Years after its official announcement, fans finally know who the main characters of X-Men '97 will be.
The upcoming animated series is set to launch on Disney+, following in the footsteps of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series from the '90s.
The show will follow this fan-favorite team of mutants as they face a "wave of increased sympathy towards mutants."
No official release timing has been revealed for X-Men '97 and fans have been told to "just be patient," not knowing if the Marvel series was a part of recent delays at Marvel Studios.
Who Are the Main Characters of X-Men '97?
Responding to a recent tweet detailing some plot specifics of the upcoming X-Men '97 series, head writer Beau DeMayo revealed who would be the main characters of the X-Men: The Animated Series [XTAS] follow-up.
DeMayo simply wrote, "Storm and CYLCOPS are the main characters lol."
Other iconic X-Men characters have been previously confirmed to appear, including Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Beast, Nightcrawler, Cable, Bishop, Morph, Forge, and Sunspot.
On the villainous side, names like Magneto, Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Callisto, Val Cooper, and Mister Sinister are all set to join the fray as well.
The X-Men 97 showrunner has been public about the process of putting the series together, emphasizing the effort to "continue expanding the XTAS world out organically" as opposed to "putting [his] personal fave mutants into the show:"
"Just because it hasn’t been shown doesn’t mean it isn’t coming. Patience.
But also, my goal is to continue expanding the 'XTAS' world out organically versus just putting my personal fave mutants into the show. One of the biggest pieces of advice [The 'X-Men: The Animated Series' team] gave me was to be mindful and measured about adding mutants to the team and/or show."
On the same train of thought, DeMayo noted that, for fans wondering how the '97 team will balance so many mutants, "it’ll make sense when the show drops:"
"Of course. There’s not so much a reason but you’ll see and it’ll make sense when the show drops."
Recently sharing his thoughts on the MCU's latest blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, DeMayo said that just like Guardians, X-Men '97 "deals a lot in our need for connection:"
"'X-Men '97' deals a lot in our need for connection too, and the safety that comes with feeling seen or understood by another. Fitting, since 'X-Men '97' has brought so many extraordinary people into my life – so many rewards for all the dreaming and hard work, and for 9-year-old Beau never losing faith that the pain would stop so he could heal. "
He then offered some praise for his creative partner on X-Men '97, Greg Verreault:
"One of the most special of these gifts – and certainly the most unexpected -- has been Greg Verreault, the Magneto to my Professor X.
Thank you Marvel Studios for having us"
A Different Focus in X-Men '97
While X-Men '97 will look and sound a lot like X-Men: The Animated Series, it seems like some big changes are coming.
Surely, the titular team of mutants will be heard from, but as Beau DeMayo alluded to, this will have a smaller focus than TAS, at least, from a character standpoint.
Narrowing in on Storm and Cyclops is an intelligent decision, giving audiences two direct conduits to go along on this adventure. It's a move that worked in the original X-Men films, which largely focused on Anna Paquin's Rogue as a vessel for the audience to attach onto.
It is hard to balance plates like the entire X-Men team and tell a compelling/satisfying story.
Those other X-Men characters will be a part of the narrative (names like Wolverine have already been shown off), but everything will be viewed through the eyes of Cyclops and Storm, it seems.
No official release timing has been revealed for X-Men '97.
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