This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97
X-Men ’97 has released about six episodes so far, and each one has been praised for the quality of its animation and storytelling. With a cast committed to delivering a great performance, the show has received nothing but praise each week, singlehandedly eradicating superhero fatigue from the cultural zeitgeist.
X-Men ’97 directors Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura talked to ComicBook.com about their latest episode, Lifedeath Part 2, one that deals with Storm regaining her powers after they were stripped from her in the second episode of the show. They also mentioned one major constraint that the team faced while making the episodes, and how they approached it as an opportunity to be creative rather than look at it as a problem.
X-Men ’97 had a lot of problems with time constraints
In an interview with ComicBooks.com, the directors of the show had a lot to say about how they approached adapting stories for the small screen, especially with the time constraints that the episodes caused it to have. Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura were asked about the ‘pressure’ of adapting the stories, to which Conley explained:
“No. I don’t necessarily feel pressure. You try to do your best to elevate the script, and to really highlight the subtext of each scene, and to get into Storm’s POV, and what she’s feeling in that time.
And the only real restriction is runtime, right? Because sometimes you really want to try to build out these moments, but you try to do the best that you can, as far as, and I think constraints also is a plus, too, because I think that it forces you to get creative.”
The time constraint for the episodes creates an opportunity for the creators to get more creative with the adaptation of the story, something that they have very creatively incorporated into the runtime. Despite the lack of time, the creators still find clever ways to pay homages to other superhero content, as they did with Zack Snyder in Episode 6.
Man of Steel inspired a part of X’Men ’97 Episode 6
X-Men ’97 sees Storm regain her powers, including a new costume that is more reminiscent of her modern look in the comics. After she receives her powers, there is a sequence, inspired by Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.
Zack Snyder‘s films are notoriously known for being very lengthy, often having to be split in parts to tell a full story (as is the case with Rebel Moon), however, it seems that the X-Men ’97 series could allow Snyder to observe how great stories can be told with constrained timelines, without having to split the story in half, which leaves a lot to be desired by audiences.
Snyder’s influence has slowly been creeping into the superhero genre, thanks to work that he has done with properties like The Watchmen and the DCEU. However, there seems to be a struggle between critics and audiences with regard to his work, surrounding the issues of quality and proper storytelling.
X-Men ’97 is currently streaming on Disney+
