X-Men '97: Episodes 1 + 2 Review/Spoilers

[Refrax5]

I did not expect Logan to bring the laughs. That had me rolling!

And also, the moment with Morph in the club, where Wolverine admits he’s not jealous, but actually hurt that Jean and Scott are leaving! Classic “push them away before they leave so I don’t have to admit what having them here means to me.” Oh, Wolvie, I feel you, hun!



Haaa! Though, Gambit mentions Rogue comes to his defense - that’ll probably be the first and last time she does that.

I thought episode two was the stronger episode (but if it makes me laugh, it does get bonus points), and also ends with a pair of jeans. I struggled with the first episode mostly because everything seemed to be going 2x speed. It was hard to understand what they were saying (note to self: turn subtitles back on). Storm’s moment was glorious - all the action scenes and powers were awesome. And I have a hard time admitting that about Cyke. I love him, but I can’t compute seeing him look cool and not be a dork.

The X-cutioner is the QAnon Shaman. Watching him pee his buffalo skins in terror was very satisfying.

Can I hope that Gambit dropping the Queen of Hearts is him likewise dropping Rogue? Let Mags have her. Remy risks everything just to hold her hand, Mags risks nothing. Poor Remy-pup. I don’t want to see sad sack jealous Gambit all season, I will throw a brick through my tv.

I always found Wolverine to be the funniest character in the original animated series. "Pig-faced runt couldn't take a joke." He was always saying something ridiculous in that voice and I love him for it.

But, yeah, the whole thing just worked. Really, really well done revival. I was impressed by how it hit all the right notes. The only real quibble I have is that I wish Magneto looked and sounded less creepy and sinister. The old voice actor had a very regal, resonant voice that sounded more noble than villainous.

But beyond that, I was surprised by how well done it was and how much I enjoyed it. I remember enjoying the show as a kid, but I'm not someone who has this intense nostalgia for it. So I went into it without any real bias or expectations and was blown away.

[superjosh]

Jean has blue eyes and Storm's are green. That bothers me

so did they completely remove Beau Demayo from this cb I was looking at the credits and did not see his name

DeMayo's name pops up twice in the opening title credits. Once as Executive Producer and then again as Writer, for which he is the sole credit.

And both Storm and Jean have blue eyes, just different shades. I think Jean had blue eyes in the original series and they just kept it that way.

[Havok83]

DeMayo's name pops up twice in the opening title credits. Once as Executive Producer and then again as Writer, for which he is the sole credit.

And both Storm and Jean have blue eyes, just different shades. I think Jean had blue eyes in the original series and they just kept it that way.

Oh thanks as I was looking at the end credits.

And Storm's eyes changed color throughout the episodes. It was green in some scenes

[Psy-lock]

At least your fave still isnt stuck with a whole body swap story that the writers dont want to deal with.

Which is funny, cause the way they're adapting Madelyne is very reminiscent of the Betsy/Kwannon mess.

[CGAR]

Is the Revanche/Psylocke arec in the late 90's?

[Marvelman]

The first two episodes were amazing! Marvel needs to rehire Beau DeMayo immediately! If he did something really bad I'd understand. But so far, all we're got is 1) Some risque photos and 2) He's difficult. Aren't the best creators... difficult? I hope the producers, whoever he/she/they turn out to be, will finally introduce Kitty.

[superjosh]

And Storm's eyes changed color throughout the episodes. It was green in some scenes

yeah I kinda liked that they paid attention to lighting and had both her and Jean's eyes change a little. I did think Storm's looked a little teal or aquamarine in some scenes.

[MichaelC]

I had hoped that they would modernize Gambit and not have him speak like a French-fried Tarzan, but my hopes were dashed. Do they honestly not know how offensive it is to portray Cajuns as not knowing how to use pronouns?

[Basilisk]

Thought the first episode was amazing. Did a great job of connecting the older cartoon and the new one. All of the characters felt like they were accurately drawn and given their moment to shine. Cyclops using his eye beam as both a weapon and a means to propel himself around the fight; Storm able to unleash her Omega level powers against the Sentinel Base; Gambit charging up Wolverine's claws. This was everything I hoped for.

The second episode though I had a few gripes with. Mainly I felt that the X-Cutioner was a little over the top in the scene at the courthouse. In the prior episode they had that same character get beaten twice and yet in this episode he single-handedly took out the whole team. I get that he was wearing armor but the sudden upgrade in power detracted from the scene, for me, and took away some of the magic. Would have preferred they had the X-Men team be distracted by the mob of protestors and that was why the X-Cutioner had the ability to take the shot.

Character dynamics were great. I was at first a little worried that the writers were reviving the Wolverine/Jean/Cyclops triangle as feel that has been done to death. Was glad to see that his animosity was more to them leaving the team to start a family then jealousy. Wasn't expecting the Magento/Rogue romance to be explored but I am interested to see where it goes. Wasn't it explained in Age of Apocalypse that Magneto was able to create a small magnetic field around his body that allowed Rogue and he to touch or something?

