It’ll be a few years yet before we get a full MCU X-Men movie, but it’s looking like something’s coming down the pipeline from Disney, and soon. As we reported earlier, multiple sources have indicated that the Mouse House may be about to make their first major use of the X-Men IP since the Fox merger. Theories have ranged from a surprise digital release for The New Mutants (which was supposed to hit cinemas on April 3rd), to Disney+ putting up Fox’s X-Universe movies to stream, to a surprise sequel to the much-loved 90s show X-Men: The Animated Series.
If you’re skeptical that a show that’s been off the air since 1997 would be revived, then just check out this picture:
These are account icons recently uploaded to Disney+ and are extremely reminiscent of the classic 90s Jim Lee X-Men designs. As far as we can tell, these drawings are new art and have not been seen anywhere else. On top of that, we know that the creators of X-Men: The Animated Series have been busy pitching a follow-up series to Disney, and this art is a good indicator that they got the green light and have been busy working away on it.
Also, if these headshots are indeed a preview of a new animated show, they indicate that it’ll continue with mostly the same costumes for the X-Men with a couple of updated elements. For example, in the 90s cartoon, Storm had long flowing white hair, whereas here she has a mohawk. In addition, Gambit may have lost the black headpiece he wore and Rogue has a considerably less fluffy bouffant.
If these images are being uploaded now, it may also be an indication that an official announcement will come very soon. My fingers are firmly crossed, too, because I’ve always loved the classic Animated Series lineup of the X-Men and I’d love to see their adventures continue.