Marvel fans might be growing frustrated with the lack of mutants in the MCU, but who needs live-action X-Men when we have the animated revival we’ve all been waiting for coming to Disney Plus? Marvel Studios is currently developing X-Men ’97, a continuation of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series from the 1990s. As well as offering buckets of childhood nostalgia for millennials, though, the show also promises to be a treat for Marvel lovers of all ages.
Moon Knight EP Jeremy Slater can’t hype it up enough, for one. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Slater praised what showrunner Beau DeMayo has devised for X97 and promised that fans are underestimating how spectacular the series is going to be. As he put it:
“Beau DeMayo, who’s doing X-Men ’97, is one of the best writers I have ever worked with in my life. He’s an absolute genius. And the other day, we had our writers’ dinner, and he was telling me some of the things they have planned for X-Men ’97. I can’t say a single thing, except you guys have no idea how excited you should be for that show.”
Slater went on to stress that the show is “going to be f***ing awesome,” with every episode set to deliver something truly mind-blowing. He continued:
“That’s all I can say about it. But the stuff he was saying — every episode — it was blowing my mind of what he was sort of pitching. So you guys have no idea how excited you should be for that show.”
X-Men ’97 is notable for being the first Marvel Studios production to be set outside of the MCU… Or is it? DeMayo has previously hinted that there will be some connections to the live-action shared universe in the series. He offered a pretty telling ‘wait and see’ type of response when asked about it, saying: “I’m gonna go with no comment here because part of the surprise will be finding that out when you experience the show.”
It’s possible that Slater’s excitement and promises of big things to come are a further hint at some unexpected MCU crossovers in X-Men ’97, then. Maybe it’ll be established that the X-Men: TAS universe is part of the MCU’s multiverse. This was already heavily hinted at in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, thanks to Patrick Stewart having his ’90s cartoon counterpart’s yellow hoverchair (and Danny Elfman sampling the iconic theme in the score).
Featuring many members of the original voice cast, X-Men ’97 is expected to charge onto Disney Plus sometime around mid-2023.
