I remember commenting in a comment section on this subreddit about '97 Morph being born a blob ala Exiles... I think what Beau says about them losing structural integrity actually confirms this theory
I’m actually curious if the spike in Morph popularity will affect anything in the 616 continuity.
I hope so!!! I know they were (presumably) killed in Exiles but maybe they could come out of hiding/be revived?
Ngl, with how well 97 is doing I wouldn’t be surprised if they revived and stuck him on one of the post-Krakoa era X teams. Popular media about comics generally influences the comics.
All that said, I really hope if they do revive him that they give him a slightly more muted outfit like 97. I really enjoy the dichotomy of him having a rather low-key base appearance compared to his overall eccentric demeanour. It’s kind of weird because he’s much more down to earth in 97 than comics, which I really enjoy.
I agree!! I super love their characterization in 97 and I pray to god that they stick with it if they choose to revive him (let's hope the prequel comics do well enough to justify their return!)
I mean, all they'd really have to do with a character like him is just say he was revived off panel on Krakoa. That would work with a lot of characters who haven't been seen in a long time.
Justice for Spyke!
Hope did say that I know Morph hasn't been shown yet, but that intentionally-vague phrasing reads to me like "We want the next era's writers to be able to use whoever the hell they want even if they were previously dead/MIA...
After they returned Synch to prominence there's definitely space for Morph imo
What’s that supposed to mean lol
I'm still hoping we get a Mimic like we did in that one
Wasn't he like also fused to Warlock as well fo a while?
here's hoping.. i mean especially if hes copying hulk and other supes, not just mutants...he would be a fun addition. especially if they go clay face with his power set , really making him different than Mystique but with a great subplot of falling to peaces.
616 and probably the MCU too
I'd simply maintain my physical integrity, but that's me.
Yeah but you're built different bro
Cool thing about Morph is they can build themself different whenever they want.
Edit: he to they
He?
They don't mind being referred to as 'he.' Their VA already established that.
I always assumed Morph is the kinda non-binary where they genuinely just don’t care what you call them. He, she, they, whatever, their sex is fluid, pronouns probably lost all meaning.
If they are going with how they are in the Exiles universe, Morph physically was born as just a blob of unstable molecules who decided to look like a regular boy growing up, because it makes their parents happy. So they may not actually have a biological gender to begin with and any gender is whatever they chooses.
Just a small nitpick: gender is a social construct whereas sex is the biological part. Otherwise, I agree!
Then I would think the most accurate description would be to say they lived as a He identity to make their parents happy and it stuck, but it isn’t their only identity
Yup they’re kind of adjacent to a real life intersex person who was kind of forced at birth to ignore their biological differences and just present as a specific gender to fit into “normal life”.
Not the parents’ fault, just a unique person who doesn’t quite fit into the overwhelmingly binary gender system we live with.
The voice actor said morph’s pronouns are he/they.
The fact that that sounds like some quicksilver snark
Im just built different
The Morph love is real, and I'm all here for it.
Morph is precious and must be protected at all costs.
I hope Morph gets to punch Sinister out in the season finale.
Like a mind-controlled Cable is fighting Jean, then just when Jean was about to win, Cable just stopped like he's just woken up. And then we see that's because Sinister was smashed by Hulk-Morph.
Don't worry, I'm sure nothing will happen to them! Yep, gonna be "clear sailing allllllll the way...!"
Hey Tin Woodsman! I’m sending you back to Oz! In Pieces!
<moaning> Wolveriiiiiiiine! Fall baaaaaack! <ZAP, thud>
“Morph….”
Same!! I love them a whole ton
I never expected the show to even bring back Morph much less for them to become one of my fave characters but I'm here for it! Chaotic little gremlin <3
Such a boring and useless character. The only reason they’re in the show is to cameo as other more popular and interesting characters.
You're so wrong. So, so wrong. Fans of the OG cartoon loved him so much that the cartoon resurrected him, then he was a baddie henchman and there was still outcry so they restored him so he could rejoin the team.
Morph is beloved by fans. He was a throwaway character and the fans stuck to him like glue. THAT'S why he is in the show.
So Morph is a smidge less powerful than the people they morph into.
Interesting
I think that would be obvious. I would think the real Juggernaut would not have his ass handed to him that easily compared to Morph, especially when Morph doesn’t have the gem.
