Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, TV | Tagged: X-Men '97, X-Men: The Animated Series

X-Men '97: Zann on When Cast Realized Series Was Something Special

X-Men '97 star Lenore Zann reflects on how stacked the X-Men: TAS cast was and when they realized that they had something special.

Published Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:37:10 -0500

by Tom Chang

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Article Summary

X-Men ’97 star Lenore Zann recalls the original cast realizing X-Men: The Animated Series was something special.
Zann says the cast first watched “Night of the Sentinels” together in 1992 and instantly loved what they saw.
She praises the stacked X-Men: TAS voice cast, highlighting theater powerhouses John Colicos and David Hemblin.
X-Men ’97 lets Zann explore Rogue and Gambit with more nuance as the series expands beyond the core team.

It's been 27 years since Lenore Zann returned to voice Rogue when she returned for X-Men '97 in 2024, long after the beloved Saturday morning series predecessor X-Men: The Animated Series. Its popularity on Fox Kids helped lead to a plethora of other Marvel original animated series, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and The Incredible Hulk. Currently in its second season, there's still plenty to tell as the storytelling has expanded far beyond just the core characters with the introduction of X-Factor and X-Force into the canon, and for Zann, it was a chance to dive deeper into Rogue's relationship with Gambit in a far more nuanced way than the original TAS allowed. The actress spoke with Polygon about the time when the original voice cast of TAS saw the first episode, "Night of the Sentinels," and some of the talent who were "theatre monsters," including the late John Colicos and David Hemblin.

X-Men '97 Star Lenore Zann Reflects Original Cast's Initial Reaction to 'X-Men: The Animated Series' Pilot

"I remember when they called us when the first season was going to be aired," Zann said. "It aired on Halloween in 1992. We were all called into the studio, and we watched it on a TV screen, and that was really cool. Seeing it for that first time was amazing. We all love it, and the cast really was the crème de la crème of the actors in Canada. We had amazing actors who were theatre monsters. For instance, John Colicos, who played Apocalypse, and David Hemblin, who played Magneto. Also, Cal Dodd, of course, plays Wolverine, then and now. I had seen these guys on stage, and I'm telling you, they ate up the scenery. So, to get the opportunity to work with people like that was amazing."

Zann also reunited with returning favorites Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm) and George Buza (Beast), while other actors took over for the roles of Cyclops (Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), Jubilee (Holly Chou), Gambit (A. J. LoCascio), and Professor X (Ross Marquand). Original Jean Grey, Gambit, and Jubilee actors Catherine Disher, Chris Potter, and Alyson Court took on original roles of Dr. Valerie Cooper, Cable/Nathan Summers, and Abscissa, respectively. Another fan favorite who returned is Adrian Hough, who reprised his role as Nightcrawler. Chase took over the late Norm Spencer, Matthew Waterson took over Hemblin, and Marquand took over the roles of Apocalypse and Professor X (from Cedric Smith). The season two finale of X-Men '97 premieres on August 12 on Disney+. You can check out the video below.

Rogue voice actor Lenore Zann remembers the night when the cast was called in to watch the very first episode of X-Men: The Animated Series… and they knew they had something special. #lenorezann #xmen #xmentheanimatedseries #xmen97 #marvel pic.twitter.com/YUjcn1t1lq

— Polygon (@Polygon) August 8, 2026