The first trailer for X-Men ‘97 has finally arrived, and with it the release date for this long-awaited revival. Starting on March 20, 2024, ‘90s kids will finally get to see the next chapter of X-Men: The Animated Series. And one thing is clear - the X-Men still have a lot of enemies nearly 30 years later.
But just what is X-Men ‘97 about? Who are the X-Men fighting this time around? And what does it mean now that Jean Grey is pregnant? Let’s break down what we know about X-Men ‘97 based on the trailer and the classic comic book storylines the show is adapting. Buckle up, bubs!
Is Professor X Actually Dead?
If we flash all the way back to the year 1997, the original X-Men cartoon ended on somewhat of a down note. In the series finale, the anti-mutant firebrand Henry Peter Gyrich attacks Professor X with an energy gun (seemingly the only kind of gun that exists in this universe) and leaves him mortally wounded. The X-Men and Magneto gather to bid farewell to their beloved mentor. But hope emerges when Lilandra and the Shi’ar arrive. Lilandra offers to bring her lover back home and use the Shi’ar’s advanced medicine to save him. The series ends with the team bidding farewell to Xavier as his ship flies away.
X-Men ‘97 picks up not long after that bittersweet farewell. Surprisingly, though, the trailer makes it seem as though Xavier died after heading into space. Several shots show the world mourning Xavier’s passing, and we even see a casket being lowered at a funeral. Did he pull a literal Poochie and die on the way back to his home planet? Is Shi’ar medicine not all it's cracked up to be? Or have the X-Men simply decided it’s easier to let the world believe their former leader is dead?
Either way, it’s clear that tensions will flare when Magneto returns for the reading of Xavier’s will. That scene is reminiscent of a 2014 Uncanny X-Men storyline called “The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier,” which also played out during a time when Professor X was dead in the comics (spoiler: he got better).
Magneto seems positively giddy at the news that his old friend left him everything, making him the new headmaster of the Xavier Institute. The X-Men now face an uncertain future with Magneto calling the shots. Magneto wasn’t really portrayed as an outright villain in the classic series so much as Xavier’s misguided opposite, but we can still expect plenty of tension as the X-Men grow used to their new leader.
For his part, Magneto will face an uphill battle to become a law-abiding citizen again. The trailer includes a shot of Magneto on trial at the United Nations. That scene is clearly drawing from 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #200, right down to Magneto’s garish purple costume. In the comic, Magneto is able to prove his innate goodness to the judge, but it’s only a matter of time before he backslides into villainy. Will the same hold true in X-Men ‘97?
Are Mutants Still Hated and Feared?
One of the reasons X-Men: The Animated Series always stood out is that the show told a serialized story. The X-Men make real progress throughout those five seasons in winning hearts and minds and working to make Xavier’s dream of peaceful human/mutant coexistence a reality.
If anything, that trend looks to be continuing in X-Men ‘97. One shot shows a memorial for Xavier, proving that plenty of people in the human community are mourning the loss of such a public champion of mutant rights.
Another shot in the trailer shows an issue of the Daily Bugle blowing in the wind. Not only does this shot serve as a fun nod to Spider-Man: The Animated Series, it also offers clues about the state of human/mutant relations in X-Men ‘97. The paper offers an inside look at a mutant fashion show, featuring an eclectic cast of characters like Dust, Banshee and Nature Girl. If mutants can put on a successful fashion show, then things must be going pretty well for them, right?
Not necessarily. Other shots in the trailer suggest there are still plenty of people who hate and fear mutantkind. And let’s not forget that the Sentinels are making a comeback. Gyrich and Bolivar Trask may have been discredited in the original series, but apparently there’s still a demand for these oversized, mutant-hunting robots.
Thanks to the X-Men ‘97 toys, we also know that the X-Men have a new enemy to face. The X-Cutioner is apparently making his debut this season. A former FBI agent named Carl Denti, the X-Cutioner uses his extensive files on mutants and his armory of confiscated weapons to hunt down and murder mutants.
Luckily for the X-Men, they still have a few tricks up their brightly colored spandex sleeves. The trailer features a nifty shot of Gambit and Wolverine charging into battle against the Sentinels, with Gambit charging up Wolverine’s adamantium claws. Now that Marvel is targeting a slightly older audience with the new series, we’ll finally get to see what these heroes are really capable of on the battlefield.
What Is the Hellfire Gala?
