X-Men ’97 – Season One [2024] on Disney Plus

X-Men ’97 is what every comic book project aspires to be. It fixes the issues from the original series, and gets even more inspired by its material source. I didn’t know that it was even possible.

Starring some of the voice cast from the original run of the show, mixed with some newcomers, X-Men ’97 picks up where season 5 of the animated series ended.

However, it’s not 100% the same. Without the restrictions of the 1990s broadcast, and not being a morning tv cartoon for children, this new iteration is able to go where the previous show couldn’t.

In fact, the show does a lot of heavy lifting for its limited air time. Instead of treating it like an equal ensemble cast, each episode focuses on one or two characters while also advancing the story. We finally got a multidimensional Cyclops (Ray Chase), Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) gets the respect she deserves, Magneto’s (Matthew Waterson) background story gets more comic accurate, and Rogue (Lenore Zann) shines whenever the spotlight is on her.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the rest of the team. These are just the highlights. After all, who wants spoilers in their reviews?!

If you’re a fan of comic books, or the original animated series, or just MCU in general, this show a lot of things to offer you. Even though I recently watched the animated series, I fell hard for this show. The creators got very political, very fast. Every episode had multiple meanings that connect with almost every single viewer. Especially the second half of the season.

I just wish that the show had some more breathing room for some stories. This is me just being way overly critical, and a bit selfish. Give us 12 episodes for next season please and thank you!

Should You Watch It?

X-Men ’97 had no right being this good. Is it a nostalgia play? Yes. Did it work? Definitely. Is it good on its own? Absolutely! Cannot wait for seasons two and three!

Where Can I Watch It?

You can stream Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 on Disney Plus.