Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Opinion, Preview, TV, TV | Tagged: disney plus, Marvel Studios, opinion, x-men, X-Men '97

X-Men '97: We're Doing Our Part; It's Your Move Now, Marvel & Disney+

With the end of the year approaching fast, it's time for Marvel Studios & Disney+ to start making some moves when it comes to X-Men '97.

Originally, this was just going to be a post about how Marvel Studios & Disney+'s X-Men '97 has some new marketing artwork out there that gives us a better look at the highly-anticipated series. And we still have that for you, but it also got us thinking. Why are we at the point where we have to scour the internet for marketing artwork out there that gives us a better look at the highly-anticipated series? Over the past few months, there have been enough preview images and footage shown at cons and other events that maybe some kind of official release could happen for the fans at large. Basically, what we're asking the studio and streamer to do is to stop making our job of promoting a series that fans really want to know more about so hard. Just to be clear, folks like showrunner Beau DeMayo and others have gone above & beyond (as you'll see below) to keep the fans engaged – so maybe it's time to free up the restraints and get some official stuff out there. We know that there are bigger issues going on with "The Mouse' and we get that Disney CEO Bob Iger has preached in the past that they're going to slow down their release calendar. But after the series finale of Secret Invasion going over like a wet fart and the possibility of the excitement around Loki being undercut by Jonathan Majors' legal issues – getting X-Men '97 out these before the end of the year would almost guarantee "The Mouse" a homerun to wrap a rollercoaster year on.

Here's a look at some screencaps of the marketing artwork that's been released for use by officially licensed companies to start rolling out the goodies… followed by a look back at what we've learned so far…

DeMayo & Supervising Producer Jake Castorena made a surprise appearance during Marvel's "Designing the X-Men" panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 to offer some updates and… wait for it… footage from the series. Yup – but the bad news? It's not going to be released – at least not anytime soon. But what was screened included scenes of the team interrogating Dr. Trask, Jean Grey having some "issues" with Cerebro, Cyclops using his power to save some literally falling teammates, and even a "To me, my X-Men" line thrown in for good measure. Along with the screening, we learned that Jean is pregnant, Archangel & Bishop will be official team members, and Mr. Sinister has a "pretty foolproof plan to destroy the X-Men once and for all." From the production standpoint, we learned that things are going "really, really well" and that not only is post-production work on the first season being finished up but also that they're about to wrap writing the Season 2 finale.

Beau DeMayo Clarifies Some Previous Misreporting

Picking up not long after the events of the "final" episode "Graduation Day" (directed by Larry Houston and written by James Krieg), the series will apparently deal with the fallout stemming from the world witnessing Henry Peter Gyrich shooting Xavier during a Mutant/Human Relations Summit. While Xavier & Lilandra leave for the Shi'Ar home world for Xavier's cure, global support for mutantkind grows. As we've seen in previous previews for the animated series, the X-Men roster will see some changes as Morph and Bishop join the team. Things are apparently so good that Rogue & Gambit consider giving a real-life a shot, while Cyclops & Storm look to continue growing Professor X's dream. Even Magneto was apparently moved enough by Xavier's words & actions to consider giving Xavier's philosophy a try. So with all of this "happily ever after" stuff going on, what better time for Mr. Sinister to make a return? Now, here's a look at DeMayo's tweet clarifying what was discussed at Marvel Unlimited's X-Men: 60 Uncanny Years Live Virtual Event on March 16th:

X-Men '97: The Road to Season 1 & Season 2

Regarding a second season, it appears we may have gotten some good news from Cal Dodd (Logan / Wolverine). As many of you know (but we'll still give you a reminder below), Dodd took to Twitter at the beginning of 2022 to signal that recording on the first season was underway. Well, a little more than a year later, Dodd was back on Twitter to let fans know that recording on the second season was already underway. In a tweet that's since been taken down, Dodd wrote, "Yesterday. Studio. Season 2. GREAT session!" and included a brief video sharing, "Cal Dodd, voice of Wolverine from 'X-Men '97.' The beginning of Season 2. I say, just the beginning. Strap your seatbelts on, bub. Later." Back in January 2022, Dodd took to Twitter to share a look from the recording studio (and make sure to check out his jacket):

In October 2022, DeMayo fielded some questions on social media that included shedding some light on the upcoming animated series revival. With production first getting underway in Fall 2020 and a second season confirmed, DeMayo sees the animated series as a large part of his life "for the foreseeable future," along with two upcoming non-MCU feature projects. As for the series and how it will be received by a fanbase that's remained faithful to the series since it originally left our screens, DeMayo admitted that it's a concern but also that he's "not worried" because of the "amazing talent" that's working on the series.

DeMayo Only Wanted Fans Working on "X-Men '97": "My general rule was you had to be a fan. No questions," DeMayo explained. "I've been on [a] show, namely '[The] Witcher,' where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games… even actively mocking the source material. It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos and makes all the long nights worth it." As DeMayo sees it, "you have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

DeMayo Has "Mixed Feelings" on Rogue Controlling Her Powers: "I am aware that Rogue learned to control her powers, and I have mixed feelings on the shift. However, trust me when I say Rogue fans have plenty to be stoked about… in no small part due to [Supervising Producer] Charley Feldman being a massive advocate for her character."

Series alums Cal Dodd as Logan/Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Anna Marie/Rogue, George Buza as Hank McCoy/Beast, Adrian Hough as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Christopher Britton as Nathaniel Essex/Mister Sinister, Catherine Disher as Jean Grey, Chris Potter as Remy LeBeau/Gambit, Alison Sealy-Smith as Ororo Munroe/Storm, and Alyson Court as Jubilation Lee/Jubilee are also expected to return. In addition, Jennifer Hale, Anniwaa Buachie, Ray Chase, Matthew Waterson, J.P. Karliak, Holly Chou, Jeff Bennett, and A.J. LoCascio are set to join the cast. Recently, famed voice actor Lawrence Bayne (the voice of Cable, Erik The Red & Captain America) also confirmed that he would be joining the cast – but no details on who he would be voicing.

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