Please place your thoughts on the ongoing series here!
Marvel Animation knew the assignment. Change too much and fans will reject it or change very little and fans will be like “what’s different?”
X-Men ‘97 effectively strikes a perfect balance of familiar and fresh. The iconic theme song remains intact, the designs got a nice facelift (Storm’s Mohawk looks great) and even hearing the “previously on X-Men” promo was dope. The tone retains what made the original great while being a little more mature without the handcuffs of PG ratings
The voice cast is a good blend of old and new. Jennifer Hale fits Jean Grey like a glove. Hearing Cal Dodd voice Wolvie again felt like old times.
Cyclops got treated with great reverence. That shot of optic blasting his way down to safety was ill. In addition, his arc with him and Jean navigating a new normal with Magneto at the helm and becoming parents is a testament to the show’s commitment to interpersonal drama. The deep cuts were delightful with Morph turning into the Blob, Psylocke, etc and the action looks awesome.
Simply put, X-Men ‘97 is a triumphant return for the merry band of mutants. It’s like they never left!
It’s been awhile, fellas!
Oh, I’ve been listening, but frankly the output from the MCU hasn’t stirred me into throwing my two cents in… UNTIL THIS DAY!
Ladies and gentlemen: we are back! The X-Men have returned back to the format in which I was originally acquainted with, and they have been given the financial and creative backing to not only meet expectations from diehards but excel beyond with delivering incredible action sequences, genuinely complex story telling, and nods to X-Men lore that will help reintroduce the X-Men to a generation that’s probably grown up with the films and later works.
It’s definitely a return to form for the voice actors.
Cal Dodd’s Wolverine still resonates as THE VOICE of Wolverine! George Buza still delivers his lines wonderfully as Hank McCoy, newcomers for Cyclops and Jean Grey fit the team very well, and WHAT A STEP UP FOR STORM!!!
We must praise her, Ms. Alison Sealy-Smith, for the incredible performance in these first two episodes. I look forward to seeing her journey of healing, although the destinations are unknown they should be rife with plenty of callbacks to earlier X-Men comics. Maybe it’s Harlem, maybe Egypt, maybe somewhere new? Who will she find along the way? I love this because it’s only going to strengthen her and build her for a return to ultimately lead the team.
The action felt like the original series but with the gloves off! It avoids being overkill while being a visual spectacular that pulls on the heartstrings of your fandom, now unhindered by budget constraints. They landed the action mark with perfection.
And it’s not just the action but the dialogue accompanied by the updated animation and subtle expressions, accompanied by dialogue that is neither dumbed down or deviating from character
but mature and genuine to each individual character as they were and as they are now. Change is certainly here for our team, and that drama will dictate their course accordingly. Love this!
I remember talking with Larry Houston who helped bring X-Men to FOX and also was involved with Pryde of the X-Men, going back to the fiduciary limitations that stifled production of the series, and I can see his excitement at a local convention when he mentioned he was brought on as a consulting director and smiling saying basically that they’re working with Disney money now and we were going to really like what comes out it.
I’m happy to say for Mr. Houston, for Marvel/Disney, for the entire cast and crew, that they have a hit on their hands!
Okay one last thing, my first X-Men comic ever purchased was an Uncanny X-Men Annual. It was in that annual that I was first introduced to X-Cutioner, who started coming off with a vigilante vibe in the early pages but ultimately was out to eradicate mutants and I remember very clearly that it was Storm that put that dude out of action in that first meeting, not before he did some major damage to Colossus. I love that Annual for many reasons but it being my first jump from the animated show to the comic books is the prime reason.
Well it took thirty years but it seem X-Cutioner has, by sorry luck, got the receipt on Ororo in Episode 2. It was just so coincidental for me that I had to share the significance of that.
You know that payback is gonna be incredible!
What a wonderful time to be an X-Men fan! Excelsior!
Mannie from Pacoima
Post marks and freeloaders put on your pajamas and a bowl of captain crunch berries because Saturday morning cartoons are back!!!
