Marvel Studios has been teasing the coming of the X-Men for the entirety of the 2020s so far, but finally its first proper X-Men project is here — and, no, it’s not Deadpool 3. Ahead of the Ryan Reynolds blockbuster this summer, we have the throwback animated series X-Men ’97.
As is obvious from the faithful animation style, much of the same voice cast returning, and of course that iconic banger of a theme tune, X-Men ’97 is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series. As the title makes clear, the new series picks up right where the original show — which finished airing after five seasons in 1997 — left off. Those who grew up with the classic cartoon were kicked right in the childhood by Marvel’s brilliant nostalgic marketing campaign, but when it comes to watching X-Men ’97 a big question arises.
Basically, do you need to remember everything that happened in X: TAS to enjoy it? Or will hazy memories from nearly 30 years ago suffice? And what about those not blessed to even be around in 1997, the year Harry Potter the Sorcerer’s Stone was first released and Titanic ruled the box office, and who might never have seen the show at all? Here’s the all-important verdict.
Can you watch X-Men ’97 without seeing X-Men: The Animated Series?
In short, yes, you can watch X-Men ’97 without any prior knowledge of the original series, but it would certainly damage your enjoyment to some extent. The series picks up one year after the events of the X:TAS finale, as the team continues to adjust following the death of Charles Xavier, an event which itself has helped ameliorate human/mutant relations.
So, really, as long as you know the basics of the X-Men concept, as anyone who’s seen at least a couple of the Fox live-action movies, will, you should be golden. However, ’97 is made with a lot of love and affection for X:TAS and the fact that it shares a continuity with that series is certainly not shied away from, so there may be a few supporting characters or interpersonal character dynamics that might leave newbies confused.
Personally, I elected to rewatch the two-part series premiere of X: TAS, “Night of the Sentinels,” and its series finale, “Graduation Day,” prior to watching X-Men ’97 and that turned out to be the perfect prep. Anti-mutant political figure Henry Gyrich is introduced in the series premiere, he kills Professor X in the finale, and he’s a big presence in the opening episode of ’97. Likewise, there are several callbacks to the X:TAS premiere, including Jubilee referencing her origins and Cyclops quoting an iconic and beautifully cheesy line of his from 1992.
The main X-Men team in the series consists of Cyclops, Jean Grey (who is pregnant), Wolverine, Storm, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Morph, and Bishop. The first eight should be familiar to everyone, but Morph and Bishop’s presence may require some explanation. Morph died in the X: TAS pilot before he was resurrected in season 2’s “Till Death Do Us Part.” Meanwhile, the time-traveling Bishop was introduced in season 1’s “Days of Future Past.” So those are among the other key episodes to check out.
With 76 episodes to catch up on if you want the full experience, X-Men ’97 one of the more demanding Marvel Studios releases, which is saying something for a franchise that requires more and more homework each time. The handy thing is it’s not exactly difficult to catch up as you don’t have to go far to stream all of X-Men: The Animated Series.