With the tragic news of the cancellation of The Gifted, fans have been left without any of the satisfaction of watching one of their favorite shows come to a fitting conclusion. Over its two seasons, the show picked up a reasonable audience, but with the changes over at FOX, it was decided that the plug would be pulled on the mutant TV show.
With the series covering the familiar comic book territory that has populated the big and small screen more than ever, there's a lot to love about this X-Men based franchise. The Marvel adaptation featured so many interesting elements that really helped the show stand out compared to some of its rivals. Here are 10 things we're going to miss now that The Gifted is canceled.
10 10. The Music
Whilst other Marvel series have already iconic theme tunes, or standout soundtracks, the music in The Gifted was far more subtle. There were a few character themes that drew our attention, but the feature worth mentioning about the music in the show was how emotive it was.
Capturing real moments of levity, emotional healing or perhaps even tension, the music catapulted the series forward and helped to elevate some incredibly important twists and character arcs. There has to be a nod to the credits theme as well, which always acted as a palette cleanser, especially after some of the cliffhangers.
9 9. The X-Men References
Who doesn't like an over the top, sometimes out of place reference? Much like any Marvel show that is loosely based on a film version, The Gifted is no stranger to name dropping some of the cinematic heroes that audiences are familiar with.
Not as bad as the likes of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which often name drops without any pay-off, it was regularly mentioned that the Mutant Underground was set up by the X-Men, with their dream to protect mutants at all costs. We can't help but wonder if these references were leading somewhere since the show did feature some c-list mutant heroes from the X-Men comics such as Blink.
8 8. The Visuals
The cinematography and special effects of the show were stunning to look at. Not only were all the powers perfectly adapted into a physical reality, but there was always a real sense of gravity when in an intense action sequence. From Blink's portals to Eclipse's shimmering hands and Shatter's prosthetic, there were some really interesting design choices here.
There are some incredibly memorable and iconic shots throughout both seasons, with the second installment, in particular, stepping up and delivering some movie quality visuals. Superhero TV shows have never quite looked this good!
7 7. The Morlocks
A mutant group introduced into the second season of The Gifted, the Morlocks, led by Erg, were an underground organization tasked with protecting their own. The group were incredibly secretive and lived in the sewers before being thrown out into the open.
They were an interesting society to follow, having set up a civilization for themselves with their own traditions and rituals. Those who were mutants but had no physical qualities to identify them as such had to brand an M over their eye, a reference to many characters in the comics including Bishop. They were a vital part of the show and will be much missed for the conflict and moral discussions they caused.
6 6. The Purifiers
Another group that caused tension within this mutant world, The Purifiers were a group also adapted from the comics but never fully realized on screen before. A prejudiced organization set up by ordinary people who want to remove the 'mutant problem,' this group were a huge antagonist throughout the second season.
With a concept so close to some of the events happening in the real world currently, the importance of The Purifiers within the series cannot be understated and highlighted the struggle the mutants had to go through in order to survive. They were a fascinating organization and will be missed for how good they were at being bad.
5 5. Lorna and Marcos' Relationship
A much more emotional point to this list and one that was highlighted throughout both series of The Gifted. The love between Lorna and Marcos was undeniable and although they had their ups and downs, by the end of season 2 they were finally together again!
Their relationship has been both a source of joy and frustration as the lovers have been off and on again for some time due to the choices they have made. With Lorna joining The Inner Circle for a time, whilst Marcos stayed with The Mutant Underground, there was a huge conflict here before finally being resolved. It feels like there's a lot more to explore between the young couple and we will miss watching them grow and evolve.
4 4. Jace's Downfall
Jace had his own evolution over two seasons, one which quickly caused him to spiral downwards. The man had already lost his daughter during the mutant attack of 7/15 but had now lost his wife, his job and many of his friends.
In the season finale, we saw Jace struggle to comprehend his own choices and debate whether his moral compass and values had been correct the whole time, or perhaps he had been wrong. We would have loved to see Jace continue to get out of control and become confused by all the damage he has done to mutants, maybe even siding with them eventually!
3 3. Mutants
There's something fun about a superhero show but it's maybe even better when it's about mutants! The humans with the X gene have been on our screens and in our comics for some time, but having a full TV series about them was even better.
With classic characters such as Warbird and Blink adapted to the small screen and variations of mutants popping up every week, it was exciting to see which characters may be brought from the comics or movies next, to find a home on the show.
2 2. The Von Strucker Family
The emotional core of the show, the Von Strucker family were the main characters of The Gifted and served well as the protagonists. There felt like there was so much more to explore between the three members of the family that were left after Reed sacrificed himself.
The dynamic between Andy and Lauren was particularly interesting to watch unfold as the two struggle to cope with their powers and the deadly abilities they have when they are together. Their mother, Caitlin had become an integral part of The Mutant Underground herself, serving as the on-site medic. They were coming into their own as part of the team and as a family and they will be missed.
1 1. The Cast
The ultimate part of The Gifted that will be missed is the cast. After two seasons of intense drama and high stakes action, it's difficult not to give a nod to the terrific performances of all those involved. Managing to make these characters so likable and complex over such a little amount of time, the performances are a major part of why this series worked.
Hopefully, the cast goes on to do bigger and better things as their careers progress, because for many of them the show just would not have worked if they had not been given the role they played. The cast worked on every level and it's refreshing to see this element of a show work quite so well.