Marvel may have some of the most popular characters in comic book history, but where the brand has really shone is with its teams. One of the first that comes to mind is Marvel’s First Family, aka The Fantastic Four, who have headlined several feature films and hundreds of comics over the years. The Avengers have also become one of Marvel’s biggest cash cows in recent years, particularly thanks to the rise of the team during the early days of the MCU’s Infinity Saga. There is, however, another Marvel team that stands above the rest as the most popular in comic book history: The X-Men.

The X-Men and the many characters who have appeared on the roster over the years have gone on to feature in countless comic books, animated shows, and feature films. For many fans, their first experience with The X-Men was a trio of films between 2000 and 2006 featuring big names like Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen. While Marvel Studios is developing a live-action X-Men reboot film, the most popular mutant project in the last few years is X-Men ‘97, which is a direct continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series. Collider’s Maggie Lovitt recently moderated a high-profile X-Men panel at Big Lick Comic Con, which took place in Northern Virginia. The stars of the panel were Alison Sealy-Smith and Catherine Disher — the former is best known for her role as Storm, and the latter voiced Jean Grey in X-Men: TAS before transitioning to voice Valerie Cooper in X-Men ‘97. When Lovitt asked the duo how their relationship with the X-Men family had evolved and blossomed over the years, Fisher called back to Larry Houston, creator and producer of X-Men: The Animated Series:
“A lot of people got introduced to comics as kids by watching the cartoon, and in fact, here’s what I find so interesting. Larry Houston, the original director and producer of the X-Men series, got to choose which mutants would be featured in the show from a huge roster of characters. He chose this particular group and, in a way, created a family. I once asked him what the collective noun for a group of X-Men would be — like a school of fish or a herd of cows. After thinking about it, he came back to me and said, ‘I’ve got it: a family of X-Men.’”

Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz
Which MCU Hero Are You?
Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

Spider-Man
Daredevil
Iron Man
Punisher
Thor
Cap

FIND YOUR HERO →

01
What drives you to do what’s right?
Choose the answer that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility — I protect those who can’t protect themselves.
BMy faith and my conscience — I believe justice must be served, even in the dark.
CLegacy and ego, honestly — but I’ve learned that others depend on me now.
DThe system failed. Someone has to make sure the guilty actually pay.
EDuty to the innocent and honour to my name — I was born to protect realms.
FThe values I was raised with — freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

NEXT QUESTION →

02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you?
Your answer says more about you than you’d think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood.
BRunning rooftops in Hell’s Kitchen, listening for trouble.
CIn my lab, upgrading my suit with a cold cup of coffee nearby.
DStaking out a target I’ve been tracking for three weeks.
ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand.
FOn a morning run — I was up at 4, actually. Couldn’t sleep.

NEXT QUESTION →

03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice?
Every hero has a method. What’s yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police — again.
BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their entire operation from the inside.
CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins.
DMake sure they don’t escape a third time. Permanently.
EChallenge them to single combat. Honour demands a decisive end.
FRally allies, adapt the plan, and bring them in — by the book, even if it’s hard.

NEXT QUESTION →

04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity?
The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.

AEssential — my loved ones would be in danger if anyone found out who I am.
BCritical — the mask protects my mission as much as my face.
COverrated — I announced myself to the world and I’d do it again.
DI’m a ghost. The less people know about me, the better.
EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There’s no hiding it.
FI don’t hide — but I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

NEXT QUESTION →

05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that?
Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away — it pushes me to do better, every single day.
BI channel it into purpose — their memory is the reason I keep fighting.
CI buried myself in work for years. I’m only recently learning to face it.
DIt transformed me completely. I’m not the same person I was before.
EWith warrior’s grief — I honour them by fighting with everything I have.
FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

NEXT QUESTION →

06
What’s your role when working with a team?
Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work — and keeps the mood up.
BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most.
CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation.
DI don’t do teams. I’m more effective operating solo, on my terms.
EThe heavy hitter — I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of battle.
FThe leader — I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure no one gets left behind.

NEXT QUESTION →

07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge?
The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly — I don’t kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly.
BI try to hold the line, but I’ve come terrifyingly close to crossing it.
CPractically — I do what’s necessary to protect people, including hard calls.
DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice — the system just won’t admit it.
EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned — not automatic.
FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles, we become what we fight against.

NEXT QUESTION →

08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like?
The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.

ATrying to juggle school, a part-time job, and not failing my friends.
BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the streets.
CRunning a global company, attending galas, and pretending I’m sleeping enough.
DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions.
ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world — coffee is extraordinary.
FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

NEXT QUESTION →

09
What keeps you up at night?
Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.

AThe people I couldn’t save — and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow.
BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too.
CThe threats I can see coming and whether my tech is actually good enough.
DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I’ve made my choices.
EWhether I’m truly worthy — of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect.
FA world where no one stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

NEXT QUESTION →

10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do?
This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one web shot that changes everything.
BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat — and keep going.
CActivate the emergency protocol I built for exactly this scenario. Always have a plan.
DI don’t accept that it’s lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot anymore.
ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me.
FPick up the shield. Stand up. Because as long as I can stand, it’s not over.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified
Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

Queens, New York

Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.

Hell’s Kitchen, New York

Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.

Stark Industries, Malibu

Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.

New York City

The Punisher
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.

Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms

Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.

Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers

Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

‘X-Men’ (2000) Would Look Very Different Without ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’

The original X-Men movie and its 2003 sequel, X2: X-Men United, were directed by Bryan Singer, who was famously not a huge Marvel Comics fan when he accepted the job. Disher continued with her story, explaining, “Larry created that family. And then, the director of the first live-action X-Men movie knew very little about the X-Men. He watched the cartoon, and that’s why many of those characters were featured in the films and have continued to be central to the franchise ever since.” The most popular X-Men figures since the premiere of the first X-Men movie in 2000 have been characters such as Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, and Storm, but there’s a world where this list is completely different. If Larry Houston had chosen to feature other mutants more prominently, like Bishop, Polaris, Cable, or Cannonball, the Marvel universe as we know it would look nothing like it does now. While Singer did not return to direct the final installment in the early 2000s X-Men trilogy — he was replaced by Brett Ratner — the characters and story had been set in such a way that it wouldn’t have made sense to introduce a new roster that late in the story.

Check out the first season of X-Men ‘97 on Disney+ and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Season 2, which begins streaming next month on July 1.

Release Date

July 13, 2000

Runtime

104 minutes

Director

Bryan Singer

Producers

Avi Arad, Lauren Shuler Donner, Ralph Winter, Richard Donner