2024 is the year of mutants. Five years after acquiring Fox for more than USD 70 billion, Disney has finally made a move in promoting the X-Men. Along with ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, Disney finally released an X-Men content. Is ‘X-Men ‘97’ a masterpiece as everyone is saying or is it merely a nostalgic bait? And what will happen next after the shocking season’s finale?
90’s Art Style With Modern Fluidity
“X-Men ’97” continues the story from “X-Men: The Animated Series,” picking up right after the events of the original series. The plot revolves around the X-Men as they face new challenges and threats following the departure of Professor Xavier, with Magneto stepping in as the team’s leader. The series delves into the evolving dynamics among the team members and their ongoing struggle for mutant rights in a world that still harbors fear and prejudice against them.
The 90’s vibe is strong in this one. We’re talking short shorts, tacky fashion, extremely muscular bodies, and voluminous hairstyles. The artstyle is strikingly similar to its previous series, ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ which aired from 1992 and ended in 1997.
Despite being a continuation of a classic, the series feels invigorated with its modern twist. The vibrant and colorful art style shines on today’s high-definition screens, making it visually appealing. Additionally, the fluid animation enhances the viewing experience, adding a dynamic and polished feel to the action sequences.
Part of The MCU’s Multiverse
Disney clearly respects the source material, ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’, by not changing the atmosphere and the artstyle. But Disney still made an effort to tie ‘X-Men: ‘97’ with its established Marvel’s Multiverse.
For example, Uatu, the Watcher from the ‘What If…?’ series was seen during the attack on Genosha. And this easter egg was further explored in the next episodes when Cable claims that he traveled back in time more than 200 times to stop the attack on Genosha, but he couldn’t prevent it.
Beast mentions the phenomenon as the ‘absolute points’ in time, which cannot be changed. Beast describes this knowledge to have originated from Kamar-Taj… a place where Doctor Strange learned his magic!
And if you recall watching the fourth episode ‘What If…?’ Season 1, you’ll realize that this is a nod to the part where a variant of Doctor Strange could not undo Palmer’s death because the tragedy is an absolute point.
It’s really interesting to see how a few seconds of frames and dialogue is enough to bring ‘X-Men ‘97’ into the MCU’s Multiverse.
What’s Next?
‘X-Men 97’ ends with a cliffhanger. After a climactic battle against Mister Sinister and Bastion, the X-Men were missing and presumed dead after stopping an asteroid from hitting Earth.
It was later revealed that the X-Men are split into different time eras. Now let’s analyze each time era and what it could possibly set in the next season.
Present time
Apocalypse holds Gambit’s card while mourning the deaths of mutants killed in Genosha. This could be a nod that Gambit will be revived as his herald, as one of his ‘Horsemen of Apocalypse’. At the same time, Bishop, Cable, and Forge might be working together on a time travel quest to save the X-Men from different points in time.
3000 BC
Rogue, Nightcrawler, Magneto, Professor X, and Beast are trapped here and meet the younger version of Apocalypse, who still uses his original name, En Sabah Nur.
2000 Years into the Future
Jean Grey and Cyclops are trapped here and meet their younger version of their son, Nathan (before he adopts ‘Cable’ as his codename).
Conclusion
Based on the ambiguous ending of the season, our best guess is that Apocalypse shall recruit (and revive) mutants to be his Horsemen. To avenge the tragedy on Genosha, Apocalypse and his Horsemen will conquer Earth, where his victory will last 2000 years into the future. Therefore, it is up to X-Men to stop him in three different points in time: past, present, and future.
As to how the X-Men were split in three points in time still remains a mystery. If we had to guess, it may be the TVA who pulled the strings.
We already established that Disney makes sure that X-Men ties directly into their MCU’s Multiverse by referencing ‘absolute points’ and ‘The Watcher’. And another reason to believe why TVA might be involved in the next season is that it was already teased in the upcoming ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ trailer.
In the trailer, Deadpool is recruited by TVA to retrieve Wolverine for a mysterious reason. The same situation could be the case here, in X-Men ‘97. TVA wants the X-Men to stop Apocalypse in three different eras because he is such a threat to the Multiverse.
Let’s Get With The Rate
“X-Men ’97” is a triumphant continuation of the beloved 90s animated series, seamlessly blending nostalgic elements with modern animation and storytelling. The vibrant art style and fluid animation enhance the viewing experience, making it a must-watch for both long-time fans and new viewers.
The series’ integration into the MCU’s Multiverse adds exciting layers to its narrative, setting the stage for intriguing future developments. We rate “X-Men ’97” a solid 9 out of 10, eagerly anticipating what’s to come in the next season.
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