X-Men 97 is a new continuation of the original 1997 animated series, so although it’s listed as a new series, it’s actually the sixth season of the show. It was created by Beau Demayo, who was fired before the show’s release. The studio that is creating it is also the Marvel Animation Studio, which has worked on things like What If before.
The story of the show has been good so far, but before I explain it, there are very important spoilers for the original show. So the story takes place a year after Professor Xavier’s assassination and follows the X-Men trying to recover from this loss while also not allowing themselves to give up on their mission. A great thing about the story is that it feels like every character gets to have a moment, whether it is Cyclops getting to say, “To me, my X-Men” or Storm bringing the forecast with her lighting strikes.
The show also does a very good job of easing people into the world of the show, even if they didn’t watch the original series, by explaining the basics, like what a mutant is or how dangerous a threat some of the villains are, like the Sentinels. It also feels like the show has mastered the ability to build great cliffhangers at the end of each episode, with each one making the audience excited to watch more.
Also, the Marvel Studio Animation team did a wonderful job with the animation. Each motion feels fluid, which extends to the action scenes, which are able to keep the audience on the edge of their seats by making them feel fun to watch. They also made the characters very expressive, which now matches perfectly with the amazing voice actors who had returned from the first series. Like Storm and Jean Grey, who really brought the characters alive.
All in all, X-Men 97 can be considered to be one of the best superhero shows of all time. Thanks in part to its amazing visuals, great story, and wonderful voice acting. Give X-Men 97 a chance, even if you haven’t watched the original series. If you want the context from the original, just watch a recap on YouTube, but I feel like the show successfully eases you into its world and gets you caught up with everything.
