Marvel Studios feels like it’s at a crossroads moment. Between the Sony Pictures yesteryear greatest hits franchise elements of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and the 20th Century Fox-era cameo expectations of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Marvel is really steeped in the full throws of nostalgia right now as it regroups in the post-“Avengers: Endgame” landscape, rediscovering who they are and where they want to go. Rewinding affectionately to the past and immersing oneself in legacy comes to a zenith in Marvel’s new animated series, “X-Men ’97,” which travels back to the 1990s, picking up where the beloved Fox Animation series “X-Men: The Animated Series” left off. Of course, empty, unearned navel-gazing nostalgia can obviously feel like a desperate ploy, but fortunately, “X-Men ‘97” doesn’t ever feel distressed. Instead, it appears as a very worthwhile tribute. Taking its cues from the original series, embracing the past, but ready to forge a path into the future, Marvel Animation’s “X-Men ‘97” is entertaining and dramatic and retains the vibrant spirit of the original series.
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Also, “X-Men ‘97” goes in hard. Like the original, filled with compelling melodrama and high stakes, the series isn’t afraid to shake up and jampack the series with major, transformative events and wastes no time tackling seemingly metamorphic storylines from the comics (at least three major ones crammed into three episodes, given to press).
“X-Men: 97” begins where the fifth season of “X-Men: The Animated Series” concludes: the earth-shattering death of the X-Men’s beloved teacher, Professor X, killed at the hands of Henry Peter Gyrich, a member of the intolerant and hateful Mutant Control Agency (technically, Professor X didn’t die, but in order to be kept alive, he had to leave Earth, whisked away by the alien Lilandra, head of the Shi’ar Empire, seemingly never able to return).
Mature and thoughtful, “X-Men: 97” essentially starts in that aftermath one year later. The X-Men are still grappling with the loss of Charles Xavier and trying to find their footing and discover what the future holds for them—their own personal crossroads. But times are changing for the team. Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, and Jean Grey are pregnant, and with a baby due, the expectant mother is reevaluating their priorities. Proposing they consider their own future and leave the team, Summers, a devoted acolyte of Xavier and his first student, is shaken to the core when considering leaving his post. Already the X-Men team leader, with Professor X gone, Cyclops certainly considers himself the heir to Xavier’s role and legacy at The School For Gifted Children.
But as is usually the case, conflicts often distract heroes from their identity crises. In this case, it’s the capture of a young Robert DaCosta, aka Sunspot, who eventually becomes a New Mutants member. Wealthy and from privilege, the young, cocky Brazilian mutant—who largely keeps his abilities hidden out of shame— assumes he’s been kidnapped by a new anti-mutant organization for money, something his billionaire family has in spades. He’s quickly disabused of the notion that cash will save his skin, and his extinction is their aim. When the X-Men come to the rescue, including members like Beast, Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Wolverine, Storm, and Morph (many of them voiced by the original ‘90s voice cast), they discover this violent hate group is using old, reformed Sentinel tech: a scary revelation since the U.S. government had assured them in the past (and in the old series), that all traces of this mutant-hunting technology had been destroyed.
But the legacy of Bolivar Trask, the creator of the mutant-killing Sentinels, remains out there. Thus, the two-episode arc of ‘97’ hinges on rescuing DaCosta, saving him again when he goes AWOL from Xavier’s mansion, and uncovering the plot and potential conspiracy that is still harboring the dangerous Sentinel technology that’s even more perilous if it falls into the wrong hands.
In the middle of these plot machinations is the return of Magneto, Xavier’s former friend and the X-Men’s greatest enemy. Magneto appears at the mansion with Xavier’s last will and testament. In a fitting move worthy of Xavier’s faith in humanity, mutant kind, and the goodness of all people, he bequeaths everything to Magneto: the Mansion, his wealth, the team, all of it.
While everyone is appalled, especially Summers, the dark irony of Xavier’s final wish is not lost on the team. Despite their deep mistrust of Magneto, the X-Men are all aware that Xavier never gave up on his friend; his final wish from beyond the grave is the ultimate test of his resolve and principles that Mutants and humans cannot co-exist (Magneto is also Jewish and grew up during the Holocaust seeing the horrors of intolerance firsthand and never letting down his vigilant guard).
This unexpected plot conflict is a great catalyst for the series and creates all kinds of worthwhile inner turmoil. Summer is torn. Originally obligated to the memory of what Professor X built, he was willing to let it all go, that is until Magneto upended everything and blew his worldview apart. How can he abandon the X-Men when their greatest foe now leads the team?
A pandora’s box of quandaries and anxieties is opened. While the team reluctantly accepts Magneto’s role as the new Xavier, for now, cautiously, the U.S. government does not, and soon the master of magnetism is on trial for his past crimes against humanity (something Magneto allows, curious to see if justice and due process in the human world is real)
But what’s most important, presumably, is the spirit and tone of the series, which “X-Men ‘97” nails. In fact, while it preserves the tenor of the original show, it also leans into a dark maturity appropriate for the X-Men, given the series was always meant to be an allegory about intolerance, bigotry, and hatred using LGBTQ rights struggles and the civil rights movement as its north star anchor about various marginalized and ostracized communities (the Xavier and Magneto dynamic and their opposing ideologies modeled after Martin Luther King and Malcolm X early on).
One scene where a mob of anti-mutant protesters storms into Magneto’s trial chillingly echoes January 6, and the rising anger of out-of-control insurrectionists causes similar chaos. “X-Men ‘97” doesn’t shy away from any of its socio-political leanings but isn’t preaching either, letting its many modern-day resonations echo on the audience. One element of the narrative even seems to allude to “wokeness,” calling an unexpected climate of empathy for mutants in the wake of Xavier’s death a trend or fad that will soon slip away when people truly realize what’s at stake for mankind. Many of these epithets are dark, frightening, and rather advanced for what’s supposed to ostensibly be a kid’s show. But like all the best entertainment for younger audiences, the series works on multiple levels for many audiences.
“X-Men ‘97” seemingly inclines toward classic ‘80s “X-Men” comics written by the great Chris Claremont. Several of his runs are referenced, including an archetypal story involving a mutant losing their powers—and the personal reckoning and identity crisis that follows— and a near-shocking narrative involving the villain Mister Sinister and the X-Men character Madelyne Pryor. A love triangle between two heroes and a villain is also teased, which feels like a bold but well-handled choice sure to cause internal discord in future episodes.
Ultimately, featuring terrific animation that soars in dynamic, thrilling action sequences while updating the aesthetic of the semi-outdated ‘90s version, “X-Men ‘97” is pretty much what you’d want from a modern-day animated series. It acknowledges the past, the same vibe, and storylines, using the same formula of tightly-packed 30-minute melodramas within, but updates itself for modern times without ever overextending its innovations. Moreover, the series fits well next to Marvel’s animated series like “What If…?” in shape, tone, and feel.
Regardless, if Marvel is taking a beat to relax in some nostalgia for this odd year when only one MCU film graces the big screen, it’s neither lethargic nor a self-satisfied victory lap. Instead, it’s well-earned, an inventive launching pad to explore and expound on the past and some unfinished, still-captivating storytelling business. [B+]
