X-Men '97: The Animated Series

[Magnetic]

While I'm not watching this show for Polaris - it definitely burns there's a Genosha genocide episode with a bunch of random d list characters and no Polaris. How easy it would have been to show her throwing up a shield and getting disintegrated in a 2 second clip.

[Frontier]

Have we not seen that scene of Magneto confronting the X-Men in his classic suit with Storm having straight long hair? I don't think that's been used in the intro either.

I wonder if after Lifedeath Storm gets her normal hairstyle back and Magneto goes back to his old ways and tries to talk the X-Men into waging war against humanity in retaliation for Genosha?

I normally agree, but in a finite storyline like this, I don't really see how having those characters alive but relegated to random cameos is more vital than telling a good story. If they didn't do the episode the way they did and played it safe, it would be pretty unremarkable and devoid of meaning. Even in the comics, it was so impersonal (and you knew Magneto wasn't gone) that it wasn't especially shocking or upsetting. You kinda went "Oh, damn" and moved on.

This episode has been huge and caused all these emotional reactions from people. Two of my friends, middle aged men, were weeping over the episode. It's the most talked about episode of the show. That wouldn't have happened if they hadn't taken those chances and had some fatalities. And I feel like it would be a disservice to the story and what it represents to have all of the characters we know magically survive this horrific massacre.

I guess I don't see it as "finite" though I guess I know it has a second season coming which probably wasn't in the creators minds at the time of writing.

I'm not denying the emotional impact, just my own feelings in regards to the characters. I'd love to have gotten more Banshee and Moira, Genoshan politics, Maddie, etc.

The fact that Beau DeMayo is giving us dialogue straight from the comic books...
When Jean found Scott and Madelyne and said, "Don't tell me...You can explain."
Straight from Morrison's "New X-Men!"

Wasn't Logan's rejection of Jean also from the comics? It sounded familiar.

[From The Shadows]

Have we not seen that scene of Magneto confronting the X-Men in his classic suit with Storm having straight long hair? I don't think that's been used in the intro either.

I wonder if after Lifedeath Storm gets her normal hairstyle back and Magneto goes back to his old ways and tries to talk the X-Men into waging war against humanity in retaliation for Genosha?

I guess I don't see it as "finite" though I guess I know it has a second season coming which probably wasn't in the creators minds at the time of writing.

I'm not denying the emotional impact, just my own feelings in regards to the characters. I'd love to have gotten more Banshee and Moira, Genoshan politics, Maddie, etc.

Wasn't Logan's rejection of Jean also from the comics? It sounded familiar.

Yes it was. It was in Morrisons X-Men

[GeneTitan]

Just continuing the tradition from the OG show as they also did this, especially the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Yes, "X-Men: 97" is a worthy successor. I can't wait for the second half of the season.

[From The Shadows]

Here it is:



Why did they bring it back? I don't know. I just never saw it. I mean as far back as their first meeting where Wolverine just joined the X-Men, in a Classic X-Men back-up story, Jean says one look from Logan makes her rethink her and Scott in not so many words. It seemed real forced. And I didn't like how Claremont wrote the scene with Logan. It seemed predatory. She says "no, please" and he ignores her. It was a definite retcon on Jeans part. But then again, I never believed in love at first sight. Still say its only lust on Logans part and not true love. Anyway, he didn't grieve when she died like Scott did and moved on straight to Mariko. Anyway, it's an annoying triangle.

[ActualLibrarian]

Since earlier today, I've been thinking about the claim some people defensive of this cartoon's poor work have made - the claim that Polaris (and other characters insultingly excluded) isn't integral to the story of the Genoshan genocide. Let's go along with this thinking. Let's say I buy into it fully. Here's where that takes me.

Magneto isn't integral to the story of the Genoshan genocide.

When we get right down to it, why was Genosha targeted? Why did the genocide happen?

It didn't happen because Magneto was there. It happened because mutants had a nation to themselves and outside forces considered mutants having their own nation to be a threat, alongside hatred of mutants having no small part. You don't need Magneto there to tell that story. That story might even be told better WITHOUT him anywhere near the island. Put a different character at the head of it that outside entities wouldn't be so justified to distrust. Making Magneto the leader of Genosha in X-Men 97 is senseless of Beau DeMayo and the people under him when they had carte blanche to do anything they wanted. They undermined their own story by making it align too closely with the comics.

So, you all agree with me, right? That Magneto not only isn't integral to this story, but actually undermines it.

No one agrees with you. You may be the only person the world that shares your sentiment.

[Lucyinthesky]

All I can say about this episode is that it´s the best one ever I have seen from a marvel series and hope we see even more of this level of writting skill in future chapters. Loved everything, the way the romantic triangle was managed with respect to all characters, the fact both Remy and Magnus want the best for Rogue, the way Gambit and Magneto don´t let personal issues get in the way of their relationship as members of the X-men, the way Magneto protected Gambit and Rogue when he knew he wasn´t going to make it, Gambit destroying the super sentinel, just awesome storyline.

Scott, Maddie, Jean and Cable treatment was also great, love how this time they truly gave Maddie a story of her own and Cable calls her Mom with all the right in the world.

