If you’re a millennial who’s been living under a rock for the last two months, you need to log into Disney Plus and binge-watch the new standout show on the platform: X-Men ’97.
The fans who got up every Saturday morning in the 90s to watch X-Men: The Animated Series on Fox Kids are now all grown up, but X-Men ’97 more than delivered on the nostalgic front while delivering one of the best X-Men stories in years.
Fans and critics agree that it exceeded expectations during its run, noting that ’97 benefits from being a direct continuation of the original series while not necessarily pandering to new viewers. It did this over 10 episodes, though the story isn’t done yet as a second season is already in production.
Although Marvel Studios didn’t make X-Men ’97 canon to the MCU, elements within have generated speculation that it exists in some aspect of Marvel’s multiverse. The MCU has needed a win as of late, with public speculation of superhero fatigue among consumers. X-Men ’97 seems to have hit at the right time as it has given fans of Marvel characters and their adventures something to cheer about.
All we can say is roll on season two. Fortunately, that appears to be well into development and, if we’re lucky, may land as early as spring 2025. Work has even already begun on a third season, hopefully meaning we’ll dig deeper into 2000s-era X-Men stories (I crave more Grant Morrison on Disney Plus!)