The MCU revived the beloved X-Men animated series from the 90s and picked up narratively with their new series X-Men ’97. When the series was announced, fans were excited that one of the best on-screen X-Men stories was coming back. The promotional material and trailers proved to be a great nostalgic trip for fans.
X-Men ’97 received overwhelmingly positive views in its two-episode premiere release, becoming one of the highest-rated MCU projects in quite a while. Now, the viewing numbers have been revealed, and the show has created a new record for Disney+ for a debut series.
X-Men ’97 Becomes The Biggest Debut for a Disney+ Animated Series
The MCU started branching into the animated space with the first season of What If? in 2021. The I Am Groot series followed in 2022, and the success of the two series proved that audiences were ready for more exciting stories outside of the main MCU storyline. The first two episodes of their new animated series, X-Men ’97, were released recently.
The series immediately brought back audiences to the golden era of the 90s X-Men animated series and picks up where it left off with the X-Men dealing with the aftermath of losing Professor X. The series premiered its first two episodes on March 20, 2024, and received great reviews from critics and fans.
The series reportedly amassed 4 million views in its first 5 days of release. With this achievement, X-Men ’97 becomes the biggest and most-watched animated series on Disney+ (via X). This is great news for the studio and Disney+ as fans are tuning in and loving the fact that X-Men is given proper treatment in their full-fledged entry into the MCU.
The success also means that fans can’t wait for the MCU to be in the X-Men in live action. With the current struggles of the MCU, Kevin Feige bringing the X-Men to the fold can provide much-needed intrigue and excitement to the franchise. It remains to be seen how the remaining episodes of X-Men ’97 turn out as it drops weekly.
Marvel Executive Comments on The Sudden Departure of X-Men ’97 Creator
In addition to fans being excited for X-Men ’97 to dep on Disney+, they were also hit with the shocking news that the creator of the show Beau DeMayo had left the show days before its premiere. Brad Winderbaum, the executive producer of the show and head of Marvel Animation, recently spoke about it in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Winderbaum revealed that while he can’t reveal any specific details, the studio and DeMayo simply parted ways. Despite DeMayo’s sudden departure, Winderbaum praised him, stating that he had deep love and affection for the characters and wrote excellent scripts for the show. He said,
“I can’t talk about the details. We parted ways is the best way I could say. But I can say that Beau had real respect and passion for these characters and wrote what I think are excellent scripts that really the rest of the team were able to draw inspiration from [to] build this amazing show that’s on screen.”
Whatever the reason, it is unfortunate that DeMayo parted ways with the studio as he did a great job at reviving the beloved X-Men series and telling a continued yet refreshing new story for modern fans. The second and third seasons of the show are already in development. Fans can watch X-Men ’97 on Disney+.