Really interested to see what storylines they touch on for the rest of the season. Biggest question after the cliff hanger is how long Jean has been missing (Season 2 of X-men or is this something more recent). Either way we will be getting Mr. Sinister as a villain. Heard the Hellfire Club (Sebastian and Emma) make appearances. Can't wait

[yogaflame]

Jean has blue eyes and Storm's are green. That bothers me

so did they completely remove Beau Demayo from this cb I was looking at the credits and did not see his name

Jean's eyes were usually blue in the OG version(only rarely green in the DPS if I recall). Storm's eyes are blue here too, just lighter blue than Jean's. More like the sky.

And Beau's credits are on screen. He's the writer. If he didn't do something horrible, I hope they bring him back. He pulled off an incredible opening 2 episodes!

[CamilleMoineau]

Rogue and Gambit
LOVED
How Rogue is always in Remy's proximity.
The nightclub scene--that was just so sweet! He was real a gentleman! (Even though when they're staring in each other's eyes, his right eyebrow is way longer than it should be, which is irritating.)
His voice--It's different from Chris', but not so markedly that it's a distraction--definitely not Tony Daniels Jr. And I didn't notice any inconsistency accent-wise, but I might be wrong.
That cutoff shirt--I think it's hilarious because it's so early-'90s terrible.
The sound quality and animation. Liked that, say, the radio in the kitchen sounds more natural as he's making those delicious beignets. And I love his "I'm not on the clock, don't contact me" attitude--same Remy, same.
I didn't notice any cheesy one-liners! For fighting, no card puns!
His "other power"

LIKED
His little smirk after getting the wind knocked out of him.
Him and Rogue kicking ass. "Liked" because visually fight scenes are hard for me to follow.
Sad Remy dropping the Queen of Hearts card

WANTS
For this situation to not turn out as bad as I fear.
THE BASKETBALL GAME. THEY WERE ALREADY LOOKING ICONIC, DAMMIT.
A nice, heartfelt, serious convo at one point. TALK. I don't need the BS non-communication we had to suffer through for so long.
A first date, at least. Please?

MINOR ANNOYANCES
Bless Lenore for trying, but sometimes she does come off as sounding her age imo.
Her multiple expressions are a little much--though I liked the cat references in That Scene--I say it's forshadowing the furbabies and I won't be dissuaded!

It's going to be hard, but I'm trying to keep in mind that this may be similar, but ultimately, it's a separate canon from the source.

Scott--couldn't believe it! He was a badass and sometimes funny! Loved his scene with Jean/Maddie talking about the early years.
Logan--favorite scene was definitely him thinking it was Apocalypse when Jean was going into labor--too funny. Also like that he's allowed minor swearing, ha. And he can drink.
Jean--the scene between her/Maddie (I hope it's Jean)and Storm
Storm--"omega level mutant detected"--HELL YESS, QUEEN. LOOOOOOVED her fight scene in the desert. Haaaated seeing her de-powerized--poor Orono.
Beast--loved seeing him back and with George Buza's voice.
Magneto--haaaaated his scenes with Rogue; hopefully whatever it is between them comes to nothing; loved the speech in pt. 2 in the stratosphere, great delivery

I couldn't care less about Cable and yet I'm curious how Chris Potter sounds.

[Havok83]

If they were gonna tease Magneto and Roue, I dont know why they decided to make him look so old in this. He looked younger in the original

So Morph can just shapeshift into characters and use their powers? I dont quite like that but I guess that makes him less of a liability on the battle field

[Frontier]

The best thing I can say about this show is that it feels like not just a sequel to the original show, carrying on the storylines, character arcs, story conventions, and overall message of the original X-Men: The Animated Series but it's also very much a revival, featuring modern animation/writing, topical story beats, and amazing action animation. After so many years without an X-Men cartoon, it's a strong return to form for both Marvel Animation and the X-Men as a brand.

But seriously, the action is phenomenal! I mean, Cyclops was straight up dancing with his visor against those Friends of Humanity thugs!

They did a 1-to-1 recreation of the intro! Complete with adding new members and updating the villains to replace Thunderbird and the little guy with Emma Frost and Lady Deathstrike! And then in the second they update it with Magneto and some of the shows' greatest hits!

I love how the Sentinel Tech is just Mega Busters.

The only thing I missed more than Storm's speechifying is Rogue's Southern Charm and metaphors.

Roberto was pretty on-point characterization wise with being a smug, cocky, and carefree rich kid with plenty of charisma. I was kind of expecting he'd stick around the Mansion starting from the premier, but it looks like they're going to work up to him joining up. Makes me wonder what'll make him come back.

Also he and Jubilee were pretty cute together. Not sure if they plan on exploring that (would pairing the two "kids" up be a little on the nose?) but I look forward to seeing them share scenes together again.

