Marvel revealed new details about the very first episode of X-Men '97 at San Diego Comic-Con 2023.
At this year's convention, attendees were shown the first finished footage from the highly-anticipated animated series.
The new footage showcased the X-Men interrogating Dr. Trask, a pregnant Jean Gray, and more mutant appearances in the form of Archangel and Bishop (who will be joining Gui Adustini's newcomer, Sunspot).
Cyclops even got the spotlight, with audiences witnessing the hero helping the X-Men and uttering his famous line, "To me, my X-Men."
New Details for X-Men '97 Episode 1
In an interview with Marvel's Ryan Penagos at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 (SDCC), X-Men '97 executive producer Beau DeMayo and supervising producer Jake Castorena officially revealed some details about Episode 1 of the upcoming animated series.
DeMayo explained that the footage shown was from "the first episode" and included the titular team "confront[ing] a new Sentinel threat:"
“We showed a clip from the first episode that shows the X-Men going off [on] a mission to confront a new Sentinel threat... And mid-mission they are unexpectedly attacked and have to use their Danger Room practice skills to save themselves.”
After Penagos got excited about the new Cyclops footage, Castorena praised DeMayo's script for giving the iconic mutant such a good moment:
“Look, I can’t take all the credit... Beau] gave us a really good script and a really good scene and a really good epic moment that makes you go, ‘that’s why Cyclops is the leader of the X-Men.’”
He added that it was a "good relief to get that first little bit of pulse out there" when showing the series off at SDCC:
“[It’s] a bit of good relief to get that first little bit of pulse out there, to see the reactions in real-time... Also, just being able to get this back to the team who’s been working really hard on this and get to relay that to them too.”
What to Expect from X-Men '97 Season 1
The new Episode 1 footage may be exciting, but what else can fans expect from the show?
Beau DeMayo previously teased that Minister Sinister will again be up to no good. The big bad will be enacting a "pretty foolproof plan to destroy the X-Men once and for all."
Fans should also prepare for a big status quo shift, as Magneto will lead the X-Men when the series returns.
Sadly, it's not very clear when the project will finally debut. At one point, the show was expected to drop on Disney+ by the end of 2023. Sadly, recent rumors indicate that the animated show might not debut until 2024.
While waiting sucks, at the very least, fans can take solace in knowing that Season 2 is already in development.
