X-Men '97 was a big hit with critics right from the start, but the Disney+ revival series has now become the highest-rated Marvel Studios project - live-action or animated, big or small screen - in the 16-year history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With more reviews now counted for last Wednesday's season finale, X-Men '97 has reached a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. This takes it past Marvel's previous top-rated Disney+ show, Ms. Marvel (98%), and movie, Black Panther (96%), to become the most positively-reviewed MCU project of all time on the popular aggregator site.
The series wasn't only a critical favourite, as Deadline reports that May 15th's cameo-filled finale, "Tolerance is Extinction, Part 3," amassed a whopping 3.5 million views globally in its first five days on the streaming platform, making it the most-viewed full-length animated series finale since Season 1 of What If…?.
Marvel Studios has clearly taken note of the show's popularity, and is finally moving forward with the long-awaited live-action X-Men reboot. Last night, we got word that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes writer Michael Lesslie will pen the script. No director has been announced, but Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed) is a rumored contender to land the gig.
As for X-Men '97, a second season is currently in-development, with a third in the early planning stages, and we have heard that Marvel has every intention of keeping the show going for as long as possible (hardly surprising given these stats).
X-Men '97's voice cast includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler.
Beau DeMayo, who was fired as showrunner prior to the premiere, serves as head writer, while episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura. Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo executive produce.
What did you think of the first season of X-Men '97? Drop us a comment down below.
"A band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they're challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future. New Episodes, New Era," reads the official synopsis.