Even though the X-Men have remained a constant presence in comics and pop culture, it’s been over 20 years since the groundbreaking animated series went off the air. But now, thanks to Disney+, fans can return to that iteration with X-Men ’97, a direct continuation of that program.
Beau DeMayo serves as the showrunner of this ten-episode season. X-Men ’97 features the voice cast of Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, George Buza as Beast, Lenore Zann as Rogue, Adrian Hough as Night Crawler, and Chris Britton as Mister Sinister, all returning from the original. They are joined by newcomers Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, JP Karliak as Morph, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, and Matthew Waterson as Magneto.
Theo James is also attached but his role is being kept under wraps. According to DeMayo:
“It is a fan-favorite character, I think, and it will surprise people.”
Get ready for the nostalgia with the trailer below:
At the end of the original series, Professor Xavier was taken into space by the Shi’ar Empire to heal. However, in this trailer it makes it seem as though he has died. It’s not clear how much time has passed. (Long enough for Storm to get her hair cut and for Jean to get knocked up and appears to be pretty far along in her pregnancy.)
In the end, Magneto shows up with Charles’ will and claims ownership of “everything” that Xavier created. If someone weren’t officially declared dead, no one could collect their estate. There is no voice actor listed for him, so at least according to this trailer, it appears that Xavier is deceased.
But then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if this footage was just taken from the first one or two episodes. In keeping with the original show, it wouldn’t be surprising if we get some curveballs.
But man… how about Gambit charging up Wolverine’s claws?! How cool was that?!
X-Men ’97 hits Disney+ on March 30. Grab a bowl of cereal and get ready to revisit Saturday mornings!
