JP Karliak, Voice Actor of Morph in ‘X-Men ’97’ Opposes Romance Between Morph & Wolverine: “It’s kind of meh to me!”

‘X-Men ’97’ has become a surprise hit for Marvel Studios. Since its first episode, the show has maintained consistently high ratings, earning praise for its story, authenticity, and faithful adaptation of the original series with numerous character improvements.

However, the show has not been without controversies. One such instance arose when the creators revealed Morph as non-binary. Additionally, in episode 3, the show teased a romance between Morph and Wolverine for the first time.

As the season unfolded, the hints became increasingly clear, culminating in final confirmation in the last episode, affirmed by the show’s creator, Beau DeMayo.

Naturally, some fans voiced objections, despite clarifications that Wolverine may not reciprocate Morph’s feelings romantically, but Morph harbors strong emotions for Wolverine. DeMayo also addressed criticisms on his private X profile, accusing some fans of “straight-washing” Morph’s feelings.

In a recent interview with Polygon, JP Karliak, who identifies as genderqueer, expressed that the notion of romance between Morph and Wolverine doesn’t resonate with him.

As somebody who’s consumed a ton of queer media over the years — what coded things we had in the ’90s — I think there have been so many stories told about the queer person that’s pining over the straight best friend. Meh! It’s kind of meh to me! I think it’s so much more interesting that they love each other like they’re Frodo and Samwise, and that’s great. It doesn’t need to be more than that. And they can support each other. It makes Morph razzing Wolverine by turning into Jean Grey so much less about like, Oh, I’m jealous, so I’m gonna, like, razz you about your girlfriend who I hate, and more about, Hey, buddy, I think this is harmful for you, and I just want to point this out, that maybe you need to move on.

Karliak rightly points out that the trope of a queer individual pining for a straight friend may be clichéd and might not contribute significantly to the storyline beyond drama. Wolverine’s romantic entanglements are already well-documented in comics and subsequent adaptations.

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