I like it. Gives a reasonable limitation to the powers that explains why they just don't spam the strongest ability available
I expect the more flashy the ability the harder it is to pull off Hence why typically he has gone for physicality rather than oddball energy manipulation (because weather or electricity or Scotts eye beans are all energy.)
Yup just like how the Skrull version of Black Bolt was weaker
Morph uses those new abilities on instinct. Hard to match others who've used those powers for years.
Actually no- he’s the same as mystique. If he morphs into juggernaut- he only gets the natural strength associated to the size and stature of juggernaut. He can’t morph into quicksilver and have his speed. Only if the ability is a physical manifestation such as Angel’s wings or Nightcrawler’s tail- but it doesn’t mean he will be as adept at using them.
I think Morph can copy physical powers like super strength and speed, but not complex abilities.
They're basically the X men's Plastic Man.
Exactly correct! They cannot copy "elemental" or psychic abilities
Did they not morph into iceman in a recent ep ?
Morph? In the most recent episodes they turned into Juggernaut, Quicksilver and Hulk.
And Colossus and seemed to possess his invincibility since shots bounced off him
Yeah, isn’t that a physical ability?
Same thing when he morphed into Blob. Wolverine was able to springboard off of him.
Yes! He can also mimic organic material, which is why he was able to mimic Colossus's skin
On the other hand, adamantium is inorganic which is why he could not mimic Wolverine's claws accurately
did they ever explain why they could mimic Magik’s sword
DeMayo did on Twitter He can morph physical abilities, including weapons. So just as he can worth clothes or accessories, he can morph weapons like Psylockes or Magiks swords
And DeMayo pointed out that those swords are just a part of him, same as anything else he morphs. You’ll notice the swords don’t leave his hand, because they literally are him
What I find interesting is that version of Magik is being shown since she was like supposed to be dead for yeaaars before she got that appearance and the soul sword. Think it the legacy virus that killed her? Also you think they will do that storyline I mean it was huge with the implications
Yeah but that sword worked like a regular sword and not like a Soul Sword. It didn't even glow. So it's just a physical structure that he morphed into.
I think it was the soul-sword - they just took the modern buster sword visual design and shrank it down to the size it was during the Claremont era.
Kind of worst-of-both-worlds IMO as it is small and also not on fire, but still. It is what it is.
Clothing is inorganic too that makes no sense
Cotton is technically organic
So is black leather
a weak Juggernaut. no way the real one would get thrown like a baby by a random prime sentinel. definitely no Cytorak power
Actually Morph has low level telepathic and and telekinetic abilities, in the comic. Which would explain their ability to mimic most abilities of others.
Previously In xtreme X-Men during an incursion of an invading army, Rouge at that time had gained a power upgrade from absorbing the power of a skrull a few years before, she could access any power she'd ever taken from others. To defeat a squadron of invading soldiers she used a mix of telepathy and telekinesis to disguise bishop, Thunderbird and herself as sabertooth wolverine and the hulk also giving them the respective powers of the the hero or villain they were disguise as.
So that would explain how morph is able to replicate people's abilities. Fun fact, in the comics Morph constantly reminds his teammates that he creates his uniform and clothes, so he's actually always naked 😁
Back to the extreme X-Men shortly after that rogue approach sage about unlocking her full potential of her power sage of course did it making rogue into a one woman army, not only did she have access to every power she'd ever had but full & complete control over the abilities using them as needed and combining the powers in a harmonic symphony of war and destruction its one of my favorite moments for rouge
I mean with him always bein naked so is Mystique she just shifts herself to be wearing them but it's literally is her skin. Also so him having low level telepathic and telekinetic powers is how he is able to copy other abilities when he shits but not Mystique hm interesting
I would have said taskmaster…
I'm pretty sure Taskmaster can only copy skills and techniques.
They’re?
Morph is non binary. It was said in a magazine before the show came out, I'm just the messenger.
Okay I was just confused. I was like “They? Who is he even talking about?”
You could also tell Jean was helping him when he morphed into the Hulk with some of those Hulk smash punches.
They so planned it ahead of time
It was a mutant circuit they practices in the Danger Room most likely,
I make my bf, who is not into comics, watch. At the hulk part he was like “so the Hulk can all of a sudden fly now?”
And I was like “did you see the blue around him? Jean was obviously helping”
My bf just looked annoyed. Hahahaha
I did see a brief flash of blobbiness after Morph got hit in one fight, now you mention it. Think it might actually have been when they were Quicksilver in the Trask fight, too.
Correct! That was them briefly losing a bit of structural integrity!
