Mutants are gradually being worked into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and according to Cosmic Circus, the site that says the Midnight Sons might soon be appearing in the MCU, Marvel is looking at X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran on Fox Kids Network for five seasons from 1992 to 1997, as a major reference point as they figure out how to add the X-Men to their franchise. As Cosmic Circus noted, the influence of the animated series can be seen in the appearances of Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Dr. Hank McCoy in The Marvels – as well as (to some degree) Wolverine in next year’s Deadpool 3. Since Marvel has such respect for the animated series, it’s no surprise that they’re also reviving it with a continuation series titled X-Men ’97, which is expected to start streaming on Disney+ sometime soon. We don’t know a specific premiere date just yet, but scooper CanWeGetSomeToast claims to have revealed the titles of all ten episodes of the show’s first season.
Here’s the list:
E1: To Me, My X-Men
E2: Mutant Liberation Begins
E3: Fire Made Flesh
E4: Motendo
E5: Remember It
E6: Bright Eyes
E7: Shine With Strength Reborn
E8: Tolerance is Extinction – Part 1
E9: Tolerance is Extinction – Part 2
E10: Tolerance is Extinction – Part 3
Here’s how Marvel describes the series: Following a familiar team with the “DNA of the original show,” an impactful event in X-Men ‘97 will launch the reunited X-Men into an all-new chapter that will resonate with fans of the original series. We’ve heard that Mister Sinister is the primary antagonist.
X-Men: The Animated Series cast members Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Alison Sealy-Smith, Chris Potter, Catherine Disher, Adrian Hough, and Christopher Britton are back for the revival, with some reprising their original roles and some voicing new characters. The voice cast also includes Jennifer Hale, Anniwaa Buachie, Ray Chase, Matthew Waterson, JP Karliak, Holly Chou, Jeff Bennett, and AJ LoCascio.
Beau DeMayo is head writer and executive producer on X-Men ’97. Jake Castorena is supervising director and Charley Feldman is supervising producer. X-Men: The Animated Series producers and showrunners Eric and Julia Lewald are consultants on the show, as is original series director Larry Houston.
Marvel Comics will be publishing a four issue prequel comic book series that bridges the gap between the original show and this revival. The first issue of that series will reach store shelves on March 27th.
Are you looking forward to X-Men ’97? What do you think of these episode titles? Let us know by leaving a comment below.