X-Men '97: The Animated Series (Disney+)

[Alan2099]

And what's the deal with Vulcan popping up? Had he appeared on the old show or are they just planting seeds? I'm guessing he doesn't have the same history with Charles as he did in the comics?

I just thought that was another one of those neat little cameos they throw in from time to time.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Phew, okay, so we get a breather after last week's intense episode. Hm, now that I think about it, I'm not sure I like the pacing of Lifedeath. I thought we would get a longer running subplot throughout multiple episodes, not a two-parter that had an episode in between. At least Storm got some great moments in it.

Xavier is back! I always loved his relationship with Lilandra in the original show. Both of them were so torn between their duties/loyalty and their feelings for each other. Xavier got a great moment being a professor and a diplomat.

Opening updates! Nightcrawler has now replaced Gambit in the OP (which is probably foreshadowing him joining the team), and we also have visuals of that two-parter where Wolverine and Storm as future loves from an alternate timeline with Bishop try to stop Nimrod.

Weird to add Nightcrawler to the line-up in an episode he's not even in. It would be perfect to put Xavier back in. Bishop, Gambit, and Magneto are all no longer featured. I wonder how often the cast in the intro will change. I'm guessing Kurt will stick around for at least one more. It is fitting he's taking Gambit's place since Gambit took Nightcrawler's place in the animated version of the Dark Phoenix Saga.

He wasn't even created until nearly a decade after TAS ended.

That's true, but the "third Summers Brother" plot has been around since the early 90's.

[Frontier]

Weird to add Nightcrawler to the line-up in an episode he's not even in. It would be perfect to put Xavier back in. Bishop, Gambit, and Magneto are all no longer featured. I wonder how often the cast in the intro will change. I'm guessing Kurt will stick around for at least one more. It is fitting he's taking Gambit's place since Gambit took Nightcrawler's place in the animated version of the Dark Phoenix Saga.

It kind of reminds me of Earth's Mightiest Heroes where they'd change the team shot in the intro depending on the team roster.

[ChrisIII]

Kind of funny that after David Hayter (Also known for playing Solid Snake and the younger version of his father "Big Boss" in the first four Metal Gear Solid games and writing X-men) playing the previous X-men/Spider-man animated universe Captain America they got the guy who played Revolver Ocelot (Although mainly only in III as the young version that first meets Big Boss).

Although I'm aware Josh Keaton has played many Marvel roles including Disney+'s what if where he played the MCU variant Steve Rogers/Hydra Stomper/Iron Winter Soldier etc

[Hypestyle]

I liked the latest episode. Really good.

[Frontier]

Opening update...actually none at all! Just re-arranging scenes pertinent to the episode. I was actually expecting them to use a scene from the episode where Logan and Cap teamed-up. They didn't even update the OP with Storm's new costume, but they might be saving that for when she rejoins the team.

Dang, opening up straight with Gambit's funeral. The feels...though I did find it kind of amusing that the picture on his grave looked like a promo shot instead of a real picture. All the same, seeing Belladona and the Thieves Guild, and Kurt's eulogy, it hit hard. I miss you already Remy.

I guess it was too much to expect Senator Kelly to help and Scott is growing more and more frustrated with how little assistance or aid Mutants are getting from humans, let alone the government. I have to wonder if it'll just get worse from here.

Rogue going on a warpath trying to find Gyrich/Trask was a phenomenal action sequence, especially watching her tear through virtually everything the government threw at her without barely a scratch. She even did a Rider Kick!

I definitely did not expect to see Thunderbolt Ross show up and being quite politically-correct when it comes to Mutants (or people from the South), though it made Rogue making him squirm more satisfying.

So I guess Jean is dropping the ponytail in honor of Maddie. Are they going to change the intro to reflect that? Honestly maybe they realized Jean just looked too good with her hair down.

Honestly seeing the remains of Genosha and the emergency response (such as it its) felt so real and sad.

Oh hey, Strong Guy! Amelia Voght! Mimic (?)! Even threw in a Quicksilver appearance thanks to Morph.

I didn't expect to see them bring up Jubilee's adoptive parents (when was the last time they were ever mentioned?), but it connected to Roberto's problem with his own family. Coming out to your parents is hard, even with good emotional support, though comparatively his parents aren't bothered by him being a Mutant which is good...until you realize they don't want an out Mutant son effecting their company's business. Which assuming Roberto will become active as Sunspot, probably means more family drama.

Trish and Beast is a cute ship but it can't seem to overcome the tragedy of Genosha or Trish's racial bias.

The moment they mentioned it was a "telepath" I knew it was going to be Emma having unlocked her diamond form like in the comics, but it made Scott's grief over Maddie's death hit even harder. I guess the good thing is it seems like maybe things are improving between him and Jean...though now Emma is around, so better watch out there! They kept her alive so obviously the show has plans for her.

Oh, so they did fit in a "Mutant Massacre" name drop, fitting considering Sinisters' involvement.

So they had Ross and Captain America voiced by their What If VA's. Is that going to be standing practice moving forward? Like the What If VA's are de-facto voices across multiple shows? Does that mean if Spider-Man shows up he's going to be voiced by Hudson Thames doing a bad Christopher Daniel Barnes impersonation?

