X-Men ’97 voice actor J.P. Karliak, who voices Morph, confirmed he’s a radical queer activist and admitted that the show is trying to normalize disordered sexuality.
(L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
In Empire Magazine’s April 2024 magazine the outlet’s Helen O’Hara detailed that Morph was nonbinary as part of an interview with now-fired showrunner Beau DeMayo.
She wrote, “The death of shapeshifter Morph in the original animated series (it didn’t stick, obviously) was shocking for young viewers, and it stuck with DeMayo.”
DeMayo then added, “He really set the stakes and he had a very interesting relationship with the team because of trauma.”
O’Hara then asserted, “This is a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine. The character’s past with Mister Sinister, the show’s villain could also come into play.”
(L-R): Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Beast (voiced by George Buza), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), and Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
DeMayo had previously introduced Morph at San Diego Comic-Con back in 2022 saying, “Morph decided to show a little bit of a different side to themselves this season. We’re going to go with the changeling look.”
DeMayo made it clear to use “themselves” rather than refer to him as a male.
In an interview with CBR’s Sam Stone about X-Men ’97, Karliak was asked about the backlash towards Marvel Animation describing the character as non-binary in the lead up to the series.
He answered, “No. [laughs] I’m a queer activist. I run a nonprofit that advocates for queer representation. I also co-founded a voter registration organization. I know what’s going on in the world, especially politically, so no, it didn’t surprise me at all. [laughs]”
“I think what I appreciated was how much counter-backlash there was, with people like ‘Have you watched the X-Men? Are you familiar with why they were created and what they’re about? Did you forget that?’ That was reassuring,” he added.
Karliak then detailed, “I haven’t really taken offense with anything anybody’s published, as much as they’ve tried. [laughs] There was one article that called me a radical queer activist and listed the insidious mission statement of my organization — verbatim of what was on the website .I was like ‘Facts. No lies here, thanks for the promotion!’ [laughs]”
(L-R): Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Gambit (voiced by AJ LaCascio), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), and Beast (voiced by George Buza) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
READ: Stan Lee Debunks Widespread Myth That X-Men Were Always Woke
Not only did Karliak confirm he’s a radical queer activist, but he also shared how the show is trying to normalize his activism when he was asked about Morph’s pronouns.
He said, “Two things about that – one, as far as I know, we’re never going to say the word ‘non-binary’ because nobody said the word ‘non-binary’ in the ’90s. It’s not that it didn’t exist; it was just in no way a mainstream term at the time.”
“Morph’s understanding of who he is could equate to what a modern person would say is non-binary, but he just doesn’t have the terminology for it,” he continued. “At the same time, they/them wasn’t a concept in terms of using it as a pronoun.”
(L-R): Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Beast (voiced by George Buza) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
Next, Karliak shared, “There are so many ways I identify with Morph, but one of them is that I personally identify as gender-queer, which some might say is an offshoot of non-binary, but I use he/him pronouns.”
He concluded, “A lot of that has to do with the fact that I’m in my 40s and I came into my full understanding of my gender in my late 30s. I’ve always used he/him pronouns, and they feel like an old college sweatshirt, where maybe they don’t fit all that well, but they’re still really comfy and, until I find something better, I’ll just keep using that.”
(L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), and Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
What do you make of Karliak’s confirmation that he’s a radical queer activist and that he’s trying to normalize his deviancy via the X-Men ’97 series?
So, are the people still defending this garbage skinsuit of a show ready to admit that it’s woke? Hiring an activist to voice Morph is a clear enough sign, but if the damage control is needed then the backlash is significant.