Man it really does the heart good seeing a classic and truly jovial and compassionate version of Beast again.

Is there any better entrance to the X-Men than being greeted by Beast in his lab, getting your first Danger Room session, and nearly getting killed by Wolverine?

Scott considering stepping down from the X-Men to be with his wife and their child? Where have I seen this before? Only the wife wasn't actually Jean...which might be the biggest tell.

Logan is still Logan, only now he can swear! Seriously, it's like they knew Wolverine had to be their one character who could swear.

I like how the shows' set up Val Cooper. She's the X-Men's UN contact and an old friend of Xavier's (so kind of like Moira in that sense) and she seems pretty respectable and law-abiding...she's just held back by being a human in an X-Men cartoon. All the same, I respect any woman who treadmills in a leotard.

Like we needed an excuse to have Gambit take his shirt off.

Gyrich may be as slimy and anti-Mutant as ever but honestly it was still kind of reassuring seeing him again.

Morph's main role in the show seems to be comedy relief, riling up and being a sounding board for Logan, and featuring even more cameos. We've got Professor X! Archangel! Blob! Sabertooth! Lady Deathstrike! Colossus (with his classic uniform that he never actually wore in the show! Psylocke with twin katana's!!

Bishop kind of feels just...there. Like looking cool and talking about the future...which I guess is Bishop's thing, but it doesn't really help him stand out, as cool as it is to have him on the team here. He lacks a certain gravitas that he had in the original show.

I just love Bolivar Trask having a Master Mold in his back pocket.

As awesome as it was watching Storm flex her Omega-level Mutant muscle against the Sentinels, it was obviously set up for her losing her powers, which was handled as appropriately dramatic and life-shattering as possible. I wonder if she's going to find Forge to help her get her powers back? Too bad she left before she got to see her sisters' double though.

I can't think it wasn't in the back of the writers' mind having a radical group storming a government building...this show is as topical as ever.

Jennifer Hale voicing that redheaded firefighter almost made me think THAT was actually Madelyn Pryor.

Magneto, Mutant Superhero! Saving Mutants and humans alike and practicing non-lethal practices! Though you gotta love how he says "coexistence" like he's pulling teeth.

Not even a VA change could prevent Magneto from being the most poetic, complex, and philosophical character in the whole show.

Honestly, why weren't the X-Men trying to send more Mutants to Genosha? Good for the Morlocks though.

I...really was not expecting to see the Rogue and Magneto ship appear in this show. Especially when things seem to be going well for Rogue and Gambit. Though maybe it's more than it looks and it isn't romance like Remy's assuming it is? I get the sense that Erik is using his powers to give himself a kind of coating that lets Rogue touch something.

Wolverine taking Jean to the hospital to give birth totally felt like something we would have seen in the original show, especially with his crazy driving skills and a telekinetic in labor.

The doctor not willing to work on a Mutant Baby wasn't surprising but I found Rogue absorbing his doctor skills to deliver a baby funnier than I think it was intended to be.

It is an interesting conundrum, Magneto has committed numerous crimes and hurt innocent, but is that not matched by humanity's own obsession with exterminating Mutants? Especially if Magneto is willing to work with the X-Men and more or less adopt their methods...though I really thought he was going to give up and break bad after what happened to Storm, but he just wanted to make his point as clear as possible...and basically threaten them into exonerating him. But at least he was honest about it.

X-Cutioner being voiced by the original Cable was kind of neat, though whole time I kept thinking of him as Cable as a result. Guess you can change the guys' character but not change his love of firing big guns.

They just HAD to end on the other Jean showing up at the Mansion...so, bets on which Jean is the clone? I mean, for the most drama, it would be the new Jean being the REAL Jean and Scott married and fathered a child with a clone (like in the comics), though it feels like they've gotten us a feel for THIS Jean enough that the new Jean might be the clone designed to throw everybody off and cause drama just from people doubting the real Jean. I could see it go either way.

[Havok83]

The first two episodes were amazing! Marvel needs to rehire Beau DeMayo immediately! If he did something really bad I'd understand. But so far, all we're got is 1) Some risque photos and 2) He's difficult. Aren't the best creators... difficult? I hope the producers, whoever he/she/they turn out to be, will finally introduce Kitty.

Assuming he truly is problematic, that should not be excused and its not fair to those whom may have allegedly been harmed

Is the Revanche/Psylocke arec in the late 90's?

that was early 90s. She was created in 1993 and was gone by early 1994

[Android 17]

Assuming he truly is problematic, that should not be excused and its not fair to those whom may have allegedly been harmed

If it’s something behavioral and not an action he committed, then DeMayo should be rehired. If James Gunn’s nasty ass can get a second shot and rewarded with GOTG3 and running DC, then they can give DeMayo a bone, especially since he has us all talking with his writing.

But then you remember this is Hollywood and the same rules don’t apply to us as black people.