X-Men: The Animated Series ended in 1997 after a 76-episode run, but the show actually ran on for longer than originally planned.

X-Men: The Animated Series was a major hit for the Fox Kids Network, and while the Marvel show eventually came to an end in 1997 after five seasons, it was never exactly canceled. Though it faced numerous production problems along the way, X-Men came to a natural conclusion following a five-season, 76-episode run that was actually longer than originally planned.

The influence of X-Men: The Animated Series should not be understated, especially with the X-Men ’97 revival bringing back much of the original cast. The show paved the way for the X-Men movie timeline, which – along with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies – became the foundation of the current golden age of superhero movies. By the time The Avengers came along in 2012, its target audience of young adults were people who had grown up watching a team of superheroes work together on the small screen, and were eager to see more of the same on the big screen.

X-Men: The Animated Series’ Original Show Plan & “Cancelation” Explained

Fox executive Margaret Loesch, who believed the X-Men had a lot of potential as a franchise for Fox Kids, ordered a 13-episode first season after becoming head of the network in 1991. Produced by Saban Entertainment, the show premiered in 1992 and garnered top ratings and an overwhelmingly positive response from critics.

However, from the start there was a plan that the series would run for 65 episodes. In a THR retrospective on the series, artist and producer Will Meugniot recalled that X-Men animator Larry Houston even had this plan in mind when designing the iconic opening credits of the show: “Because Larry was such a solid fan of X-Men and he knew the show was going to run 65 episodes and eventually everybody was going to show up in it, he put everybody in the title.” This plan would fall somewhat to the wayside in lieu of allowing more episodes to be made of the show, resulting in some confusion regarding the series and its ending.

X-Men: The Animated Series’ Show Extension Explained

Had X-Men: The Animated Series stuck with the original plan, the series finale would have been the four-part Cable storyline “Beyond Good and Evil,” which aired during season 4. However, rather than ending there, the series instead more or less wound down over the course of an additional season.

According to X-Men showrunner Eric Lewald, “Some of the quality controls were lifted [in season 5]. The budgets went down. They were cranked down.” The final episodes were animated by a cheaper studio in the Philippines, which is why season 5 looks a little different to earlier seasons. However, the show remained popular right up until the end, and Meugniot says that it was never actually “canceled” per se:

“What I think people don’t understand is X-Men wasn’t cancelled. It had actually been scheduled to be 65 episodes and had been extended past the original order. When it was done, it was like ‘well, contract fulfilled. We did it.'”

By the time the X-Men: The Animated Series finale, “Graduation Day,” aired in September 1997, Bryan Singer had already been hired to direct the live-action movie. X-Men began filming just a couple of years later and became a major box office hit for 20th Century Fox, grossing almost $300 billion worldwide – a success that was owed in large part to the animated series creating a massive built-in fanbase who were eager to see their favorite characters brought to life.