I thought it was them being killed off again and nearly panicked.
great thing about animation it is all intentional
their character file at the end of episodes reads as follows:
Transforms their voice and body to impersonate anyone and gain their physical abilities
hence why Morph was able to mimic the Hulk or Juggernaut
They should have kept that bit with Morph in episode 2. When every episode airs, one of the perennial topics is trying to figure out how exactly Morph's powers work. They didn't have to spend any time introducing the other characters' powers since this is a continuation, but they should have given us more info about Morph.
I wonder how many beats we have lost. I hope we get a list of them. Please give us the cut content, Disney!!
So far, two are confirmed! This one and the one where Logan coughs smoke after he gets teleported
Did they really have to cut that? Ain’t no actual TV timeslot to worry about. It would have been helpful.
I do agree. I almost wonder if they felt the need to cut content because of Disney's 10-episode order (I know Beau had intended on 30-minute episodes anyway)
Its a cost thing they gotta animate it add music sounds voices etc they have to stick to strict runtimes for the most part or go over budget
There’s other things to worry about. Maybe it cost too much to animate, or they ran out of time to animate. Maybe the voice acting was off and they couldn’t get the actor back in the studio. Maybe the music didn’t line up too well so they had to cut a few seconds. Maybe it was done, but the pacing and editing for it was jarring.
Morph is giving off second / third stage mutation vibes from the Earth X trilogy.
This would have been super helpful in understanding his powers
The idea that morphs physical power copy is a muscle that can get tired and relax out of shape is great.
Can someone explain to me how morph gets swords and other weapons of those that they copy
They're attached to their body so the weapons are really extensions of their matter
That's why they can copy swords but not, say, laser beams or web shooters (though I'd argue they could copy web shooters when it comes to swinging but not in using it as a projectile)
I'd say even then it can work given venom can mimic the sanity.
Then again that's bitten him in the rump by exhausting him from generating all that webbing.
Oh yeah it would exhaust him FAST but it's plausible
honestly pretty dumb they cut this
Has Morph always been referred to as They?
I don’t care either way, but wondering if this is new or not.
It's new kinda! They were referred to as he before, but it makes more sense that they're nonbinary since they don't have a traditionally binary appearance
It's a new thing only in this show.
In the comics he identities as a male so far, but then again the last time he appeared was also before this choosing your own pronoun thing took off in mainstream culture. Who knows whether they will change that in the comics later.
Or they could address it in X-Men '97 #3 since Morph finally showed up at the end of #2!
IIRC, In the comics, he relays that he was born and is genderless gray blob and that he isn't male per se, but found that form earned him the most approval from the parents, so it was the one he most frequently adopted.
They mimic powers.
Just look at mimics in the natural world.
A parrot mimics the human voice. They can “talk” but not to the same degree we can.
So AoA Morph and exiles Morph were considered “omnimorphs”. Exiles Morph was said to basically be made of unstable molecules. They could both alter their mass and size and turn themselves into different properties (like brick or metal). Exiles Morph could even be cut into pieces as long as his “core” wasn’t destroyed. Like others have said, this means they could mimic a close approximation of physical powers (like they could become really dense and stronger, but they wouldn’t actually be Hulk level) but not things like telepathy.
I guess ‘97 Morph is kind of similar, I’d kind of prefer to see them just alter themselves to have like a metal spiky exterior or something, but using them as a cameo machine is a nice visual shortcut to show what properties they’ve taken on (super speed still doesn’t make a ton of sense to me though).
I live for this
The only problem with how effective Morph has been in '97 is that it makes his original death look like a lucky shot on the part of that sentinel.
All this could be a result of him better learning his powers between them and now expressly so he isn't easy pickings.
He did turn into omega red and a few others vs sentinels in his last og series appearance.
Omega Red, Sasquatch, Longshot and Angel, if I recall correctly.
thank you.
That is why I wondered why everyone was going on at morph's 'new' abilities when he did it before to save xavier.
The actual problem with Morph's original death is that Wolverine has a healing factor and would've survived the shot. But I suppose in the moment you'd push your bestie out of the way, wouldn't you?
X men 97 director's cut when?!
I like that clay face angle. Morph isn't absorbing abilities the same way Jean grey could or rogue could.. but he's still formidable he just can't maintain the powers the same..
I wonder how is mystique..is she more similar to morph
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22d
It depends on which universe. I'm reading ultimate xmen rn and jean grey has the pheonix force and had absorbed all of misty knights martial arts before. And she kept those skills going on. It was like a matrix hold on let me download everything...and I know your shit now.
