X-Men ‘97, Disney long-awaited follow-up or the animated X-Men series of the mid 1990s just wrapped it for season on Disney+ recently; so I decided to check it out.
Just to be clear: X-Men 97 is a direct continuation of the aforementioned X-Men animated series of the 90s. Most, if not all, of the original voice actors have returned to reprise their roles. Marvel Animation, virtually copied the original opening shot for shot, scene for scene. The entire show was animated in a style very similar to that of the original show. Furthermore, it is a continuation of characters, situations, and storylines introduced in the original series.
By the way, the “Marvel Animation” signature that precedes every episode is great! It pays homage not only to the Disney+ animated programs, but all of the Marvel-based animated shows of the past as well. That Marvel You could move we can move your suitcase in your binder as far easier to just sit on the end there said, moving all that stuff or not would go through the process of creating such an opening tells me that this may be the first, but is definitely not the last, entry from “Marvel Animation“
Personally, I wasn’t a big fan of the 1990s X-Men series. I was reading X-Men comics at the time, The series was basically a string of loosely based adaptations from the X-Men comic books, so I was familiar with the storylines. However, X-Men hit the air waves at almost the same time as the greatest animated, comic book, adaptation of all time, Batman: The Animated Series. Batman… was an instant classic, setting the bar for comic book based animated programming to another level. I immediately saw X-Men is just an inferior product.
If however, you were a fan of the original X-Men animated series, you’re in for a treat! X-Men 97 is your beloved X-Men series all grown up. The show is animated in style reminiscent of the original, but it actually improves upon it. Furthermore, there’s no need to worry about this being a Mickey Mouse sanitized version of the original X-Men show. The show is violent. It is dark. Characters bleed, characters die, characters swear. I’m like the original X-Men series before it, it’s strings together multiple bits from X-Men comic book stories from over the years.
Despite the popularity of the X-Men comic books over the decades, one criticism, the title (titles) i’ve taken over the years is the large number of i’m going store lines at seemingly are never resolved. X-Men is a tough not to crack for someone picking up the comic book for the first time. The animated series, and now the new X-Men 97, are no exceptions.
Perhaps my one glaring criticism of eczema 97 is the lack of individual character moments. The show introduces us to some of the different dynamics between certain characters, but the action never slow down enough to give us actual character development. The X-Men are seemingly thrown from one catastrophe into another over and over again. we get a few moments between Scott Summers and Jean Grey, as well as an interaction between Roberto Dacosta and Jubilee; but that’s really about it. there is a bee plot to the season that involves Storm and Forge, but that struck me as superficial.
As a sidenote, I would not recommend going back to watch the original X-Men series after watching X-Men 97. Compared to X-Men 97, the animation on the original show is a little too basic . The story lines weren’t nearly as sophisticated as those of its successor; as it was created for Saturday morning network TV. but the original series is available on Disney+ for longtime fans; or for people just getting their feet wet with Marvel’s mutants.
Lastly, I will say that, as the MCU’s Infinity Saga was winding down; were I Kevin Feige, I would’ve shifted focus from the avengers immediately to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four IPs as soon as Marvel’s acquisition of Fox was completed. As complicated and convoluted as I feel the X-Men storylines are, I believe that they are the future of not only Marvel Animation, but of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. If they play their cards right, Marvel Studios can continue to pad their legacy as the greatest movie franchise of all time.
FINAL TAKE: I loved X-Men 97 and I was NOT a fan of the original series! As a comic book fan, I highly recommend it! I would advise that a viewer is either familiar with the X-Men comic books or the previous X-Men series before watching X-Men 97; as the show is a direct sequel to the original.
X-Men 97, as well as X-Men are currently streaming on Disney+
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