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Warning: X-Men '97 is a sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series, so Late Arrival Spoilers for that series are unmarked on this page. You Have Been Warned.

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"No matter how dark it is... we must believe in each other."
"We have to stay vigilant. The professor entrusted us with his dream."
Scott Summers / Cyclops

X-Men '97 is a 2024 animated superhero series produced by Marvel Studios’ animation label, Marvel Animation. It is developed by Beau DeMayo (The Witcher, Moon Knight, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) and serves as a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series.

In the wake of Professor Xavier’s departure from Earth, the X-Men continue their battle for justice and peace between humans and mutants—a battle made all the more difficult when it is revealed that Xavier has willed the school and everything he built to Magneto.

Returning cast members from the original series include Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Alison Sealy Smith as Storm, Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler and Christopher Britton as Mr. Sinister; while new additions include Holly Chou as Jubilee (replacing Alyson Court at the latter's request), Ray Chase as Cyclops (replacing the late Norm Spencer), A.J. LoCasio as Gambit (replacing Chris Potter), Matthew Waterson as Magneto (replacing the late David Hemblen), Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey (replacing Catherine Disher), Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop (replacing Philip Akin) and Ross Marquand as Professor Xavier (replacing Cedric Smith). Court and Disher stay on as new characters Abcissa and Valerie Cooper respectively, while Potter takes over from Lawrence Bayne as Cable (who now voices X-Cutioner).

The series' animation production is handled by Studio Mir (who is also one of the series' co-producers) and Tiger Animation, alongside in-house staff at Marvel Animation for additional animation support.

Similar to the original animated series, X-Men '97 has a core group the series follows:

  • Scott Summers / Cyclops: The stolid, straight-faced field leader of the X-Men who can fire optic blasts.
  • Logan / Wolverine: The antiheroic Badass Jerk with a Heart of Gold. Possesses a Healing Factor, razor-sharp claws, and an adamantium-infused skeleton.
  • Jean Grey: telepath and psychokineticist extraordinaire, and the mother of Cyclops's son.
  • Rogue: A Southern Belle with the ability to siphon the life force, as well as memories and abilities, of others via physical contact. Also a Flying Brick.
  • Remy LeBeau / Gambit: The ragin' Cajun, a former thief from Louisiana and master at weaponizing playing cards by charging them with explosive energy. Also Rogue's on-again-off-again paramour.
  • Ororo Munroe / Storm: Master of the elements whose command over the weather is matched only by her wisdom.
  • Dr. Hank McCoy / Beast: A furry blue scientist with a genius-level intellect and unparalleled agility.
  • Jubilation Lee / Jubilee: A spunky youth with the power to conjure and throw explosive plasma.
  • Kevin Sydney / Morph: A quick-witted lovable goofball with the power to mimic the appearance, voice, and (to a limited degree) physical abilities of anyone.
  • Lucas Bishop / Bishop: A time-displaced warrior, once an enemy of the X-Men, now an avowed ally. Has the power to absorb and re-direct energy attacks.
  • Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto: The Master of Magnetism himself, the X-Men's most dangerous enemy...and in the wake of Professor Xavier's passing, their new leader?!

The series was released on Disney+ on March 20th, 2024, with a second and third season in development.

A prelude four-issue comic written by Steve Foxe and drawn by Salva Espin, also called X-Men '97, began publication in March 2024.

Previews: Trailer


To me, my tropes!