When you keep seeing them talk about what "OZT" stands for and you're just waiting for someone to say "Operation Zero Tolerance."

Captain America, in the flesh! Voiced by Josh Keaton instead of either Lawrence Bayne or David Hayter. How did he escape being trapped with the Red Skull? We may never know! But it is cool to see Keaton get to voice a fully-fledged Cap for once without any "What If" caveat. He takes the attack on Genosha completely seriously and is trying to investigate it on his own, and he understands humanity's culpability in what happened, but because this is an X-Men show he can't do anything more but talk about "optics" and "doing things by the book" so he can't really help much. Kind of rude to throw his shield so far away, but I get why Rogue was angry. Really curious about who exactly his "team" was.

Nightcrawler comforting his sister and letting her finally grieve Gambit was a really powerful scene. Poor Rogue.

There's something to be said about Bastion's proper debut involving him smothering Gyrich to death. A "villain from '92" losing his life to a '97 villain by way of a '92 villain (Nimrod).

Even the X-Men can get the awkward elevator scene! Morph is a riot!

Oh, NOW Trask realizes things have gone too far after the Genosha massacre. I guess it really puts things into perspective when you have a basic genocide at the hands of things YOU helped create, even if it was the inevitable path for the Sentinals. And now they're getting upgraded.

Dang, Rogue just straight up dropped a dude to his death! That's hardcore! But wait, couldn't Nightcrawler have 'ported him away or Jean grabbedh him with her telekinesis? Maybe I'm not taking into account they might've been shocked or how fast Trask was falling for dramatic effect. Of course Logan was in full approval.

Of course even if it felt cathartic at the time killing Trask just activated him as a Prime Sentinel...who proceeds to solo the entire X-Men team. That's right, BOLIVAR TRASK SOLOED AN X-MEN TEAM!

(I have to imagine Sinister programmed the thing to call Scott "orphan")

Cable! Here to save the past from what I assume is a future dominated by Bastion and his Prime Sentinels! He also seemed genuinely disappointed Scott didn't realize he was his son like Maddie did. And ironically considering in the comics he views Jean as more of a mother than he does Maddie, here he seems to basically reject or is uncomfortable around Jean for not being his mother.

Bastion voiced by Theo James! He's very affable and charming for someone looking to wipe out an entire race of people. But it seems like he's also planning to reveal the X-Men lied about Xavier's death...to make it look like they carried out a cover-up to garner sympathy? And what is his plan with a very much alive Magneto? Use him as a way of inciting further war between Mutants and Humans?

[KabutoRyder]

Bastion voiced by Theo James! He's very affable and charming for someone looking to wipe out an entire race of people. But it seems like he's also planning to reveal the X-Men lied about Xavier's death...to make it look like they carried out a cover-up to garner sympathy? And what is his plan with a very much alive Magneto? Use him as a way of inciting further war between Mutants and Humans?

I can def see this causing some friction between Xavier and the team as they went through hell thinking he was dead and he was really cavorting around knocking boots with his alien chick. And then yeah, spinning it as a fake death and cover up to the public to add even more friction to things. I don't think Xavier will be as welcome back home as he thinks he will be.

[Frontier]

I can def see this causing some friction between Xavier and the team as they went through hell thinking he was dead and he was really cavorting around knocking boots with his alien chick. And then yeah, spinning it as a fake death and cover up to the public to add even more friction to things. I don't think Xavier will be as welcome back home as he thinks he will be.

The team knew he wasn't dead though? They saw him get taken into space by Lilandra. I guess they could be upset thinking he was living the high life while everything started falling apart.

Alternatively with some of the team starting to lose their way they may need stability from their old mentor again...assuming they still agree with him.

[j9ac9k]

...though I did find it kind of amusing that the picture on his grave looked like a promo shot instead of a real picture.

Right?! That poster looked like it could've been in Vegas promoting "The Amazing Gambit!"

[Alan2099]

Right?! That poster looked like it could've been in Vegas promoting "The Amazing Gambit!"

Just like Gambit would have wanted.

[Adam Allen]

Bastion voiced by Theo James! He's very affable and charming for someone looking to wipe out an entire race of people. But it seems like he's also planning to reveal the X-Men lied about Xavier's death...to make it look like they carried out a cover-up to garner sympathy? And what is his plan with a very much alive Magneto? Use him as a way of inciting further war between Mutants and Humans?

No idea what they're planning, but I have to say I appreciate how cool and charmingly evil/menacing Bastion seems here, because he was always pretty meh for me as a villain, in the comics.

Nimrod on the other hand was always awesome, so considering the time travel stuff is already firmly in place with Cable and Bishop, I'm hoping the cartoon somehow ends up connecting with the Krakoa-era future concepts of Nimrod the Lesser and Greater, and all that.

Yeah, that would be mashing lots of periods of X-Men comics together, but also thinking comics Bastion came to power some time around Onslaught; that could be his plan for Magneto, somehow using Sentinel tech to Merge Xavier and Magneto, making the world-level-threat of mutants obvious ... then I don't know, something or other.

Whatever, I'm enjoying the show, and looking forward to more!