Created by Beau DeMayo and Marvel Studios Animation, X-Men ‘97 continues the story of X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997) and follows the X-Men, a team of mutant superheroes founded by Professor Charles Xavier (Ross Marquand) to protect mutants and humans alike. It picks up a year later and sees the X-Men facing new challenges and a new threat without Xavier, under the leadership of their former adversary Magneto (Matthew Waterson).
As a kid born in the 90s one of my first experiences with superhero media and Marvel in general was watching their animated shows every Saturday morning and the one show I ended up watching the most was X-Men: The Animated Series. Despite its low budget and cheesy elements, it was considered by many to be truly one of the best comic book shows ever made due to how well crafted it was at that time from a narrative and technical standpoint, as well as just how relevant it was with its themes. It has also been considered to be the best adaptation of the X-Men to this day given that it was able to adapt the iconic characters and storylines far better compared to a majority of the live-action adaptations that were created under 20th Century Fox Studios.
So when a revival of the series was announced by Marvel Studios there was both excitement and worry for it for an endless list of obvious reasons. But given the mostly strong track record of Marvel Studios along with Kevin Feige’s massive adoration for the X-Men from comics I had faith this revival could be great and could either live up to or improve upon the legacy of the original series. After watching the entirety of this first season in what I could describe as a weekly rollercoaster of nostalgia and emotions I can proudly say that X-Men ‘97 not only met my expectations but completely surpassed them. X-Men ‘97 not only serves as a phenomenal revival of the original series in every possible way but I believe it is currently one of the best superhero shows made so far under the Marvel Studios banner.
It beautifully continues the story of the original series while also phenomenally improving it in many ways, especially with the animation, the acting, and most importantly the writing. And much like the original series it is probably one of the most relevant superhero adaptations at this time due to the much more mature themes and subject matter that this series delivers perfectly even in animated form.
This will be mostly a non-spoiler review though there will be some light spoilers I will need to get into regarding certain character arcs and certain narrative elements.
The creators of this revival tried their best to get most of the original cast back to reprise their roles, and while they succeeded in getting some of them back they unfortunately had to recast others due to either the original voice actors and actresses having gotten too old to voice the characters, or have sadly passed away in the years after the original show’s conclusion. But there is no need to worry because the new voice cast that they brought in does an outstanding and exemplary job playing the role of the recast characters, either sounding exactly like the original voices or surprisingly sounding better compared to the original voices.
What I did love though is that for some of the cast members that were too old to play their former roles, they ended up being given other roles to play in the series, both major and supporting, so they could still have a part in the revival. Whether it is the new cast or the old cast everyone gives fully committed performances to their respective characters, bringing so much emotional depth and energy to these characters and making viewers instantly attached to them through everything they endure.
On top of being voiced perfectly every character is written perfectly with every one of them having a major part to play in the overall narrative of the season. Additionally, some of the most major characters get their own significant arcs this season, with some that are either based on famous ones from comics some as new and original arcs that are based on the foundation of the characters from where they were last time we saw them in the original series.
First among them is Scott Summers / Cyclops, voiced by Ray Chase, who received the biggest upgrade to his character and development in this revival. For those who may not know, Cyclops has gained a reputation over the years for being one of the most hated X-Men due to previous poor portrayals over the years, including the original animated series and especially the live-action films. However, the writers of X-Men ’97 ended up turning Cyclops from an unlikable douchebag to a majorly compelling and tragic character that I found myself surprisingly attached to throughout the whole season.
He has been given far more emotional depth than he has had in years and the absolute burden-heavy journey he endures is such an investing and relatable one that it made me feel completely different about him. It gave me a newfound respect for him, all of which is primarily due to the fantastic writing he is given and the committed voice performance by Ray Chase, taking over from the original voice actor Norm Spencer who sadly passed in 2020.
Additionally, they have also made Cyclops a lot more badass this time, focusing on how his powers are executed in a unique fashion that would make even the most die-hard Cyclops hater admit how awesome he is in action.
Sharing the emotionally compelling and rollercoaster journey with him is his wife Jean Grey, voiced by Jennifer Hale, who is the heart of this season. Her arc is full of shocking twists and turns that are truly heartbreaking, making you truly feel so much sympathy for her. After everything she has endured in the original series, including the dreaded events of the Phoenix Saga, she’s probably the one character out of the entire team who deserves a peaceful and happy life yet gets denied it constantly due to numerous events. And yet despite all she goes through she still retains a relentless will that can never be broken, making her truly one of the greatest heroes amongst the X-Men.
Cyclops and Jean are certainly the most front-and-center characters of this season with how much development they receive, but all the other X-Men do get a chance to phenomenally shine with their own arcs or developed moments that make them all equally engaging for viewers and fans, never making anyone feel left behind (unlike what the live-action films did consistently.)
