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Marvel Animation
“X-Men ’97” (with Cyclops, center) revives the ’90s animated series.
cnn
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“X-Men ’97” At first it seems like limited fare made for streaming, reviving a cult Saturday morning animated series launched more than 30 years ago, basically picking up where that show left off.
However, if you look a little closer, “X-Men” could offer clues and signs as Marvel pivots toward a next phase that depends on incorporating that popular property and Fantastic Four, two Marvel Comics staples that have returned to its cinematic network after decades under the direction of 20th Century Fox.
Marvel parent Disney’s 2019 acquisition of key Fox entertainment assets, including the rights to X-Men and Fantastic four, has fueled excitement about where those titles will go as they join Marvel’s intertwined universe. Perhaps that’s especially true of the latter, after two stabs at the “Fantastic Four” movies that generally disappointed fans.
How does “X-Men ’97” fit into that? Because the original series, which ran for five seasons starting in 1992, accomplished two things that seem vital to revitalizing Marvel programming, from Disney+ series to blockbusters: embracing the comics in a way that satisfies hardcore fans. and at the same time attract the most casual consumers; and attract adults while playing well with children, without bending down to reach them.
The animated series “X-Men” pulled off that delicate tightrope act, in particular, eight years before the movies began. Hugh JackmanWolverine’s breakout role, with eight others passing before “Iron Man” launched Marvel’s “cinematic universe.”
Despite being presented on Saturday mornings (a window that, in terms of advertising, depends on ratings among children under 12), the program surprised executives by attracting many teenagers and young people who, after years of disappointing comic book adaptations, they adopted one they could. Enjoy its ambitious narration and fidelity to the comics.
As Eric Lewald, the head writer of the original series, wrote in his book “Previously on X-Men: The Making of an Animated Series” back in 1992, “almost no one in Hollywood believed that an X-Men television series I could work.”
Marvel Animation
X-Men characters Beast, Wolverine, Morph, Bishop, Rogue, Gambit, Storm and Cyclops return in the Disney+ series “X-Men ’97.”
Fortunately, one of the people who did it was Margaret Loesch, former head of Marvel Productions, who had left to launch the Fox Children’s Network and convinced her bosses to take a chance on the show.
The result was a series that captured the central metaphor of the no cute robots or pandering often found in previous shows.
Taking advantage of the streaming format and the passage of time, “X-Men ’97” has a slightly more adult tone than the original, although it remains faithful to its spirit and incorporates many familiar elements, from the animation style to the memorable. theme song.
The bigger picture, of course, involves The hard stretch of Marvel at the box office, alongside rival DC and others, amid unrest stemming from the rise of streaming, an associated glut of Marvel series and the shift to home viewing due to Covid. After an enviable run of success, the suddenness of it has shaken theaters and studios, while leaving Disney in self-reflection mode trying to get Marvel back on track.
“X-Men ’97” will play on a smaller screen, but its unexpected demographic success in the ’90s still seems relevant to the challenge Marvel must overcome to rekindle its magic. This will not imply a one-size-fits-all approach either, as enthusiasm for the next “Deadpool and Wolverine” might suggest.
In keeping with a theme from the comics, the question is what comes after a mutation and, in this case, whether it can put Marvel on the next phase of its evolution.
“X-Men ’97” premieres March 20 on Disney+.