X-Men: The Animated Series still has a dedicated following, and it's often hailed as a beloved classic on the same level as Batman: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series by many fans.
That meant expectations were incredibly high heading into X-Men '97 last year, and the Marvel Animation series ultimately smashed them. Perhaps the best take on these heroes we've ever seen on screen, Marvel Studios and filmmaker Jake Schreier will have their work cut out trying to even match the show with the live-action X-Men reboot (never mind surpassing it).
Today, we're looking back at what worked so well in X-Men '97 ahead of the show's return next year, and how that can translate to theaters. In other words, the points listed here need to inspire the next X-Men movie, especially after 20th Century Fox's hit-and-miss—mostly miss—efforts.
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6. Wolverine Isn't The Main Character
Wolverine was undeniably the lead character in X-Men. And X2: X-Men United. Oh, and X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: The Days of Future Past as well. Heck, he even had to be enlisted for cameos in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse!
Fox's live-action franchise might as well have been called "Wolverine and the X-Men," and characters like Cyclops and even Storm definitely ended up getting the short end of the stick.
X-Men '97 has changed that. Wolverine is still a crucial part of the team and received more than his fair share of standout action sequences, showing why he's the best there is at what he does. However, instead of being the focal point, he's the strong and silent type, chiming in where necessary but still fascinating to watch interact with his teammates. Thankfully, he's also dialled back the Jean Grey obsession.
5. Storm, An Omega-Level Badass
Storm had some cool moments in both sets of X-Men movies, but we'd be lying to say either version—played by Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp—did right by the source material.
While Ororo Munroe could whip up a mean storm (no pun intended), she never came across like an Omega-level mutant who is up there with Thor as a true powerhouse of a superhero. Fox also failed to take a meaningful look at her backstory and how that plays into what she brings to the table as a member of this team.
In X-Men '97, Storm is both one of the most powerful mutants on the planet and someone we've got to know a lot better thanks to her brief stint without powers. There's a lot the movies could take from this interpretation, but chief among them is the fact that she's formidable, fierce, and a born leader.
4. The Team Dynamic, On The Battlefield And Off It
With so much of the spotlight put on Wolverine in the live-action movies, we never got to explore the team's dynamic beyond a superficial level (which essentially consisted of Cyclops and Wolverine not liking each other and Logan having a thing for Jean Grey).
In comparison, X-Men '97 has established Scott Summers as a leader, all while deepening his relationship with Jean. The latter's friendship with Storm has also proved to be a compelling, albeit minor, part of the show and then there's Wolverine's unlikely bond with Morph or Rogue's conflicting feelings for Gambit and Magneto, with the former's death leading her back to the Master of Magnetism's side. It's fascinating stuff.
These family dynamics and pairings that may seem odd on the surface are what make the X-Men great. We've also seen them work together in new and unique ways on the battlefield, whether it's Logan's kinetically charged claws courtesy of Gambit or Cyclops, Jean, and Cable's team-up.
3. A New Take On Familiar Faces
The original X-Men movies revolved around Professor X's rivalry with Magneto and the prequels...well, those did exactly the same thing. Thankfully, X-Men '97 has decided to put a new spin on both characters.
We've seen Charles Xavier attempt to find a new life in the cosmos alongside Lilandra and the Shi'ar, while the Master of Magnetism has put his villainous ways behind him to lead the X-Men (only for humanity to push him over the edge and force the mutant to declare war on the planet before he reconnected with Professor X).
This has opened the door to new threats such as Bastion and Mister Sinister, while also giving Cyclops the chance to prove himself a true leader. Marvel Studios could choose to go the "First Class" route, but c'mon, it's time to shake things up just like X-Men '97 has.
2. Embracing The Franchise's Lore
You probably don't need us to tell you this, but Fox's X-Men movies didn't exactly respect the comics. While there were glimmers here and there, they largely did their own thing, and that was ultimately to the detriment of these characters.
For anyone who isn't a hardcore comic book fan, the world of the X-Men is often confusing and a tad convoluted. However, X-Men '97 has shown us that even the biggest stories can be successfully adapted, whether it's Jean Grey's clone, her and Cyclops' time-travelling son, or the horrifying attack on Genosha.
The cleverest thing the show has done is merging different story arcs, changing certain elements and combining others in new and unexpected ways. With so much untapped potential from the source material, we'd like to see the live-action movie take a similar approach.
1. The Comic-Accurate Costumes
F*** Bryan Singer, and f*** the black leather costumes. While we can fully appreciate how challenging some of this team's costumes were to translate to live-action in the late 90s, those bland black leather suits—which were completely lacking personality—set a bad precedent for this franchise.
Avengers: Doomsday will reportedly put those original X-Men in their classic comic book costumes, similar to what we saw from Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. Where does that leave Schreier's movie?
Fortunately, there are decades' worth of designs to choose from, and we've seen X-Men '97 mix and match some of them. Animation is very different to live-action, but this series has allowed each character to show their personality through what they wear on the battlefield, and that's a must for the reboot.