'X-Men: The Animated Series' Showrunner Pitches Hypothetical Sixth Season

If Marvel and Fox ever decide to revive X-Men: The Animated Series, the series' showrunner has a story ready to go.

Eric Lewald was in charge of running the popular gateway superhero show from the 1990s from its conception through all five season into its completion. When asked by SyFy Wire if he had any ideas about what he'd do if he was given one more story arc to work with, Lewald came up with the story right off the top of his head.

"I had honestly never thought about it for all these years, but now that you mention it, an idea for a season just came to me: The five-season series ends with a dying Charles Xavier being whisked away to space by Lilandra, where she can maintain his fragile body, but where it seems he will be gone forever from his beloved X-Men. It's like a death," Lewald began. "Season Six could open, months later, with the X-Men in disarray – a few gone, the ones remaining at each other's throats. They miss their leader. Then somehow they are called to – and transported to – an existential crisis on Lilandra's distant world. The team grudgingly reunites 'for Charles,' heads off to space, solves the crisis, and a somehow-healed Charles Xavier is either able to return to Earth with them or, if he can't, his heroic final sacrifice heals the team's wounds and they return to Earth as the proper X-Men again."

This idea sounds pretty similar to X-Men: The Animated Series' excellent adaptation of the classic X-Men tale "The Dark Phoenix Saga." As to whether there's any real chance we'll see this story made, Lewald says, "If you've got some financing, I know where to find the cast and crew."

Of course, with the X-Men rights being as tangled as they are, it may not be as simple as just crowdfunding, but fans can dream.

Lewald's book Previously on X-Men, The Making of An Animated Series is on sale now.