As someone whomst’ve watched the show as a little children, but didn’t remeber a majority of it I have to say that this show does a good job of not only being a continuation but also feeling like its own thing.
Its great to see Gambit once again, but why is my dude getting cheated on!!! This man has passion, drive, but no patience!!! You dont need the rogue my king!!! I’m looking forward to what the rest of the series brings. I consider wolverine and the x-men as my favorite series, but these first 2 episodes definitely delivered!
Dc jermaine from Chicago. Whoever ideal was this to bring back ,all the props. Quick story, my first interaction with X-men became my favorite X-men. Bobby drake on Spider-Man and his amazing friends. Bobby is an omega level mutant. Same power levels as storm magneto and a Franklin Richards. Everybody loved Spider-Man but Robert was my guy. By the way marvel never uses fire star anymore. But fox X-men and the capcom fighting games enhanced my love for the X-men. This series is hitting all the right notes, even jubilee looking more Asian in this updated version that’s important, X-men has always been about diversity with a storm and kitty pride.
Diversity is for everyone (see what I did). The series made cyclops look like a real leader instead of a lovesick whipped punk. It’s giving me all the feels of the original. I love the scene from the original where juggernaut hits gladiator with his full power and gladiator no sells it and throws him in the middle of the ocean. Disney,even though I wish fox would have sold to apple or Amazon because Disney has too much on its plate. Blade and fantastic four hasn’t come out. X-men movies are a rumor, but Disney you did good. The theme of this show still hits 25 yrs later. This is the X-men I want to see. Superman and Deadpool will be the cure from this superhero fatigue
ANTHONY!
As a fan of the original run over thirty two years ago, I am locking in the moment '97 was announced. It was a continuation of season five with all the cheesy lines Jim Lee, Blue & Gold attire that I enjoyed like it was 1992 all over again. This series was fantastic, NEAR FLAWLESS
… But they did Storm dirty and that don’t sit well for me. After making her feel like an actual force, to see her go out like THAT!?..
9 “goblins” out of 10! Loss a point because they did Storm dirty at the end. I know why and the story they are going for, but it still stings!
Michael from Newfoundland via Korea.
I remember watching XMEN back in the day when it reran on YTV. It was one of the series (along with Spider-Man) that lead me to reading more comics. This continuation was a strong start. All of the parts fit well and feel right. Can’t wait till the next episode.
Bump for Episode 4’s feedback, as well as to note that we’ll be recording at a later day/time due to WH and I being in Philly for Mania week! Look forward to seeing our new experimental podcast during that time, which you’ll hear about TONIGHT!!!
“Fire made Flesh” continued the show’s momentum with some old-fashioned horror. X-Men ‘97 continues the show’s ethos of condensing classic comic story arcs and making it accessible to viewers.
Jennifer Hale had a ball with her dual role as Jean and Maddie (Goblin Queen). It’s reminiscent of Beth/Space Beth from Rick and Morty and the return of Mr. Sinister was pretty dope.
Cyclops got a lot to do here being torn between two women who are completely identical. Morph got to shine as his old wounds caused by Sinister were pried open.
Storm is heading down an interesting path by a chance encounter with Forge.
Another baller episode.
I absolutely loved this show back in 1992, and I can still vividly remember being in grade school with this show being THE talk of the class. We all collected the trading cards, at lunch we would pick characters and pretend to be “X-men”, it truly was one of the fondest shows of my childhood.
I was so pumped when I saw the show was coming back, but after one episode I was very disappointed. I’m not going to say the show was poorly written or that its even a bad show, but I have a feeling that I may have just outgrown the show as while I was watching it I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching a kids show. Based on what I have read I think I am in the minority, but I have feeling its just not for me.
Motendo/Lifedeath pt 1 was a tale of two different stories. Splitting the episode up into two standalone stories was a throwback to Saturday morning TV. The Jubilee/Sunspot half was a fun, video game inspired romp with the return of Mojo who trades in ratings for Twitch subs. It made me want to play a Shredder’s Revenge-style X-Men game in the vein of the Konami 6-player side-scrolling beat-em-up (which got a dope shoutout during the tail end). It highlights Jube’s apprehension about growing up pretty effectively. Lifedeath, pt 1 didn’t get enough time to flesh out the Storm/Forge relationship but there’s gonna be a part 2 in a few weeks.
