Talk:Morph (X-Men: The Animated Series)

So, question

Since when did gender/sexuality suddenly become such a notable trait to the point where being a certain gender/sexuality makes you more notable than someone of a different gender/sexuality? Especially if it's not the typical male/female thing you usually get. Like, maybe I don't get it 'cause I'm a straight white dude who's never been attacked for something like that but like big whoop? Why should anyone, regardless of where you stand on the issue, care THAT much over who someone decides to fuck? Like it just seems to me both sides, gender nonconforming types and the intolerant people railing against them need to take a step back and wonder if this is REALLY something to get THAT worked up over. Live your life, fuck whomever you wanna fuck and don't make it other people's problems, simple.

PS SO glad my favorite jerk from my favorite show out now has an article. Americanfreedom (talk) 15:08, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

So you're pointing out that on Wikipedia, LGBTQ types are considered more "notable" than heterosexually-inclined persons are. Persons with primarily heterosexual inclinations are presumably the majority. It used to be that being gay was highly scandalous. Now that attitude is old-fashioned and generally considered offensive. So you're now stating what's generally accepted (except by old fuddy duddies), and it's offensive if someone considers that it's any of their business what your sexual preferences are. So you're just stating what is now considered a commonplace, i.e. the way we expect normal people to respond to such a revelation. Fabrickator (talk) 12:26, 15 May 2024 (UTC)

Interview sources

1. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/T1lce-IFxXg
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2YVZ2msUtA
3. https://www.thepopverse.com/x-men-97-morph-jp-karliak-interview
   1. https://www.thepopverse.com/how-voice-actor-jp-karliak-score-xmen-97-role-morph
4. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/GT8hDmFVegU
5. https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/x-men-97-mister-sinister-morph-jp-karliak-history/

PanagiotisZois (talk) 21:43, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Morph (X-Men: The Animated Series)/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: PanagiotisZois (talk · contribs) 17:04, 14 April 2024 (UTC)

Reviewer: Matthew Yeager (talk · contribs) 13:49, 2 January 2025 (UTC)

I'll take this nomination and provide feedback over the next few hours. Matthew Yeager (talk) 13:49, 2 January 2025 (UTC)

Good Article review progress box

Criteria: 1a. prose () 1b. MoS () 2a. ref layout () 2b. cites WP:RS () 2c. no WP:OR () 2d. no WP:CV () 3a. broadness () 3b. focus () 4. neutral () 5. stable () 6a. free or tagged images () 6b. pics relevant () Note: this represents where the article stands relative to the Good Article criteria. Criteria marked are unassessed

Summary

Excellent article! The information and references throughout the article are great. The lead can be improved with some simplification. The overall flow of the article can feel disjointed as each series is covered in each section, but I have some suggestions for organization. I'm providing detailed feedback and suggestions so that there are clear action items. Be sure to offer alternative suggestions where you see fit. Let me know if you have time to work through these points and I can keep the review open. Matthew Yeager (talk) 20:16, 2 January 2025 (UTC)

Lead

The content within the lead is great. I think everything needed is there, and it correctly previews major sections to come. However I have some feedback about the form, as right now we cycle through some topics twice and have overly wordy sentences. Additionally, some details expand on areas not directly associated with Morph -- we can explore those within the article instead. I'll detail my concerns and offer suggestions, but I'm open to your perspective.

• Character Introduction & Death

Issues: We start with the plot and back into the context (development and reception) in a way which could be more impactful by showing a single timeline of events. In other words, directly include how they were loosely based off Changeling, and how their death sets a serious tone. Deeper review of the development and proposed use of Thunderbird can be left for the article as background information.

Example Copy Edit: Loosely based on Marvel Comics' Changeling, Morph is introduced as an X-Men member who sacrificed themselves[a] to protect Wolverine from a Sentinel in the show's premiere. Their death in the premiere was unprecedented for a children's program of the time and set the series' serious tone.

Would replace the following sentences:

• Introduced as a member of the X-Men, Morph sacrificed themselves[a] to protect Wolverine from a Sentinel in the show's premiere.
• Morph was loosely based on Marvel Comics' Changeling; a minor character created by Roy Thomas and Werner Roth who joined the X-Men and sacrificed himself in the 1960s. During The Animated Series' development, the showrunners wanted an X-Man to die in the premiere to set the cartoon's serious tone. 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 replaced with Changeling; one of the few X-Men that died heroically in the comics. Due to DC Comics' Beast Boy then using the codename Changeling, the character's name was changed to Morph for the cartoon.
• Many discussions regarding the character have focused on their death in the premiere as unprecedented for a children's program of the time.

