The First X-Men '97 Animated Series Reactions Are All Saying The Same Thing
From the all-action brawl against some familiar villains in its first clip to its animation style to every new character confirmed, it's become increasingly clear that Marvel's animated mutant series is a worthy follow-up to the 1990s classic "X-Men: The Animated Series." And now, the initial reactions to its first three episodes are here, giving us all the more reason to believe that "X-Men '97" will be a pretty good show that isn't content with merely riding the coattails of the beloved original but intends to continue the story in the best possible way.
"Okay, now I can say I've seen 3 episodes of #XMen97! It's on the whole good, a solid continuation of XTAS' vibe—but that means it has a few of that show's stumbling points, too. When it's great, it's great, and so far that's more often than not. Scott fans will be feasting," James Whitbrook of io9 and Gizmodo wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, indicating that Cyclops (Ray Chase) plays a particularly prominent role in the series.
Others went even further with their praise. "The first three episodes of #XMen97 are absolutely epic. It exceeds expectations in every way," ComicBook's Jamie Jirak tweeted. "Beautiful animation, excellent storytelling, and above all – my favorite thing about the X-Men – THE DRAAAMAAAAA!" One interesting point critics have made is the show's commitment to the long term. "They are not only building off of the previous five seasons, but they are [also] clearly setting up huge season-long arcs if not even longer!" journalist Jeffrey Harris wrote.
X-Men '97 has a daunting task ahead but seems well equipped to handle it
The positive first impressions are no doubt excellent news for fans — because "X-Men '97" isn't a sequel to just any old Saturday morning cartoon. With its copious guest star superheroes and Easter eggs, "X-Men: The Animated Series" paved the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, showing both viewers and the powers that be just how gripping a well-made superhero world with immaculately crafted stories could be on the screen.
It's interesting that critics think the follow-up show manages to up the ante, especially at a time when the mutants are increasing their presence in the live-action MCU. Granted, technically, "X-Men '97" isn't MCU canon, but it doesn't really seem like a coincidence that the show premieres so soon after the appearance of an "X-Men: The Animated Series"–inspired Beast (Kelsey Grammer) in the mid-credits scene of "The Marvels," does it?
Knowing all this and with critics praising the show's first episodes, "X-Men '97" is looking more and more like a win-win scenario for the fandom. And if it's part of the buildup for the X-Men's impending arrival in the MCU, then great. If not, fans can still expect a truly worthy continuation of an iconic animated series.