X-Men '97: New Nostalgic Ad Showcases Marvel LEGOs

Marvel Studios has made another ad that channels the 1990s.

By Jamie Jirak

X-Men '97 released its sixth episode this week, and the new series has been impressing critics and audiences alike. The show is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% critics score and a 93% audience score. The show picks up right where X-Men: The Animated Series left off when it came to an end in 1997, so Marvel Studios has been leaning into the '90s nostalgia. Each week, they've been releasing new ads that recapture the vibe of commercials from that era. We've seen Saturday morning-style ads for X-Men '97 Funkos Pops and Hasbro figures. Today, Marvel Studios released a new ad showcasing X-Men '97 LEGOs. 

"Commercial break! Assemble the team with all-new @LEGO products inspired by Marvel Animation's #XMen97, now streaming on @DisneyPlus," Marvel Studios shared on Instagram. You can check out the ad below:

X-Men '97 Producer Explains Why Retro Setting Was Major Advantage:

ComicBook.com's Phaze Zero podcast recently spoke with producer Brad Winderbaum, and he explained why setting the show in 1997 was an advantage.

"Well, actually, it was kind of liberating to be able to stay in the 90s," Winderbaum began. "It allowed us to go places that we could just do what we want. To be so iterative. Things that we couldn't do if we were more MCU adjacent like What If...? is. I mean, What If...? is like we're literally remixing the MCU. So, it's harder to introduce characters. Because you want to see them in live-action. Although, we do see Bill Foster as Giant Man in the second season. That's new!" 

Original X-Men: The Animated Series cast members Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler), and Christopher Britton (Mister Sinister) reprise their roles from the '90s series while returning cast members Catherine Disher (original Jean Grey), Chris Potter (original Gambit), Alyson Court (original Jubilee), and Lawrence Bayne (original Cable) voicing new characters. 

The new cast includes Ray Chase (Cyclops), Jennifer Hale (Jean Grey), JP Karliak (Morph), AJ LoCascio (Gambit), Holly Chou (Jubilee), Isaac Robinson-Smith (Bishop), and Matthew Waterson (Magneto).

Why Are X-Men: The Animated Series Actors Voicing Different Roles in X-Men '97?

X-Men '97 director/producer Jake Castorena recently spoke with RadioTimes and explained why some of the voice cast has changed. 

"If we're doing this show, we got to do it with the legacy cast – that was the decision from day one," Castorena explained. "[But] time hits us all – it's been 30 years and so, unfortunately, some of the legacy voice cast is no longer with us, and some of the legacy voice cast, voices, and things just change."

"Finding people to take up the mantle for the legacy cast, to fill in the roles, was an absolute process, but I absolutely love and appreciate all of our new cast taking on their new roles – and to hear the blessings from the legacy cast has been also awesome, too," he added. 

"For those who wanted to come back and for whatever reasons weren't able to do the voice, we brought them back to play other characters, to make sure we still had everybody in the sandbox... because how do you invite one person to come play, but not somebody else? Especially when they're game and they want to. It's like, 'We'll find something for you,'" Castorena continued. 

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"Honestly, it's a way to get everybody back. It's the best way to get everybody back, as best as we could."

X-Men '97 releases new episodes on Wednesdays.

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