• Reception & Resurrection

Issues: Provide context on why they were brought back. Focus on Morph, allowing for more Changeling background to be explored throughout the article. Consider a paragraph break, like how the death and season two premiere are separated within the article.

Example Copy Edit: While Morph's death was supposed to be permanent, they were brought back due to their popularity with audiences. However, with limited Changeling storylines to draw from, writing for Morph was difficult. The second-season premiere revealed Mister Sinister had found Morph to resurrect, experiment, and control them as their minion. By the season finale, the X-Men free them from Sinister's control, and take them to recuperate at Muir Island.

Would replace the following sentences:

• The second-season premiere revealed Mister Sinister found Morph, resurrecting and experimenting on them, turning them into his minion. By the season finale, the X-Men free them from Sinister's control, and take them to Muir Island to recuperate.
• Morph's death was supposed to be permanent, but due to their popularity with audiences, they were resurrected and brought back in season 2. Coming up with storylines for Morph proved difficult for the writers, as Changeling's limited appearances in the comics meant no storylines involving the character existed they could adapt.

• X-Men '97 Arch

Issues: Same duplication as with the previous example gives the opportunity for a more concise expression.

Example Copy Edit: X-Men '97 sees Morph evolving beyond comic relief, to instead work through the trauma of Sinister's experimentations and discover their identity as core aspects of their character arc. Critics have praised Morph's depiction as a non-binary character, aligning with the vision of the original series. Additionally, Morph's romantic feelings for Wolverine are explored and given attention by critics.

Would replace the following sentences:

• X-Men '97 sees Morph dealing with the trauma of Sinister's experimentations and figuring out their identity; their place on the X-Men and being non-binary. In the first season, Morph's romantic feelings for Wolverine are also made apparent.
• X-Men '97 features Morph 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.
• The progression of their character in X-Men '97, particularly their depiction as non-binary, has also achieved praise from critics, with Morph's romantic feelings for Wolverine also receiving attention.

Layout

Layout Structure Discussion

The lead details a progression through debut (sacrifice), return (minion), and revival (complex trauma). The article branches out The Animated Series (TAS) and X-Men '97 ('97) in Appearance, Development, and Reception causing the reader to jump back in timeline repeatedly. What do you think about pivoting the content to have subheadings per series? I'm looking at Gambit and enjoying the integration of development and plot within Fictional character biography. You could group Gender identity and Relationship with Wolverine under Characterization. What do you think? @Matthew Yeager: I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I fully understand. Do you mean that instead of having the articule structured as it currently is, we should consider having one section be "X-Men: The Animated Series" which consisted of an "Appearances" subsection and a "Development" subsection? Then do the same thing for X-Men '97? I did look at Gambit's article, and from what I'm seeing, the "Fictional character biography" section doesn't seem to have an real-world information of the character's development.--PanagiotisZois (talk) 23:29, 2 January 2025 (UTC) @PanagiotisZois: You're right. I skimmed through Gambit and saw notes from the writers, but it does not contain further real world developments. Let me restate my suggestion. The motivation is to more easily pair plot developments with the character development in the real world. The Morph article jumps between 1992-97 and 2024 for each section right now. Here is the outline now: Appearances In X-Men: The Animated Series In X-Men '97 Season 1 Development Creation ... X-Men: The Animated Series Return ... X-Men '97 Appearance and personality Gender identity Relationship with Wolverine Reception X-Men: The Animated Series X-Men '97 Merchandise I'm proposing something more linear, allowing for a closer connection between, for instance, resurrection of the character in S2 and the pressure from Fox Kids and audience sentiment. X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997) (Synopsis) Development Reception X-Men '97 (2024) (Synopsis) Development (currently Appearance and personality section) Characterization Gender identity Relationship with Wolverine Reception If you have a strong preference to keep the existing flow, I'm happy to hear more about it. Matthew Yeager (talk) 01:25, 3 January 2025 (UTC) @Matthew Yeager: Thank you for clarifying what you mean. Hope I don't sound rude when I say this, but I wholeheartedly disagree with such a layout for the article. Although Morph originates from comics, in a way, he is still a TV series character. Looking at other articles about characters from shows that have achieved FA-status in the past few years such as Eve Russell and Melanie Barnett, both of them have a similar layout; an "Appearances" section, a "Development" section-sometimes these two are reversed in order-and lastly a "Reception" section. Even characters that originate from comics like Iron Man and Naruto Uzumaki follow a similar structure of "Biography", "Development", and "Reception". For this reasons, I strongly disagree with restructuring the article, and believe its layout should be kept as is. Although this point was brought earlier, I think a similar structure should be followed for the lede. First we show Morph's storylines, then his development, and lastly critical response to the character. Having said that, ledes don't necessarily follow the exact structure of their articles all the time, so I'll definitely look into it again and see what can be altered. PanagiotisZois (talk) 12:40, 3 January 2025 (UTC) @PanagiotisZois: I'm glad we had this conversation, and I now understand more about the layout structure you've picked and the reasons behind it. I'll mark these layout discussions resolved. Please see to the other points on copy editing and close paraphrasing, and I think we will be able to move the review forward! Matthew Yeager (talk) 16:09, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

