REVIEW: X-Men 97 is the fabulous return to the small screen of Marvel's mutant team

It debuted this week on Disney+ x men 97, animated series that promises to continue the story of one of the cartoons that most marked a generation; Are you curious to know more details? So follow with me, my X-Men! 

The historical importance of the X-Men

X-Men has always been a special comic for Marvel. In it, in the mid-1960s, the publisher addressed delicate topics such as racial segregation and discrimination and that of other minorities, issues that are still current and extremely relevant not only in American society, but throughout the world. 

Apart from the comics in which the group formed by Professor Xavier was born, no other medium was able to convey this message like the cartoon. Its main representative was undoubtedly the animation of the 1990s, which arrived on Globo screens here in Brazil in 1992 and lasted for five seasons, with a total of 76 episodes.

With arcs taken directly from the comic pages, the design of the X-Men dealt with the same sensitive subjects in a way that the target audience could understand and hopefully become aware of, without looking down on them for being young and immature.

In the animated series, characters such as Jubilee and Gambit quickly became public favorites, becoming more visible in the comics and sagas long loved by readers, such as the arrival of the Dark Phoenix and the Legacy Virus, for example, could be enjoyed by those who have never even touched a magazine, thanks to the quality of the production.

Not only that, but X-Men also served as the gateway for even more heroes to reach the small screen, something that today, with the MCU, it's commonplace, but let's think about the moment the series debuted, when Marvel was on the verge of collapse, recovering from a sales hit in the previous decade.

Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Iron Man were some of the Casa das Ideias brands that gained their own animations and none of this would have happened without the resounding success of X-Men. And, since then, few cartoons have reached this level of popularity, something that not only marked the generation that was caught at the right moment, but served as a guide for what would come next. 

Such power of influence was only equaled by the cartoon adaptation of Batman in Batman – The Animated Series, from the same year, which also served as the trigger for the DC Comics television universe with The Justice League, for example.

The plot so far and beyond

Given all the historical importance of the animation of X-Men, the question arises: your Revival who arrived at Disney + Is this week good? Yes, dear readers, if Stan Lee were still among us, the old man would exclaim “Excelsior” at the top of his lungs, because X-Men 97 Not only is it incredible, but so far it has fulfilled all the wishes of us, nostalgic fans of the original production, moving the plot forward in as good a way as we imagined.

At the end of the original series, Xavier left his pupils to fend for themselves after dying surrounded by them, following an attack by a group of anti-mutant terrorists. The new production begins some time later, with the students trying to rebuild the school and keep the team of superheroes active, now with the support of the United States government and greater sympathy from the people, gained with the death of the teacher.

It doesn't take long for the action to become part of the lives of Cyclops and his colleagues again, who are now on the trail of what's left of the terrorists, having discovered a new weapon with the ability to strip a mutant's powers almost permanently. In the midst of all this, Roberto da Costa, a Brazilian mutant, finds himself in the sights of the group of anti-mutant humans, and ends up saved by the X-Men in the premiere episode.

But the big surprise was yet to come. Magneto makes his triumphant return and takes on Xavier's mantle as guardian of the superteam until he is caught and put on trial for his crimes against humanity. In the midst of all this, Jean Grey, pregnant with Scott's child, finds herself in trouble, and a new and enigmatic figure rings the school bell seeking help. 

Two episodes full of a lot of character development certainly gave the impression that no time had passed since the end of the first production, in 1997. Not only because of the representation of that time in the new animation, with show houses and all the obsolete technology like the poor beep, but also because of the breakneck pace consistent with the material coming from the comics.

Far be it from me to give any more spoilers for the story that will follow with next Wednesday's third episode, but my friends, get ready, because if the cartoon really goes this route, everything you believe about the X-Men will be shaken in a monumental way. And taking into account the quality of production so far, this will indeed happen, you can take note. 

The production of the new X-Men 97

X-Men 97 has been produced by Marvel Animation Studios under the supervision of Beau DeMayo and Jake Castorena, both veterans of Warner Bros. with numerous works released, many of which are adaptations of DC comics and some pop culture productions, such as The Witcher. 

The new animation, even though it is currently developed and benefits from today's technology, is entirely based on the entire presentation of the 1992 cartoon, and in many ways manages to closely resemble the original series, including the same opening, recreated. . Of course, everything is sharper and more detailed now, but if we keep our eyes half-open, it might fool us!

The same cannot be said about our ears. Unfortunately, since then, many of the voice actors who worked on the first cartoon have either retired or even passed away, as is the case of the late Isaac Bardavid, the eternal voice of Wolverine not only in the animation, but also in the X-Men films that died in 2022. 

The replacement, Luiz Feier Motta, does a good job in the boots of the irritable little guy, but for those who grew up watching and listening to Bardavid's voice, it's not the same thing. Other deceased voice actors, such as Cyclops, Storm and Magneto, were also replaced, but they are not that different from the original's 1990s interpretations.

An old voice actress returns for the new series. Sylvia Salustti, the interpreter of Jean Gray from the original is back and it looks like she came out of the cryogenic chamber, because her voice remains the same. It remains to be seen whether we will have more surprises with voice actors from the first cartoon appearing, as there is still a lot of ground to cover until the end of the season. 

So is it worth watching?

As an irreducible fan of the base version of the cartoon, it is with a resounding yes that I say that it is of course VERY worth checking out X-Men 97. And I say this with confidence not only to those who, like me, grew up with the cartoon, but also to those who have never watched it, but are interested in checking it out. 

So far, X-Men 97 The long wait for this sequel proved to be worth it, not only because it gives a continuation to the much-loved original series, but also because of the way in which it has been done, with clear affection on the part of the production of this animation.

Taking into account the quality of drawings based on Marvel properties such as What If, also do Disney +, I can safely say that X-Men 97 is one of the best products put on television by the label since the series live action do demolisher in partnership with Netflix. It's that good!

Where and how to watch

X-Men 97 entered the Disney streaming service catalog this week with two debut episodes, each approximately half an hour long. New chapters will arrive every Wednesday, totaling 10 in this first season. 

In fact, a second season has already been confirmed, which is already in production and which I believe will debut on Disney + until next year. There is no firm date yet, but given the success of the premiere of X-Men 97, you can imagine that they are in the fissure to add more fuel to the fire.

See also other features

Marvel Studios: Discover all the MCU movies and series

Source: Young nerd. 

reviewed by Glaucon Vital em 22 / 3 / 24.