Marvel fans are hyped for a number of upcoming Disney Plus — Secret Invasion, Loki season two, Daredevil: Born Again, the list goes on. One that unfairly often falls under the radar, though, is X-Men ’97, the revival of the beloved ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series that’s being produced by Marvel Studios, which seems to promise some crossover with the MCU multiverse.
The project has been quietly stewing away at Marvel over the past couple of years, but with new plot details finally emerging, people are starting to pay attention to it — and not always, unfortunately, in a positive way. X-Men ’97 EP Beau DeMayo — who also co-wrote an episode of Moon Knight and contributed to the ever-shifting script for the Blade reboot — has called out a rather hideous comment dripping in racism and homophobia on Twitter. Somehow managing to find the more humorous side of the situation, DeMayo warned that this is just the beginning of such dire discourse.
As one commenter pointed out, it’s mind-blowing how anyone can call themselves an X-Men fan, a franchise that has always been a champion for persecuted communities, and spout bigoted opinions such as this.
If you are wondering how DeMayo is able to wave away such hateful attitudes, though, he’s made clear that unfortunately he’s had to develop a thick skin, perhaps due to his involvement in other TV shows like The Witcher and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
X-Men ’97 will follow where the original animation — which ran from 1992 to 1997 — left off, with various cast members reprising their roles, including Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), and George Buza (Beast). Just recently it was confirmed that Mr. Sinister will be the main villain of the series. The good news for those who are actually looking forward to the show, unlike the screenshooted commenter above, is that rumor has it Marvel might be planning as many as four seasons of it.
X-Men ’97 was originally scheduled to stream on Disney Plus on 2023, although we’re waiting with bated breath to discover if that remains the case amid widespread delays.