Snikt! Cue up that incredibly nostalgic synth theme tune, and break out the yellow spandex – the X-Men are back in animated form for long-awaited cartoon sequel series X-Men ’97. This one is a direct follow-up to the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series that ran between 1992 and 1997, but it comes from the minds at Marvel Studios, continuing Kevin Feige’s slow and steady journey to bring the mutants into the MCU fold. The first trailer has now arrived, promising a colourful blast of superhero action – and some narrative weight, with our favourite characters reeling from the death of Professor X in the original series’ finale. Check it out here:
Grab a massive bowl of sugary breakfast cereal, because this looks like a big old blast of Saturday morning cartoon fun – and Marvel is really embracing that nostalgia, with the live-action intro for the trailer recalling the days of square TVs, (now-)vintage action figures, and taping things off the telly. But there’s substance beyond the simple warm-and-fuzzies too – clearly, a major thrust of the show will be the X-Men trying to find their feet after Xavier’s death, figuring out how to continue without their leader. And as time moves on, it brings fresh life challenges – it looks like Jean Grey and Cyclops are having a baby, there’s the small matter of working out Xavier’s will (did he really leave everything to Magneto?!), and Scott is finding himself thrust into a leadership position.
There’s all the cool mutant-power fun you’d expect too – Storm engaging her lightning powers, Gambit imbuing Wolverine’s claws with his kinetic abilities, and the team getting together to face the Sentinels (whether it’s for real, or a scenario in the Danger Room is tbc). And what a thrill it is to hear that music again, and see that colourful animation style in a very lightly scrubbed-up form.
As well as the trailer, there's a gloriously old-school VHS-centric poster for the series too – check it out here:
What Feige’s plans for the X-Men are on the big screen are yet to be seen – but this could be an interesting testing ground for whatever direction the MCU at large might take the mutants in. We’ll see how X-Men ’97 fares when it begins streaming on Disney+ from 20 March. Bring your own Coco Pops.