While it has been half a decade since MCU acquired the rights to X-Men following its acquisition of 20th Century Fox, there is yet to be an X-Men movie in sight. But to Disney’s credit, they finally gave X-Men: The Animated Series its due with X-Men ‘97, which has been a massive critical success, as it currently sits on a rare 100 percent at the Tomatometer.
However, a potential X-Men reboot might not be able to match the standard set by the animated release, as the factors that made the revival of the classic a hit would not translate well into the MCU.
MCU’s Potential X-Men Reboot Doesn’t Have the Luxury of the Animated Release
While the flow of ’97 is different compared to its ’90s counterpart, which is reasonable as the revival wasn’t made with commercial breaks in mind, it does retain the aspects that made the original stand out. Like the ’92 show, which laid the foundation for the comic book boom in the 2000s, X-Men ’97 benefits from its episodic release, as it allows the show to focus more on individual characters and their quirks.
However, when it comes to a live-action X-Men feature, which we will see some time in the MCU’s future, these elements wouldn’t translate well into MCU’s current landscape. Unlike the animated show, focusing on every new mutant and their quirks could make a potential movie feel too bloated.
While making a Disney Plus Mutant series might seem right on paper, it might do more harm than good to the cinematic giant. Considering their reliance on too many shows has proven detrimental to the mega-franchise, it’s unlikely that Kevin Feige and Co. will resort to the small screen for one of Marvel’s most valuable IPs.
X-Men ‘97 Might Witness ‘90s Spider-Man Return
Although time will tell what the future holds for an X-Men project in the MCU, we might witness the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in the upcoming episodes of the acclaimed show. Speaking to Men’s Health, producer Brad Winderbaum, responsible for Marvel’s What If, hinted at a possible Spiider-Man cameo from the beloved 1994 series.
Winderbaum said:
“X-Men ’97 fits into that ’90s timeline, along with the OG series, as well as those concurrent ’90s shows that would sometimes cross over with the X-Men. The potential is always there. Without going into spoiler territory, the original show does have a lot of fun cameos and ’97 carries that torch.”
Considering the original X-Men show was no stranger to cameos from other Marvel heroes at the time, one can expect to see some classic characters return in the show moving forward.
X-Men ‘97 is available to stream on Disney Plus.
