X-Men '97

X-Men '97 continues the X-Men's story after the events of the final episode of the original series.

The team must face its future and a world where relations between humans and mutants keep changing.

Unlike a reboot, the series assumes the events and developments of the original X-Men animated series really happened.

The characters pick up where they were at the end of the classic series, and the relationships, friendships and conflicts built there continue to shape the story.

X-Men '97 was created as a direct continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, which originally aired from 1992 to 1997. The sequel's title also refers to 1997, the year the original series ended.

Marvel chose to keep the story in the world associated with the 1990s rather than move the characters to the present day. Accordingly, the series deliberately preserves many elements of the design, tone and visual language of the classic animated series.

Behind the scenes the link to the original series was maintained too. Eric Lewald, Julia Lewald and Larry Houston, key figures from the classic series, returned as consultants on the new production.

Cyclops - Ray Chase
Jean Grey - Jennifer Hale
Wolverine - Cal Dodd
Storm - Alison Sealy-Smith
Rogue - Lenore Zann
Gambit - A.J. LoCascio
Beast - George Buza
Jubilee - Holly Chou
Morph - J.P. Karliak
Bishop - Isaac Robinson-Smith
Magneto - Matthew Waterson
Nightcrawler - Adrian Hough

Several voice actors from the original series returned to their roles after more than two decades.

Cal Dodd returned as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, George Buza as Beast and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler.

Other original cast members returned in new roles.

Chris Potter, the original Gambit voice, returned as Cable; Alison Court, who originally voiced Jubilee, returned as Abscissa; and Catherine Disher, who voiced Jean Grey in the original series, returned as Valerie Cooper.

The idea of reviving the animated series began taking shape several years before the official announcement.

X-Men '97 was announced in November 2021 during Disney+ Day, with Marvel clarifying from the start that these are new stories set in the 1990s series timeline.

One central element that made the series possible was the ability to use the opening theme associated with the original series and bring back members of the classic voice cast.

Beau DeMayo served as head writer for the first two seasons.

Jake Castorena was supervising director, working with directors including Chase Conley and Amy Yomomura.

The series was initially planned to debut in 2023, but its launch was delayed.

The first two episodes of season one premiered on Disney+ on 20 March 2024.

A second season was ordered before the first season aired.

From the third season onward Matthew Chunsey serves as head writer.

The animation style of X-Men '97 was meant to preserve the look associated with the 1990s series while using modern animation capabilities.

Character designs continue the look of the original animated series and Jim Lee's early-1990s X-Men designs.

The production team deliberately used bold colors, compositions and motion reminiscent of the limits and language of period TV animation.

At the same time, modern tools allowed for more complex camera moves and action scenes than the original production could achieve.

Animation was produced in part by Studio Mir and Tiger Animation.

The iconic opening theme from the original X-Men animated series returned in X-Men '97 in a new arrangement.

The original theme is associated with composers Shuki Levy and Haim Saban, while The Newton Brothers, Andy Grush and Tyler Stewart are responsible for the new series' score.

The opening sequence is also a direct homage to the classic intro.

It recreates the style and structure of the original series, but changes over the course of the show according to the cast of characters and story events.

Some of the new animation in the opening even realized ideas from Larry Houston's original storyboards that could not be fully produced within 1990s production constraints.

Season one premiered in 2024 and includes 10 episodes.

Season two premiered in 2026 and continues directly from season one.

A third season is in development and the series remains active.

X-Men '97 is available in Israel on Disney+ with Hebrew subtitles.

As of this writing the series has not received a Hebrew dub, unlike the original X-Men series, which also aired in a dubbed version in Israel.

Marvel also published an official comic expanding the series' story.

In 2024 a four-issue miniseries titled X-Men '97 was released, serving as an official prologue bridging the period between the end of the original animated series and the start of the sequel.

Additional comic material was published later as part of the tie-in to season two.

In May 2024 the documentary special Assembled: The Making of X-Men '97 premiered on Disney+, covering the creation of the series and the return of the classic animated world to the screen after more than two decades.