“Remember It” takes the gloves off. The show unapologetically rips away the warm blanket of nostalgia. The interpersonal drama reached a fever pitch. Gambit’s jealousy over Magneto being impervious to Rogue’s absorption, Cyke’s confusion over his and Jean’s marriage drove him to find psychic comfort with Madelyne (standing in for Emma Frost a la New X-Men) but it pales in comparison to the third act gut punch of the Genoshan Genocide…I was stunned silent by seeing not one, but two deaths. Chances are, it won’t stick and Cable’s cameo before everything went to shit might be a sign that this’ll be undone…it doesn’t make it hurt any less.
X-Men ‘97 is NOT fuckin’ around and there’s still 5 episodes left.
Dc jermaine from Chicago, happy to see you two have y’all adventures in america together. My mutant power would be of the static nature and my code name would be Virgil Hawkins. X-men 97 and invincible are two great animated shows we have right now. Two weeks of X-men shows are a lot to cover. The throwback to the X-men arcade where I played dazzler was so awesome. The forge storm story where he is in love with her is really interesting. The latest episode felt like a anime it was so good. Two love triangles in one show wow. We saw nightcrawler and Emma frost soon banshee. The way gambit and rogue shined, I loved it. Did magneto groom rouge? Who shows up to dinner with a shirtless robe? Such a great show. This show has rejuvenated the X-men brand to where my nephews want to go back and watch the fox movies. Good stuff all around. Thank you fox
Dc jermaine from chicago. Wh is the post wrestling foodie I hope he likes it spicy because watch me cook on this feedback. This is just a continuation of the excellent show that made me love X-men. The drama and the Parallels of racism. A show like this episode where professor X shows us how or differences make us stronger and how we should look down on others to make us stronger. My boy gladiator is back. Storm was allowed to shine and get her powers back and get her a native American king. Who has plot device powers. She also had a man of steel, exact same flying sequence from Zach Snyder, it’s flattery. How could you do this to your own kind mr. sinister? This show has enter the dc tier of animation like Batman and justice league unlimited a Batman beyond or a young justice. This show is in the same class for marvel as avengers earth mightests heroes. Just good stuff all around. What did you guys think of the joker 2 trailer? No one does elsewords like dc. I see another billion dollar box office coming. Have a great week
Lifedeath, pt 2 still suffered the same pacing issues that plagued pt.1 but it paid off Storm’s weathering of her own personal storm (it was sitting there, so I had to!). this episode balanced the Storm/Forge adventure with a very-much-alive-but-offworld Prof. X flirting with the idea of happiness with Lilandra but the universe isn’t quite ready to let him go unbothered.
Alison-Sealy Smith carried this episode with such gravitas and Storm regaining her powers again provided a nice ray of light from last week’s Sentinel-sized gut punch.
X-Men ‘97 took a necessary reprieve from their own “Red Wedding” last week. Adding Nightcrawler to the intro hammered home that this’ll be a new normal for the children of the atom.
Hello fine gentlemen! It’s often when things are at their darkest when the light is needed most. With that in mind, the Blind Avenger returns with the mutant power of hubris!
Another banger that continues this ridiculously strong series. I find it really refreshing that a cartoon by Marvel is one of their best Disney+ shows. For the longest time DC Comics was widely considered to be better at adapting their stories in this way, but it doesn’t seem quite as lopsided anymore! At this rate, I think it’s going to be hard for the MCU proper to do a better job at capturing what the X-Men are all about. It’s almost like they’re creating unfair expectations for themselves.
As for this week’s episode, I was a bit surprised it kept jumping back and forth from Storm to Professor X. While it felt a bit disjointed at first, the idea worked really well in the end. Having the attack on Genosha being this huge event that pulls everyone back together lends it even more gravity. Seeing what other characters were doing in different parts of the world and galaxy when it happened makes the incident feel like this series’ version of the snap from Infinity War. Did you notice that when Xavier had his vision of skeletons though? No Magneto. Perhaps Leech disabled his powers so the sentinel wouldn’t treat him as a threat.
