Marvel Writer: Fans Should Be Excited for “F-ing Awesome” X-Men ’97 (Exclusive)

Warning: this story contains mild spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. For fans of the X-Men: The Animated Series of the ’90s, Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange 2 is just a tease of what’s to come from Marvel’s mutants. The Doctor Strange sequel nods to the beloved Fox animated series when introducing the Illuminati’s Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart of Fox’s live-action X-Men movies) of Earth-838, who arrives in a yellow hoverchair as Danny Elfman’s score features a riff from the iconic X-Men animated theme song. The X-Men are officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — now Multiverse. 

Before Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios reboots the live-action X-Men in the MCU proper, the studio will first revive X-Men: The Animated Series as X-Men ’97 on Disney+. A direct continuation of the well-remembered series that aired on Fox Kids Network, the series from head writer Beau DeMayo is the first X-Men title produced by Marvel Studios. 

“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,” Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater, who worked alongside DeMayo in the writers’ room for the live-action Marvel Studios series on Disney+, exclusively told ComicBook‘s Adam Barnhardt. “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.”

Marvel Studios’ X-Men ’97, which revisits the ’90s era with the surviving original cast members returning, is “going to be f—ing awesome,” Slater teased. “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 features the voice talents of Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), George Buza (Beast), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Chris Potter (Gambit), Catherine Disher (Jean Grey), Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler), and Christopher Britton (Mister Sinister). 

Previously announced new cast members include Jennifer Hale (Avengers Assemble), Anniwaa Buachie (Archer), Ray Chase (Pokémon), Matthew Waterson (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia), JP Karliak (Spidey and His Amazing Friends), Holly Chou (The Big Sick), Jeff Bennett (Young Justice), and AJ LoCascio (Voltron: Legendary Defender), with X-Men: The Animated Series producers and showrunners Eric and Julia Lewald returning as consultants alongside original series director Larry Houston. 

Marvel Studios X-Men ’97 is streaming in 2023 on Disney+. All episodes of the original X-Men: The Animated Series are available to stream now.