‘X-Men ’97’ Breaks Notable Streaming Record
‘X-Men ’97’ premiered last week 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.
‘X-Men ’97’ had four million views within its initial five days on Disney+. Disney reports this achievement as the streamer’s most-viewed Season 1 premiere for a full-length animated series since Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ premiered in 2021, surpassing shows like ‘Iwájú’ and ‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.’ Excluded from this count are animated shorts such as ‘Star Wars: Visions,’ ‘I Am Groot,’ and ‘Zootopia+.’
‘X-Men ’97’ is a revival of the iconic ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ which ran from 1992 until 1997, continuing the story from where the original series left off. Set after the loss of their leader, Professor X, the X-Men face new challenges. Produced by Marvel Studios Animation, Beau DeMayo served as head writer for the first two seasons before being fired just a few days before the season 1 premiere, with Jake Castorena as supervising director.
The series features returning cast members reprising their roles or voicing new characters, including Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, and others. This marks Marvel Studios’ first X-Men project since regaining the characters’ rights, with animation provided by Studio Mir in a modernized version of the original series’ style.
The show already has a third season in early development and a second season in production. Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!
