X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men pilot effectively marked the end of the Marvel animated universe created by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises/Marvel Productions, which began with "Fantastic Four" (1978) and continued with "Spider-Woman" (1979), "Spider-Man" (1981), "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" (1981) and "The Incredible Hulk" (1982). The X-Men themselves had previously guest starred in several episodes of "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends", although that particular series isn't necessarily in the same continuity as "Pryde of the X-Men". Narrated by X-Men co-creator Stan Lee, "Pryde of the X-Men" stars Professor X and the X-Men who were known as Cyclops, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, and Dazzler saving
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse characters return from "X-Men Legends", and select members of the Brotherhood of Mutants are also playable. Some non-playable X-Men and Brotherhood characters appear during levels. In some instances dialogue throughout the game can be character-to-character specific, depending on the player character's alignment and relationship with the non-player character. "X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse" was announced on October 21, 2004, exactly one month after the release of "X-Men Legends". It was shown at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and San Diego Comic-Con in 2005. It was first released in North America on September 20, 2005 for the Gamecube, PlayStation 2, Xbox