The unbelievable but perfectly deserved success of X-Men ‘97 gave fans one of the best TV/movie adaptations of the evergreen X-Men in recent years. The show, which was a revival of the classic 90s TV series, delightfully managed to stay consistent with the traditional arc while giving fans plenty to chew on for the time being.
However, as Marvel will testify, viewers are constantly on the lookout for new content, and X-Men ‘97 has resulted in considerable interest in similar reboots of some of the other animated offerings that Marvel can work on. That includes a plethora of its 90s animated shows, such as Iron Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Unlimited, or even The Incredible Hulk.
Alex Perez reveals Marvel is always working on new ideas
The Cosmic Circus writer, Alex Perez, recently held a lengthy Q&A session as part of Marvel’s Discord series. It led to a range of updates, which most notably revolve around the studio’s future plans when it comes to their animated offerings. X-Men ‘97 not only gave Marvel its biggest success in recent years, but it also opened doors to a range of other animated offerings that might be rebooted/continued.
For example, we have a range of fan favorites that Marvel produced in the 90s, including The Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and The Avengers: United They Stand. All of these series were extremely popular during their initial run and gave Marvel a plethora of possibilities with respect to their next move.
That in itself is not a far-fetched ambition, according to Alex Perez: (The Cosmic Circle)
There are always ideas cooking at Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation, but it all depends on whether or not Marvel approves the idea. Right now, all I expect them to do is explore the 90s timeline via the X-Men show so as not to oversaturate audiences, and leave them wanting more.
The journalist clearly believes that due to the plethora of ideas the creative team comes up with, much depends on whether the studio ends up approving them.
Marvel can choose from a range of Animated Offerings to delve into
Of course, while the options are endless, the studio might argue that overdoing anything can prove to be disastrous. After all, Marvel in itself has been a victim of that particular phenomenon, considering the dwindling interest that movies in recent years have seen.
However, a lack of originality appears to be the major reason behind the dwindling interest, and the kind of love fans have for some of the original characters and Avengers remains unchanged. This means that the problem in itself is not with respect to ‘overdoing’ something but rather due to a lack of originality.
That will be very true for any reboot of a 90s animated offering. Not only will such a show include some of the best fan-favorite characters that fans have continuously loved for decades, it also allows the studio to come up with an original narrative untainted by the overall stagnancy of the MCU.
Of course, while it all sounds good on paper, there is little doubt that Marvel heads will be currently busy with the kind of live-action projects that are expected in the coming time. With Deadpool & Wolverine nearing its June 26 release date, this stagnancy might itself wash away as a range of characters make their live-action bow.
At the same time, that does not mean that fans will not lap up any animated iteration that Marvel throws at them, especially if it boasts of the kind of quality that was evident with X-Men ‘97.
X-Men ’97 can be watched on Disney+.
