical about these strangers, and he tries to knock Gambit unconscious. However, he fails and while Rogue chases him, he falls from a ledge. Nightcrawler rescues him, and the X-Men are led to think that Nightcrawler was the attacker in the first place.

This is when Johan appears and we learn more about the mysterious Nightcrawler. Contrary to his scary appearance, he is a brother of the Abbot, and he has dedicated his life to the service of God. This doesn’t impress Wolverine who has long lost his faith, but the kind and sensible words of the Nightcrawler have an impact on him.

We learn that Nightcrawler was abandoned as a baby, and later, he joined the Abbey. On the other hand, Reinhardt gathers the townsmen suggesting that the demon is locked in the chapel and he has some allies as well. When they attack, the chapel catches fire, and in a serious crisis, Nightcrawler rescues Reinhardt from certain death. They all realize that he is not a threat, and later, we see that the events have somehow impacted Wolverine so much that he is seen praying at the Cathedral. While this might not be a dark, twisted moment, it certainly is an emotional one and the sheer depth of this storyline tempted us to include it in this list.

A Mutant Falls In Love With A Human- Beauty and the Beast – [Season 2 Episode 10]

What happens when a mutant falls in love with a human! This episode promises loads of drama after Beast falls for one of his blind patients named Carly. It all started after the nefarious group Friends of Humanity attacked a hospital for the blind. Hank works at this hospital trying to develop a cure for blindness, and the feelings are mutual because even Carly has a soft spot for him.

Her father refuses his daughter to be treated by a mutant, and the attack has made the hospital authorities look away from Hank. He is dejected but he moves away because he wants to work in her best interests. However, he is convinced by his mutant friends to confess his feelings. He gets there just as Carly gets her eyesight back after her operation, and she is delighted to see Hank there.

However, her father is a mutant-hating fellow, and he wouldn’t tolerate this association by any means. Things take a turn for the worse when Carly is kidnapped by the Friends of Humanity. Hank sets out to rescue her, and Logan disguises himself as one of the members of the organization to infiltrate the group.

Cyclops, Jean, and Jubilee also offer their help and they soon track down the thugs. Hank single-handedly takes down a bunch of the thugs, and Creed is interrupted by Wolverine as he interrogates Carly. Beast is knocked out unconscious and Wolverine carries him out, but he heads straight into an army led by Creed.

With a little help from Cyclops and Jean, things are soon settled and the Friends of Humanity learn that Creed is the son of Sabretooth. They ditch him and the X-Men escape with Carly. However, it is not a happy ending because Hank admits that he cannot be together with a human girl in this turbulent world that hates mutants. They part ways, but not before proving to the world that humans and mutants can be romantically involved.

Age of Apocalypse – One Man’s Worth: Part 1 & 2 – [Season 4 Episode 1 & 2]

This is a story of twisted timelines, and we are witness to a particular universe, where Xavier died in his youth! It brought about an age of apocalypse because there was no one to regulate the mutants. They were led by this universe’s counterpart to Magneto, and these mutants fight the Avengers, who are the agents of apocalypse in this reality. Bishop and Shard come from the future, and they are looking for the X-Men following an intense battle between the mutants and the Avengers.

Once they figure out that this is an alternate universe, they decide to trace the anomaly that can solve the whole thing. Wolverine and Storm are recruited by Bishop, and they head to the year 1959 to stop Trevor Fitzroy, an agent of Master Mold who is behind the disruption of the time stream. When they arrive in 1959 they meet a young Professor Xavier, who can still read their minds and figure out that they are from the future.

A confrontation with a racist at a coffee shop causes a fight that scares young Xavier away, and although Nimord from the future is defeated, Trevor Fitzroy gets away. The bomb that he had planted explodes, and the first part of the episode keeps the fans on the edge of their seats.

It seems like Bishop and his team is a bit too late, and they are forced to head into the future to the year 2055. They hope that Forge and his time portal technology is still effective, but they are shocked to find that Forge is more of a machine now. He immediately sounds an alarm, and the team tries its best to convince him of the reality. He has now been enslaved by Master Mold, and the time portal seems to have been damaged.

They repair the device just in time and jump to 1959 yet again so that they can stop Xavier from dying. They allow Xavier to read their minds to know about the turn of events in case he dies, and just as the explosion is about to go off, Fitzroy is convinced to abort the mission. History goes back to its normal course, and Fitzroy is warned to never repeat his mistakes again. The episode shocked the fans mainly regarding the possibility of a world without Professor Xavier. All the responsibilities are shouldered by Wolverine and Storm, and that certainly is a scary situation!

The Phoenix Lose Control – The Dark Phoenix: Part 1 & 2 – [Season 3 Episode 12 & 13]

Season 3 was notable for the continuity of the narrative throughout the first thirteen episodes. The X-Men are in some trouble again, and Wolverine is out to rescue them. Professor Xavier fails to make a psychic connection because something keeps blocking his message. Cyclops tries to connect with Jean, but she is controlled by her captors. Cyclops dives into her mind, and he discovers that his mutant powers don’t work there. He is challenged into a duel by Jean’s captor, and after a grueling sword-fighting, it turns out that Jean’s own mind is battling to destroy Cyclops. Jean claims that she has been freed by the Phoenix force inside her, and Cyclops fails to persuade her otherwise.

After he is destroyed in her mind, Cyclops drops unconscious and the other X-Men observe him helplessly. However, he continues to live because he is still connected to the mind of Jean Grey. Just as Jean is all set to finish him off in the real world, Wolverine intervenes. However, he is no match for her raw powers. Jean is temporarily disturbed by her actions, but the conflict in her mind is too great. The power of the phoenix gets out of the control of her captor Mastermind, and now it is just a wild force running freely. Jean is no longer under their psychic control on her, and the X-Men must fight for themselves in the face of this danger.

Jean is completely a part of the Phoenix now, and she has to deal with a lot of emotion and power at the same time. It was rather disturbing to observe one of the mainstays of the group completely disarrayed by her dark side. Power can indeed be tricky if not handled properly, and this episode was a quick glimpse of how unchecked power can go terribly wrong!

These are only a few instances of the series that left us spellbound. Some amazed us due to their dark storylines, while the others are simply unforgettable because of how they handle mature and complex issues. Overall, this was a gem of a show from the 90s, and even today you wouldn’t find too many better versions of X-Men in popular media!