  • 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: The series primarily uses 2D animation as a basis, much like the original series. However, unlike its predecessor, there are clear moments of using 3DCG cel-shaded characters for certain crowd or background character shots.
  • Adaptation Distillation: The complex relationship situation surrounding Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Madelyne Pryor is much more streamlined/simplified. In the comics, Jean (seemingly) died and Scott met and fell for Madelyne, an apparently unconnected woman who looked very much like Jean and was eventually revealed to be a clone created by Sinister to dupe Scott. In this show, Mr. Sinister swapped Jean and Madelyne at an unknown point in time with the latter believing that she was the real Jean until the truth was revealed.
    • Inferno is changed to a telepathic illusion caused by Madelyn's powers.
  • Ascended Extra:
    • Bishop has been promoted as a proper member of the titular team in this series, rather than merely being a guest character.
    • Morph as well, who was initially a main team member in this canon from the pilot. They sat out due to a case of Heroic Sacrifice, leaving them for dead before Mr. Sinister put them into a Jekyll & Hyde situation for much of the series until the finale.
  • Audience Surrogate: Much like Jubilee before him, Roberto Da Costa is made into one in the first episode.
  • Avengers Assemble: Before the series's title is shown in the trailer, we see Cyclops declaring "To me, my X-Men!" while the team assembles behind him.
  • Brought to You by the Letter "S": Just like during the equivalent period in the comics, Magneto as the leader of the X-Men sports a new costume with a big "M" on the front.
  • Combination Attack:
    • Episode 2 has Wolverine, Gambit and Morph taking down Master Mold through creative use of their respective talents. First, Gambit charges Wolverine's claws and then his staff, which he then chucks at Logan, using the the resulting explosion to launch him towards Morph, who transforms into the Blob, allowing Logan to bounce off his stomach. Logan uses his charged claws to decapitate Master Mold. To note, it's the closest we get to seeing a Fastball Special in the TAS universe thus far.
    • When fighting against demons in a psychic hallucination of Hell projected by the Goblin Queen, Cyclops uses his Eye Beams to power up Bishop who uses the energy boost to annihilate the demons.
  • Continuity Nod: A copy of the Daily Bugle is shown blowing in the wind after Cyclops' optic eye blast decimates the Friends of Humanity's hideout in "To Me, My X-Men". One article title asks if Spider-Man is a mutant, alongside a story about the Hellfire Gala written by Eddie Brock with pictures by Peter Parker. This is likely an acknowledgment that the original show, and this series by extension, share continuity with Spider-Man: The Animated Series, as established in their crossover episodes.
  • Depower: Storm suffers this after Taking the Bullet for Magneto from Xcutioner's Radiation gun during his trial, losing her powers seemingly permanently as a consequence.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?:
    • In "Mutant Liberation Begins", there is a close-up of Magneto taking off Rogue's glove to touch her hand. If this were any other woman it wouldn't be a big deal, but the way it's presented, it being Rogue and the way she rejects it, it comes across like two people who are about to have sex.
    • Beast telling Storm about the loss of her powers is exactly like a doctor telling a person they will never walk again.
    • The sight of an army of angry protesters swarming a government building with the intent to depose the officials inside feels scarily reminiscent of the January 6 uprising against the US Capitol, which happened three years before the airing of the episode.
  • Evolving Credits: The X-Men title sequence is meant to be similar to the '92 show's title sequence for continuity, but changes with each episode. The one big change is at the end where the clash between Xavier's forces and Magneto's has Lady Deathstrike and the White Queen replace Warpath and a mysterious pink-skinned man (assumed to either be the Gargoyle or Gremlin by fans).
    • In episode 1, Jean moves over to be after Cyclops instead of Wolverine, Morph and Bishop join the cast, and the scene where Jubilee runs into a fence is replaced with Morph being haunted by the silhouette of Mr. Sinister.
    • In episode 2, Magneto replaces Xavier, the iconic random scenes are replaced with Storm beating Callisto, the Dark Phoenix, Bishop traveling through time, and Magneto with Asteroid M.
    • In episode 3, Storm is removed from the cast list, Jubilee's scene is restored with Sunspot in her place, we see Magneto attacking Cyclops, Storm and Wolverine, Lilandra attacking the Dark Phoenix and Rogue kisses Gambit, using her hand to cover his lips.
  • Freeze-Frame Bonus: Like the original series, there are plenty of Easter eggs sprinkled about in blink-and-you-miss it cameos.
