I really, really loved X-Men ‘97. For one thing, it finally got me to open up my Disney+ app again, and for another thing, it was just plain awesome.
That said, it wasn’t perfect. (I mean, what show is?) Similar to Shogun, which I also adored, there were things about X-Men ‘97 that I wasn’t too fond of. But, unlike Shogun, I’m actually happy that we’re getting Season 2.
That way, they can hopefully fix a couple of the issues that I had with the first season. So, without further ado, here are three things that I loved about Season 1 of X-Men ‘97, and two things that I hope they fix for Season 2.
Oh, and spoilers up ahead if you haven’t finished the first season of this amazing show.
What I Loved: Every X-Men Character Had A Chance To Shine
I remember watching the original X-Men cartoon as a child, and it did a pretty decent job of spotlighting all of the characters. The only problem was, it kind of limited them to their single abilities. Like, Cyclops for instance, would come in, and shoot his optic blast, but that was pretty much it. No real display of combat, no cool techniques with his optic blast, just plain, straightforward shooting.
Rogue was a little more versatile since she could absorb other character’s abilities, but other than that, she was just strong and could fly. That’s pretty much it. Really, all of the characters from the ‘90s cartoon were kind of bland with their skillset, which in turn made the show kind of bland.
However, that’s not the case with X-Men ‘97, where pretty much every character had at least one glow-up moment. We could see this as early as in the first two episodes, where Cyclops was blasting the floor and dashing around with his optic beams, and Morph could turn into Angel, and essentially fly.
Honestly, every X-Men – even Wolverine, who was drastically less featured in this series – got their time to shine, and I love that about this first season. That said…
What I Hope They Fix: The Show Got A Bit To Busy About Midway Through
Now, don’t get me wrong. I really liked the later episodes in the series, as they had some great cameos and cool Magneto moments. But, if I’m being completely honest, after all of the death and destruction of arguably the best episode, “Remember It,” the show got a little too busy for my taste.
I’ll explain. In the following episode, “Lifedeath-Part 2” we got the mind blowing revelation that Professor Xavier was not only still alive, but off in outer space. That’s a story in itself.
But, within that same episode, we also got the continuation of Storm’s storyline with Forge, and it all just felt like way too much. The earlier episodes felt more focused on a single event (other than Episode 4, “Motendo/Lifedeath-Part 1,” which might just be the worst episode of the entire season).
It didn’t get any more streamlined from there. Episodes 7-10, while propulsive, seemed to stuff a bit too much in, almost to the point that it got a bit hard to follow. So, for Season 2, one thing I hope to see fixed is for the show to stay more focused on one storyline at a time, sort of like the first few episodes of the first season. That’s when I felt the show was at its strongest.
What I Loved: Character Deaths Really Mattered, And They Added To The Plot
I already mentioned how “Remember It” was my favorite episode this season, and a lot of that was because it pulled the most emotions out of me. Because Gambit died! (Even though it might not be the last we see of him, according to that finale.)
That said, even more tragic might have been Leech’s death, as Magneto told him not to be afraid, and as far as we know, Leech won’t be coming back.
I think X-Men ‘97 really made each character’s death matter, because it added to the plot. For example, Episode 7, “Bright Eyes,” saw Rogue flying all over the world to seek answers, but also vengeance for Remy’s death. So, it’s not like Gambit died just for shock value. It legitimately pushed forward the narrative.
Now, if they actually just bring back all of the “dead” characters like they did with Professor Xavier, then I might change my tune about this. As of right now, though, I applaud the series for making every death count so far.
What I Hope They Fix: The Whole ’97 Concept Was Dropped Rather Quickly, And I Want More Consistency Next Season
Not too, too long ago, I wrote about other shows that I want to get the X-Men ‘97 treatment. But, here’s the thing. When I wrote that, I was under the impression that X-Men ‘97 was going to stay distinctly in the ‘90s, and I don’t think the show really maintained that ‘90s vibe.
This kind of goes back to what I said earlier about the show kind of getting a little too busy later on, as I feel the whole ‘97 aspect kind of got forgotten about midway through.
For example, going back to “Remember It,” we got the Ace of Bass song, “Happy Nation,” which, in hindsight, seems pretty sarcastic given what happened after that moment. However, after that episode, the rest of the series got so grand and ambitious in scope, that it didn’t really feel much like the ‘90s anymore, and it was like the events could have taken place in any time period.
I don’t want this for Season 2. I honestly love that the show seemed focused on the ‘90s in those earlier episodes, and I want the next season to maintain that vibe. Otherwise, it’s just another X-Men show. A great one, don’t get me wrong, but not really all that different from any other X-Men show that we’ve gotten over the years. So, I hope they consistently focus on the ‘90s in this next season. Give me more Ace of Bass, dammit!
What I Loved: Other Marvel Characters, Like Captain America And Black Panther, Appeared
One thing that was really cool about the Spider-Man cartoon back in the ‘90s is that we sometimes got characters who fell a little outside of the Spider-Man universe. For example, we saw The Punisher show up, and we also got Blade and Morbius. So, it was really cool to see Marvel extending its brand and making it all feel like the same universe, just like in the comics.
Well, we’ve come a long way from the MCU introducing The Inhumans since they didn’t have the rights at the time to the X-Men. Now, with the Fox acquisition, The X-Men can coexist with all of the other MCU characters, and be a part of their world.
Though we haven’t seen that connection in live-action just yet, we did get to see it come to fruition in X-Men ‘97, as Captain America showed up in the episode “Bright Eyes” (where Rogue disrespected my man and threw his shield into the stratosphere). We also got Black Panther (though, in T’Chaka and not T’Challa, which makes sense, given the timeline) as well.
Hell, because of Morph, we also got an appearance of The Incredible Hulk, so that was really cool. Honestly, I know they’re just Easter eggs since none of these appearances really added much (or anything) to the plot, but I want more, more, more of them in Season 2. Bring on Moon Knight!
Again, the series was amazing, and the only changes I want for Season 2 are pretty minor. For more news on all things X-Men ‘97-related, be sure to swing by here often.