History YMMV / XMenEvolution

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The completely out of nowhere music {{montage|s}} in "Walk on the Wild Side". It even involves something of an ArtShift to look more like a music video - as if the Bayville Sirens were a GirlGroup. Jean and Amara dancing in the record store is especially out of character. While it is plot-relevant - showing how Rogue and Kitty got involved - the tone itself is bizarre.

** Rogue and Gambit ended up being the most popular couple, mostly due to their comic book counterparts, eventually leading to the creators devoting an episode to setting them up (and the final scene implying they were together).

** Storm and Wolverine are an odd case as they ''did'' have a few genuine ShipTease moments, fans just wanted way more of it.

* EvilIsSexy:
** Mystique, naturally. Her Season 2 costume is skimpier, and that's when she establishes herself as a villain in her own right.
** The Brotherhood in general have fangirls who find them extremely attractive, more specifically Pietro and Lance. Tabitha has male fans for the exact same reason.
** A large part of Gambit's appeal, though he's technically not evil, so much as he doesn't really care about anything besides himself and his pockets though he still has a heart of gold, deep down.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** While not as memorable as the 90s animated theme, ''Evolution's'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6faj24XtmP8 is quite impressive in its own right]].
** Apocalypse's theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P35NNL_4ybM&t=74s. It's imposing, majestic, and grandiose. Perfectly fitting for the PhysicalGod Ancient Pharaoh FinalBoss of the series

** Duncan Matthews started off as a typical JerkJock, but become something far worse in his [[Recap/XMenEvolutionS4E5Uprising final appearance]]. After Jean Grey dumped him when he described her mutant gifts as a problem, Duncan slowly develops a [[FantasticRacism hatred of mutants]]. After graduating high school, Duncan got a job at a mining company and harassed mutants in his spare time. After trying to harass a couple of the younger X-Men students, former X-Men Spyke drives him off, destroying his car in the process. [[EvilIsPetty In revenge]], Duncan steals some mining equipment from his job and he and his friends attack the Morlocks, mutants who live under the sewers. Duncan and his gang throw bombs down the sewer, attempting to kill as many Morlocks as they can and then force the survivors to the surface, so Duncan and his gang can kill them with laser torches. While confronting Spyke, a mutant child named Leech intervenes, trying to protect Spyke, so Duncan decides to try and [[WouldHurtAChild shoot him]].

** Mesmero is a [[MindManipulation mind-controlling]] mutant and a servant of {{ComicBook/Apocalypse}}. Originally having limited mental powers, Apocalypse boosted his mental powers and promised him more if Mesero freed Apocalypse. Mesmero takes a job at the circus and encounters the X-Men. Mesmero torments Jean Grey with [[MindRape nightmares to break her will]] and make her his puppet. Mesmero forces Jean to mind control other teen X-Men, forcing them to steal 3 rings that serve as a key to the first door imprisoning Apocalypse. Mesmero forces the X-Men he mind controls to fight their teammates, while he escapes. Mesmero gets the second key by tricking Magneto into destroying a spider creature that was a guardian meant to keep Apocalpyse imprisoned. Later Mesmero allies with Mystique and take her to Apocalpsye's tomb and announces she is the third key. Mesmero tells Mystique to put her hand on the final door, which turns [[TakenForGranite her to stone]] and frees Apocalypse. Mesmero knows that Apocalypse will kill millions of people to [[WellIntentionedExtremist achieve his vision of a better world]] when freed, but does not care, wanting the power Apocalypse promised him.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: While not as memorable as the 90s animated theme, ''Evolution's'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6faj24XtmP8 is quite impressive in its own right]].

** "Survival of the Fittest" had Jean Grey dressed as Lara Croft, essentially, with a sexy green tank top, shorts, and braids the entire episode.

** "Walk on the Wild Side" is remembered for the X-girls and Boom Boom donning sexy black leather outfits to fight crime.

** Rogue cannot touch anyone without causing them extreme pain or possibly even killing them, [[HasTwoMommies both of her mothers]] seek to use her to their own ends, and one of the boys she's in love with is dating someone else, and the other was put in a coma because of her powers.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** Notoriously, ''X-Men Evolution'' successfully averted falling into WolverinePublicity and giving him too much spotlight, something that is lauded even by people who otherwise aren't really fans of the series. Furthermore, the AgeLift brought on Jean Grey and Cyclops resulted in the removal of their controversial LoveTriangle. Many among the audience were so relieved about it, this is alone considered a big merit ''Evolution'' boasts compared to other ''X-Men'' adaptations.
** One of Season 3's arcs culminates in Spyke, the least popular member of the main team, [[PutOnABus leaving to join the Morlocks]] due to his mutation growing out of control. While he ''did'' return later, he was considerably reworked in such a way that made him [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap a much more interesting character]].
** Given the BrokenBase nature of the couple, Lance returning to being a hostile anti-villain and Kitty dumping him in season 3 could be seen as this to some. Them seemingly getting back together in the finale, or at least implied, would be this for others.