(What was the deal with some of Chuck’s dialogue in this episode though? “Saying the quiet part out loud” does not seem like something he would ever say… quietly or loudly.)
I was surprised that Sinister was behind the attack but think there’s another shoe left to drop. Rumour going around was that he and Bastion are this season’s big bads and there have been a few clues. Nightcrawler’s injury last week was reminiscent of how he died at the hands of Bastion in the comics and an upcoming episode is titled Tolerance is Extinction. As many comic readers may know, Bastion originally took centre stage in an X-Men event called Operation: Zero Tolerance. Maybe these hints aren’t Uncle Howdy level but don’t say I didn’t warn you if a QR code flashes during next week’s episode!
And what can I say about Storm? I always thought she was lame in the original cartoon for talking to the weather and Halle Berry’s depiction didn’t help. This series has absolutely made me realize how much of a fool I was and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I can only pray they finally use her powers so interestingly and make her look like this much of a fucking boss in the films. I literally got chills when her powers came back and it’s not something I was anticipating at all. Kudos to everyone involved in this series for making her character such a bad ass.
Finally, as a connoisseur of poutine, I can’t help but add to the discussion you guys had a few weeks ago. Being a Canuck of the Southwestern Ontario variety myself, I was wondering if WH knew about the annual Poutine Feast food truck festival that travels across our province every year. From early summer to early fall, poutine trucks from the Quebec/Ottawa region visit cities and towns from Thursday-Sunday almost every weekend. It hits stops from North Bay all the way down to my neck of the woods in Windsor. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy poutine, especially if you’re willing to experiment with different toppings (one-truck used lobster one year, another has mac and cheese, etc.) You don’t think the variations would work but they actually do. Just wanted to throw it out there!
Anyway, This is a long piece of feedback, so until next time, enjoy yourselves a crisp ice cold can of Canada Dry and make mine MCU L8r! Brap brap!
Episode 6 was a satisfactory boost from the heartache suffered in Episode 5. Two separate stories converging on similar themes made this episode more effective than what Lifedeath Part One was paired with.
The Lifedeath story did feel rushed, though. I was hoping to have Storm’s self discovery be an ongoing, season long thread, similar but more so effective than Beast’s incarceration in Season One of the original series.
That is the only critical thing I have to say about the episode because everything else was fantastic. Storm donning the classic Giant Size X-Men look was beautiful! Charles Xavier literally schooling the Shi’ar was well done. Nightcrawler being added to the roster is exciting! The build has me totally invested; I already have made shelf space for the new Marvel Legends figures and added the comic book series to my hold list.
Questions: Cap’s Shield. Do they go AvX for season 2?
ALSO,
Wolverine’s cowl revealed for the next Deadpool film: Like or Dislike? (I like!)
Current comics: what are your current reads and recommendations? Right now I would recommend TRANSFORMERS, WOLVERINE: SABERTOOTH WAR, and TMNT (shout out to Sophie Campbell on ending her run at 150 she’s been an incredible breath of fresh air)
Suggestions: Just a small ask if you could try to stay linear in reviewing the episodes. That way you’ll be less likely to miss stuff. So many Easter eggs went undiscovered/unmentioned by you guys last episode.
It’s been 30 years. Savor this feast, gentlemen. Savor it!
There’s your feedback, WH! Call off the hit! LOL
Sean from Toronto
Not surprised to see that Magneto survived the Genosha attack, though I had to Google who the Big Bad, Bastion was, since he was not a character I recognized. I also initially thought it sounded like Jonathan Frakes was voicing him, but it turned out to be Theo James.
I also enjoyed the reminder that animated Marvel properties were part of a connected universe, even back in the 1990s, with the unexpected cameo by Captain America and a reference to The Hulk.
