Summary
X-Men ‘97might still be a ways off from finishing up its highly anticipated second season, but the show’s latest update promises fans that when they do eventually get to see the show’s latest installment, there’ll be quite a bit to look at.
X-Men ‘97has been a massive success with fans, despite having a lot of fan fatigue and cynicism to battle against and even more to live up to when it started. Envisioned as a spiritual successor and direct sequel to the beloved 90s hitX-Men: The Animated Series,which was massively well-loved at the time and held on to a significant fanbase since its cancelation in 1997. Taking its name from that end,X-Men ‘97would go on to improve on the original series in a few waysand tell a compelling, high stakes story across its first season that felt both like a direct continuation of the original and a new, updated iteration with a lot to offer thanks to its more mature tone and technological advantages.
Possibly the most obvious of these improvements was to the visuals, withX-Men ‘97director’s anime influencesand adaptations ofX-Men: The Animated Series’distinct look doing justice to the original vision in a way that the constrained budget on the original hindered Larry Houston from actualizing. Now, the show’s second season seems set to take that further in one major way. At theMarvelsection of the 2024 D23 event recently, it was revealed that the X-Men would be stepping into the new season of the show with some new threads very different to what the team sported in the first season. Some other interesting titbits about the upcoming season were discussed, such as Rogue’s character arc resembling a hero’s journey and a long (and exciting) list of new villains and at least one ally joining the show.
Morrison’s run, which went under the name New X-Men and featuredthe newly minted MCU villain ofDeadpool & WolverineCassandra Novain its first arc, lasted from 2001 to 2004. Over this 44 issue span, the books introduced a lot of innovative changes, added a spark of drama to some of the characters that were otherwise settled in their ways by previous writers, and dealt with the omnipresent social issues the X-Men often embody from a few perspectives. The costumes from the run of comics, which were designed by Frank Quietly, featured somewhat more practical suits for the time that reflected the look and feel of the live-actionX-Menfilm that had released a year prior.
WhileX-Men ‘97seems set to improve on some of thethings that the original ‘90sX-Menseries did better, particularly with the introduction of iconic villains and potentially adapting more core storylines that have occurred since the last series, the costume change is something else entirely. By taking on a new look for the characters that (while still from the comics) originates from the era of Marvel immediately following the original show’s cancelation,X-Men ‘97could be taking a solid step forward in carving out an identity for itself that fans can engage with beyond its role as a sequel. While there will never be a consensus ruling by fans on a beloved classic being superceded,X-Men ‘97could still at least step out of the long shadow cast on it by taking steps like this. While potentially retrenching some of the Morrison-era he proposed style is more modern and stylish as well, which won’t be lost on modern audiences or merchandising partners.
It’s become a popular opinion thatthe MCU’s future needs to be modeled onX-Men ‘97, and the show seems intent on evolving to fit this new pedestal position even better. With a visual style simultaneously comics-accurate and more practical for adaptation into live-action, the next season of the show could be a blueprint going forward in several ways, visuals and writing included.
The first season ofX-Men ‘97is available to stream on Disney Plus.
X-Men ‘97
The animated X-Men team returns in the Disney Plus reboot, X-Men ‘97. With Professor X gone, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and the rest of the mutants find themselves under the leadership of Magneto and facing a new threat. X-Men ‘97 is the first project under the newly created Marvel Animation banner.
