The new X-Men ’97 trailer recently gave fans their best look yet at shapeshifter Morph’s redesigned character model. But why is Morph so different from his X-Men: The Animated Series incarnation in X-Men ’97?
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Why Morph Is Different in X-Men ’97, Explained
Morph’s default form in X-Men: The Animated Series is a muscular, dark-haired white male in blue-and-gold X-Men togs accessorized with a brown jacket. The chameleonic mutant sports the same spandex/jacket ensemble in X-Men ’97, however, he’s now slightly slimmer than before. More importantly, Morph no longer appears fully human in the Disney+ revival show, adopting an all-white, featureless visage and bald head, instead. So, what gives?
Morph’s revamped aesthetic in X-Men ’97 largely boils down to his characterization under showrunner Beau DeMayo. Specifically, DeMayo and his team have decided to depict Morph – who, as a shapeshifter, is technically gender-fluid – as someone who identifies as non-binary. This is reflected in Morph’s blank face and lack of hair, which reframes his (or rather “their”) base look as less explicitly male or female.
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It also makes Morph a dead ringer for their counterpart in the first volume of Exiles – Marvel’s fondly remembered 2001 comic book series about reality-hopping superheroes. Long-time comics readers will no doubt appreciate the X-Men ’97 version of Morph mirroring Exiles‘ fan-favorite take on the character, even though it doesn’t quite fit with the show’s 1997 conceit.
That said, Morph isn’t the only member of the X-Men ’97 ensemble to rock an anachronistic look. Supervillain Magneto will ditch his iconic red-and-purple outfit in favor of a helmetless, sleeveless costume in the Disney+ revival. The Master of Magnetism primarily wore this get-up in the mid-80s X-Men comics, although its inclusion in X-Men ’97 makes sense. As in the comics, Magneto’s less intimidating wardrobe reflects his efforts to turn over a new leaf.
X-Men ’97 Showrunner Addresses Morph’s Updated Characterization
So, that’s the rationale behind Morph’s overhauled design in X-Men ’97 explained – what else can we expect from their portrayal in the show’s first season? Less gloom and doom, according to DeMayo. The showrunner said as much in a recent Empire interview (via Looper), indicating that X-Men ’97 will deliver a “lighter” Morph than fans are used to seeing.
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At the same time, DeMayo also noted how important the darker aspects of Morph’s history are to X-Men ’97‘s legacy canon, particularly their apparent death in two-part X-Men: The Animated Series opener “Night of the Sentinels.” “[Morph] really set the stakes,” DeMayo explained. “And he had a very interesting relationship with the team because of trauma.”
X-Men ’97 arrives on Disney+ on March 20, 2024, and will run for 10 episodes.