Storm, reprised by Alison Sealy-Smith, gets an amazing arc this season that is a near-accurate yet still amazing adaptation of the Lifedeath arc from comics where Storm is stripped of her powers and goes on a life-changing path that changes her forever. Storm has always been one of the most powerful and majestic members of the X-Men, so seeing her lose her powers and be brought down to such a low level is emotionally shocking to witness, but it’s emotionally satisfying to see her rise back up and show that she is more than just her powers. Within three episodes this series was able to beautifully adapt all of the most crucial elements of the Lifedeath arc and give such an intense yet awesome journey for Storm that no live-action film would have honestly been able to accomplish as well, if it was adapted under previous management.
It also goes without saying that Alison Sealy-Smith’s return as the character is phenomenal with her giving some of the best voice acting for the character to date.
Speaking of best voice acting there is also some incredible voice work and character development from former X-Men adversary Magneto, who is now voiced by Matthew Waterson replacing David Hemblen who sadly passed away in 2020.
Magneto has inherited the X-Men and with it the chance to fulfill Xavier’s dream of mutant and human coexistence, a dream that had been consistently mocked by Magneto since their rivalry began. It was so fascinating to see Magneto attempt to reform his ways and be a leader to the X-Men purely out of a deep respect for Xavier, despite their opposing beliefs, which in turn leads to one of the most unique character journeys in this season that is full of grand stakes and some of the most compelling character development ever adapted from Marvel comics. Magneto has the ultimate power and the resources to completely change the world in his own image through violent means, yet shows incredible amounts of mercy and restraint, making him such an investing, complex character that you feel constant tension with.
We often see Magneto flip between enemy and ally in many of the previous adaptations, and for a while it was starting to get repetitive, but here I felt it was done in such a refreshing way that I was completely invested in everything involving him in this season. It is such brilliant character writing but it wouldn’t be as perfect without the phenomenal voice acting from Matthew Waterson who truly delivers the most powerful monologues, lines, and moments of this season that I will never forget.
Another emotionally compelling character this season is Rogue, reprised by Lenore Zann. After being so pitifully portrayed in the live-action films the writers and animators of this series go out of their way to remind everyone why Rogue is actually a badass character by doing her right and giving her a layered arc that goes in very bold directions. She deals with many personal struggles this season, with the biggest being the revelation of a secret romantic relationship she had with Magneto when she was younger that resurfaces and causes friction in her current relationship with Gambit, played by A.J. LoCascio.
Normally I despise love triangles especially when the characters involved are three of my favorites, but the way this one is handled is done extremely well and the emotional performances from all three cast members involved, especially Lenore Zann, make it feel investing. However, things take a turn for the worse for Rogue when a heart-shattering event happens to her that results in her taking a darker path than ever seen before. It is written and executed so damn beautifully that it really feels in character for her from the original series, even with the retcon to parts of her past.
Gambit also has a significant impact on her story and also the overall story of the season which is also incredibly done thanks largely to the awesome writing for him and the strong voice acting from A.J. LoCascio, who I personally feel does a better performance compared to Gambit’s original voice actor Chris Potter.
Wolverine, reprised perfectly by Cal Dodd, is still the awesome and badass character we have always loved. He gets some significant moments this season that stay true to his character from the original series, though it is clear that this Wolverine is a lot more itchy with the claws this time around as he is ready to do whatever is necessary to protect his family and save the world, even if it means crossing several moral lines. One particular line gets crossed in this season that results in horrific consequences for Wolverine, setting up a completely new arc for him for the next season that is based on one of his most fascinating and shocking arcs from X-Men comics. It’s clear that Wolverine is going to have a more central role in the next season as a result of what happens to him here and I for one am extremely excited to see it pan out.
Other notable X-Men who shine this season include Jubilee (played by Holly Chou), Morph (played by J.P. Karliak), Beast (reprised by George Buza), Sunspot (played by Gui Agustini), Cable (played by Chris Potter), and Nightcrawler (reprised by Adrian Hough). Jubilee may still have her bright and funky personality but she definitely felt more grown up this season with the arc she is given as both partner and mentor to new addition Sunspot, who now plays a similar role to what she had in the very first season of the original season. She gets her own filler episode that was not only insanely fun but shows just how far she has come in terms of maturity and power.
Morph becomes a more integral part of the team this time around, serving as both well-written comedic relief and a supremely underrated powerhouse. With the ability to transform into any hero or villain within the X-Men animated universe Morph provides a plethora of awesome action sequences that are done creatively and showcases the full potential of a character with that power in the best way possible. People may have mocked the character of G’iah in Secret Invasion for her acquired Super Skrull shapeshifter abilities, but Morph proves the power can be cool in action yet still have its limitations to balance things out and make for a character that isn’t too overly powerful.
