Disney+ releases the first two episodes of their X-Men ’97 animated series today (March 20) and if the episodes that they made available for press are any indication, fans are in for a treat that will take them right back to a Saturday morning in the 1990s.
I was the perfect age for the original X-Men animated series. I had been reading the comics for three or four years at that point, and I remember the long, long wait between the “sneak preview” and the launch of the actual series. Sure, it wasn’t animated as well as I thought the Sunbow “Pryde of the X-Men” special was, but what I did love is that it represented the current era’s X-Men comics so well. Characters like Gambit and Jubilee are most unique to that era, even though at the time the show was produced, they were fairly new to the comics. For those who didn’t read the comics, though, this was the introduction for these characters for so many people.
Yes, the animation was a bit glitchy at times, especially in that “sneak preview” where things were redone before it aired again. Some character designs, like what Logan would wear when not in his Wolverine costume, were a bit questionable. The show, though, very capably wove the characters together, and even had some continuing plotlines to hook audiences.
Since the original animated series went off the air, we’ve had over a half dozen X-Men movies and almost as many animated shows. But for many… the original X-Men was the GOAT. And now it’s back.
From the opening moments, X-Men ’97 delivers. They kept the classic opening theme but modernized it a bit, still keeping the same design and character titles. But wait! Morph and Bishop get title cards too? And the openings seem to change with every episode I’ve seen so far? Very interesting. It’s clear that the people behind the show loved the source material and instead of jokes about yellow spandex, they embraced what made the show work.
The animation style is true to what we originally had, but it’s a lot more consistent and good. Perhaps appropriate for the X-Men ’97 name, the characters at times kind of look like how artist Carlos Pacheco drew them in the X-Men comics in 1997.
Story-wise, it’s addictive. Every episode seems to end on a big cliffhanger making you wonder what’s going to happen next. Like the same era’s Batman: The Animated Series, this show seemed to distill the best elements of X-Men lore and present the best of the best. It doesn’t always match the comic book continuity, but it simplifies it and builds upon it.
The “anti-woke” brigade will complain about some aspects of the show, which is kind of silly at the end of the day, since the X-Men were always political. The Friends of Humanity and their worries about mutants replacing humans are the exact same people who’d watch Tucker Carlson or pick a criminal to be the Presidential nominee. So, yes, it is political, but also not in a trolling way; it’s just a natural part of the narrative that has been there since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the characters in 1963. Why wouldn’t a shapeshifter shift into two different genders? I also saw the ridiculousness where some complained that Storm’s new look with the mohawk was trying to de-feminize her. Not true. (Speaking of shapeshifters and Morph in particular, that character is a good excuse to show us some characters in the X-Men world who have not yet been seen in the promos. That’s all I’ll say there.)
Many of the classic voice actors are back for another round, and those who aren’t sound a lot like the original voice actors. This also gave that feeling or vibe of watching the original series. One exception may be Morph, who I remember as having a somewhat annoying voice the original time around; now he sounds normal. As I mentioned, most of the character designs are true to the originals, but thankfully, things like Logan’s bad fashion sense haven’t been present as of yet.
Some things aren’t 100% perfect. For some reason, the way they sometimes show bottom teeth makes characters look like vampires and I don’t know why. There are also some story things that I question. For example: If there’s a portrait of the five original X-Men, why are Scott and Jean later referred to as the only remaining originals? Or did I hear that wrong? I guess the original series had that questionable continuity too, when it came to characters like Archangel and Iceman.
Still… especially if you loved the original series decades ago, you’re going to love this as much if not more. But this time, you can watch without videotape static! My only complaint about this so far is, having seen three episodes, I want the rest now! It’s that good.
X-Men ’97 is now available on Disney+.
