On November 12th, Disney Plus released new information on several upcoming projects, including several upcoming TV series produced by Marvel Studios. Most of these shows were live action TV series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe —Ms. Marvel,She-Hulk, andMoon Knight, among others — but there was also one unexpected announcement that took countless fans by surprise.
One of the new shows announced was none other thanX-Men ‘97, an animated series coming in 2023 that will serve as the first Marvel Studios project to feature the legendary team of mutant superheroes. However, as the name suggests, the show will not be focusing on a modern incarnation of the X-Men. Instead, the series will serve as a direct sequel to another X-Men show that’snear and dear to many fans’ hearts.
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Old-School X-Men
According to theofficial announcement posted on Marvel.com,X-Men ‘97“explores new stories in the iconic 90s timeline of the original series.” The original series in question is, of course,X-Men: The Animated Series, the first-ever cartoon to feature Marvel’s mighty mutants as the central focus. The show ran on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997, lasting five seasons with a total of 65 episodes. And true to its name,X-Men ‘97will be picking up right where its predecessor left off.
X-Men: The Animated Seriesis fondly remembered by fans to this day, and for good reason — long before the days of the MCU,X-Men: TASwas the first real Marvel adaptation that attempted to truly capture the full spirit of the source material, adapting iconic storylines like “Days of Future Past”and “The Dark Phoenix Saga”to animation. And while it may come off as cheesy and dated to modern viewers, it’s still a groundbreaking show in many ways. Not only was it one of the first cartoons to attempt to tell a long-running continuity-heavy narrative, it also incorporated many of the comics’ more mature themes in a way that children could still understand. Anti-mutant prejudice, Wolverine’s tragic past, Magneto’s moral ambiguity, and even Nightcrawler’s Christian faith are all explored with the same gravitas they had in the comics. The two-part series premiere, “Night of the Sentinels”, even kills off an X-Man named Morph, establishing from the start that this is no ordinary cartoon.
It’s also impossible to discussthe high points ofX-Men: TASwithout bringing up it’s voice cast. Even with all the campy dialogue and scenery-chewing, they still brought enough charm and heart to the roles that their performances remain iconic to this day. Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Catherine Disher as Jean Grey, Chris Potter as Gambit, Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler, and Christopher Britton as Mister Sinister all brought their characters to life — so it’s no wonder that they’ve been all confirmed to return in the revival (albeit not all reprising their original roles), now joined by voice acting greats like Jennifer Hale, Jeff Bennett, and Ray Chase.
A Multiverse of Marvels?
Of course, withX-Men ‘97beingproduced by Marvel Studios itself,the question is obvious: will this new series be connected to the MCU? Needless to say, the originalX-Men: TASdoesn’t match up very well to the MCU we know — not only did it feature Captain America and Carol Danvers (still in her Ms. Marvel identity) as major guest stars, it also included brief cameos from Thor, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and Ghost Rider, among others. And of course, this incarnation of the X-Men also crossed over intoSpider-Man: The Animated Serieson multiple occasions. So yes, even setting aside the fact that it predated the MCU by 16 years, there’s plenty of evidence to prove thatX-Men: TASvery clearly does not take place in the same universe as the MCU films.
However, thatdoesn’t mean there will be no connectionwhatsoever betweenX-Men ‘97and the MCU. After all, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer merely a universe, but an entire multiverse. Phase 4 of the MCU has been placing plenty of emphasis on travel between alternate timelines, withLokiandSpider-Man: No Way Homeboth focusing on the concept. And of course, the very premise ofWhat If…?is based around exploring other universes, with familiar characters being placed in unfamiliar situations.
With this in mind, it isn’t so far-fetched thatX-Men ‘97will connect the continuity of the classic animated series to the wider multiverse of the MCU. After all, the original series was no stranger to timeline-hopping adventures, thanks to stories like “Time Fugitives”, “One Man’s Worth”, and of course “Days of Future Past”. It’s hardly beyond the realm of possibility thatX-Men ‘97could featureguest stars from another universethat more closely resemble their MCU counterparts. The 90s X-Men could even potentially appear in a futureWhat If…?season for a proper crossover. The possibilities are endless.
A New Beginning
But of course, that’s all purely speculation. Very little information is known aboutX-Men ‘97at the moment aside from the cast and crew — and even then, the actual roles of said cast have yet to be disclosed. With the show not due to release until 2023, it’ll likely be a while until more is revealed.
However, that isn’t stopping fans from getting hyped overX-Men ‘97. Even after nearly 30 years, it’s still one of the most beloved Marvel adaptations ever, and a definitive depiction of the X-Men mythos. It’s no surprise that the potential ofthis acclaimed animated seriescrossing over into the larger MCU multiverse is an exciting prospect. But for now, Marvel Studios’ revival of these retro mutant adventures is still a ways off.
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