The BEST episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series

Every episode of X-Men: The Animated Series ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series!

They are mutants, genetically gifted human beings - the world's newest and most persecuted minority group. Amidst an increasing climate of fear and bigotry, one enlightened individual, Professor Charles Xavier, has created a safe haven for some of these powerful outcasts. The mutants here are taught to harness their unique abilities for the betterment of the human race. They fight against hostile Government agencies and mutant supremacist Magneto, and his factions, which seek to destroy the human race.

Last Updated: 1/2/2024Network: FOXStatus: Ended
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Graduation Day
star
8.88
231 votes

#1 - Graduation Day

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 9/20/1997

Due to a serious injury, Professor Xavier is dying and must leave with Lilandra and go with her to the Shi'Ar Empire. He bids farewell to his X-Men. The last scene of this show ends with all of the X-men standing outside the mansion watching Lilandra's ship carrying Xavier flying away.

Writer: James Krieg
Watch Now:Amazon
The Dark Phoenix: The Fate of the Phoenix (4)
star
8.68
361 votes

#2 - The Dark Phoenix: The Fate of the Phoenix (4)

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/26/1994

The X-Men face the Shi'ar Imperial Guard in a trial by combat to spare the life of Jean Grey, though even they begin to question the safety of the universe as long as the Dark Phoenix remains alive inside her.

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Orphan's End
star
8.53
326 votes

#3 - Orphan's End

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/25/1995

Cyclops discovers that Corsair, the leader of the interstellar band of pirates known as the Starjammers, is his father. He's a fugitive on the run from the Shi'ar empire, and seeks his help in proving his innocence. But can the man who abandoned him as a child truly be trusted?

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The Phoenix Saga: Child of Light (5)
star
8.41
436 votes

#4 - The Phoenix Saga: Child of Light (5)

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/9/1994

Shi'ar Emperor D'Ken's rise to power via the M'Kraan Crystal is causing a universal implosion. The X-Men, Imperial Guard, and Starjammers find themselves overpowered and unable to stop it. Jean Grey must unleash her destiny as the host of the Phoenix, even at a most personal cost.

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Time Fugitives (2)
star
8.31
355 votes

#5 - Time Fugitives (2)

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/18/1993

To stablize his own timeline, Cable comes to the present to prevent Bishop from saving mutant-kind from Apocalypse's plague.

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A Rogue's Tale
star
8.22
388 votes

#6 - A Rogue's Tale

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/8/1994

Haunted by visions of a strange woman, Rogue must come to grips with the dark secrets of her past prior to joining the X-Men.

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Days of Future Past (1)
star
8.20
527 votes

#7 - Days of Future Past (1)

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/13/1993

A mutant from more than half a century into the future, named Bishop, arrives in the present, attempting to change history for the better, by stopping an X-Man from committing an assassination. But between being chased by a future breed of Sentinel, and the details of his mission being fuzzy, he's got his work cut out for him.

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The Final Decision
star
8.18
444 votes

#8 - The Final Decision

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/27/1993

Recovering from their initial battle with the X-Men, Gyrich and Trask have resumed Project Wideawake by creating the ultimate Sentinel: the Master Mold, a walking factory capable of creating Sentinel robots at an assembly-line pace. The X-Men must join with their oldest nemesis, Magneto, to destroy the Master Mold and prevent the extermination of all mutantkind.

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Days of Future Past (2)
star
8.12
598 votes

#9 - Days of Future Past (2)

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/20/1993

Aware of an impending assassination which will create a catastrophic future, the X-Men must deal with threats both outside and within their team.

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The Phoenix Saga: The Starjammers (4)
star
8.11
354 votes

#10 - The Phoenix Saga: The Starjammers (4)

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/8/1994

Lilandra seeks to protect the M'Kraan Crystal from her wicked brother, the Emperor D'Ken. But the interstellar pirates known as the Starjammers capture it, and Cyclops, in an effort to enact their own revenge scheme on the emperor.

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The Phoenix Saga: The Cry of the Banshee (3)
star
8.07
326 votes

#11 - The Phoenix Saga: The Cry of the Banshee (3)

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/7/1994

Professor Xavier's claims of the capture of his alien soulmate Lilandra by Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy are met with skepticism.

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The Phoenix Saga: Sacrifice (1)
star
8.05
311 votes

#12 - The Phoenix Saga: Sacrifice (1)

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/5/1994

Following visions from recent dreams, Professor Xavier sends his X-Men on a mission to the Eagle One Space-Station, putting them in the middle of an interstellar conflict.

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Family Ties
star
8.01
206 votes

#13 - Family Ties

Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/4/1996

X-Factor's Quicksilver, and his sister, the Avenger called Scarlet Witch, seek revenge against Magneto when they learn that he was responsible for their birth mother's death. But the trio is unaware of the common bond between them, nor the true purposes of the mysterious man who brought them all together.

