Just when Marvel couldn’t get you more excited about the X-Men, the studio released a surprise trailer that showcases the return of a classic animated show, X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran from 1992-1997. The revival follows up on the series finale of the original show, with the synopsis reading, “X-Men ’97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.”
The show will have your X-Men regulars: James “Logan” Howlett/Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Scott Summers/Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Voiced by Jennifer Hale), Ororo Munroe/ Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (voiced by Matthew Waterson). The new Disney Plus show is scheduled to be released on March 20, 2024. Here are the top five moments of X-Men: ’97.
Professor Xavier Is Dead
In a shocking twist, the X-Men will not be led by Charles Xavier this time around. This isn’t the first time that Xavier has died if you’re a comic book fan, as previous issues have seen names like Magneto, Cyclops, or Wolverine lead the team, but the live-action and animated features always had Charles as the leader of said group. This opens the possibility to tell fresh stories that have never been seen in the comics.
How will the dynamic of the X-Men work without Charles Xavier there to guide them? Will Scott Summers have a different approach to teaching the students? There are so many intriguing questions buzzing through my head that get me excited over the endless storytelling possibilities. Directly following up on a key moment of the original series allows the writers to explore a different avenue that can bring out a new side of Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, or any of the other X-Men here. A bold storytelling choice that can work if done correctly.
The Daily Bugle
This is a well-known property in the world of Spider-Man. Admittedly, I’m not up-to-date on the original X-Men: The Animated Series. However, it’s a big deal when other properties are infused within such a rich world. Mutants are not a popular topic during this period and it wouldn’t be surprising if J. Jonah Jameson is leading the hate train against these superheroes. The more fascinating aspect is whether Spider-Man will show up.
Having that sort of mash-up can go in many different directions; Perhaps Spider-Man believes the public perception about the X-Men and tries to stop them? Or make a guest appearance and team up with the band of mutants? To be clear, Spider-Man has NOT been confirmed for the new season of X-Men, so this is pure speculation on my end, but it’s still an exciting development in a show that doesn’t particularly need cameos from other Marvel names to be compelling.
Down With Mutants
The hate for mutants is nothing new in this universe. However, it’ll be interesting to see how the mutants navigate the world without Charles Xavier leading them forward. This is the first time the subject has been explored on television or in movies, so the key factors here are the characters and how their brand of justice will impact society as a whole.
The trailer doesn’t give too much away as it’s mainly a reintroduction of these classic characters, but the arcs that are shown help drive home the themes of the rebooted series. This doesn’t come across as your typical Saturday morning Cartoon, so having an animated series that’s more thought-provoking and mature with its stories helps expand the lore of X-Men.
Wolverine and Gambit Working Together
It’s a shame that the Gambit solo film never came to fruition because he’s a very compelling character. Gambit can easily switch from villain to anti-hero, and the fact that he’s seemingly working with the X-Men here hopefully taps more into the comic book lore of him in the X-Men. Plenty of great stories involve his time with the superheroes, including his romance with Rogue. He’s not in the trailer much so it’s likely projecting, but seeing a character that isn’t normally in the X-Men crew get a very cool moment in the trailer is surely newsworthy.
Magneto
Now the synopsis states that Cyclops is the new leader of the X-Men, but will Magneto have some influence here? The friendship between Charles Xavier and Magneto has been well documented, but there are comics where the supervillain has been the leader of the X-Men as well. Having Cyclops as the leader is a wise choice, but it would be nice if Magneto were more than just an enemy of the X-Men. There are so many layers to explore with his character that hopefully him joining the X-Men somehow is a thing that happens in the new series. X-Men ’97 has the potential to be something brilliant if done correctly.
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