    • In the first episode, we see Calisto and Leech hiding in an alley outside the Friends of Humanity hideout.
    • After the destruction of the FOH hideout, a newspaper drifts by announcing a mutant fashion show and an article by Eddie Brock and Peter Parker.
  • Important Haircut:
    • Storm now wears her hair in a large mohawk, most certainly inspired by her "Punk Storm Era" in the comics.
    • In an Inversion, Jubilee goes back to her classic hairstyle after the original series gave her a bob cut for the final season, likely because most remember her with the previous hairstyle rather than the latter.
  • I Surrender, Suckers: In "To Me, My X-Men", we see a member of the Friends of Humanity take off Cyclops' visor. The X-Man begs that he surrenders…before he grins, opens his eyes, and says "Not!". This is a nod to a similar scene in the original series; in that one, Cyclops was speaking to a Sentinel.
  • It Always Rains at Funerals: In the trailer, it is visibly raining as a coffin is lowered into its grave.
  • Mythology Gag: A few seen in the trailer and some outside of it:
    • Just like in the original cartoon, Wolverine makes his first appearance in the series during a Danger Room training exercise.
    • The Daily Bugle paper flying by makes mention of the Hellfire Gala and showcases a number of mutant characters from the comics who hadn't been created yet at the time of the original series' airing, such as Dust and Nature Girl. Similarly, Marrow’s face can be seen on a “missing” poster.
    • Wolverine getting his claws energized by Gambit seems to be a nod to his "Hot Claws" that resulted from Persephone ressurecting a deceased Logan and recharging his Healing Factor in the 2018 "Return of Wolverine" storyline
    • "To Me, My X-Men" shows the team in their outfits from the famous basketball game during the Chris Claremont Jim Lee run in the 90s.
    • "To Me, My X-Men" ends with Magneto holding The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier. This is the name of the long-running and maligned storyline that started in Original Sin, and ended before Secret Wars (2015), also involved a villain getting a hold of Xavier's legacy.
    • Magneto replacing Xavier as the X-Men's leader is also a nod to Uncanny X-Men #200 (1985). In that story, Xavier leaves with Lilandra and the Starjammers and cannot return to Earth. This leaves Magneto, on his way to a Heel–Face Turn, to look after the younger generation, the New Mutants, assuming the alias "Michael Xavier".
    • Magneto and Rogue having a romance is not new. In the comics it started as mutual desire in the Savage Land, they were married and had an infant son in the Age of Apocalypse alternate timeline. The dynamic in that timeline was similar. Gambit wanted Rogue, Rogue liked Gambit, but not as much as he liked her, but she also had an attraction to Magneto who could actually touch her. Just like in Age of Apocalypse, Rogue was the one who went after him, the same way she twice went to his office in the second episode. In the early 2000s, they became a couple for a while in the main 616 universe.
    • Storm loses her powers shortly after she adopts her mohawk look in the comics. She sports a mohawk in '97 and loses her powers in the second episode.
    • Regarding the above, Storm losing her powers due to taking a shot meant for Magneto, is not unlike what happened to Mystique in X-Men: The Last Stand.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: The first line of this series establishes that Henry Gyrich's apparent assassination of Charles Xavier in the finale of the original series has wound up providing a lot of sympathy towards the mutant community.
  • The '90s: With the original series being a Present Day adaptation, '97 leans into the 90s anachronisms. Fashion is wild, cell phones are rare, tube TVs are the highest definition to be found, and the internet is basically non-existent for most people. The exceptions are alien and future tech and the 20 Minutes into the Future technology such as the Sentinels and the Danger Room which were present in the original series.
  • Odd Friendship: In keeping with Wolverine's claim following Morph's apparent death in the original series that "He was the only one who could make me laugh," Morph is the only person who can talk to Wolverine without being scowled at. They can even take the form of Sabertooth as a gag and Wolvie takes it in good sport.
  • Power Copying: Morph seems to have gained this ability between the series to a limited degree, allowing them to seemingly utilize other mutants' physical powers at a base level like Blob's bouncing fat, and Colossus's Extra-ore-dinary nature with their Voluntary Shapeshifting.
  • Pregnant Badass: "To Me, My X-Men" establishes that Jean Grey is nine months pregnant, with a visible baby bump. However, she's still able to assist the X-Men remotely, such as using Cerebro to interrogate Henry Gyrich. She's also shown to have some level of control moving civilians out of Logan's wild driving to the hospital.