Y Resolved through discussion about structure, purpose, and related article layouts. No changes requested. Matthew Yeager (talk) 16:09, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

Appearances > In X-Men: The Animated Series

Please take a look at copy editing these sections which contain long sentences, expressing multiple ideas at one time. I'll give you two examples to illustrate the contrast, but there are many areas throughout the article that could benefit from a simplification. I don't want to dissuade you from a stylistic choice, but instead, I'm reiterating that the form is distracting from the content.
1.

Article: Morph was introduced in the premiere as one of the X-Men's members, using their shapeshifting abilities to act as comic relief, and having a close relationship with teammate Wolverine, who described Morph as the only one that could make him laugh. In the second part of the show's premiere, Morph gets killed while the X-Men are on a mission, sacrificing themselves to save Wolverine from a Sentinel's laser blast.

Proposal: Morph is introduced in the premiere as an X-Men member who uses their shapeshifting abilities to act as comic relief. Their humor helps form close relationships with teammates, specifically seeing Wolverine acknowledge Morph's comedic talent. Morph's death in the premiere occurs as they sacrifice themself to save Wolverine from a Sentinel's laser blast.

  This also helps move away from close paraphrasing:

Article: Wolverine, who described Morph as the only one that could make him laugh.

Source: Wolverine even said that Morph was the only person that could make him laugh.[1]

2.

Article: Despite overcoming their fears, realizing they're not ready to permanently rejoin them, Morph leaves the X-Men once more.

Proposal: Despite overcoming their fears, Morph realizes they are not ready to permanently rejoin and once more leaves the X-Men.

•   Review copy editing for close paraphrasing

Article: At the end of the season, thanks to Professor X's psychic assistance, Morph is able to break free from Sinister's mind control... Morph briefly rejoined the X-Men in a season 4 episode

Source: Morph is able to break through that hold at the end of the season, and while he rejoins the team briefly in season 4[2]

Appearances > In X-Men '97

The section gets caught up on providing a season plot summary instead of remaining focused on Morph's development. Like the TAS section, consolidation with a focus on Morph's perspective could help streamline the content. For example the two paragraphs starting with Realizing that Bastion was the true mastermind... and Simultaneously, Storm leads Morph... may only need to cover what happened to Wolverine and Morph in a sentence or two.

Development > Creation and progression in X-Men: The Animated Series

Y Excellent work! Everything is great here, only two pieces of feedback for your review is: 1) the layout discussed above, aka integrating development with/after the plot summary to be more cohesive, and 2) possibly breaking out the three Changeling paragraphs into their own section about Influences (Changeling first appeared.., According to Houston..., Regarding the use of Changeling...)

Development > Return and evolution in X-Men '97 > Appearance and personality

Excellent section - one call out to update.

•   If you want to use the phrasing, integrate it by quoting directly. This could look like "Polygon summarizes Morph's new appearance to include "a bald head, light gray skin, completely white eyes, and no nose"[5]

Article: Morph now has light gray skin, a bald head, white eyes, and no nose,[5]

Source: a whole new look with a bald head, light gray skin, completely white eyes, and no nose, along with a nonbinary identity[3]

Gender identity

Excellent, great use of a neutral point of view and integrating in references to share information.

