Kevin Feige Had Two Awesome Conditions Before Greenlighting ‘X-Men ’97’

‘X-Men ’97’ premiered yesterday with the two first episodes on Disney+ and the first reactions are amazing. The show premiered with 100 % on Rotten Tomatoes with the critics calling it “Best Marvel release in years’ Metacritic gave the show a high 82 score indicating that it earned “Universal acclaim” – a feat that is a rarity in the last few years when it comes to Marvel Studios projects.

The show in large part played on its greatest strength, the fact that it is a direct continuation of the ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ as it tried to imitate both the characters and animation to a reasonable extent while keeping the plot more mature and “raw” than what we’re used to seeing.

Now speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Brad Winderbaum revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that Kevin Feige had two conditions before he decided to greenlight the show:

Alright, if we can get the [original] cast and we can get the song, let’s do it.’ And fortunately, we were able to do that.

Feige himself was aware that such a project was only viable if it played on the nostalgia and the elements that kept the original show so awesome and memorable.

The showrunners managed to secure everything that Feige had been looking for. The announcement of a new series revealed the return of several original voice actors from a previous series. These include Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, Catherine Disher as Jean Grey, Chris Potter as Gambit, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler, Christopher Britton as Mister Sinister, and Alyson Court as Jubilee. Lawrence Bayne and Ron Rubin also return, with Bayne voicing Cable and Rubin voicing Morph.

Some actors reprise their original roles, while others voice new characters such as Disher as Valerie Cooper, Potter as Cable, Court as Abcissa, Bayne as X-Cutioner, and Rubin as President Robert Edward Kelly.

‘X-Men ’97’ still has 8 episodes to release and season 2 is already in production, with the third season being in development. Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!