X-Men: Evolution took the minor Avalanche from the comics and reimagined him as a morally dubious but compelling love interest to a major X-Man.
The X-Men have long benefited from reinventing classic characters, turning previous ideas into exciting new figures in the universe. This is the franchise that saw minor characters from across the Marvel Universe like Wolverine and Psylocke become major fixtures of the world — and especially in other media, surprising minor figures would be transformed into unique variants.
The minor X-Men villain Avalanche has existed for decades but was never as compelling as he became in the animated series X-Men: Evolution, which reimagined him as a troubled teen with a soft center that even formed a romance with a major hero.
Dominikos Petrakis — aka Avalanche — was introduced in Uncanny X-Men #141 (by Chris Claremont and John Bryne) as part of the “Days of Future Past” storyline. A member of Mystique and Destiny’s Brotherhood, Avalanche used his abilities to create seismic waves to great effect. Avalanche would go on to become a reoccurring minor figure in the Marvel Universe, largely serving as an antagonist, fighting the Hulk, and briefly working for the United States government as a member of the Freedom Force. He relocated to Utopia but was killed while under the control of the Red Skull in Uncanny Avengers, leading him to be among the many mutants revived by the Five on Krakoa. Avalanche has been a fixture in X-Men stories, but rarely as anything but a bit player in someone else’s storylines.
However, the character was largely reinvented for the X-Men: Evolution animated series, completely changing his origins and relation to the X-Men. The series did this with much of its cast, reimagining many of the classic X-Men as teenagers under the care of Professor Xavier, Storm, Wolverine, and eventually Beast at the Xavier Institute. Avalanche was introduced in the show’s second episode “The X-Impulse” as Lance Alvers, a handsome punk-like teen with a bad streak but a heart of gold. Avalanche was reimagined as a classmate of Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat. Discovering her phasing powers, Avalanche attempted to coerce her into his petty criminal schemes. While Kitty ultimately rebuffed him and joined the Xavier Institute, Lance was recruited by Mystique to become a member of her Brotherhood.
Avalanche settled into a leadership position for the rebellious and dangerous group of teens, often butting heads with Cyclops as the Brotherhood became defined rivals to the X-Men. However, Lance and Kitty maintained a push-and-pull attraction across the four-season series that showcased his heroic potential — with Avalanche even briefly attempting to actually join the X-Men in the Season 2 episode “Joyride” to be closer to Shadowcat. Growing into a surprisingly effective and sympathetic leader, Avalanche eventually ended the show as an ally to the X-Men — taking part in the final battle against Apocalypse and eventually joining SHIELD along with the rest of the Brotherhood.
Considering the general lack of character development Avalanche had received over the years in the original comics, it’s not surprising to see that the creators behind X-Men: Evolution took the chance to reimagine the character in an entirely different light. Turning the baseline minor villain into a conflicted love interest earned Avalanche a number of new fans — with Kitty’s relationship with Lance eventually becoming one of the more consistent love stories in the show. It might have been interesting to see the comics’ incarnation of the character take more cues from this far more engaging take on the concept. It could easily happen in the modern era, where the Krakoa has allowed plenty of other mutants to examine and reinvent themselves for the new age.
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