The Best Episodes Of X-Men: The Animated Series, According To IMDb

The 1990s was a dominant period for children's cartoons. As a kid, the amount of choice on television seemed unlimited, and every Saturday morning was a thrilling opportunity to watch all your favorite characters and heroes come to life. One of the best Saturday morning cartoons was "X-Men: The Animated Series," which was a mainstay on Fox's weekend lineup from 1992 to 1997.

It was no easy task to turn a beloved comic book franchise into an animated series, but the creators pulled off a successful and wildly entertaining television show. It had great animation and a fantastic voice cast, and frankly, it's difficult to be a child and not be completely transfixed by the phenomenal opening credit sequence. "X-Men: The Animated Series" has stood the test of time and proven to be popular amongst children and adults. With the recent news that Disney+ is reviving the animated series after over 20 years off the air, we thought it was high time to revisit the excellence of the original seasons. While the show is chock-full of iconic moments, we wanted to look at the very best episodes the show had to offer fans over its five seasons. So, let's get on with the best episodes of "X-Men: The Animated Series," according to IMDb.

"Beyond Good and Evil" is something of an epic in its own right, spanning four episodes. It's huge, operatic, and, quite frankly, feels epic. The story is so massive and the stakes are so high that it wouldn't have surprised us if this was the series finale, though we think "Graduation Day" is certainly a more fitting conclusion to "X-Men: The Animated Series."

The four-part story is all about the power of Apocalypse. Before you panic, it's a much better version than 2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse." Apocalypse's goal is in his name — he's determined to eliminate all of time itself and cause the entire universe to cease to exist, literally bringing the apocalypse to light. "Part 4" is the ultimate showdown of Apocalypse versus, well, everyone. The X-Men and Brotherhood — as well as everyone in between — need to unite to try and take down Mister Sinister and Apocalypse. This episode has some of the most exciting action sequences in the series, especially when Wolverine and Cable (with the help of Magneto and Mystique) travel through Apocalypse's fortress to take down the big bad himself. "Beyond Good and Evil: Part 4" is a non-stop thrill ride that is the highlight of each and every rewatch of the animated series.

In a very distant future (A.D. 3999, to be exact), Cable leads a group of warriors against Terminator-like robots. They are the minions of Apocalypse, the ultimate big bad of the future who is trying to unleash some sort of a bio-weapon that will release a plague to kill all mutants. A temporal storm devastates the city, and Cable's A.I. explains that Bishop has traveled back in time to stop a disease from spreading, and as a result, Cable's entire world will cease to exist. Cable is left with a seemingly impossible choice, as if he saves his world, he'll have to allow Apocalypse to succeed, resulting in the destruction of the past world and all of our beloved X-Men.

"Time Fugitives: Part 1" could have quite easily been a lazy retread of "Days of Future Past." After all, it's another story about going back to the past to save the future, and it comes only a handful of episodes after "Future Past." But thanks to clever writing and impressive character moments, this story feels fresh and interesting.

"The Dark Phoenix" saga is something that X-Men creatives have returned to time and time again, including in two live-action cinematic efforts, "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" and "Dark Phoenix." Thankfully for fans of the X-Men universe, the animated series handles the story in an infinitely more satisfying way than its live-action counterparts. In "The Dark Phoenix: Part 4 — The Fate of Phoenix," the Shi'ar people demand the termination of Jean Grey, as she has simply caused too much damage to the universe — even if Jean was under the control of Dark Phoenix.

In many ways, this episode is a showcase for Professor Xavier, who has a complicated romantic relationship with Shi'ar Empress Lilandra. The two engage in a mental duel in an effort to prove Jean deserves to live. Meanwhile, the rest of the X-Men engage in a huge brawl with the Imperial Guard, and it all takes place on the moon! While the action is of the great caliber we've come to expect from "X-Men: The Animated Series," it's the emotional story of Jean and Scott that makes the episode soar. Jean pleads with Scott to allow her to be sacrificed, as she cannot get over the pain and irrevocable damage she has caused the universe, even if it was out of her control. In the end, the X-Men each sacrifice a part of themselves to remove Phoenix from Jean once and for all, bringing her back to the world.

Set immediately after "Days of Future Past: Part 2," "The Final Decision" is the 1st season finale. After the kidnapping of senator Robert Kelly, anti-mutant protests are rampant, and the X-Men set out on a super high-stakes mission that requires not only their best but some help from unexpected places. X-Men is always most exciting when its two greatest minds — Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto — work together, and it's awesome to see them combat ideas in "The Final Decision."

The episode is undeniably fun, as every member of the X-Men gets in on the action. A particularly great moment comes from Storm, who uses a windstorm to effectively launch a group of Sentinels into a giant blender. Even Jubilee gets in on the action and kills a couple of Sentinels, and nobody seems more surprised than Jubilee herself. The action is really top-notch and includes a thrilling fight with Gambit, Wolverine, and Sentinels in the dark. Featuring some of the series' best action sequences and extremely high stakes, it's no surprise "The Final Decision" is such a fan favorite.

One of the most emotionally harrowing of all "X-Men" episodes and the amazing conclusion to a five-part story, "Phoenix Saga, Part 5: Child of Light" is incredible television. There's such a crazy amount going on in the "Phoenix Saga," as various planets and universes collide into unfathomable chaos. As the "X-Men: Animated Series" creators explain to Polygon, to keep audiences from getting too confused, the focus remained on two key relationships: Scott and Jean, and Xavier and Lilandra. This not only kept things streamlined but allowed for truly harrowing television. The emotional and complex story is also aided by some of the best animation seen in the entire series and enormous, wide-scale action sequences.

At the beginning of "Part 5," D'Ken has become one with the Crystal and is creating his own universe in it. If he isn't stopped, everyone will end up as part of the Crystal. The only thing standing in his way is Phoenix — formerly Jean Grey — as she is the only one powerful enough to put an end to D'Ken's power. Few things in the entire animated series are as exciting as watching Phoenix and D'Ken brawl in a fight for humanity. Ultimately, the revelation comes that the only way to save humanity is for Phoenix to take D'Ken and the Crystal to the great beyond, sacrificing herself in the process. Phoenix's goodbye is undeniably heartbreaking, but it's simply epic television.

In this episode, Bishop is determined that Gambit is the assassin and opens fire, though he's stopped by Rogue, who absorbs the blast. Bishop reveals that Gambit is going to murder an essential person in Washington, which leads to mutants being enslaved and the death of all the X-Men. There's plenty of infighting amongst the X-Men as they debate and discuss whether Gambit could really be the assassin, which, unsurprisingly, annoys Gambit a great deal. So much so that he sets out to Washington — not to commit the killing, he claims, but to get to the bottom of things and stop the assassination once and for all. The whole gang ends up traveling to the nation's capital, which leads to the shocking revelation that Gambit — or rather, Mystique posing as Gambit — is indeed the assassin.

"Days of Future Past: Part 2" is the highest-ranked episode of "X-Men: The Animated Series," with an IMDb rating of 8.6. The show is always most exciting when it deals with the political implications of mutant/human relations, and this focus is amped up considerably in this episode. After all, a political assassination threatens to lead to the downfall of not only the mutants but society as a whole. It also features great fights with tons of classic villains, including Pyro and Blob. In an episode filled with so much intrigue, action, and excitement, it's no surprise it ends with a dramatic cliffhanger ending.