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Batman: The Animated Seriesis one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved animated shows of all time. The hit series debuted in 1992 and ran for two seasons, featuring some of the best creatives working in the animation medium at the time. One of the show’s creative geniuses went on to oversee one of Marvel animation’s most underrated shows.
Boyd Kirkland is an Emmy Award-nominated director who is one of the few people to have worked for both Marvel and DC. After his seminal work onBatman: The Animated Series, Kirkland serves as the lead producer on Marvel animation’sX-Men: Evolution, which is an underrated gem. Here is everything you need to know about how Kirkland came to work for Marvel.
Boyd Kirkland Talks Working For Marvel Animation AfterBatman: The Animated Series
Boyd Kirklandserved as a timing director onBatman: The Animated Series, receiving a nomination for Outstanding Animated Program at the 20th Daytime Emmy Awards. Kirkland would later serve as the producer for Marvel animation’sX-Men: Evolution.
The series premiered in 2000 and aired 52 episodes until it was canceled in 2003 after four seasons. Kirkland worked as a producer on all four seasons and in aninterview, detailed how he landed the job to produce an X-Men show for Marvel animation.
“I heard that Marvel was doing the show and contacted them about being the producer. Both Marvel and Kids WB interviewed me. The network had a great deal to say about what they wanted for the show, including approval of whoever would get to produce.”
Kirkland made the above statement about securing the role of the producer for the series. He added that Marvel did not have their own production facility at the time. As a result, Kirkland was responsible for negotiating deals and hiring staff and subcontractors along with providing creative input throughout the development process.
“Of course, I had a very talented and dedicated crew who made my life a lot easier along the way. They really carried the workload, while I ensured quality control.”
X-Men: Evolution Nearly Gave One Fan-favorite Character a Look Many Today Would Consider Racist: “But we didn’t go that way”
From Kirkland’s words, it is evident that he was running the ship when it came to crafting the stories ofX-Men: Evolution. The series was extremely popular during the early 2000s, albeit not as much as its predecessor from the 90sX-Men: The Animated Series. As a result,X-Men: Evolutionhas become somewhat of an underrated gemin Marvel animation’s catalog.
Boyd Kirkland Reveals Facing Restrictions While Working OnX-Men: Evolution
In the same interview, Boyd Kirkland also discussed the restrictions the team faced while working onX-Men: Evolution. Kirkland revealed that the network was slightly strict with censorship, particularly during the show’s first season.
“The first season was very restrictive. The network felt that action shows like Batman, etc, had gotten too dark and mature for the kid audience they were trying to reach, so they really kept a tight lid on us.”
Kirkland added that after the first season became a huge success, the creative team received more freedom. However, Kirkland admitted that the restrictions worked in his favor as he had always envisioned the show to be more character-driven.
X-Men: Evolution’s Failed Plans to Reveal 2 Mutants Were Gay All Along: “She was flirting with Rogue”
Aside from his work as a producer onX-Men: Evolution, Kirkland also worked as a layout artist on Marvel animation shows such asSpider-Man and His Amazing FriendsandThe Incredible Hulk, during the 1980s. Kirkland sadly passed away in 2011 after a lengthy battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and interstitial lung disease (ILD).
X-Men: Evolutionis streaming on Disney+.
Pratik Handore
Content Writer
Articles Published :1775
With a keen interest in comic book movies and blockbuster franchises, Pratik usually covers news and updates on the DCU, MCU, Star Wars, and more.A die-hard fan of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Pratik spends most of his time exploring different storytelling mediums that invoke a sense of wonder and adventure. Other filmmakers whose works have deeply influenced him include Alfred Hitchcock, James Gunn, and Guillermo del Toro.
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