Finally, in an observation more related to last week’s episode, as someone who has also recently watched Invincible, it is a bit distracting that Ross Marquand is the new voice of Professor Xavier, since he sounds more like one of Marquand’s Invincible characters than Cedric Smith’s voice for the Xavier. (Marquand is also a MCU alum, playing Red Skull in Infinity War/Endgame and voicing numerous characters on What If)
“Bright Eyes” brought the aftermath of the Genosha genocide and it didn’t pull its punches with the X-Men’s grief. Lenore Zann got the ball and ran with it as Rogue’s mix of grief and self-destructive rage tore through the episode including dropping Trask from a skyscraper and I hope there’s some long-term ramifications as we head into the the three-part season ender.
I did grin a mile wide seeing Cap and Thunderbolt Ross (the shield even had the claw marks) as an acknowledgement of the mutants’ place in the greater Marvel U and the one-two bombshell at the tail end: Magneto is not dead and he’s captured by Bastion, the humanoid sentinel.
X-Men ‘97 continues to hum along wonderfully
It’s time for another week of fun and games with our merry mutants… except with no fun, games or anyone being very merry I guess.
The dark cloud hanging over the X-Men continues and becomes literal as the rainstorm during Gambit’s funeral. I loved Nightcrawler’s characterization through the eulogy and seeing everyone’s grief provided some subtle character development. Being the youngest, it makes sense why Jubilee can’t understand Rogue’s absence. It also makes sense that Logan, being the oldest member, would try to make sense of it for her. Although they haven’t interacted much in X-Men 97, Wolverine and Jubilee had a special father/daughter relationship in the original series. It was cool to be reminded of that here.
Rogue was a tour de force in this one. All of her emotions were so palpable from anger to guilt and sadness to revenge. Having her villainous tendencies come out more in this episode only made sense but they definitely took it to some dark places. She would’ve been a cold blooded killer if Trask hadn’t been modified already. Still, this revenge is what Nightcrawler was fearful of at the start of the episode. I also loved his moment with Rogue and acknowledgement of the two being step siblings. With so much going on, it’s easy to forget details like that.
Getting Thunderbolt Ross AND Captain America was also a nice touch. Pulling stuff outside of the X-Men’s orbit into the story makes it feel bigger so I’m glad they’re doing it. All of the different locations across the globe in this episode really made the story feel like a major event too. Finding Emma Frost in her diamond form on Genosha also feels like it’s setting something up. Given how she replaced Jean in the comics, could something similar happen here?
And OZT… what can I say? As soon as I heard those three letters, I knew where we were headed. While the road to get there was a lot darker than expected (good riddance, Trask and Gyrich,) Bastion is now out in the open. At first I thought he was being voiced by Jeff Goldblum and sounded similar to Dr. Hemlock from The Bad Batch. Either way, I am actually a bit scared to see what his plan is and how both Professor X and Magneto factor in. Could we be getting Onslaught somehow? Is Magneto being disguised as another mutant only to reveal himself and attack the X-Men like in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men?
Finally, much like Cable showed the future did not abandon Cyclops, I will show it hasn’t abandoned you. here is a link to all dates for this year’s Poutine Feast. I don’t know if the dates work for you or not since it’s all in an image file on facebook: Redirecting...
Until next time, enjoy another round of crisp cold Canada Dry and make mine MCU L8r! Brap brap!
Dc jermaine from Chicago another great episode of X-men 97 this is the X-men I love. This is my rouge not that hacked up non captain marvel powers rouge. She was on a mission and to see her and cap side by side was just awesome. Killer rouge is something to watch out for Shout-out to Jim Lee in his designs. He isn’t no longer with marvel but he is in a place now where he is respected. These morph transformations throw me off, I was like where did pietro maximoff come from? So cool to see quicksliver and get that bad taste of that rip off in wandavision. I love everything about the show. The ice queen survives!. I really liked the Deadpool 3 trailer it’s one of my must see movies this yr. I hope you guys dug that trailer. Lastly i was so proud of swerve and him being the first black aew champion. His killmonger outfit was nice. If you really want to stand out come out as John Stewart or black manta helmet and all. Have a great week