X-Men '97 Review: We Break Down Episodes 1 to 3, and the Nostalgia Hits Hard

We watched the first three episodes of X-Men '97 and came away loving it. This is a spoiler free-ish breakdown of what worked, what didn't, and why we think Marvel Studios has pulled off something special with this revival.

If you grew up on the original 90s cartoon, this matters because the show is built to hit that exact nostalgia button, and from what we saw across three episodes, it largely succeeds while still throwing in genuine surprises for longtime fans.

The Theme Tune Alone Had Us Sold on X-Men '97

We admitted upfront that we might be suckers for nostalgia, but as soon as that familiar theme tune started up at the top of the first episode, the reaction was immediate. "As soon as I heard that theme tune starting up I was like, yes we are back, it will make a grown man cry." The action in the show, we said, proves the creators understood just how many 90s kids were waiting for this, and in our view they did not disappoint.

You Do Not Need to Rewatch All Five Original Seasons First

A lot of viewers have been asking whether they need to catch up on all five seasons of the original 90s series before diving into X-Men '97. Our answer is no. As long as you have a general understanding of who the X-Men are and a rough idea of what happened previously, you should be fine. The key piece of backstory, which is not really a major spoiler since it happened at the end of the original run, is that Professor X died, and this new series deals with the aftermath, with Cyclops stepping into the leadership role. There are also a couple of wild cards thrown into the group dynamic, including a big reveal at the end of episode one about someone joining the X-Men. The original series famously introduced the team through Jubilee's eyes as she encountered them for the first time, and X-Men '97 does something similar to bring new viewers up to speed.

We Were Skeptical of the New Animation, Then We Weren't

Going in, there was real skepticism about the updated animation style, largely out of loyalty to the original, admittedly dated, 90s look. That skepticism did not survive the premiere. The new direction won us over, and we said it feels like a blast from the past while still moving things forward. We also floated the idea that people who never watched the original program might actually enjoy some of the surprises even more, particularly comic readers, since episode two has material we called "really great stuff that's going to be really mind-blowing" for anyone who knows the source material.

Episode Two's Big Power Showcase Is Our Favorite Moment So Far

The animation gets a serious step up in episode two, which features a massive set piece where one character uses the full extent of their powers to demonstrate just how strong they are. We kept this character unspecified to avoid spoiling it, but called it our favorite moment of the three episodes, reacting with a simple "this is so good."

A Fox X-Men Character From the Deadpool Movies May Get an Origin Story

Without naming names to avoid spoilers, we suggested this series could end up functioning as an origin story for another Fox-era X-Men character, one that viewers will recognize specifically from the Deadpool movies. We said fans will know exactly who is being referenced once they watch the episodes themselves.

We Hope This Sets Up the X-Men for the MCU and Secret Wars

Beyond the show itself, there is a broader hope here. We said we really want Marvel Studios to nail the live-action MCU integration for these characters, specifically floating the dream of seeing the X-Men show up in Secret Wars. There is also a hope that this animated series could serve as a kind of backdoor setup connecting to the X-Men who appeared at the end of The Marvels, even though that project's makers said at the time it was not connected to the MCU. Watching the tone and execution of X-Men '97, we said that if this same approach were brought to live action, it would "absolutely crush it."

We also placed this against a recent run of MCU Disney Plus shows that has left us on shaky ground, noting we liked Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Loki, had real problems with Echo, and pointed to Secret Invasion as what we described as the most disliked and poorly performing series in terms of viewership. X-Men '97, by contrast, feels like it has recaptured what made the original show pop while still surprising longtime fans, particularly around a character introduced at the end of episode one and a cliffhanger at the end of episode two that episode three goes on to explore and evolve.

Small Gripes: Occasionally Janky Animation and an Odd-Sounding Wolverine

Asked what we felt was not quite delivered on, we pointed to the animation itself, which we said can feel a little janky and weird at points, with hope that a potential season two would polish it further. We also flagged something slightly off about Wolverine's voice, noting it is the same voice actor as the original series but that it sounds a bit different now, though we stressed this is a minor issue rather than a real complaint.

Dispelling the Beau DeMayo Firing Rumors

We also addressed last week's controversy around Beau DeMayo, saying there had been rumors he was fired because the show is bad. We were clear in pushing back on that idea, stating plainly, "it is not because of that at all."

Why We Think This Could Win Over a New Generation

As big X-Men fans, we said the show feels like it perfectly recaptures both the comics and the Saturday morning cartoon feel that made our generation fall in love with these characters in the first place. We said we are excited for a new group of young viewers to discover the X-Men through this series the same way we once did, and even encouraged parents watching to sit their kids down for it. Overall, we called X-Men '97 one of the stronger Disney Plus shows so far, with the caveat that we have only seen three episodes and cannot yet judge how the full season holds up. Reviews will continue weekly as new episodes release.

Do you think X-Men '97 can keep up this momentum for the rest of the season, and would you want to see it tie into the live-action MCU?