Morph's X-Men Comics History, Explained (2024)

Fans of X-Men: The Animated Series were excited to see Morph as an official member of the team when the roster returned in X-Men '97 on Disney+. Morph was on the team for X-Men: TAS's debut episodes, and the character made a huge impact as the first member of the team to die in the cartoon. Morph's dark return and corruption by Mister Sinister carried their next few appearances in the series. Their eventual return on X-Men '97 highlighted their final recovery from years of trauma. However, Morph now had a new look that more closely resembled their more familiar comic book appearance.

Of course, Morph's comic history with the X-Men is both tragic and confusing. The version of Morph seen on X-Men '97 doesn't have an exact comic counterpart, making it difficult for fans looking to read more about the character in the comics. However, that doesn't mean Morph doesn't have a storied history in the larger Marvel Universe. From Kevin Sidney's dark beginnings as a villain known as Changeling to the character's surprising debut during the reality-shifted Age of Apocalypse event, Morph's place in the history of the X-Men has continued to grow and change, with X-Men '97 changing it up even further. To fully understand the character, fans must look back to the earliest Marvel comics and the most recent animated series for a complete look at the X-Men's Morph.

What Is Morph's Dark Comic History?

When the X-Men first encountered Morph in the comics, he was a masked villain known as Changeling. He was working with a criminal organization known as Factor Three alongside other mutants like Unus the Untouchable, Blob, Mastermind, and a few more forgettable names. Changeling could alter his appearance, though he mostly operated as an agent of Factor Three's Mutant Master, keeping the villains organized as his "man on the chair." However, Changeling betrayed the Mutant Master when he learned he was secretly an alien with plans to destroy everyone on Earth.

Changeling only made a few appearances before Factor Three disbanded, though unbeknownst to the mutant team, he was still actively involved in the X-Men's lives. Everything changed for Kevin Sidney when he was terminally diagnosed with cancer, leading him to seek out some form of redemption from the only one he felt he could trust, Professor Charles Xavier. Professor X was no stranger to giving second chances to his enemies, and he had recently discovered a need that required Changeling's unique mutant abilities.

Xavier learned of a pending invasion from an alien species known as the Z'nox. Knowing he would need time to prepare a strategy, Xavier asked Changeling to impersonate him. At the same time, he secluded himself in a hidden bunker that was protected from outside eyes, both electronic and psionic. Jean Grey was the only member of the X-Men who knew of the switch, and she helped keep the ruse alive by simulating telepathy for Changeling. Unfortunately, while disguised as Xavier, Changeling died in battle with the villainous Grotesk. Jean Grey was sworn to secrecy, so she had to allow the rest of the X-Men to believe their mentor had died. A funeral was held for Professor Xavier and Changeling was buried in his place.

The X-Men soon learned of the ruse when Xavier returned after devising a way to stop the Z'nox. Changeling's place in history as a short-lived member of the X-Men was largely forgotten as the characters moved on and the team expanded. However, fans would eventually be reminded of the character when Morph would debut in the first episode of X-Men: The Animated Series in the '90s.

Who is Morph from X-Men '97?

Jubilee was the main mutant point-of-view fans saw in X-Men: The Animated Series, though she wasn't the only new face on the team. Fans were surprised to see a shape-changing mutant named Morph on the roster, which was largely based on the hugely successful Jim Lee era of the early '90s. No one named Morph had ever joined the team, which led fans to quickly realize this mutant hero was a reimagined take on Kevin Sidney, the former Changeling. Unfortunately, the inclusion of Morph was short-lived, as he appeared to die in battle with the Sentinels while on a mission with the X-Men.

This event would most impact Wolverine and Cyclops, as Morph was Logan's closest friend on the team, and Scott Summers had to give the order to leave him behind during the escape. Thankfully, Morph survived the attack, though he was found by Mister Sinister and taken. Months of torture and brainwashing corrupted Morph, and he started helping Mister Sinister in his schemes against the X-Men. This included sneaking into the X-Mansion and using his powers to trick the X-Men. Morph even briefly masqueraded as Professor Xavier when he returned to the X-Mansion as Sinister's pawn, giving viewers another clue of his connection to the comic's Changeling. He finally seemed to free himself from Sinister's clutches and rejoined the X-Men in Season 4, Episode 6, "Courage," though he left in the same episode to take a bit more time for his recovery.

When Morph finally returned to the team, it was in the first episode of X-Men '97. Quite a bit changed in the time between the animated X-Men series. They had accepted and returned to their original white, noseless appearance and came out as non-binary between that time. Morph added serious muscle and versatility to the team, as displayed when they turned into several X-Men characters like Colossus and Juggernaut during battle. Morph's friendship and deep feelings for Wolverine were further explored in the series, as was their lasting connection to Sinister. In the final battle of the first season, the team regrouped and outfitted themselves in a mixture of new and retro costumes. Morph wore an upgrade to their regular X-Men outfit that was instantly recognizable to fans of the character. The costume resembled outfits worn by variants of Morph from the Age of Apocalypse and the Exiles, who also found popularity in the comics after X-Men: The Animated Series.

