X-Men '97 Star Says Backlash "Didn't Surprise" Them at All

The first two episodes of X-Men '97 arrived last week, delivering a new chapter of the beloved animated series. While X-Men '97 is unabashedly nostalgic for the era in which it is set, it does have some more modern updates. This includes the reveal that shapeshifting mutant Morph (JP Karliak) is non-binary, something that was already confirmed by X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo prior to the show's debut. In a recent interview with CBR, Karliak revealed that he is unsurprised by the wide array of reactions to that X-Men '97 detail, including a bit of backlash on social media.

"No. [laughs] I'm a queer activist," Karliak revealed. "I run a nonprofit that advocates for queer representation. I also co-founded a voter registration organization. I know what's going on in the world, especially politically, so no, it didn't surprise me at all. [laughs] 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."

 "I haven't really taken offense with anything anybody's published, as much as they've tried," Karliak continued with a laugh. "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!'"

What Is X-Men '97 About?

Marvel Animation's X-Men '97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.

The voice cast of X-Men '97 includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Beau DeMayo served as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura, and the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo.

What did you think of X-Men '97's two-episode premiere? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

New episodes of X-Men '97 debut on Wednesdays exclusively on Disney+. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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