No, Mystique can only shapeshift. She doesn't copy abilities
Couldn't she emulate the abilities a bit ? Or it's just physical appearance?
Interesting so it's like mystique > morph > rogue > Jean grey in absorbing abilities ?
Just phsyical appearance as far as I know. But she can shapeshift down to a molecular level, which is how Azazel's DNA is what we find in Nightcrawler
That makes sense. I feel like any time I saw mystique using someone's powers it was a double fake. Like someone manipulating metal to make her seem like magneto for a second.
So this Morph can actually mimic some powers then? Interesting. AoA and Exiles Morph were so good. I was always sad he wasn't in more mainline comics
Notice that Beau and Rogue use “they” as Morph’s pronoun?
And don't forget Scott in episode 2!
Ooh I missed that. Gotta rewatch that for like the fifth time now lol
Really, this should be a thing for all metamorphs like Morph - like, sure, they can temporarily take on the powers of a mutant depending on what the individual's powers are, but the strain of retaining that physiology for too long should wear them out.
I'd imagine it would have to do with the complexity of the X-gene in question - physical ones like Beast's, Wolverine's, or Angel's shouldn't be too difficult but are still taxing over a long period of time.
Taking on ones like Nightcrawler's teleportation, Psylocke's telepathy, or Kate's intangibility should be extremely difficult for them to use and could only do so for like a minute max as they are a bit more complex.
And forget Omega level like Magneto, Storm, or Iceman - that would probably straight up maim or kill the metamorph even if they tried to do so for a second, as those individuals have the capacity to essentially mess with fundamental aspects of the universe - which I imagine would have a necessary bulk to them.
Basically, it would all come down to how complexity the x-genes that the metamorph is taking on versus the shapeshifter's natural genetic fluidity - the more complex/reality breaking the powers, the harder it is for the metamorph to duplicate them and the shorter they are able to retain them.
I had the same theory. Morph can copy really fast or strong individuals but not for long, since it would be exhausting for them.
I do hope morph will later join the Main universe, though a honestly hope for a bit of a different variant, just so he can also stay within the X-men Universe, as there’s just a feel when the whole team is there, rather than if it was a one person adventure
they already have the next season in the bag, don't they? Considering Beau got fired (?) for a bunch of reasons...it'll be interesting how the show changes beyond that, if it continues.
Oh it's already greenlit for season 3
Beau ain't the only person working on the show so I have confidence that the other writers will be able to carry the show through
It'd help if they had the show lore book with them
Oh i know it's not all Beau I just mean considering he's like the main public voice atm, it'll be interesting if there's a really obvious creative shift bar whatever the plot dictates. It seems to be doing really well if S3 is already greenlit so I'm just curious if they have an endgame in mind or if it'll be more like a "...and the story continues" sorta thing.
Just because ending on their own terms happens quite rarely in television, i swear :P
He’s the main public voice because he won’t stop talking. I’m not trying to knock Beau, good creative, but I want to respect those who’re still working on the show who to my knowledge, had steps taken to create an environment without Beau, reason unbeknownst. Honestly, if I was a current writer on the show I’d be pissed seeing this dude pop in on the timeline everyday and speak like he’s the Fiege of ‘97.
Pinning the quality of this season of the show solely on him in asinine, and has been the general attitude I’ve seen here simply because he’s the only one speaking on it.
Wonder why that is considering he doesn’t work for them anymore
He acts like he wrote and created the entire show and let other writers do some unimportant wrting stuff only to be reviewed and edited by him. He even straight ahead told this publicly and downplayed all other writers, directors and animators. His recently updated title says he's the Executive Producer/Creator/Head Writer “X-MEN 97”. Not Ex or Former.
He's been trying to gain popularity from the show and so far he's been totally succesful.
Yeah, writing was done on S2 by the time Beau got canned, and S3's already been confirmed.
Consequences of rushing through decades of lore in half an hour
I don't buy anything Beau DeMayo says, too many retcons without in-show references explaining it. It's a shame they didn't take 30 seconds in the show to develop the characters and clarify this, then I would have accepted it. In good stories, they don't just jump to this type of thing without hinting to it first. Sometimes the character develops a new ability.
That super speed sure would have been useful when he died in the original series in episode 2.
they
It's okay, their pronouns are they/he (they called them "he" a lot in the original series)
Because nonbinary wasn't a thing in the 90s.
