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Season: 1
Episode Number: 4
Season Episode Number: 4
Production Number: 104
Airdate: September 27, 2008

Writer: Zoe Green
Director: Doug Murphy

Voices: Steve Blum (Wolverine), Jim Ward (Professor X), Kari Wahlgren (Emma Frost), Fred Tatasciore (Beast), Susan Dalian (Storm), Danielle Judovits (Shadowcat), Yuri Lowenthal (Iceman), Roger Craig Smith (Forge), Kevin Michael Richardson (Shadow King), Nolan North (Cyclops).

Plot: The X-Men head to Africa to help their friend, Storm, who is being mentally used by the Shadow King to destroy the local villiages that she had been trying to help.

Review (Warning! Spoilers!): Even though Storm vs Shadow King is something that we've seen multiple times in animation and in the comic books, this retelling is really well done and doesn't feel 'old' or 'tired' at all. It also provides us with some backstory for Storm, something that hasn't happened with any of the characters yet.

However, I find this to be an odd first episode for Storm. It doesn't display the natural leadership that fans have come to know of Storm. It seems to me that the writers don't want to make Storm to strong of a character otherwise she would be the likely team leader, not Wolverine.

And the same thing is happening to Cyclops. He is so depressed about Jean's disappearance that all he does every day is mope around. Not good leadership potential there. I suppose this is necessary to make Wolverine, who is usually the angsty one, the strong leader, but Cyclops is acting too much like Batman and not enough like Cyclops. But I'm sure this will change with time.

I wonder if the format of this episode will be the basis of the series: The future Professor X contacts Wolverine and sets up the episode by revealing something that will happen to shape the future in a bad way that Wolverine needs to stop. This could happen every week but will become very repetitive in no time.

DVD Releases:

Wolverine and the X-Men, The Complete First Season (Canada Exclusive)

Wolverine and the X-Men: Deadly Enemies

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