The X-Men are back.
More than 30 years have passed since then X-Men: The Animated Series hit the airwaves and turned Marvel mutants into household names. Now in 2024, while all those Saturday morning cartoon kids are growing up, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Jean, and more are returning to TV to remind everyone why they're the GOAT.
Marvel Studios has released the highly anticipated first teaser tracker for X-Men '97, A direct sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series It will premiere on Disney+ on March 20. Additionally, EW can exclusively reveal a sneak peek at the core gang in their classic retro costumes, which showrunner Beau DeMayo tells EW will serve a specific purpose in season one.
“Every design choice is really a testament to the storylines we're making,” DiMaio says. “Nothing is arbitrary.” The evidence of vintage fashion is all about nostalgia. “It's a nice nod to Pride of the X-Men“But the goal is to bring the X-Men back to the time where they're thinking: What part of this do I want to keep?'” he explains, referring to the 1989 pilot for the failed X-Men animated series. “Was it really simpler back then, or were we more naive?”
X-Men '97 Picks up after events X-Men: The Animated SeriesThe 1997 “Graduation Day” finale, which saw Charles Xavier critically injured and leaving his team of mutants behind to recover in outer space in the care of Lilandra among the Shi'ar Empire. “Some fans have said that when the show last ended 30 years ago, it felt like it was over,” says Lenore Zahn, who returns as the voice of Rogue in the new series. “Well, finally, you've got that 'more'. You'll be able to find out what happened next.”
While Xavier believes in a world where humans and mutants can coexist, Magneto, the X-Men's longtime foe, is now the new leader of the superhero team. “It's always interesting to take Xavier's dream and turn it on its head,” says DiMaio. “When I first thought about this, I was thinking about what the 90s world was like, even the issues of social acceptance and what does it mean to be different? It was a lot more simple than it is today. [The X-Men] We've spent years telling humanity to embrace the future, and walk toward the future together. What happens when they are exposed to a future they did not expect? How does it feel to be on the other end when you feel like the future is leaving you behind?
EW can also exclusively confirm the veteran cast and newcomers joining the sequel series.
Cal Dodd (Wolverine/Logan), Allison Seeley-Smith (Storm/Ororo Monroe), George Buza (Beast/Henry “Hank” McCoy), Adrian Hogg (Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner), and Chris Britton (Mister Sinister/Nathaniel Essex). They also return to their roles in which they originated X-Men: The Animated Series Next to Zhan.
“Rogue is still a rogue and has the same issues,” teases Zane, a mutant whose ability to absorb energy makes her unable to physically touch another person. “A lot of people can relate to that, to her desire to be loved, her desire to belong, her desire to be touched, and not be accepted for who they are. There are a lot of people from the LGBTQ community who have told me that they can really relate to others” for the same reasons. Rogue really embodies that because she always seems to be struggling to accept herself as she is, warts and all.”
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
As for other familiar characters, Ray Chase will now voice Cyclops/Scott Summers, Jennifer Hale will voice Jean Grey, AJ Locascio will voice Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Holly Chu will voice Jubilee/Jubilation Lee, and J.P. Karlyak will voice Voiced by Murph and Isaac Robinson. -Smith will voice Bishop/Lucan Bishop, Matthew Waterson will voice Magneto/Eric Lehnsherr, Ross Marquand will voice Professor Charles Xavier, Gio Agostini will voice Sunspot/Roberto Da Costa, and Jill Birmingham will voice Forge/Daniel Lunn Eagle, and Eric Bauza will voice Bishop/Lucan Bishop. Expressing the guards.
Then there White lotus And forked It stars Theo James, who DeMayo worked with on the 2021 Netflix animated film The Witcher: Wolf's Nightmare. (James voices lead character Vesemir, and DiMaio wrote the film.) While details of James' role remain a secret, “I think she's a fan-favorite character, and she's going to surprise people,” DiMaio said.
There is still room for other veteran actors X-Men: The Animated Series In the sequel. Katherine Disher, the original Jean Grey, now voices Dr. Valerie Cooper, who appears to be up to no good. Chris Potter, the original Gambit character, now plays Cable/Nathan Summers. Lawrence Payne, the cable original, now plays Carl Dentil/X-Cutioner. Ron Robin, the original Murph, now plays President Robert Edward Kelly. Finally, Alison Court, the original Jubilee, now plays Abscissa.
DeMayo explains that there were many reasons behind the recast, ranging from more authentic casting (the court recognizes that voicing an Asian character like Jubilee as a 1990s Canadian actress was a product of its time) to vocal tones. He uses the Cable-Cyclops relationship as an example: Cable is the son of Cyclops who was displaced by time from a future timeline and “has a huge arc” in x-Men '97, DeMaio confirms. “It really was [about] How do we make sure the audience knows that this is a weird relationship where the father is younger than the son and make sure the vocal qualities tell that story when they're talking to each other.”
There were also more symbolic reasons, as with Jean Grey. DeMayo wanted the actress behind his favorite X-Men character to submit a thesis X-Men '97 Like Valerie Cooper.
“Jean Gray is the epitome of empathy,” DeMaio says. “She's the only person who truly understands the sacrifice necessary to be an X-Man.” (See the Phoenix Saga of the original series.) “I will say that Val has a very interesting arc in our first season. I remember when I first met Katherine. I was like, 'You're going to present the thesis of the series in this particular episode, and we're going to build it very carefully through these episodes.' “For me, she was the heart of the original series, so much so that having her provide the thesis seemed right.”
What is that thesis? DeMayo remains silent, but continues to ponder the idea of empathy: “The main thing I've come up with in this series is how, in the end, you can take the whole philosophy of Xavier's Dream, but if you just boil it down, empathy is the way forward.”
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