An eagerly anticipated continuation of one of the greatest Marvel animated series ever is set to happen with X-Men ‘97, fulfilling the dreams of all ‘90s Marvel fans. The reason for the peculiar name is that it is a revival of the acclaimed 1992 television program X-Men: The Animated Series, which concluded in 1997.
With the release of the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer as well as the latest X-Men ‘97 update, Marvel appears to have successfully restored the trust of their fan base. The studio’s run of a few cinematic weak movies (The Marvels) left even the most devoted Marvel fans cold. Therefore, the studio bears the responsibility of producing successful films or television shows.
However, many fans may be unaware that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige had two non-negotiable conditions that ultimately played a critical role in reviving the iconic series, X-Men ‘97.
Kevin Feige’s X-Men ‘97 Strategy: The Casting Coup and Musical Magic?
The forthcoming animated TV series X-Men ‘97 will continue where the 1992–1997 animated series X-Men: The Animated Series left off. Kevin Feige, 50, who is renowned for his painstaking preparation and attention to detail, had a distinct idea about how fans should be reintroduced to the X-Men.
Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming at Marvel Studios, claimed (via THR) that Feige was adamant that the iconic theme song and the original cast for X-Men ‘97 be retained if the series was to be revived. And, while these conditions may appear simple at first glance, they proved to be critical in capturing the essence of what made the show already so unique in the first place.
“Following the success of What If…?, when we were able to make more animated shows, [X-Men ’97] was my first idea out of the box. And Kevin [Feige] was like, ‘Alright, if we can get the [original] cast and we can get the song, let’s do it.’ And fortunately, we were able to do that.”
Thankfully, Eric and Julia Lewald, the original showrunners, returned, as did producer/director Larry Houston. The executive had some ideas after the MCU’s popularity on Disney+ took off and then crashed. Winderbaum went on to add:
“Certainly, the world has shifted. The original idea was that we can create whatever we wanted to launch Disney+ and to have a home for new Marvel ideas to take place. And now we do have to be a little bit more judicious with our choices.”
There has been some controversy surrounding the new series since Beau DeMayo, the former showrunner, was fired just days before it debuted. According to Toonado, his “unsettling” OnlyFans activity may have led to his termination.
Along with deleting his account, DeMayo also removed numerous behind-the-scenes glimpses of his upcoming animated series, X-Men ’97, from Instagram.
What Can We Expect From Marvel’s X-Men ‘97?
The first glimpse and official release date for the series have been made public in one of the recent issues of Empire Magazine. On Wednesday, March 20, X-Men ‘97 will debut on Disney+.
First look at ‘X-MEN ‘97’
Premieres March 20 on Disney+
(Source: @empiremagazine) pic.twitter.com/fw6UyoDizC
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 15, 2024
Empire Magazine was given an exclusive look at the characters of the mutant team by Beau DeMayo and supervising producer Jake Castorena. The first season of the show will explore “what happens when the X-Men are faced with a future they did not expect”, per the Empire article.
We learned from ScreenRant that the first episode will center on a group of mutants battling to protect themselves from a society that despises and fears them. Ray Chase as Cyclops, Lenore Zann as Rogue, Holly Chou as Jubilee, George Buza as Beast, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, and Cal Dodd as Wolverine are among the cast members of the animated series.
According to earlier confirmation from DeMayo (per The Direct), Mister Sinister will pose a significant threat to the X-Men in this version as well.
The first two episodes of X-Men ‘97 are slated to air on March 20, 2024, with the remaining ten episodes airing every week until May 15.
