Morph (X-Men: The Animated Series)

Morph
X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men '97 character
Promotional art of Morph from X-Men '97
First appearance	"Night of the Sentinels (Part 1)" (October 31, 1992)
Based on	Changeling by Roy Thomas Werner Roth
Adapted by	Mark Edward Edens Eric Lewald
Voiced by	Ron Rubin (X-Men: The Animated Series) J. P. Karliak (X-Men '97)
In-universe information
Species	Mutant
Gender	Non-binary
Affiliation	X-Men
Powers and abilities	Shapeshifting

Morph is a fictional superhero appearing in the animated superhero series X-Men: The Animated Series—which aired on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997—and its revival X-Men '97, which has been streaming on Disney+ since March 2024. Introduced as a member of the X-Men, Morph sacrificed themselves^[a] to save Wolverine from a Sentinel in the show's premiere. The second-season premiere would reveal that Mister Sinister found Morph's body, resurrecting and experimenting on them, turning them into his minion. By the season's finale, the X-Men help free them from Sinister's control, and take them to Muir Island to recuperate. They briefly rejoin the team in season 4, and although they succeed in saving their teammates, realizing that they are still suffering from the mental trauma they are experiencing, Morph decides to leave them once more. Following the conclusion of the original series, Morph rejoined the X-Men on a permanent basis in X-Men '97, becoming part of the show's core cast. X-Men '97 sees the character dealing with the trauma of Sinister's experimentations and figuring out their identity, being depicted as non-binary, and their place on the X-Men. Throughout the first season, Morph's romantic feelings for Wolverine are also made apparent.

Morph was loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Changeling, created by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth; a minor character who had joined the X-Men and sacrificed himself in the 1960s. During development of The Animated Series, the showrunners wanted to have an X-Men member die in the premiere to set the show's serious tone, seeking out a minor X-Men member that had died in the comics. Initially, this position was to be filled by Thunderbird, but upon realizing the racist implications of killing-off their only Native American character, he was omitted early during development. Thunderbird was replaced with Changeling, who was one of the few other X-Men that had died a heroic death in the comics. Due to disputes over the DC Comics character Beast Boy, who also used the codename Changeling, the character's name was changed to Morph for the cartoon.

Initially, Morph's death in The Animated Series' premiere was supposed to be permanent. However, due to the character's popularity with audiences—particularly with focus groups—they were resurrected and brought back in season 2. Morph's storylines in later seasons proved somewhat difficult for the writers to come up with, as their limited appearances in X-Men comics meant there were no storylines involving the character that they could adapt. X-Men '97 depicts Morph as trying to move past their trauma and discover their identity as core aspects of their character arc. The character is also depicted as non-binary, which is a decision that crew members of the original series described as aligning with their vision of the character.

Despite their minimal appearances in The Animated Series, Morph became a fan favorite among viewers; being what led to their resurrection. Many discussions regarding the character have focused on their death in the premiere as unprecedented for a children's program of the time. Critics responded positively to Morph's storylines following their resurrection, particularly their role as a brainwashed thrall of Mister Sinister, and the depiction of their mental trauma from these events. The progression of their character in X-Men '97, particularly their depiction as non-binary, has also achieved praise from critics; Morph's romantic feelings for Wolverine have also received attention.
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