X-Men ’97 leaks tease the revival’s big video game episode
Cue the iconic theme music and fetch Professor Xavier's yellow hoverchair - X-Men: The Animated Series is back. Those of a certain age will remember sneaking down early on a Saturday morning and glueing their eyes to the screen in anticipation of Fox's spandex series.
Debuting in 1992, X-Men: The Animated Series kept us busy across five seasons and 76 episodes. Its legacy is unrivalled, and unlike the movies, it actually gave us a decent adaption of "The Dark Phoenix Saga." The series is making a return as part of Disney+'s new roster of shows, getting the sequel treatment as X-Men '97.
X-Men '97 leaks point to video game episode
Aside from a few pieces of concept art floating around, official details about X-Men '97 have been thin on the ground. We've heard about a potential video game episode where the villainous Mojo kidnaps the fan-favourite Jubilee, and now, we've seemingly got a closer look at the pixelated crossover.
Funko revealed its latest X-Men '97 Pops, showcasing Mojo alongside the seemingly obscure characters of Spiral, Roberto, Abscissa, and Sauron. Spiral (Ricochet Rita) was a stuntwoman turned into a sorceress by Mojo, Roberto is better known as Sunspot, and Dr. Karl Lykos was turned into Sauron when bitten by mutant Pterodactyls.
The big one is Abscissa - a future version of Jubilee, who is turned into Mojo's slave. Disney is yet to confirm the video game episode, but with Konami's 1992 X-Men beat-em-up being just as popular as the cartoon, the pixelated Funko Pops hint at a style similar to this.
The X-Men '97 voice cast
While later seasons of X-Men: The Animated Series had more of an arc than standalones, it looks like this will continue into the revival. Christopher Britton is reprising his role as the terrifying Mister Sinister and is poised to be the big bad of Season 1 alongside the Sentinels.
It's a who's who of returning voices, with Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Lenore Zann (Rogue), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm) and more. The legendary Jennifer Hale is taking over from Catherine Disher as Jean Grey, the death of Norm Spencer sees Ray Chase voice Cyclops, and Alyson Court opted not to return - wanting an Asian-American actor to take the role.
If you're worried this will be a short-lived return to form like the underrated Wolverine and the X-Men, X-Men '97 has already been confirmed for a second season. The first trailer has just given us a look at the new animation style, and with all these things, there are already critics.
Still, with X-Men: The Animated Series bowing out in 1997, some thought this day would never come. Picking up exactly where the "Graduation Day" finale left off, this a true continuation of one of the best cartoons of all time. Hugh Jackman isn't the only one squeezing into spandex in 2024, with X-Men '97 coming to Disney+ on March 20.