** Notoriously, ''X-Men Evolution'' successfully averted falling into WolverinePublicity and giving him too much spotlight, something that is plauded even by people who otherwise aren't really fans of the series. Furthermore, the AgeLift brought on Jean Grey and Cyclops resulted in the removal of their controversial LoveTriangle. Many among the audience were so relieved about it, this is alone considered a big merit ''Evolution'' boasts compared to other ''X-Men'' adaptations.

* RealismInducedHorror: In the episode ''Uprising'', during a crisis, Mutants are being subjected to bigotry and that people are attempting to kill them just for being mutants, [[WouldHurtAChild even tried to a mutant child]]. Mutant powers aside, being the victim of bigotry and hate crimes are something to be legitimately concerned about. The episode shows that people ''will'' take extreme measures to deal with what they believe is a problem and how even a child can be a victim of it. Just ask former victims and their family members.

** A lot of Lance's dialog comes off as unintentionally sexual because of all his rock puns. Season 2 Episode 1 had these lines by Lance & Kitty:

* RealismInducedHorror : In the episode ''Uprising'', during a crisis, Mutants are being subjected to bigotry and that people are attempting to kill them just for being mutants, [[WouldHurtAChild even tried to a mutant child]]. Mutant powers aside, being the victim of bigotry and hate crimes are something to be legitimately concerned about. The episode shows that people ''will'' take extreme measures to deal with what they believe is a problem and how even a child can be a victim of it. Just ask former victims and their family members.

** To a lesser extent as he was only a BaseBreakingCharacter, but Cyclops lost a lot of fans in the second season thanks to "Joyride" making him the Brotherhood fandom's punching bag. The third season rectify this as Scott got significant CharacterDevelopment that put him in line with his comic self more, showing his strong leadership and badassery.

** People on Wiki/TheOtherWiki have made some guesses about Avalanche. Namely, they've guessed he's likely Greek, with 'Alvers' being an Americanized corruption of the name 'Alvez', and that his middle name is 'Domonic' to match his name in the comics.

* IdiotPlot: Say what you want about most of the episode, but "Joyride" falls apart pretty quickly when you remember Wolverine's advanced senses and Xavier and Jean's telepathy, either of which should have identified who was the culprit instantly.

** A lot of Lance's dialog comes off as this because of all his rock puns. Season 2 Episode 1 had these lines by Lance & Kitty:

** Regarding Wolverine's treatment, not only the series successfully avoided falling into WolverinePublicity and giving him too much spotlight, but the AgeLift brought on Jean Grey and Cyclops resulted in the removal of their controversial LoveTriangle. Many among the audience were so relieved about it, this is alone considered a big merit ''Evolution'' boasts compared to other ''X-Men'' adaptations.

---> '''Kitty''': Shouldn't you be erupting somewhere?\\

* BrokenBase: The series got a fair amount of dislike from those who grew up with ''WesternAnimation/XMen'', but some others liked this incarnation just fine, if not prefer it. Critics attack [[WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution the show]] for its lack of fidelity to the source material, its de-aging of all the mutants to teenage and YA versions of themselves, and toning down of violence. Defenders point out that it's the only animated incarnation of the X-Men that isn't bogged down by WolverinePublicity (the showrunners made it a point of making only one or two Wolverine-centric episodes per season), it also allows proper space and room for an ensemble cast of mutants, where the relationships don't take attention away from the socio-political metaphor and by introducing X-23, it produced a highly successful CanonForeigner who was ultimately adapted into ''Film/{{Logan}}'', the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful of all the entries in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'', and as such one can argue that ''Evolution'' made a more lasting contribution than the original Fox adaptation did.

* FandomRivalry: Many fans of [[WesternAnimation/XMen the previous cartoon]] do ''not'' take kindly to a comparison between the two, especially ones favoring ''Evolution''.

* SlowPacedBeginning: The first two seasons of the series are mostly episodic, introduces what could be considered [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters too many characters]], and drag on for quite a while. But upon the Season 2 finale, and the beginning of Season 3, the series begins putting emphasis on much longer story arcs, and the core themes of discrimination that the franchise is known for.

** Principal Kelly went from being a possibly bigoted jerk of a principal to a complete bastard when he starts encouraging bullying of mutants and [[ManipulativeBastard has both the Brotherhood and Duncan]] [[VillainTeamUp team-up]] to attack Scott so [[FalseFlagOperation he can convince the school board that mutants are violent and dangerous]].

** [[spoiler: [[TheDragon Mesmero's]]]] introductory episode was this from the beginning to the end in episode 25 (''Mindbender''). There was no blood, no ultra violence, no huge fights... just him kidnapping and brainwashing a bunch of innocent kids ([[spoiler:Jean, Kitty, Evan and Kurt]]), using them to set off his EvilPlan to wake up [[spoiler: his master Apocalypse]] [[AdultFear and slipping unnoticed under their caretakers' watch]]. And he starts this by entering the kids' dreams and turning them into nightmares. Poor, ''poor'' Jean Grey.

** Rouge's shyness and social awkwardness makes her this.