While I understand wanting something newer and fresher, the highest priority for me is getting the characters right. Only X-Men TAS (1992) accomplished that. If I had to choose between more TAS (1992) and more WatX (2008), I would always always always go for the original. There was something about that series that was very right. The voice acting? The music? With the quality of Marvel's modern animation offerings, I wouldn't expect them to produce anything good.
WatX might have been prettier and had some good choices with costumes and accents, but the overall show was pretty terrible. There was no heart to the series. It was stiff and I can't even say I liked a single character.
I think it's also noteworthy that the X-Men now have their own section on Disney+. It means people are searching for them and Disney wants to spotlight them.
A new animated series is just a matter of when, no doubt about that. A few possibilities I see:
- Disney could wait a few years until the new MCU X-Men debut, to match the aesthetic of the movies. This has been Marvel Animation's strategy so far but success has been fairly limited.
- If the above option is the one they'll go for, they could bide their time and test the waters with a one-season revival of TAS. I doubt a continuation of TAS is a longer-term plan as that would preclude the chance to do many classic stories already covered by the 90s series. Obviously there's loads of newer material to adapt too but an ongoing commitment sounds unlikely at this stage.
- Option number 3: since Marvel Animation is in shambles between Studios taking everything Marvel over and Covid, I could see them changing gears completely and stop using animated shows as kids-friendly tie-ins to the movies, and go for something with higher production values instead. This way you could actually build interest in the first X-Men movie via the show instead of the other way around.
I doubt we will hear anything concrete before another year or so, but I'm sure Marvel has already been brainstorming plans about everything X-Men and plenty of content awaits us, it will just be a while before we get there.
A picture would last longer darling...
I wouldn't mind a new series but also don't mind TAS coming back.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a limited series revival for X-Men TAS. The last season of that show ended on such a whimper that it would be nice to have a final 6 episode season OR feature length tv film. Maybe even doing what they originally intended and have new characters become the X-Men and then spin a show off like that. However I'd love to see a new X-Men show that's its own thing but just as influential.
I would prefer WATXM get the second season it wanted to do or to get a new X-Men show altogether. If they did revive this, I'd want it with a new voice cast and as a series proper.
"We come into this world alone and we leave the same way. The time we spent in between - time spent alive, sharing, learning together... is all that makes life worth living." - Jean Grey
I would love to see this happen! Give it modern animation, a modernized take, advance some of the character plots, infuse some of the newer storylines, bring in some of the newer characters. If it's a limited edition, it will be a fun experiment. If it goes well and gains an audience, then great let's see more. If not, no harm done. We've already watched through all of XTAS, EVO, and WatX with our kiddos. There's definitely an audience for it.
I’d be so happy if they brought back TAS. I think updated animation will be a big help. My concern would be tone, the current marvel animation is aimed at a very young audience. TAS was pretty mature for being a Saturday morning cartoon in terms of the content it dealt with. Honestly though I’ll give any X-Men cartoon a shot at this point.
Agreed! The biggest problem with TAS was the rushed/sloppy animation and lack of attention to the finer details. The little mistakes were sometimes pretty laughable. But with a better animation house (TAS had long, storied issues with Saban and deadlines/communication) and modern technology, it could be sooooo good.
The tone is my concern as well, but the TAS producers have been such good advocates for their product that I have faith in them. With Marvel doing more grown-up fare on Disney+ (like the What If... series; amazing animation btw from what was leaked), I'm crossing my fingers!
Last edited by superjosh; 08-09-2020 at 04:05 PM.