Writer: Marley Clark
Watch Now:Amazon
The Phoenix Saga: The Dark Shroud (2)
star
7.97
355 votes

#14 - The Phoenix Saga: The Dark Shroud (2)

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/6/1994

The X-Men barely survive their return trip from space, Jean Grey discovering herself changed by the experience. Professor Xavier's dark half is given form, and proceeds to attack his students.

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Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape
star
7.96
188 votes

#15 - Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape

Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 6/11/1995

A cryptic postcard unleashes a flood of maddening and painful memories in Wolverine that threaten to drive him insane. To keep his mind from being torn apart, Wolverine and Beast travel to the one location that may hold the answers to his hidden past: the ruins of the top-secret Weapon X lab where Wolverine's bones were laced with adamantium. There he encounters other former 'test subjects'- Sabretooth, Maverick and Silver Fox- who are suffering similar mental breakdowns. Old passions and rivalries are re-ignited as the four former government agents break into the lab, leading to an explosive climax and the realization that some secrets are best left buried...

Directors: Larry Houston
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The Juggernaut Returns
star
7.95
304 votes

#16 - The Juggernaut Returns

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/6/1995

Professor Xavier's step-brother, and sworn enemy, the Juggernaut loses his powers to a bumbling archeologist. He must overcome the pain of their childhood together, and have the powers restored to him to save his life.

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One Man's Worth (1)
star
7.95
261 votes

#17 - One Man's Worth (1)

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/9/1995

Bishop & Shard recruit Wolverine & Storm for a time travel mission to save Professor Xavier's life. Except they're from the parallel timeline where he died before founding the X-Men, a world where humans and mutants are in a constant war with one another. Not only do they pair lack a connection to him, but correcting history may put an end to their marriage.

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Beyond Good and Evil (4)
star
7.92
209 votes

#18 - Beyond Good and Evil (4)

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/25/1995

Two of Apocalypse's former evil allies, the captive Wolverine, the loose cannon Cable, and the exiled Bishop, come together to free the kidnapped psychics and save reality from being rewritten.

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The Dark Phoenix: The Dark Phoenix (3)
star
7.90
279 votes

#19 - The Dark Phoenix: The Dark Phoenix (3)

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/19/1994

As the Dark Phoenix grows increasingly hostile, even destroying an entire star system, the X-Men struggle to figure out a way to stop her without harming their teammate Jean Grey.

Writer: Larry Parr
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Old Soldiers
star
7.88
153 votes

#20 - Old Soldiers

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/22/1997

Wolverine thinks back to the time when he fought during World War II and teamed up with Captain America.

Writer: Len Wein
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Till Death Do Us Part (2)
star
7.87
402 votes

#21 - Till Death Do Us Part (2)

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/30/1993

As Morph's seeking of revenge on the X-Men begins to run into some snags, Cyclops & Jean Grey get their Honeymoon cut short by the machinations of Mister Sinister and the Nasty Boys.

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Cold Comfort
star
7.87
246 votes

#22 - Cold Comfort

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/4/1995

A founding member of the X-Men, named Iceman, breaks into a government facility. He refuses to trust his former teammates about his reasons for doing so, but when Jubilee aids him in his quest, it leads to the team going up against another group of mutants, known as X-Factor.

Writer: Len Uhley
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Time Fugitives (1)
star
7.86
362 votes

#23 - Time Fugitives (1)

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/11/1993

Bishop returns from the future to again attempt to fix his world, this time trying to stop a plague from infecting mutants. But his noble actions lead to a far greater tragedy.

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Bloodlines
star
7.86
200 votes

#24 - Bloodlines

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/26/1996

Nightcrawler gets a mysterious message. He is informed that his birth mother (whom he never knew) is in trouble. He turns to the X-Men for assistance. Jubilee is baffled that Nightcrawler wants to help the mother who abandoned him -- she has never known her birth parents and feels pretty hostile toward them, whoever they are. Nightcrawler admits there has been pain, but his faith in God has helped him overcome her rejection. The plot thickens when one of the team members recognizes Nightcrawler's mother's voice. There are more 'bloodlines' here than anyone imagined, including the Friends of Humanity who arranged this 'reunion' in the first place.

Directors: Larry Houston
Writer: Len Uhley
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Beyond Good and Evil (1)
star
7.86
210 votes

#25 - Beyond Good and Evil (1)

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/4/1995

Apocalypse steals Cable's computer in the year 3999, allowing him to time travel to the past, where he schemes to bring an end to his struggle against inferior mutants once and for all. This leads to Bishop becoming trapped amid the timestream, and brings

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV