X-Men ‘97 has taken the world by storm, and everyone seems to be an X-Men fan now despite all the previous cartoons, movie franchises, action figures, and sixty years of comics. Everyone seems to love the show unanimously. The only problem is that “everyone”, in this case, are people old enough to drive themselves around and have a job. Who was the show made for? Is it really a continuation of a cartoon from 30 years ago scaled up for the 30-40-something adults to watch?
My X-Men the Animated Series Background
I started watching X-Men: The Animated Series in its second season in 1993. I was eight years old at the time, and while there may have been other things I was into beforehand, I hardly remember them because X-Men became the thing. X-Men led to Spider-Man, Batman: The Animated Series, comic books, action figures, and more. The obsession continued for years afterward until probably about four years later, when other things began to occupy my time.
Again, in high school, the X-Men came back on my radar, and I did whatever I could to get my hands on the old cartoon, play the X-Men arcade game, and find old X-Men comics. The live-action movies came around and only helped grow my appreciation for the cartoon. My love endured, and as an adult, I still love the old cartoon and am more than happy it’s now easy to access on disc, download, or streaming.
A Sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series?
I never expected to get any more X-Men: The Animated Series. The thought never even crossed my mind. The original run had five seasons and almost 80 episodes, and they were great. The cartoon covered a lot of ground, giving us classic storylines, matchups, and many mutants. I watched the other X-Men cartoons that came out after and excitedly hoped for more. I never believed they’d go back and make a sequel or extension of my favorite, the 90s animated series.
When they announced ’97, Marvel was at its height, with the MCU crushing the box office. While X-Men ’97 was a shocking announcement, it just seemed like another great move for Marvel.
An X-Men Cartoon Screening 30 Years in the Making
I was extremely excited to watch X-Men ’97; unfortunately, my excitement quickly disappeared. Things felt different from the first episode; I just didn’t sense the magic I hoped for. Hearing the X-Men who looked like my X-Men speak in other or older voices was hard to get around. Watching Cyclops use his optic blast to skate around a room and seeing Gambit ride Wolverine were also odd choices. What really bothered me was the “swagger” or forced characterization of the team members that felt off. By the end of the first episode, I wasn’t interested in watching the second.
I eventually went back and watched the show over multiple sit-downs. I never got into it, hence the multiple attempts it took to get through it. So many people told me how great the show was, and I read so many positive comments that I figured I must be missing something. What was my issue? Why didn’t I love this show as much as I should? Why did everyone else love it?
The Problem with X-Men ’97
My issue with the show comes down to one simple point. X-Men: The Animated Series was okay for kids, and X-Men ’97 kind of is not. X-Men was a show about misfits with powers who wore brightly-colored outfits and got into crazy adventures that led to fights with other brightly dressed powered beings. Serious issues were sometimes addressed, as there always have been with X-Men, but they were lightly grazed. I sort of caught on to some of those topics as a kid, but not too much.
Watching the show as a kid, I wasn’t scared or thinking about anything that serious aside from what Wolverine was going to do next. I simply wanted to see as many mutants use their powers and show off their cool costumes.
X-Men ’97 is a show about life, serious issues, and problems veiled behind a team of costume-wearing powered beings. While there are mutants, costumes, powers, and exciting action pieces, that’s where the similarity between the shows starts to end. The show is not aimed at kids and really for an adult looking for a fun superhero show.
Remember, when they began, the X-Men were goofy misfit teenagers trying to fit in and get used to growing up. While the 90s cartoon may have been more than that, it was the 90s-styled optimistic sophomore progression of that. ’97 is fun, but it’s in an adult way and has a serious dark side.
The Good
Cameos
X-Men ’97 does have many mutants and Marvel characters in general. While some are only cameos, plenty get their moment in the spotlight. We even get to see multiple generations of X-Men costumes in action, which is a nice touch. There are plenty of references that help tie the X-Men into the larger Marvel world that many modern viewers are familiar with.
Action
The action is well-directed. There are many great fight scenes throughout the show between characters and between mutants and Sentinels. Characters like Rogue, Gambit, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine especially get at least one great fight scene worthy of multiple viewings.
