X-Men is one of the strongest brands Marvel has. Even though it resides on the threshold of the MCU, it’s long cemented its place in pop culture. In the ‘90s, X-Men: The Animated Series was a smash hit, and an integral part of the childhoods of countless Marvel fans today.
Marvel, clearly aware of the series’ legacy, recently announced X-Men ‘97, a new show that will bring the original’s tone to Disney+. Further details of the first episode now confirm that it carries forward an important storyline from its predecessor.
At San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Marvel.com interviewed X-Men ‘97 showrunner Beau DeMayo, who revealed what fans saw during the convention. “We showed a clip from the first episode that shows the X-Men going off [on] a mission to confront a new Sentinel threat,” DeMayo said. “And mid-mission they are unexpectedly attacked and have to use their Danger Room practice skills to save themselves.”
“A Sentinel threat” is a direct echo of the original animated series, which began with the two-part episode “Night of the Sentinels.” It looks like the Sentinels, the mutant-hunting robots who have appeared throughout X-Men media, aren’t going anywhere just yet, though they may have a new backstory given that their origins keep shifting.
While the MCU is still flirting with adding mutants through multiverse moments, meta allusions, and musical motifs, Disney+ will get a dedicated X-Men series that’s for fans, by fans. “Everyone that is making X-Men ’97, top-down, is a fan,” VP of Marvel Animation Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt told Marvel. “On this project, instinctually, we knew exactly what this is. To bring this series forward and pick up that baton, and not just keep running at the same pace, but to really elevate. That’s the responsibility.”