That Daily Bugle newspaper includes another fun cameo with the headline “Hellfire Gala.” Anyone who’s been following the X-Men comics in recent years will be excited to see that Easter egg.
In the comics, the current mutant status quo has shifted a great deal. Mutants now have their own nation on the island of Krakoa. In this new golden age, the X-Men have unlocked the power of immortality and are enjoying their new role on the world stage. The Hellfire Gala is sort of a coming-out party for mutantkind, a recurring event where the X-Men dress up in their finest attire and rub elbows with the world’s wealthy elite. Even Kevin Feige showed up one time.
The most recent Hellfire Gala turned out to be a disaster for the mutant nation, however. No sooner did the X-Men unveil their newest team to the world than they were attacked and massacred by the futuristic Sentinel Nimrod. Thanks to that plot twist, the phrase “Hellfire Gala” now carries with it some very ominous undertones.
Of course, things are quite a bit different in the X-Men ‘97 universe. Mutants do have their own nation in the form of Genosha, but on the whole this is a much more traditional status quo than where the comics are these days. The Hellfire Gala may be nothing more than a glitzy fashion show akin to the Met Gala.
The question is how this event connects to the Hellfire Club. This secret mutant cabal appeared in the original series during the show’s adaptation of The Dark Phoenix Saga, though there they were only referred to as “The Inner Circle.” We know from Marvel’s previous art reveals that characters like Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw are returning for X-Men ‘97, but what role will they play? Are they still enemies of the X-Men, or have they, like Magneto, turned over a new leaf?
Is That Actually Jean Grey?
Perhaps the biggest twist in the trailer comes with the reveal that Jean Grey is pregnant. That’s right, after spending the bulk of the original series trying to become officially married, Scott and Jean are taking the next step in building their family.
Of course, one thing X-Men comic fans know all too well is that things are never simple where Cyclops and Jean Grey’s children are concerned. The franchise is at its most convoluted when it comes to the Summers family tree. In the comics, Cyclops’ son Nathan was actually conceived with Madelyne Pryor, a Jean lookalike who turned out to be a clone created by Mister Sinister. Nathan grows up to become the time-traveler Cable. Meanwhile, Scott and Jean’s daughter Rachel is from an alternate future timeline.
The question is how much of this backstory is being adapted for X-Men ‘97. Here, again, the show’s merch gives us some helpful clues. Hasbro has already revealed a Madelyne Pryor figure as part of its X-Men ‘97 line, so it does look like she’ll be appearing in the show. We also know Sinister himself is one of the major villains of Season 1. So it may well be that the Jean we see in the trailer is actually a clone. Things are about to get real weird for the X-Men.
How Do Morph, Bishop, Sunspot and Nightcrawler Fit In?
As much as X-Men ‘97 is a deliberate throwback to the original animated series, plenty of things are changing. That goes for the X-Men roster, too. While all the classic X-Men characters are returning (some with their original voice actors and some with new actors), the team roster will feature several new faces.
For one thing, both Morph and Bishop look to be permanent members of the X-Men in the new series. Has Morph conquered his fears and recovered from his brush with death?
Bishop played a recurring role in the original series, frequently hopping back in time to warn the X-Men about an impending disaster that leaves the future in a sorry state. But this time, as in the classic X-Men comics from the ‘90s, Bishop’s trip to the past appears to be one way. What disaster is he trying to prevent this time? Does it have something to do with Madelyne Pryor?
We also know that Jubilee is no longer the only junior X-Man on the team. Sunspot is making his debut this time. In the comics, Magneto became the leader of the New Mutants when he took over Xavier’s school. Could a similar development be happening here? Will we see even more teenage mutants joining the Xavier Institute?
Finally, what about Nightcrawler? This is another character whose return has been spoiled by the X-Men ‘97 toys. How does he fit into the X-Men ‘97 puzzle? Nightcrawler only appeared in a pair of episodes in the original series, but is he being set up for a bigger role this time? Will he be officially joining the team this time? Could X-Men ‘97 introduce the British X-team known as Excalibur? Even after all this time, this animated universe is still just scratching the surface of what the source material has to offer.
What are your biggest burning questions about X-Men ‘97? Are you prepared for the convoluted saga of Cyclops and Jean Grey’s children? Let us know in the comments.
For more on what's to come for the X-Men, see how Deadpool & Wolverine sets up Secret Wars and brush up on all the Marvel movies and shows in development.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
