X-Males ’97 overview: a nostalgic reminder that superheroes can nonetheless be enjoyable

X-Males ’97 wastes no time in choosing up proper the place X-Males: The Animated Sequence left off when it ended practically three many years in the past. Don’t know what occurred? Don’t fear, all it’s essential know is Professor Xavier is useless, Jean Gray is pregnant, and mutants are nonetheless hunted and feared by the human inhabitants. The primary episode, To Me, My X-Males, is a delicate remake of the unique sequence’ traditional opener, Evening of the Sentinels: Half 1, with solar-powered good man Sunspot within the position of the beginner mutant studying simply who the heck all these X-Males are that Jubilee performed all these years in the past.

She’s right here too, and she or he’s nonetheless a SoCal mall rat wearing a shiny yellow trench coat and outsized inexperienced shades. There’s additionally staff chief Cyclops, extra of a Boy Scout than ever, however now a bit uneasy within the position Professor X used to occupy; Jean Gray, eight months with youngster, however nonetheless capable of pack a imply telepathic punch; Storm, nonetheless mistress of the weather, however now with a snazzy mohawk; Rogue and Gambit, locked in an everlasting “will they or received’t they?” flirtation; Morph and Wolverine, who can solely tolerate one another’s presence; Beast, the eloquent, Shakespeare-quoting blue-haired robust man; and Bishop, a relative newcomer who can take up vitality and blast it again at his opponent.

These X-Males are all assembled, sorry, gathered, to do what they’ve achieved for the reason that starting: defend mutants from these big purple machines referred to as the Sentinels and to evangelise tolerance over hatred. But, what X-Males ’97 does so cleverly, each in its opener and in its subsequent episodes, is so as to add a little bit of an edge to every thing, and the sense that something can occur to any character, irrespective of how beloved they’re.

That’s why along with the Sentinels, the X-Males additionally must cope with the Mates of Humanity, “regular” folks who use Sentinel expertise to attempt to whoop some X-Males butt. They don’t win, in fact, however the stakes are raised greater and better, till the primary episode reveals the present’s first jaw-dropper of a cliffhanger: Magneto, the staff’s oldest adversary, is again, and he desires to affix the X-Males.

That isn’t a spoiler because the promo spots already gave that twist away, nevertheless it underlines simply how devoted X-Males ’97 is to altering issues up. This isn’t simply nostalgia bait; it additionally desires to push these characters ahead, which ends up in a present that’s genuinely thrilling. You don’t know what is going to occur subsequent, and isn’t that the primal enchantment of serialized storytelling? Whether or not it’s a comic book ebook or an animated sequence, you’ll wish to flip the web page or keep tuned for the subsequent episode.

It helps that X-Males ’97 has a lot good supply materials to play with. Like X-Males: The Animated Sequence, X-Males ’97 liberally pulls from traditional storylines, places them right into a blender, and creates a weird hybrid that feels each acquainted and recent on the identical time. That’s by no means extra true than within the season’s third episode, Fireplace Made Flesh, which has parts of Inferno, Fall of the Mutants, Rogue and Magneto’s storyline within the Savage Land, and X-Issue challenge No. 68.

This may appear chaotic, and to a point, it’s, nevertheless it additionally permits for some nice character moments, like a glimpse at Morph’s unrequited love or what motherhood actually means to Jean. The episode itself is darker and extra adventurous than the unique sequence ever dared to be, and hints on the dangers and rewards future episodes could take and reap.

When assessing the animation model of X-Males ’97, it’s essential to do not forget that quantity, 97, and what it means. The present isn’t solely set in that 12 months, however appears to be like it, so if the visuals appear old style, that’s on objective. To me, the animation is miles forward of the unique sequence, and is extra akin to mid- to late-Nineties anime like Serial Experiments Lain in its wealthy, textured colours and clean character actions. The motion pops extra because of the present’s refurbished look, with Cyclops’ optic blasts flashing extra pink than earlier than, and Gambit’s enjoying card vitality blasts exhibiting a extra sensible purple than in earlier iterations.

The voice performing is healthier, too, with most of the identical actors from the unique sequence again to renew their outdated roles. Of the outdated guard, Alison Sealy-Smith’s Storm shines the brightest. The staff’s resident climate witch remains to be inclined to creating grandiose statements (“Give up the boy or face my fury!”), however she additionally has a number of moments when she’s actually susceptible, and Sealy-Smith delivers extra nuance and emotion than you’d count on a cartoon character to have. Among the many new additions, veteran voice actress Jennifer Hale does Jean Gray proper, and Ray Chase manages to make the typically sq. Cyclops appear shockingly fascinating.

X-Males ’97 might need appeared to some like an affordable play at straightforward nostalgia, however give credit score to Marvel Studios — they know what made the unique present so well-liked to a era of followers, and what wanted to be up to date to make a revival work in 2024. The tip outcome isn’t solely an exciting and adventurous animated present, however probably the greatest comedian ebook variations in years. This present really will get the X-Males like few others have, and that features the twentieth Century Fox movies and even current X-Males comics.