Maxance Vincent
*Warning: the following article contains spoilers for episodes one and two of X-Men ‘97.*
Would you ever imagine that the first [complete] iteration of mutants from Marvel Studios wouldn’t be a live-action X-Men film but a revival of the classic X-Men: The Animated Series for Disney+? It sounds ambitious because many current Marvel Cinematic Universe fans never grew up watching The Animated Series, regarded as one of the greatest animated television shows ever. When X-Men ‘97 was announced during Disney+ Day in 2021, I did what any curious Marvel fan did: watch The Animated Series for the first time. While some of it feels a little dated, it’s surprising how much of its political subtext still holds up to this day and is perhaps way more cogent than it is now than in the 1990s. It proves just how ahead of its time the release of the show was and how many “fans” of the series have missed the point of The Animated Series.
When folks on YouTube talk about how X-Men ‘97 is supposedly ‘woke,’ they fail to realize that X-Men has always been ‘woke.’ The series’ core – and the comic franchise – is about social justice. The late Stan Lee himself talked about this, stating that the mutants acted as an allegory for the marginalized continuously oppressed by bigots for their differences, while all they long for is to be accepted by society. Here’s a direct quote from the man himself if it wasn’t already clear
“I thought, here are characters who are going to look different, who are going to have certain strange powers. What if the human race is afraid of them, hates them, perhaps, and prosecutes them, torments them? What if the evil mutants resent the fact that the human race doesn’t trust them, and they want to strike back and feel they are homo superior as opposed to the human beings who are homo sapiens? However, the good mutants feel we’ve got to learn to co-exist with the human race. We’ve got to help them and show them that they’re wrong about distrusting people who are different from them. Suddenly, I became very fascinated by this because I could see a parallel between things happening in society and these stories that we were trying to write.”
As if it wasn’t clear already, there you have it. The first episode of the revived series, To Me, My X-Men, starts precisely how the original show started, with a mutant being persecuted by the Friends of Humanity for his differences. The mutant is quickly saved by the X-Men, comprised of Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), Bishop (Isaac Robinson-Smith), and Cyclops (Ray Chase). First and foremost, after being sidelined by Fox for so long, Cyclops finally gets his time in the spotlight, with not one but two incredible action setpieces showcasing just how badass (and quick-witted) he is against antagonists.
Secondly, the episode immediately dazzles with a striking animation style that retains the vibrancy of the 1990s animated series with a fresher, modern penmanship. Director Jake Castorena completely understands what made the original series exciting and immediately pays tribute to its style by crafting action sequences that are beautifully kinetic and eye-widening. One setpiece involving Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), looking into the future through Cerebro, sees just how far the animation has evolved from the original series to now, and the results will likely be even more impressive as the show evolves.
In X-Men ‘97, the X-Men are still grappling with Professor Charles Xavier’s (Ross Marquand) death. It’s implied that Scott Summers has assumed leadership for the time being. However, Jean is pregnant and asks Scott to reconsider staying with the X-Men so they can form their own family safely. But with the Sentinels being constructed by Bolivar Trask (Gavin Hammon) making their way back, Scott feels responsible for leading the X-Men to defeat Trask and bringing them down as the menace of war looms deep.
The first episode follows a rather rudimentary story but puts the audience safely back into the X-Men saddle as if the characters never left. I understand that some may not like a studio bringing old characters and ideas for nostalgia’s sake, but when the classic X-Men theme plays over its opening credits, I was locked in, and there was no way back after this. Of course, if the show didn’t feel like The Animated Series, it probably wouldn’t have worked. Thankfully, this is not the case, with razor-sharp writing already planting the seeds for a significant event within the X-Men universe, as Jean sees an incoming war with potentially devastating consequences.
The first episode ends with a surprising twist with Magneto (Matthew Waterson) appearing with the last will and testament of Charles Xavier, who entrusted him with…leading the X-Men. That’s right, Xavier’s biggest rival (should we say frenemy?) will now lead the team he has been fighting against, per his wishes. How will that shape up the next episode? One way to find out!
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I jokingly said on social media that if the show doesn’t begin with “Previously…on X-Men,” they’ve already screwed it up. Of course, the first episode wasn’t going to start with this adage, but the second episode, Mutant Liberation Begins, absolutely does. Then, a subversion of the classic X-Men theme, Magneto replacing Professor X, signals a new era in the animated world of mutants.
Suppose the first episode rekindled audiences with the X-Men while simultaneously righting the wrongs FOX made with Cyclops. In that case, the second episode immediately subverts expectations of what audiences believed the main storyline would be, about Erik taking over the X-Men from Charles. This is, of course, the focus of the second episode, but it has so much more to offer than initially presented, and most of what was shown in its [very short] trailer was for its first two episodes.
After Magneto saves a young boy and a paramedic, the world is shaken when a former terrorist suddenly appears out of nowhere from his exile and takes a heroic path. The United Nations quickly arrests him to stand trial. Magneto peacefully surrenders in a vain attempt to gain the X-Men’s trust while ensuring the human race tunes in to his trial. However, the Friends of Humanity plans to stage an insurrection, with its leader, the X-Cutioner, tasked to assassinate Magneto. To anyone who still thinks the X-Men series has magically gotten ‘political,’ its messaging has always been incredibly unsubtle. And in the political landscape we’re in now, its messaging is even more relevant than it was when the show first aired.
It’s not hard to listen to the X-Cutioner and the FOH rhetoric and not see parallels from the MAGA crowd and even the Proud Boys, which is why many of the ‘anti-woke’ YouTubers suddenly think it ‘went political’ because it’s personally calling their bigoted views out. Maybe the original series did it in a way that went most audiences’ heads, but its subtext has always been clear. In X-Men ‘97, writer Beau DeMayo (who has since been fired by Marvel Studios for reasons that are still unclear) makes its political messaging the central focus of the series and, in turn, fulfills Stan Lee’s ultimate vision to the fullest.
What happens in episode two posits the mutant storytelling in safe hands for the actual MCU and reminds us exactly why the show was such an incredibly thought-provoking event and why the comics were ahead of their time. Magneto stands trial and repositions the central mutant question to the judges, stating: “All the X-Men have done is use their awesome power to protect the world that hates and fears them. […] What must we do to be good enough? Is this the high road’s destination? If so, I say as I have too many times before. Never again.”
As the X-Cutioner attempts to kill Magneto, Storm takes the hit and is drained of her powers. Magneto’s actions in the UN have redeemed himself but to the ultimate sacrifice of one of the world’s most powerful mutants. After Beast (George Buza) runs tests on Storm and tells her the devastating news that she may have lost her powers forever, she decides to leave the team, while Jean and Scott ultimately choose to stay in the wake of her departure. It’s an unexpected moment that immediately repositions what we thought we knew about the show and tells audiences to buckle up as more subversive moments happen throughout the episode, including Jean Grey giving birth to…Nathan Summers.
The name may not be familiar to the uninitiated, but he eventually grows up to become Cable, who has already been introduced in this iteration of X-Men. Plus, the character has already been confirmed to appear throughout the season, which could make a very interesting meetup with the baby version of himself. Speaking of future selves, the episode ends on a cliffhanger with a variant (?) of Jean Grey appearing injured and weakened at the front door of the X-Mansion. Is it really Jean? We won’t find out until next week, but color me intrigued. The X-Men are back and better than ever.
Here’s hoping their treatment of mutants will continue through its live-action form in Deadpool & Wolverine.
The first two episodes of X-Men ‘97 are now available to stream on Disney+.
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