Loosely based on Marvel Comics' Changeling, during The Animated Series' development, the showrunners wanted an X-Man to die in the premiere to foreground the cartoon's serious tone.

They initially chose to assign this fate to Thunderbird; however, upon realizing the implications of killing their only Native American character, they replaced him with Changeling.

X-Men '97 sees Morph working through the trauma of Sinister's experimentations and discovering their identity as core aspects of their character arc.

[1] In the premiere's second part,[2] Morph is killed while on mission with the X-Men, sacrificing themself to save Wolverine from a Sentinel's laser blast.

[1][3] In the second season's premiere,[2] it is revealed that immediately after their death, Morph was recovered by Mister Sinister, who revived and brainwashed them by placing mind control implant in their brain.

[4] Due to Sinister's influence,[5] Morph antagonizes the X-Men, blaming the team for their death and abandoning them,[1] using their shapeshifting abilities to wreak havoc.

[14] Following these events, Morph and the X-Men find Bolivar Trask about to commit suicide by jumping off a building, who reveals Sinister forced him to participate in the Genosha genocide.

[18] While some of the X-Men are sent to either Ancient Egypt in 3000 BC or 3060 AD, Morph's whereabouts, along with Wolverine and Storm, remain unknown by the first-season finale.

[26] Morph's death in the show's premiere was supposed to be permanent, but due to their popularity with audiences, Fox Kids demanded that the character be brought back.

[22][27] Specifically, according to a focus group that had viewed the first season, Morph was described as the younger viewers' favorite character, and they lamented that they had been "killed [...] off early in episode two".

[4] DeMayo, a fan of The Animated Series, described Morph's death as "really set[ting] the stakes" and acknowledged the character having a "very interesting relationship with the team because of trauma".

[5] DeMayo described the show's depiction of Morph as being a "lighter take on the character" compared to the original series, as well as having an "interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine".

[31] Concerning his performance, Karliak stated that he didn't try to sound too familiar to Rubin; knowing during casting that Morph would be non-binary, he opted to use his own voice, in order to ground the character closer to reality.

[32] Regarding Morph's position among the X-Men and their role at the beginning of the series, Karliak described the character as trying to figure out their relationship to the rest of their teammates, as well as themself, following all the trauma they has endured.

[32] Regarding Morph's development in the series as a non-binary individual, director Jake Castorena described this approach to the character as "mak[ing] sense", given their shapeshifting abilities.

When Madelyne, as the Goblin Queen under Sinister's influence, causes the X-Men to experience various hallucinations, Morph sees Wolverine naked in the showers and playfully asks if he wants company.

[32] Regarding this opposition, Karliak finds the trope of a queer individual being in love with a straight person overused, preferring for Morph and Wolverine to remain best friends.

[27] Writing for SlashFilm, Ethan Anderton, who grew up watching the cartoon, states that Morph was a popular character among fellow viewers of the series.

[1] GameRant writer Joshua Kristian McCoy similarly hoped Morph would have a role in X-Men '97, praising their presence as comic relief and friendship with Wolverine.

[44] Thapa also praised Morph role as Mister Sinister's thrall during the show's second season, arguing that their more morally gray personality helped make them a more layered character, in contrast to their earlier humorous demeanor.

[5] Comic Book Resources's Renaldo Matadeen similarly commended Morph's "mental health arc", especially their dealing with PTSD in season 4, describing it as one that "many fans related to and sympathized with".

[45] Polygon's Velocci described the depiction of Morph as non-binary in X-Men '97 as logical, acknowledging that shapeshifters in fiction often change into various genders.

[46] Collider's Cameryn Barnett, while praising Morph's depiction as non-binary, argued the show's first season didn't adequately explore their identity.