Matthew Turner | On 30, Mar 2024

X-Men: The Animated Series was one of the most popular animated shows of the 1990s, running for five seasons on the Fox Kids network, between 1992 and 1997. The original show has been available to stream on Disney+ since the House of Mouse acquired the rights to the X-Men from Fox, and the series’ continued popularity has led directly to this revival of the show, a direct continuation rather than a reboot or remake.

Marvel Studios Animation’s second foray into original animated series – following What If… – picks up a year after the events of the final episode of the original show, with Scott Summers / Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) now married to heavily pregnant Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) and leading the X-Men. The line-up remains identical to the original show, with members including Wolverine (Cal Dodd), Beast (George Buza), Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), Rogue (Lenore Zann), Gambit (AJ LoCascio), Jubilee (Holly Chou) and Morph (JP Karliak).

The series gets off to a cracking start, introducing an intriguing new status quo by establishing former enemy Magneto (Matthew Waterson) as the new head of the X-Men, in the absence of Professor X. In addition, the show wastes no time in bringing out some big guns in terms of villains: Episode 1 involves the Sentinels (giant mutant-killing robots), Episode 2 depicts the trial of Magneto by the UN (based on a classic comic) and sees the X-Men targeted by the Friends of Humanity and X-Cutioner, while Episode 3 features Mister Sinister (Christopher Britton), complete with a belter of a plot twist involving Jean’s baby that comics fans will no doubt be expecting, but will leave jaws on the floor for everyone else.

Overseen by writer-creator Beau DeMayo, the scripts are extremely impressive, striking a note-perfect balance between potent and still relevant policitcal themes (marginalised groups dealing with bigotry, intolerance, fear and general prejudice) and emotional, character-based storylines (love triangles and the like) that are essentially comic-book soap opera, in a good way.

That sense of the show pulling off an impressive balancing act is also present in the animation style, which manages to stay faithful enough to the look and feel of the original show – providing a welcome hit of nostalgia in the process – while still feeling modern and original. To that end, the character designs are largely the same, with a couple of small tweaks here and there, most notably to shape-shiftter Morph.
 
Perhaps the biggest coup of the new show is the fact that so many of the original cast members have returned, most notably the distinctive voices of Wolverine, Beast, Rogue and Storm. The voice work is exceptional across the board, though Waterson deserves singling out for his performance as Magneto, delivering an intriguingly layered turn as the former villain embraces his new direction.

The first three episodes of the new series also deliver mightily when it comes to action sequences. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into how the X-Men might fight as a team, and the action choreography is both exciting and cleanly staged in every sequence. Particularly enjoyable are the mini team-up moments within the fights, such as Gambit charging up Wolverine’s claws.

One other aspect of note for the streaming age is that the new show understands the value of a cliff-hanger, with the first two episodes in particular ending on gasp-worthy moments that will have you instantly tuning into the next episode.

In short, X-Men 97 is everything that fans of the original show could possibly have hoped for, while also being an entirely accessible and enjoyable show in its own right, and one that is certain to accumulate a whole new set of devotees. Happily, work has already started on Seasons 2 and 3, so there’s plenty more x-action to come.

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