Salarta, I love Lorna and in fact I believe there´s a possibility for her to appear in the next chapter, from the looks of it most if not all mutants including nightcrawler were living on Genosha, so my guess is that it´s possible for her to be one of the survivors because unlike canon, Genosha wasn´t completely destroyed and Lorna´s role starts when she was found among the ruins of Genosha.

That said, I disagree with you on Magneto´s role in the story, yes I am a fan and I am biased but on this instance a big reason why Genosha was attacked in Morrison´s story was because Magneto was leading it at the time and Cassandra Nova wanted to hurt Xavier, that included Magneto, the fact all those sentinels existed in the first place was because there had been tension for between the UN and Magneto´s government in Genosha in previous issues. Magneto was the founder of Genosha as a mutant nation in fact this fact is the main reason why Lorna became a member of the cabinet in the first place, so without wanting to take away from Emma or Lorna as survivors of the nation, Magneto in comic canon does have also a big amount of trauma and guilt over it´s destruction, this is why Claremont wrote a whole series ,Excalibur Vol. III, sadly cut short because of HOM, in which he helped find the survivors and later tried once again to rebuilt Genosha in his series by Cullen Bunn. So from my pov Magneto´s role in Genosha is central, if anything, X-men 97 didn´t tackle Magneto´s role in all it´s proportions because there was no time to develop this story so they short cut into the council asking him to be chancellor.

Also I believe this moment could be the moment in which it´s revealed Lorna is Magneto´s daughter, given X-men TAS didn´t tackle this story because Lorna wasn´t yet recognized as his daughter at the time but we have the example of Wolverine and the X-men in which Lorna is indeed written as his daughter and the X-men series "The Gifted" included her as his daughter. What just happened in this chapter left this story open to be told just like how it happened in the comics, I know it isn´t a long shot and I don´t blame you for feeling let down but I believe there is a possibility, because the show while not being able to tackle everything from the comics, it is bringing some of it´s central themes and Lorna relationship to Genosha and Magneto is also part of this story. This is my take on this issue.

Same with Emma, I believe after she noticed Maddie telepathic talk to Scott that her role is going to get bigger in future chapters.

[Mantis-Ray]

Found this clip of the OG show, Sinister vs Cyclops



"So you like playing God with Mutant's lives? Well just... KEEP AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!"

Goddamn Norm Spencer's performance is so powerful, you can feel the rage in his voice, he's pissed off at hell. RIP to the man who brought Cyclops to life in the 90s.

[nightw1ng]

One thing I appreciate about the show is the depiction of energy signatures. I'm particularly glad at how they used Kirby Dots/Krackle (named after Jack Kirby, who popularized the effect in comics as a way to portray energy fields). Those are the dots that flicker around objects Gambit charges or the part of Roberto's body that are in his Sunspot form. Kirby Dots are rarely used in animation, so it's nice to see.

[Fokken]

This show has been so FUN.
I am really happy everyone is enjoying it as much as they are.
I hope the rest of the series continues this level of quality and we get more unexpected jaw dropping, heart racing moments.

And more fun cameos!

Based on the titles of the final episodes, Bright Eyes is likely a Cable focused issue, and if Scott's outburst with Trish is any indication I would not be shocked if "Tolerance is Extinction" proves to be Scott becoming radicalized.

[comicstar100]

I saw they are teasing Captain America. It's funny at first I was like oh he has to be in the past to keep continuity. He's stuck in a time warp in the Spider-Man series. The beyonder pulls him out for secret wars then likely sends him back. Then I remembered you see Cap in present day in the Fantastic Four animated series finale Doomsday. So a retcon putting him in the present is actually needed to keep continuity. But nobody except me likely remembers or cares about the 90s FF cartoon.

[Gray Lensman]

I saw they are teasing Captain America. It's funny at first I was like oh he has to be in the past to keep continuity. He's stuck in a time warp in the Spider-Man series. The beyonder pulls him out for secret wars then likely sends him back. Then I remembered you see Cap in present day in the Fantastic Four animated series finale Doomsday. So a retcon putting him in the present is actually needed to keep continuity. But nobody except me likely remembers or cares about the 90s FF cartoon.

Well, that 90s Fantastic Four show did give the best DOOM that I remember. It was all downhill for Reed's biggest rival ever since.

[Frontier]

Well, that 90s Fantastic Four show did give the best DOOM that I remember. It was all downhill for Reed's biggest rival ever since.

Doom in Earth's Mightiest Heroes was pretty great. Dude soloed the FF and The Avengers.

[comicstar100]

Well, that 90s Fantastic Four show did give the best DOOM that I remember. It was all downhill for Reed's biggest rival ever since.

Both FF and Ironman TAS were solid second seasons. They retooled the animation and tighted up the writing to just as good as anything from X-Men TAS. Sadly the first seasons were awful and everyone dropped off by then.

[Gray Lensman]

Doom in Earth's Mightiest Heroes was pretty great. Dude soloed the FF and The Avengers.

He was good there, but he didn't have nearly the time to shine as he did in a show devoted to the FF.