Marvel Studios’ animated series X-Men ’97, created by Beau DeMayo, is a revival of 1992’s successful series X-Men: The Animated Series, which concluded its five-season run in 1997. Picking up where the original series left off, the 2024 series is going to depict X-Men facing challenges following the loss of their leader, Professor X.
X-Men ’97 is the first X-Men project from Marvel Studios since the studios regained the rights to the characters for movies and television. Vice President of Animation at Marvel Studios, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, had mentioned that the people involved with the revival of 1992’s series were fans of the show and knew exactly how the story for the 2024 series would pick up. Brad Winderbaum, however, revealed one of their plans for the series that could probably make fans happy.
Brad Winderbaum hints at X-Men ’97 and Marvel crossovers
X-Men ‘97’s executive producer, Brad Winderbaum, hinted in his recent interview with Men’s Health that one of their plans for the show is to have a crossover with Marvel Cinematic Universe. He said,
“We have a great executive who works for us named Drew River, who manages the continuity of the timeline. And obviously, that becomes more complex as you enter the multiverse saga and tracking multiple timelines.”
Winderbaum says that X-Men ’97 fits the ’90s timeline perfectly, and just like how the original show had a lot of fun cameos, the ’97 would do too. The executive producer didn’t elaborate on the topic, but fans have pointed out that he could have meant the iconic Avengers vs. X-Men crossover event that was featured in the Marvel comic books.
The comic book series focused on the return of Phoenix Force, the cosmic entity of death and rebirth looking for its new host. Teenage mutant Hope Summer is believed to be the host, and the X-Men team wants to protect her while the Avengers want them to hand her over so that they can figure out what to do.
Marvel fans have been expressing their desire to witness Avengers vs. X-Men ever since the first Avengers was released. And now, with Winderbaum indicating that there may be cameos in the show just like in the original show, fans see this as a light of hope for their desire to witness the iconic crossover.
The animated series that sets up a perfect balance between nostalgia and a contemporary take on the story can serve as the perfect medium for the makers to showcase Avengers vs. X-Men even before Kevin Feige plans to make a live-action.The original series featured cameos by Nick Fury, War Machine, Captain America, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Carol Danvers, and more.
Brad Winderbaum reveals Kevin Feige’s condition for X-Men ’97
In an interview with THR, the executive producer of X-Men ’97 Brad Winderbaum revealed two conditions that Kevin Feige put down in front of him before saying yes to the project. He said,
“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.”
The animated series premiered with two episodes on Disney+, with the third one dropping later. It has received a positive response from critics and the audience. The critics have lauded the theme song, stating that it instantly transports one back in time.
Talking about the series, in his interview with Men’s Health, Winderbaum was asked why the project was so important for him to bring back. He said that it is one of the most important pieces of art in his life.
He recalled that he had watched the original show as a kid, and it wasn’t patronizing to him, noting that the subtext of the show was about having a conversation on various issues. Now, with kids at home, he feels that X-Men is a great way to allow people to have an outlet for how they feel.
X-Men ’97‘s three episodes are streaming on Disney+.