•   Review the sections you are quoting. If you cannot get away from closely paraphrasing, then use the whole quote:

Article:Karliak has stated that Morph is "on a gender journey" that will progress as the story advances and the character goes through the "eras of terminology that we’ve lived through already".

Source:Morph is on a gender journey that will unfold as time passes and he goes through the eras of terminology that we’ve lived through already.[4]

Relationship with Wolverine

Excellent, great use of non-free image with attribution and caption.

• Consolidate phrasing to simplify use of references and single word quotes:

Article: After the first season's finale, DeMayo confirmed that Morph's feelings for Wolverine are romantic, with them assuming Jean's form both to convince Wolverine that he had something to live for—given Wolverine's romantic feelings for Jean—and also for themselves to confess their feelings to Wolverine.[39] DeMayo clarified that Morph used Jean's form as "a shield",[40] for they are afraid of being honest about their feelings with Wolverine and haven't fully accepted that they are in love with him.[39]

Proposal: After the first season, DeMayo confirmed that Morph's feelings for Wolverine are romantic.[40] By assuming Jean's form, Morph is able to safely express feelings for Wolverine without fear of rejection.[39]

Reception > X-Men: The Animated Series

Y Well-written, to the point, and with references in a prose-style.

Reception > X-Men '97

I appreciate documenting multiple perspectives in the reception of Morph. Please critically consider if the following represents a significant perspective, or if it is otherwise giving WP:UNDO weight to an insignificant viewpoint. Reference [49] cites reference [50], which covers youtube videos and tweets on the topic. In quoting the linked policy, "in determining proper weight, we consider a viewpoint's prevalence in reliable sources". I suggest removing the following sentences, but look forward to your perspective and search for reliable sources.

Morph's status as non-binary caused some controversy prior to X-Men '97's premiere,[6] being decried as "woke"[43] by some comic-centric websites and YouTube channels, alongside posts on social media.[49] Many X-Men fans defended the decision, arguing that the franchise and mutants have often been used as metaphors for the Civil rights movement and other social issues.[49] Screen Rant's Kai Young described the criticism aimed at Morph being non-binary as "ridiculous", given that various X-Men characters are openly queer, and the X-Men have been used as allegories for LGBT issues.[50]

I wasn't sure about whether I should keep the section or remove it, given it's an entire paragraph. I would argue that most of the sources used were (relatively) reliable, though maybe not all that high-quality; especially if I take it to FAC. I choose to remove it, partly as, in the end, the whole "controversy" disappeared almost as quickly as it started. Moreover, the section didn't have much to do with an actual criticism of Morph as a character within the show.--PanagiotisZois (talk) 23:18, 2 January 2025 (UTC)

Y Thanks for weighing in and explaining your approach Matthew Yeager (talk) 01:01, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

Merchandise

Diamond Select Toys is to release a bust of Morph as part of their line based on the original series in the third quarter of 2024. Can be updated to present tense and additionally provide reference to the company's listing now.

Changed to present tense. Not sure about including the DST source, as a primary source isn't really needed when we already have a secondary one.--PanagiotisZois (talk) 23:20, 2 January 2025 (UTC)

Y Sounds good. Since the reference was looking into the future, I wasn't sure if you wanted to include validation that it was launched. No change needed. Matthew Yeager (talk) 00:59, 3 January 2025 (UTC)

References

Duplicate Reference: Please review and combine. The first reference resolves to the homepage, but appears in archive to be the same material.

• Reference 10 - {{cite web |last1=Whitbrook |first1=James |title=X-Men '97's Director Talks Mutant Circuits, Morph, and More |url=https://gizmodo.com.au/2024/03/x-men-97s-director-talks-mutant-circuits-morph-and-more/ |website=[[Gizmodo]] |publisher=[[G/O Media]] |access-date=May 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404065938/https://gizmodo.com.au/2024/03/x-men-97s-director-talks-mutant-circuits-morph-and-more/ |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |date=March 22, 2024 |url-status=live}}
• Reference 26 - {{cite web |last1=Whitbrook |first1=James |title=''X-Men '97''{{'}}s Director Talks Mutant Circuits, Morph, and More |url=https://gizmodo.com/x-men-97-mutant-powers-team-ups-morph-explained-mcu-1851346579 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |publisher=[[G/O Media]] |access-date=March 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328082734/https://gizmodo.com/x-men-97-mutant-powers-team-ups-morph-explained-mcu-1851346579 |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |date=March 19, 2024 |url-status=live}}