The X-Men are back in their first animated series since the 2011 anime (bet you thought I was gonna say Wolverine and the X-Men, didn’t you?), in a revival of the 1990s cartoon that first made them a household name. Picking up a year after the series finale, when Xavier was fatally wounded by an insane Henry Peter Gyrich, X-Men ’97 finds Cyclops (Ray Chase) struggling to keep the X-Men together in his mentor’s absence, while expecting a baby with Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale). It appears the public is more sympathetic to mutants than ever, but does that matter when the hatred for them remains as intense?
Spoilers follow…
1. The Animation is Not Just Fine, It’s Fantastic!
Full disclosure: I wasn’t that keen on the project, as I felt this generation of kids deserved a completely new X-Men cartoon, and that the ’90s series, while heavily aged, did end on a definitive note. I was really alarmed by the low frame-rate in the first trailer, and showrunner Beau DeMayo’s sudden departure before the premiere hardly increased my enthusiasm: but the moment the recreation of the opening credits, and that iconic theme music began, you’ll bet I suddenly forgot all that – this is X-Men: The Animated Series, and it’s never looked better.
Now, admittedly, that is a very low bar: even as a child, the show’s animation looked clunky as heck. But X-Men ’97 is genuinely gorgeous, with vivid colors and lighting, like a Chris Jones piece come to life, fantastic fight choreography (observe Cyclops sliding around while firing his concussive blasts!), and some really emotional close-ups that makes the cinematic aspect ratio more than a stylish choice. There are definitely a few jerky shots now and again that remind you, yes, this is a TV show, the budget isn’t that big, but I’m so relieved it is largely living up to its ambition of reviving a ’90s approach to character design, without sacrificing the fluidity of motion.
2. There’s Old Voices, and There’s Old Voices
Many of the original show’s surviving cast reprise their roles, including Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), and George Buza (Beast), while others, such as Catherine Disher (the original Jean Grey) tackle new roles like the X-Men’s human liason Valerie Cooper. I feel Sealy-Smith and Buza sound much as they did in the ’90s, whereas Dodd and Zann have definitely aged: Zann feels smaller, and higher, while Dodd is slower and deeper, a striking contrast to his raspy previous characterization. Still, I understand wanting to keep as much of the old cast as possible, given how many of them have passed away, retired, or passed on returning for various other reasons, and besides, there’s something genuinely fun about hearing a Wolverine with such a pronounced Canadian accent.
3. The Big Three (Wolverine’s Not Included)
The first episode lives up to advance word that Cyclops and Storm would take the lead instead of Wolverine, with Jean Grey naturally rounding out the lead trio as Scott’s other half. The opening, where the pair work with Bishop (Isaac Robinson-Smith) to rescue Sunspot (Gui Agustini), did a great job of demonstrating Scott can be a fun, charismatic lead when he’s not suffering from the weight of Xavier’s legacy (and his surly teammates), between his martial arts moves, the aforementioned sliding around, and trolling the Friends of Humanity (“No, don’t, I surrender! Not!”) I don’t know what was more awesome during the main mission: him using his beams to slow his own descent, or her going full goddess mode on the Sentinels. That’s not to say Logan wasn’t struggling with his suspicions that Scott and Jean would retire to raise their baby, but the episode was first and foremost about Cyke proving he could lead without Xavier.
4. Morph the Cameo Provider
Morph (J.P. Karliak), a character created for the original series to serve up some drama by dying and then returning as a villain, got a lot of attention before release for being portrayed here as explicitly non-binary, with a less human default appearance based on their counterpart from the “Exiles” comics. Unsurprisingly, none of that is explored here, with Morph’s main purpose coming across as being a mutant who can provide “cameo appearances” from other, more famous characters, without the burden of having to write them into the story. It does feel a little cynical (sure! Let’s have Archangel without Archangel!), but in a world where the real Friends of Humanity seem louder, more obnoxious, and less media literate than ever, I’m not going to fault the prominent representation Morph provides, and based on how large Sinister looms in their part of the opening credits, I imagine it’ll only get stronger.
Continued below5. Jubilee Finally Reads as Chinese
Speaking of providing representation, Jubilee (Holly Chou) never came across in the original show as Chinese to me: her eyes were simply too large, so I always assumed she was white. Seeing her actually appear East Asian here was a really profound moment, that encapsulated how surprisingly good of a decision reviving X-Men TAS was: it really feels like a love letter from those of us who grew up with it, bringing it back and making it better than it could’ve ever been before; it was especially good given the way Sunspot’s story, and the use of the Sentinels, parallels her introduction in the original series premiere, “Night of the Sentinels.” While I would still very much love a completely new animated take on the X-Men, this is still truly one for a new generation, that also happens to be be a continuation of the original, bound to thrill old and new viewers alike.
We’ll continue to cover the rest of the series in our Boomb Tube column: see you there on Monday for our thoughts on the second part of this premiere, “Mutant Liberation Begins.” Enter: Magneto!
