Michael Roman Gives X-Men 97 a 9.7 Out of 10 After Watching the First Three Episodes

I just finished watching the first three episodes of X-Men 97 and I am giving it a 9.7 out of 10. There are no spoilers here because there is nothing to spoil and this is not even a review, since the review embargo does not lift until the 20th. This is just my immediate reaction.

I will be honest, I had no expectations going in, mostly because of what Marvel Studios' reputation has become on Disney Plus lately. A couple of years ago this would have seemed like a surefire home run given how much fondness and nostalgia people have for the original animated series, but with things being the way they have been, I was not expecting much.

X-Men 97 delivers everything I wanted from the animated series

I am happy to report that everything you would think you want from an X-Men animated series, they served it up in X-Men 97. It is so clearly obvious that the people who designed the show were fans of the original from the beginning and were intent on making sure this felt like an extension of that show. The action sequences are, in my words, "out of control and amazing" and really highlight some of the key X-Men's powers.

There is still dialogue in the show, the same way the original series had plenty of it, but it is not just a "word salad fest" the way a lot of the Disney Plus live action shows have become. It is constantly cutting to the action in imaginative ways, and it delivers the team-up moments I wanted to see. By the end of the second episode I was more invested in the story than in most of the other live action Marvel shows already out on Disney Plus, save a couple, like Loki season 2, which I actually think is "an absolute masterpiece."

I did not need X-Men 97 to come out with an incredible storyline. I just needed it to serve up the X-Men cartoon action that I was looking for, and even as an adult it really hit home. I did kind of feel like a kid again, and I am not just saying that as a catchphrase, that is literally the exact feeling I got during a couple of the action sequences.

My one caveat: judge it as an extension of the cartoon, not a Marvel savior

It is hard for me to read the room on where a lot of the community is right now, since there are all sorts of levels of disenchantment with what Marvel has been doing with its projects. But as long as you are not looking to this show to be some kind of savior for the MCU, or holding it up against the best live action movies, and you are just looking at X-Men 97 to be an extension of the animated series you remember and love, probably more so than it was actually good, this show delivers on that.

Watch party plans could be scrapped over a possible 3 a.m. release

I had planned watch parties for at least the first two episodes, but I have started to hear the show might go out at 3 a.m. instead of the 9 p.m. Eastern release we got for Loki. At my age, staying up that late wrecks me, especially in the middle of the week, so if 3 a.m. turns out to be the actual release time instead of 9 p.m. the night before, I probably will not do another watch party until the finale.

I was also supposed to have interviews lined up with the head creator and writer of the show, who is no longer with Marvel Studios, something covered in an earlier story.

How hyped are you for X-Men 97 after hearing this reaction?