Spoiler-Free X-Men ‘97 Review From Someone Who Never Saw The Original

The first five episodes of X-Men ’97 are out, and from my limited glimpses at X-Men: The Animated Series, its continuation is visually faithful. Spanning from 1992 to 1997, X-Men ’97 picks up where the original series left off. The viewer is transported into a world of retro-style animation, beautiful art, vibrant colors, and nostalgic characters. The visuals feel like an old friend who you didn’t expect to see, but are excited to see all the same. It reminds me of the animation styles of my childhood (which is the goal), and it succeeds, all the while taking advantage of the resolutions and quality that 2024 has to offer. 

The stories and more serious themes (such as infidelity, death, and blood), help establish this show as not just another cartoon, but a show with lots of discourse between characters and how they handle events of the original series’ ending. Throughout the show, the narratives have been intriguing enough to leave me invested, while also playing on my emotions. Happiness, excitement, and intrigue have been some of the things I’ve felt while watching, but also anger, sadness, and anxiety while leaving me wanting more. 

So far in the series, it’s been hard to anticipate what will happen next. That’s refreshing, a story mature enough that more serious things can happen, but not overly so. The characters feel faithful to the comics but human, well acted, and likable.  One of my favorite quotes so far was said by the character, Nightcrawler, a.k.a Kurt Wagner, “There is no love without sin. Love is best measured in what we forgive.” 

The musical score is no exception when it comes to quality either, with a theme similar to the original series but with a more modern edge and grit to it. (Fun fact: The X-Men ’97 theme was originally first heard in Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022.)

With all that considered, my rating of X-Men ’97s first five episodes is 9/10. All around it is a faithful revival of the original series, in my opinion, that uses modern animation to bring an interesting story and beloved characters back from childhood.

X-Men ’97 will have 10 episodes in season one with the finale airing Wednesday, May 15. 

You can stream X-Men ’97 now on Disney+.