It wasn’t the hate brigade about Morph’s sexual orientation that took the voice artist by surprise.

Despite being one of the most acclaimed Marvel entries in recent years, before its premiere, X-Men ’97 garnered some backlash following the sexual orientation of Morph. After former Showrunner Beau DeMayo confirmed that Morph is non-binary in the show, which is never explicitly mentioned in the series, it prompted some netizens to cry foul and criticize.

But in the long run, it did little to hinder its success, as the continuation of the ’90s animated series holds a whopping 99% at the Tomatometer. Later reflecting on the initial backlash over the matter, JP Karliak, who voiced the mutant in the series, stressed he was surprised when fans came forward to defend the show.

X-Men ‘97 Voice Artist Appreciated Fans Remembering What X-Men Stands For

Following the recent political climate, JP Karliak wasn’t shocked when some netizens went up in arms over Morph being non-binary in Beau DeMayo‘s continuation of the iconic ’90s series.

However, the voice artist was pleasantly surprised by the counter-backlash from fans of the show, as they argued that throughout its history, the IP has always stood for inclusion and diversity.

He shared (via Deadline): I think what I appreciated was how much counter-backlash there was, with people like ‘Have you watched the X-Men? Are you familiar with why they were created and what they’re about? Did you forget that?’ That was reassuring,

As for the hate brigade, the voice artist, who is responsible for “a nonprofit that advocates for queer representation”, expressed that he doesn’t take offense despite the trolls’ attempts.

There was one article that called me a radical queer activist and listed the insidious mission statement of my organization [Queer Vox] — verbatim of what was on the website. I was like, ‘Facts. No lies here, thanks for the promotion!’

As for Morph, who was initially introduced as an allegory for the civil rights movement, it seems the character has always been non-binary according to X-Men: The Animated Series creators.

Morph’s Shapeshifting Nature Is an Allegory of Sexual Orientation per OG Creator

Eric Lewald, who served as one of the showrunners for the original show, sees the character’s shapeshifting nature as an allegory to his sexual orientation. Considering in X-Men: The Animated Series, Morph transforms into a number of characters, including Rogue, Storm, and Jean Grey, and even leans in for a kiss with Wolverine after turning to Jean, Lewald says: “That’s as nonbinary as you can get”.

He attacks Wolverine, his closest friend, in the most dramatic way by turning into Jean Grey and putting his hand on Wolverine’s neck and leaning in for a kiss. That’s as nonbinary as you can get. It’s Morph turning into a woman and coming onto Wolverine to freak him out. It was all there in Morph’s character. 

Co-creator Julia Lewald chimed in to share a similar sentiment, stressing that the backlash seems to be only from viewers who might’ve missed out on the original show’s message. At the core, the show has always been about “how to be nice to each other and how to get along”. Hence, seeing the world dealing with the issues that were prevalent 30 years ago is painful, stressed.

X-Men ’97 is available to stream on Disney Plus.