While we’re still an indefinite number of years out from their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, the X-Men are nevertheless closing in on an arguably more triumphant return to the screen, with X-Men ’97, the 10-episode sequel series to X-Men: The Animated Series due later this year.
Whether the premier mutant family’s many fans first got acquainted with the show back in the ’90s or more recently on Disney Plus, the X-Men ’97 reboot is sure to dazzle generations in more ways than one, chief among them the charming nostalgia that will no doubt be baked into the animation style and the ethos of classic X-Men shenanigans.
And now, thanks to a report by The Direct, we may have just learned who’s going to don the many main character mantles in the wider X-Men ensemble, with the pre-registration copyright document for the reboot’s first episode listing 11 voice actors and their corresponding characters. If they’re appearing from the outset, it’s a safe bet that they’ll be the mainstays.
Reprising their roles from the original animated series are Lenore Zahn (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), Christopher Britton (Mr. Sinister), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), and Cal Dodd (Wolverine).
Newcomers to the continuity, meanwhile, include the likes of Ray Chase (Cyclops), Jennifer Hale (Jean Grey), Holly Chou (Jubilee), A. J. Locasio (Gambit), Matthew Waterson (Magneto), and Gui Agustini, who will portray Sunspot in the character’s first appearance in the continuity, and whose casting was subject to some heated controversy recently.
Storm and Cyclops are described as the two most major characters of the series, and with the show picking up right where the end of The Animated Series left off, we can expect the two of them to contend with their reluctant, newfound leadership roles following the death of Charles Xavier.
X-Men ’97 will release to Disney Plus in late 2023.
