An incredibly sad week full of heavy losses continues, as veteran voice actor andX-Men: The Animated Seriesstar Norm Spencer has passed away at the age of 62. Known to longtimeX-Menfans for voicing Cyclops (a.k.a. Scott Summers) on the beloved animated series, Spencer’s cause of death has not yet been made clear.. Word of his passing comes from his former co-star Cal Dodd – the voice of Wolverine – in a statement posted to his official Twitter account.
“Lost my dear friend and cohortNorm Spencer,” Dodd said in the tweet. “What a sad day. Norm was the voice of Cyclops on X-Men the animated series. He was a genuine Character and sweetheart. I will miss you Cyc. Sorry about the ‘convertible’ Bub. See ya later my friend.”
Originally premiering on the Fox Kids Network on Oct. 31 in 1992,X-Men: The Animated Serieswas a bit hit with Marvel fans immediately upon its release. The show followed the adventures of the famous team ofMarvel superheroesover the course of five seasons, concluding in 1997. Along with Spencer, the series also featured the voices of Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), Chris Potter (Gambit), Alyson Court (Jubilee), Catherine Disher (Jean Grey), Cedric Smith (Professor X), and Iona Morris & Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm).
In recent years, there has been a growing interest from fans in seeing a new revival of the classicX-Mencartoon. The creative team and many of the other original actors have also expressed their interest in rebooting the show, especially now that the classic episodes are finding new audiences on the Disney+ streaming service. Producer Larry Houston has since said that the team has pitched anX-Menrevival to Disney, putting the potential revival into their court. Unfortunately, while many other actors would be happy to return, the loss of Spencer will certainly be noticeable for longtime fans of the show.
In addition to voicingCyclopsonX-Men, Spencer would also voice the role for multiple episodes of Marvel’sSpider-Mancartoon series. He also had a recurring role as Draz the Destroyer on theSilver Surferanimated series. Some of his other notable voice roles include playing Sly Fox onDumb Bunnies, Hades onMythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, and Billy Blazes onRescue Heroes. Spencer would also voice Cyclops in several video games, includingX-Men: Children of the AtomandMarvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.
Additionally, Spencer appeared in a recurring role on the Canadian children’s showMajority Rules!The series starred Tracy Spiridakos as a 15-year-old who becomes the mayor of her hometown, and Spencer co-starred as a reporter. He also appeared in the Jamie Foxx action movieBaitand had other live-action roles on shows likeForever Knight,Top Cops, andRelic Hunter.
For fans of his work, Spencer will always be remembered for his distinct voice, and although James Marsden would later bring to life a live-action version of the iconic Marvel superhero, many fans still consider Spencer’s animated version to be the ultimate Scott Summers. At this time, we offer our condolences to Spencer’s family and friends. May he rest in peace. This news comes to us fromCal Dodd on Twitter.