  • Promoted to Opening Titles: Morph and Bishop are added to the opening title sequence, complete with their own title cards alongside the rest of the X-Men. Magneto gets his title card in the second episode, replacing the departed Professor X.
  • Recoil Boost: In the first episode, Cyclops is shown using the recoil from his optic blasts as a means to move about the battlefield when fighting against Friends of Humanity goons. When the Blackbird is later brought down by a Sentinel, Cyclops uses the recoil from a full-power optic blast aimed at the ground to slow his descent and safely land.
  • Ret-Canon:
    • Morph takes on a noseless, bald, blank-eyed off-white humanoid form. That look originated in the comics' Age of Apocalypse universe, which was popularized as the character's most well-known look in Exiles after the original show ended. However, they're occasionally seen in their original male design as one of their rotating looks. It's implied that the featureless humanoid form is their natural state, while the dark-haired young man is their default "normal" look when they need to blend in with humans.
  • Retcon:
    • In the episode "Mutant Liberation Begins", Magneto recounts his history with Charles Xavier's telepathy. He remarks that he eventually made his helmet immune to Xavier's powers. While this is par for the course for modern interpretations, this wasn't the case for the original series, which predated the 2000 X-Men film making it a thing. The original series episode "Deadly Reunions" notably featured Xavier telepathically showing Magneto, with his helmet on, images of the Holocaust to persuade him against repeating past sins.invoked
    • A minor example, but the news photo of Gyrich from his arrest during “Graduation Day” shows him with his initial appearance from the earlier seasons (glasses and red hair) rather than his season 5 redesign (dark hair and no glasses). Like Jubilee, it’s likely due to his original design being more recognizable.
  • Retraux:
    • The series' art style aims to mimic the '90s Jim Lee look of the original series, to maintain consistency. The brighter color palette, highlights, and usage of artificial grain, also play into comparisons of the generalized look of the 1990s OVAs. The end credits are also in the same style as the first season of the original 1992 show, with a render of the characters and and a pop-up stating their names and powers.
    • The writing is played very straight with virtually none of the postmodern wit that marks Marvel productions post-MCU apart from era-appropriate 90s snark and one-liners. When X-Cutioner introduces himself to Cyclops, no barbs are made against his Punny Name, and Scott takes him seriously as a foe. Likewise, codenames are used sans any hint of irony or shame.
  • Ruder and Cruder: Very much a downplayed case, but the show does feature mild profanity, which was not present in the original show.
  • Sequel Series: The series is meant to be one to X-Men: The Animated Series, with the trailer opening on the original series finale with Xavier saying goodbye to the team.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The Friends of Humanity Sentinel Blaster looks a lot like a Mega Buster.
    • "To Me, My X-Men" has Beast quote Rick Blaine's famous "friendship" line from Casablanca, while commandeering a Sentinel's chassis through reprogramming.
    • The third episode has a stereotypical "house of horrors" that includes a giant face taking up an entire elevator, looking like a yokai from Spirited Away.
  • Time Skip: At least a year has passed between "Graduation Day," the last episode of the original series, and the premiere of this one. This gives enough time for several developments. Jean to become heavily pregnant and Bishop to join the team; Morph to resume active duty and become more comfortable with their featureless base form; Rogue implicitly having a secret relationship with Magneto.
  • Vocal Evolution: Wolverine's voice is notably deeper and smoother, compared to the harsh growling one he had in the 90s series. It sounds like he's once again being voiced by veteran Wolverine voice actor Steve Blum, but he's still played by the original 90s series's Cal Dodd. Funnily enough, his delivery in this series makes him sound more similar to that of his performance in the character's early Capcom fighting game appearances such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Similarly, Rogue's has become raspier and scratchier, though clearly still Lenore Zann.
  • Wham Line: The first episode ends with Magneto in Xavier’s office, revealing to the gathered X-Men who Xavier has willed everything to.
    Magneto: The last will and testament of Charles Francis Xavier, as you all will see. His fortune, his school. Everything he built. Everything he fought for...now belongs to me, my X-Men.

"To me, my X-Men."

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