Maybe not the term itself, but the concept itself was very much a thing
There were just other labels for it. Genderqueer, X-gender, etc. It only takes one Google search to be informed
Androgynous would suffice.
Morph was clearly retconned into being nonbinary for inclusion.
That I do disagree with. I think that the retcon makes sense and lines up with the identity crisis they went through in season 2 that was caused by the trauma of being one of Mr. Sinister's experiments
Maybe the prequel comics will explain a little more but they've only shown up at the end of the 2nd issue so I'll have to see in a couple of weeks when 3 comes out
It is still a retcon. Whether it makes sense or not doesn't matter. I agree that it does make sense given the trauma and identity issues Morph has faced, but it is still a retcon.
So virtuous.
Yeah. Quicksilver's powers are purely physical has been a thing since the first official handbook wayyyy back in the 80s. Nice to see the writers know this.
Why would they need to cut for time? It's streaming.
It's just a weird constraint to put on the show.
Anyone else miss Morph’s signature snicker… ?
I kinda miss it but honestly, I'm fine knowing that they did it early in the show
If I was fired off of a show, I wouldn't be constantly talking about that show and acting as if my fired self was an authority on it.
I mean, you're not wrong, but these first two seasons were worked on by him as a showrunner so it's helpful that he's willing to give so much insight
Plus he's constantly crediting the rest of the team and telling people that only credit him that it's a team effort
But the issue I see is Morph can’t mimic super powers- he’s the same as Mystique. For ex: he can shift into Hulk but will only have the natural strength attributed to Hulk’s size- not anything extra. Same as Quicksilver- looks only not his speed or metabolism.
Now Copycat- she’s superior to mystique and morph in that she can copy abilities too… downside is her issue with mental stability.
Um... you realize that Morph was using Quicksilver's super speed in the episode, right? Because the super speed is a physical power? It's not as strong as Quicksilver's actual super speed but it's still super speed
Mystique cannot copy abilities at all. Morph can still copy physical powers, they're just inferior to the real physical prowess of whoever has the power. Of course, Copycat is the best one of the three but let's not diminish what Morph can do
Yeah and he shouldn’t be able to do that..
Why not? Why can't they use the Exiles moveset? He was an omnimorph there and they're setting it up with his suit
Omnimorph still doesn’t grant him the ability to copy powers- it just greatly expands what he can morph into. The only additional abilities they gave morph canonically was flight and psionic abilities. Not the ability to copy powers.
Even then, they could have just changed it for the show to give them more to do, to update them for the modern era of comics
I mean yeah. Sorry I’m just a super nerd when it comes to XMen lol I hate when writers go off canon. All good tho- the show is entertaining.
Fair enough, hopefully they keep their '97 abilities for the post-Krakoa era if the writers ever bring them back
wonder if he can fuse/chimerize his mutant shapes
I feel like he could if he wanted to be that creative
Morph is gonna end up with Iceman. Guaranteed.
That's if they ever meet and Iceman ends up being gay (last we saw him in the series, he was with Polaris iirc)
Obviously this is speculation but there’s reason to believe Forge is going to create a new team (btw, I love that era) and include Iceman in it. His image is on the wall. If that happens, they’re going to meet, etc etc. idk, just my speculation.
I'm sure it will! Let's just hope they actually end up finding Storm, Logan, and Morph because they're not shown to be in the distant past or in the distant future
No he can’t- he’s the same as mystique. So far the only person I know that can do that is Copycat. She can copy looks, abilities, and memories perfectly.
You're thinking about the Changeling that copied Xavier before dying. Exiles and '97 Morph are different as they are omnimorphs
Well exiles morph only had flight as an added ability. Changeling and morph regardless of the universe- still maintained the same power. Even as an omnimorph- it doesn’t grant him the ability to copy powers…just a complete molecular restructuring of his body inside and out allowing him to be non-humanoid shapes… kinda like Clayface in Batman.
The real answer is they just needed a cheap way to throw in as many characters as they can for merchandising. He cant do shit like that in the comics and having a fast metabolism has nothing to do with running fast.
In the Exiles series he can do stuff like that and more. He can fly, he can even turn into a liquid or non-humanoid if he wants. He's also the only body that can permanently host Proteus without burning out. He's low-key OP in the comics.
https://uncannyxmen.net/characters/morph
But the original 616 version, yeah he died very early before he was shown to do anything more than just impersonation.
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