X-Men ’97 captures what the MCU has recently been missing
The long-awaited return of our favourite old-school superheroes is over. The X-Men are back and better than ever and the Marvel Cinematic Universe should take notes.
Superhero team-ups are no longer a novelty of the noughties, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t relishing in the return of our favourite yellow-cladded, cartoon mutants in X-Men ’97.
Marvel’s foray into animation has already proved itself to be a tonic in an era of superhero fatigue – with the anthology of multiverse tales in What If – but X-Men ‘97 revives the retro comic book cartoon in a fresh, yet familiar way.
Beau DeMayo’s continuation of The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 hasn’t changed all that much from the original. From the synthesised theme tune to the timeless love triangle between Wolverine, Jean and Scott, it feels easy for old and new fans to slip back into that well-worn story again. Although the team have grown up… somewhat.
After Professor Xavier’s death, Jean and Scott are now the unofficial leaders of the X-Men, as his oldest recruits. Grappling with their new roles and with a baby on the way, Jean contemplates leaving the merry band of mutants altogether.
Thankfully, even as times change for the team, the melodramatic tone is ever-present in the two-episode debut. It toes the line between being playful and emotional, without ever demeaning itself by poking fun at the genre. It’s clear this isn’t a serious story, but it should be taken as a serious craft.
Why the Marvel Cinematic Universe should take note of X-Me ’97
Though somewhat corny and camp – as all good noughties’ cartoons were – with Magneto’s long locks whipping in the wind, Rogue’s Dolly Parton-esque accent and Wolverine’s calling everyone (friend and foe) bub, it’s nostalgic retro fun that doesn’t try to be anything other than that. And the MCU should take note.
Marvel’s live-action universe has struggled in recent years for various reasons: rushed CGI, focusing on quantity rather than quality and for taking itself too seriously.
After the staggering success of the Infinity Saga, the MCU transformed the niche, cult comic book genre into a billion-dollar-box office machine. Somewhere along the line between building an iron suit in a cave to defeating Thanos, Marvel lost the spirit of the superhero genre – its entertainment value.
The actors became indistinguishable from their characters. The Avengers were rockstar, A-Listers, given strait-laced performances. This wasn’t children’s Saturday morning entertainment anymore, or a mediocre re-telling of a comic book story (sorry, The Incredible Hulk, we’re looking at you) this was big movie business.
Marvel now boasts 27 Academy Award nominations and the franchise became the first to create a superhero movie that not only won an Oscar (well three) with Black Panther, but also receive a nomination for Best Picture. With the accolades inevitably comes some pressure and it’s been a string of hits and misses ever since. That’s why when Thor Ragnarok or any of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies came along, it was such a wonderful, wacky palette cleanser in what became a heavily decorated universe.
Post-Endgame, Marvel has struggled to reach the same heights. Recent live action series such as Secret Invasion or Loki Season 2 have suffered to fit into an overcomplicated universe, as multiple timelines unravel at once.
Combined with sloppy CGI, or failed attempts at being funny with crude humour in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the story hasn’t been that effective either. In comparison, X-Men boasts clean-cut 3D comic book animation that effortless captures the subtleties of emotion and every ridge and ripple of Wolverine’s arms (or Jean’s for that matter).
Why the MCU is tough on newcomers
Over in live-action, Marvel provides fun these days by embedding an easter egg hunt for die-hard fans to follow to reward their loyalty for the past 15 years of investment. Sadly, it means it’s near-impossible for newcomers to dive into the universe, to understand how different elements lot together, or even to simply enjoy it. It’s hard to be engrossed in a storyline when you’re trying to figure out what else it relates to or what it could lead to instead.
Deadpool is one of Marvel’s exceptions. The Ryan Reynolds-fronted r-rated movies continue to possess the X-Men ’97 camp quality that finds space to relish in the theatrical, melodrama in superhero stories. Want an wildly impossible fight sequence? Cringe-worthy dialogue? A corny one-liner? Then you’re in the right place.
Deadpool like X-Men ’97 embraces the obscenely far-fetched nature of these super-humans’ existence, as opposed to Steve Rogers who listens to Marvin Gaye or the Hulk who has a Ben and Jerry’s flavour named after him.
X-Men ’97 is never self-aware of itself either, but leans into the over-dramatic dialogue – with lines like “To me, my X-Men” and “We all win when men like him fail” how could it not? The show is stuffed with colourful, theatrical action sequences and doesn’t shy away from the cringe-worthy elements, which only strengthens the impact of the more touching, intimate moments. As Jean laments to Storm, “boy, do I sound like a fool,” and sure, she does, but boy, do we lap it up.
Marvel’s live action offering could learn a lot from DeMayo’s reboot. If nothing else, X-Men ’97 proves that superhero projects can be both entertaining and outstanding TV, and are all the better for it.
For more X-Men action, here’s why fans have been calling out Charles Xavier, plus details of the characters who have been removed from the show’s intro.