Comic Storylines
The show ties into more modern comic book storylines. This choice is a great update and a way to please comic fans and draw the audience toward the team’s original medium. The show picks up after a lot has happened, including more than the original five seasons of the animated series. It’s not an entry point. I’m all for bringing people back to the comics or even the original material in the 90s cartoon, and I think this show lends itself to that.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Issues with X-Men ’97
Voices
A quick note, while it’s not the end-all for the show, the voices of some of the characters are just odd to listen to. I understand some voice actors have been brought back and are older, but how old are the characters they are supposed to be playing? A different take on a voice for a character works better than forcing an actor to try and sound like a much younger version of themselves when they can’t. It sounds strange and takes the viewer out of the dialogue.
Serious Topics
The original show was edgy, but in a way that said this is their world: where they wear cool jackets and boots, have interesting personalities, and have to fight against the forces of evil. ’97 is edgy in a way that tries to keep adults entertained in 2024. In most of the episodes, people are dying, crying over grief, killing people out of rage, or simply dealing with serious adult drama. The show was less about these characters being powered beings and more about their other drama: pregnancy, relationships, affairs, lust, etc.
Death
I mentioned that a positive was seeing so many cool characters, including cameos from mutants we know, but many of those characters are killed in the show. Morph does seem to die in the second episode of the original show, but it’s not shown on screen, and eventually, he does come back. As far as I can remember, that is the only real death in the 90s show.
Violence
The content, in general, is just not for kids, and while it wasn’t too excessive for me again, I don’t need my X-Men to be edgy. I don’t need to see them lose control and kill someone in response. The Punisher can be edgy, Daredevil can be edgy, Batman can be edgy(and he doesn’t even kill), but the X-Men are a team of bright-colored hero mutants. In the show, there are multiple instances of blood coming out of mouths and noses, and clearly shown wounds on the body. For example, when Wolverine’s adamantium is pulled from his body by many outlets, the aftermath is shown. Dead bodies are also shown.
Adult Drama
Much of the show is drama, and I mean soap opera-style drama. There is a lot of crying on screen and long(4 minutes at a time) deep discussions about adult issues. Imagine floating between these various four-minute discussions for most of an episode. There’s a whole segment about birth, and there’s an implied sexual encounter involving Jubilee on her 18th birthday. No child wants to watch that. I’m an adult, and I didn’t want to watch it. I watch a superhero cartoon to get away from serious issues such as grief, death, and relationship issues.
Who is X-Men ’97 For?
So if the show is dark, dramatic, edgy, and seemingly aimed at those well-versed in X-Men lore, it seems it’s for adults. It appears this show is for the 40-year-olds who watched the original as kids in the mid-1990s. To me, this sends the message that the audience targeted is adults rather than kids, and that’s not fair to today’s kids. Why not make a show for everyone if the adults need to be considered at all?
Modern kids and teens need a fun X-Men show geared toward them. They deserve the bright-colored costumes, action, and powers I experienced as a kid. There was fighting and lightly touching on topics such as good and evil and acceptance in that original show, but there certainly wasn’t an episode about mass genocide.
Are modern kids so dark and grown up now that this is what 8-year-olds watch? Is blood and death necessary to keep children invested? I even watched the original cartoon with my younger sisters sometimes because it wasn’t that serious, and they were drawn to the exciting costumes and powers. Yes, the X-Men faced danger, but the harsh realities of life weren’t the show’s focus.
The Verdict on X-Men ’97
I suppose the show could be aimed at adults who watched the original, thinking they’d share the viewing and X-Men in general with their children. This would allow the parents to discuss the topics in the show or explain the questions their children will most certainly have.
Will the children want to discuss these topics with their parents, though? I didn’t watch X-Men with my mom, but I told her about it. She knew I loved it, knew the basic characters and ideas, and bought me the action figures. The bottom line is we didn’t need to watch it together. X-Men was my time, and it was safe and honestly pretty wholesome.
Other options are out there, like X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men, that are geared more towards general audiences and have the fun of the X-Men without the adult themes. Those are good starting places for anyone of any age to get into the X-Men before transitioning into a more serious version. I still recommend the ’90s animated series, as it was an edgy X-Men show, but only edgy, as in I thought it was cool as a kid in the 90s. It never scared me, made me feel I was watching something I shouldn’t, or made me ponder about adult topics at 10.
’97 picks up in the second half of the 10-episode series, but it gets darker. By the end, it’s exciting, and the action is worth watching, but what have we sacrificed to get here? Two more seasons are coming, so who knows how much darker it will get or how many more X-Men will die on screen. While I think the show is fine for a modern X-Men show for adults, I don’t understand leaving kids out or forcing them to watch it as the only X-Men cartoon option. If the X-Men aren’t safe, what is?