Morph and the Age of Apocalypse, Explained

The X-Men went through a huge change in the '90s after a powerful mutant named Legion tried to kill Magneto in the past. He was Professor Xavier's son, and he thought his life would have been different if his father had been around more instead of fighting with Magneto. Unfortunately, Xavier dived before Legion's killing blow to save his friend, which unexpectedly altered the timeline. In a world without Xavier, Apocalypse was able to rise to power and take control of North America. He ruled with the tenets of "Survival of the Fittest," which governed his new mutant society.

In the dystopic Age of Apocalypse (Earth-295), Magneto formed his own team of X-Men in his fallen friend's name to actively oppose Apocalypse's forces. Morph was a shapeshifting team member whose name evoked recollections of the animated series, though his look and power set seemed much different. While the animated Morph could change his body to impersonate others completely, the AoA Morph's powerset extended to the point that he could turn into inanimate objects like walls or tiles for simple transportation. He could even increase his mass to turn into creatures like whales or overmuscled parody versions of himself, increasing his strength.

Morph even referenced his past alter ego of Changeling in the AoA timeline, further connecting all three versions of the characters. This variant lived to continue fighting as a member of the X-Men, and he brought with him a unique sense of humor that helped him make light of the incredibly dark timeline. Morph left fans wanting more, joining the long list of untold X-Men stories from the Age of Apocalypse. While this version of the character seemingly died alongside his fellow X-Men in the final battle that claimed their world, it wouldn't be the last that fans would see of Morph in the comics.

A Morph Variant Found Success As An Exile

Each version of Morph, from Changeling to the animated series to the AoA version, added something new to the character that later versions picked up on. The animated series strengthened his connection to the X-Men, while the Age of Apocalypse event evolved his powers and gave him a more unique personality. These new additions would continue in the next popular version of Morph who joined a multiversal team known as the Exiles.

An alternate variant of Morph from Earth-1081 was called into action alongside Nocturne (Earth-2182), Thunderbird (Earth-1100), Mimic (Earth-12), Magnus (Earth-27), and Blink, ironically from the AoA universe. They were tasked with repairing broken realities across the multiverse. Their missions would hopefully one day fix their own worlds so they could also return home. In this Morph's reality, he also fought alongside the X-Men in his original mutant body instead of the human form he created to blend in. He found great success as a member of the X-Men in his world and even joined with his reality's Avengers before he was called to join the Exiles.

Like the Age of Apocalypse version of the character, the Exiles Morph was known for his unique sense of humor, which was aided by his incredible shape-shifting abilities. Unfortunately, while Morph remained with the Exiles longer than some ill-fated team members, he didn't receive much of a happy ending. During a battle with 616's Proteus, the omega-level psionic mutant took over Morph's body, seemingly eradicating the persona of Kevin Sidney. Proteus used Morph's body in his quest across the multiverse, though the Exiles were eventually able to bring their friend back and free him from Proteus. He briefly served as a mentor for a new team of Exiles, though he was lost alongside his old allies in the multiverse.

Blink's new team of Exiles eventually found Morph and his other allies, who had been taken over by an evil Old West version of Charles Xavier. Blink and her team were able to free Morph and the rest, though in his final breath, the "Maniac Xavier" lashed out and killed Morph, who died in his old friend's arms. Fans had thought they had seen the last of this version of Morph, which is why it was such a surprise to see that the X-Men '97 version had adopted some of the traits from these past versions as well.

Benjamin Deeds Was 616's Official Morph

While Kevin Sidney first appeared on Earth-616, he passed away while still in his Changeling alter ego and never adopted the Morph codename. The AoA version was the first to go by Morph, though they didn't survive the destruction of that altered timeline. Even when a similar version appeared on the Exiles team, he still hailed from an alternate Earth altogether. It wasn't until Brian Micahel Bendis took over the main X-titles that a new character appeared who eventually adopted the alter ego of Morph.

Benjamin Deeds was one of the first new mutants to appear after the Phoenix reignited the mutant x-gene during the incredibly important Avengers vs. X-Men event. He joined Cyclops's new team of Uncanny X-Men, which lived on the run from SHIELD and the other X-Men teams. Deeds' mutant ability was passive initially, as he could subtly shift his features to resemble anyone nearby. He could also emit a pheromone when changing, which calmed the person he was resembling, making it easier for them to accept the shapeshifter as his features shifted in front of them. Emma Frost was the first to suggest he use the name Morph, which he was initially hesitant to accept. It eventually fit the character well when he joined a new roster of Generation X, though Deeds disappeared shortly after his debut with the new team.

Neither Kevin Sidney nor Benjamin Deeds made much of a splash as Morph with the mainstream comic X-Men. However, Sidney's variants in the AoA and with the multiversal Exiles helped give the character of Morph a second chance. X-Men '97 then went the extra mile by merging its version of Morph with the other popular comic versions, allowing fans of the comics and the cartoon to come together to celebrate one of the team's most underrated members.

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  X-Men

  Since their debut in 1963, Marvel's X-Men have been more than just another superhero team. While the team really hit its stride as the All New, All Different X-Men in 1975, Marvel's heroic mutants have always operated as super-outcasts, protecting a world that hates and fears them for their powers.

  Key members of the X-Men include Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Beast, Rogue, and Storm. Often framed as the world's second strongest superheroes, after the Avengers, they are nonetheless one of Marvel's most popular and important franchises.

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  X-Men '97

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  X-Men '97 is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992).