The X-Men franchise, known in recent years for reboots and confusing time travel (“X-Men: Days of Future Past”), returns to its ‘90s roots with “X-Men ‘97”.
There is something inherently nostalgic about the X-Men. Perhaps it’s because of the boom of syndicated cartoons that aired across several networks around the 2000s. On Saturdays, reruns of “X-Men the Animated Series” (1992-1997)” would play along with selected episodes of “X-Men Evolution” (2000-2003). The cartoon “Wolverine and the X-Men” (2008-2009), however, brought the boom to an end, lasting a mere two seasons.
These cartoons introduced fan-favorite characters such as Wolverine and Charles Xavier to family audiences before they gained live-action counterparts in Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. Afterwards, the X-Men spurred an extended film franchise – a trilogy in the 2000s and a four-installment series in the 2010s – taking attention away from cartoons to the big screen.
While the X-Men movies of the 2000s and 2010s were Twentieth-Century Fox projects, Fox’s 2019 merge with Disney brought any future projects X-Men property under the Disney umbrella. With this merger, X-Men characters could appear in Marvel Cinematic Universe properties, allowing for Charles Xavier’s appearance in “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness” in 2022. Disney+ added “X-Men: The Animated Series” to streaming in 2020, and will make a return to the beloved cartoon through a new series from writer Beau DeMayo.
Announced in November 2021, “X-Men ‘97” is intended to pick up where the beloved 1990s cartoon left off.
Fans can anticipate returns from favorite characters including Cyclops, Rogue, Magneto and Wolverine, along with familiar villains including the Sentinels, the Hellfire Club and Mr. Sinister. While Magneto served as a foe for the X-Men in the original series, “X-Men ‘97” positions him as the new figurehead, inheriting both Xavier’s school and the X-Men upon Xavier’s death — an event from the original cartoon’s series finale.
While staying true to the original, DeMayo’s update makes a few changes, something both old and new viewers can look forward to. The 2023 Comic-Con panel revealed the main villain of the season would be Mr. Sinister. Characters with brief appearances in the original — Bishop, a time-traveling mutant, and Morph, a shapeshifter — will join the team full-time along with new hero Sunspot. The show is exploring a pregnancy storyline with established couple Jean Grey and Scott Summers, the result of which only time can tell. Updated character designs will be on display, with both toys inspired by “X-Men ‘97” and a comic book tie-in written by Steve Foxe and illustrated by Salva Espin, meant to bridge any gaps from the original to “X-Men ‘97”.
Like with many new takes on old shows, there has already been backlash before the show’s release. Although many of the changes prompting backlash were announced back in 2022, criticism didn’t spur until the release of the “X-Men ‘97” trailer on Feb. 15.
Visible in the trailer is the character of Morph, whose canonical gender is of a cisgender man who happens to have shapeshifting abilities. At the 2022 announcement, writer DeMayo used they/them pronouns for Morph, later specifying the character as nonbinary. In response, some YouTubers have accused the show of “going too woke,” expressing concerns that wokeness will ruin the show, claiming the X-Men have never been “woke.”
It’s an interesting criticism given how the X-Men have always existed in conversation with social issues of bigotry and oppression.
Magneto’s character is intrinsically tied to his trauma of being both a Holocaust survivor and a Jewish man. Magneto and Xavier’s ideological debate often touched on the merits of assimilation versus separatism tactics, struggles present in both the Civil Rights Movement and the Gay Liberation Movement. Many X-Men team members are canonically queer such as Ice-Man, who came out as gay in Uncanny X-Men No. 600, and Kitty Pride who canonically is bisexual as of Marauders #12.
So whether the new show will be, quote-unquote, “woke” or not, what can fans expect to hit their screens on Mar. 20?
From the trailer alone, fans can rejoice at many of the same running gags and material from the original show. The trailer utilizes the iconic ‘90s theme song in the background, an instrumental beloved by fans of the original show. Along with the theme song, Wolverine continues his use of the catchphrase “bub” with the trailer, showing its use in a tense conversation with Cyclops. Wolverine used “bub” frequently in the original series, so the continued use provides similar nostalgia to the theme song.
The trailer also promises group team-ups while defeating enemies such as Gambit hopping on Wolverine’s shoulders to work together in attacking the sentinels.
The familiar call of “to me, my X-Men,” which was used in the original show, is now taken up by leader Cyclops, positioning him in the role of the leader to an emphatic extent given Xavier’s passing. Cyclops’ voiceover in the trailer highlights his attempt to carry on Xavier’s legacy and dream, the words overlapping cuts of an altar dedicated to Xavier and his coffin being lowered in the ground.
While Xavier dreamed of a world where mutants and humans could live in peace without conflict, the trailer indicates his dream has not been achieved upon his death. The trailer shows shots of sentinels (machines built to hunt mutants) and protesters with signs of anti-mutant sentiment such as “down with mutants” and “back 2 where u came from,” as well asa stop sign with a paper attached to it reading “mutants.” Although the context is unclear, there’s also a shot of Magneto appearing in front of a tribunal/court with cameras flashing, more than likely as a result of these tense mutant-human relations.
Taking the confirmed villain of the season into account, the evil scientist Mr. Sinister, experimentation on mutants is not out of the question. In “X-Men: The Animated Series”, Mr. Sinister kidnaps Morph, and later Jean Grey and Cyclops in hopes of using their genetic material. While the X-Men were able to defeat him in the original series, it will be interesting to see what Mr. Sinister is currently up to. If he is still interested in the DNA of Jean Grey and Cyclops, his plans may complicate the fate of the baby, along with other members of the X-Men.
The last shot of the trailer doesn’t show Mr. Sinister though. Instead, it focuses on Magneto in Xavier’s office, holding a book titled “The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier.” The team is assembled outside the office door, all suspicious and wary of Magneto in their professor’s school, for valid reasons — he has attacked and tried to kill the X-Men on various occasions. Cyclops’ leader status might lead the audience to expect the school and team to go to him, but Xavier’s will proves otherwise.
As Magneto says, everything Xavier built now belongs to him, as opposed to Cyclops or even Wolverine. The trailer ends as Magneto drops this bombshell information.We don’t get the members’ final reactions, but judging by their earlier faces, this news isn’t likely to be taken positively. Perhaps some members will try to prove the document as forgery, or others will discount it entirely given Xavier’s optimism and long-standing “friendship” with Magneto. Xavier and Magneto’s friendship is characterized by two people motivated by the same cause but who utilize different methods; Xavier utilizes assimilation and Magneto commits violent acts against humans in the name of mutant preservation. Xavier believes Magneto will come around to his methods and position, despite much evidence to the contrary, but the rest of the X-Men have no reason to believe this.
Either way with both external and internal conflict, the show appears promising to deliver an emotionally satisfying first season, appealing to new and old fans alike when it starts streaming on Disney+ on Mar. 20.