There are also other various heroes that make an appearance who play major roles but I can’t discuss them due to major spoilers.
With many heroes involved in this season, we also get a number of villains that all play a part in the overall story, mostly consisting of returning foes and factions from the original series such as the Sentinels (Eric Bauza), Bolivar Trask (Gavin Hammon), Henry Gyrich (Todd Haberkorn), the FOH (Friends Of Humanity), Mister Sinister (Christopher Britton) and even the loathsome Mojo (David Errigo Jr.).
However, this season there is a new villain pulled straight from the pages of comics, teased and then revealed to be the ultimate mastermind behind all the conflicts and shocking events that occur, who I thought was absolutely brilliant for motives, performance and actions. I won’t reveal the name of the villain or dive deep into who it is, but trust me when I say he is an absolutely incredible addition to the series that makes a grand and terrifying debut in media.
Much like the original series, X-Men ’97’s narrative combines action, soap opera-style drama, and exploration of serious topics in grand fashion but honestly does it in a better and more mature way. It’s clear that the creators of the show as well as Kevin Feige himself have realized that most of the people who grew up watching the original series were expecting the series to grow up along with them, and that is exactly what they made sure would happen. X-Men ’97 takes some good swings narratively, moving away from the overly cheesy elements of its predecessor and giving us a powerful and high-stakes X-Men storyline that still retains elements of fun but is mostly geared toward a more mature audience with its themes and treatment of its characters.
The aforementioned soap opera drama between characters is wonderfully executed and never goes to the extremely cheesy or over-acted levels of the original series, which I was very happy with. The political and moral commentary of the comics and the original series is back once again as an integral part of the story but has a more modern and updated approach to it, despite the series still remaining the premise of the 90s.
The divide on philosophies and ideologies is definitely one of the strongest recurring themes of this season that has evolved since the events of the original series and are certainly going to get people talking. Certain events that occur in this season mirror recent horrifying events in an unsettling yet relevant manner, making this series tackle serious subject matter that is very important to acknowledge and discuss. This may be a series about mutants with superpowers but the lessons and warnings it is sharing are ones to be taken seriously by all those who watch and are done phenomenally well without any kind of restrictions.
On top of that this series’ narrative makes some seriously bold choices direction-wise, especially in regards to its handling of character arcs and deaths. As with most comic book stories, adaptations, and even with the original series, characters who die never remain dead all that long, or are mainly just fake-outs, but that is not the exact same case here. There are some life altering moments and unexpectedly graphic deaths that occur for some beloved characters that end up leaving a permanent impact on the story and other characters going forward. There were choices made in this season that I did not think the series creators would fully commit to but they did and as a result I felt so emotionally moved by all of it.
The three episode finale culminates everything in the season to an absolutely insane and jaw dropping conclusion that ends things on a shocking note and has some major setups for season 2 that are overall masterfully handled. And yes there is a post credit scene so don’t miss it.
In regards to easter eggs and cameos, there are definitely a number of them but a majority all exist within the realm of the animated Marvel universe of the 90s and are not connected to the MCU in any strong way. There are occasionally some small and very subtle MCU connections that are included but other than that X-Men ’97 remains firmly within the confines of its own universe, which is how it should be for this revival.
One of the biggest changes of this revival that was to be expected was of course improved animation, given the years of advancement in animation and increased budget compared to the original series. The animation is indeed gorgeously improved and stunning in every frame, but more importantly, it actually retains the old-school visual and technical charm of the original series even with improvements. The colors, quality and fluidity of the animation are different but it still uses 2D animation only and remains in style with the 90s aesthetic, not going overly modern and not breaking any visual continuity. We do get some new kinds of cinematography in this revival resulting in memorable visuals that can range from visually badass to visually haunting, adding on to the emotional rollercoaster of the narrative.
The increase in budget also allows for larger, longer, and more creative action that could never be accomplished before in the original series, offering endless amounts of fun and epic sequences, especially with the unique powers of each of the characters.
The cherry on top of this amazing revival is stellar music composed by the Newton Brothers, who are well known for their work in several projects created by horror director Mike Flanagan. They bring their all with truly incredible music that matches the story, tone, emotions, and 90’s aesthetic of this universe, giving this series so much rich life. And yes we do get a remastered version of the X-Men theme that plays in the opening, which is just as awesome and memorable as the original.
X-Men ’97 is the best example of how to do a revival correctly as well as how to adapt the X-Men properly after years of mostly disappointing adaptations. These are amazing characters that have many powerful and relevant stories and I hope that from this point forward we will get to see their stories be told just as well, whether it be in future seasons of this series or future film adaptations to come in the MCU. I’m going to give X-Men ’97 Season 1 an A+ = 100.
You can find more of my writing on instagram, and check out my channel on YouTube!