Following the warm reception of What If…? and the show’s massive success and the dwindling success of its live-action releases, Marvel finally decided to dedicate a bigger portion of its resources to animated content. Fortunately, the interest in X-Men and their eventual arrival in the MCU was growing, so the heads at Marvel decided that it was time for another X-Men animated show. Furthermore, they made an excellent decision to build on previously set and sturdy foundations laid by 1992’s X-Men: The Animated Series (TAS).
Thus, the idea for X-Men ’97 was born. The series picks up right where the original series left off. The classic X-Men characters are forced to find a way forward without the leadership of Professor X. However, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige introduced two key conditions for greenlighting the project that would later become one of the most successful properties Marvel has produced in the past decade. First, the original cast needed to return to their respective roles, and second, the iconic theme song had to be used.
We already mentioned the theme song in our previous discussion about things X-Men ’97 should carry over from TAS. The tune really captured the essence of the show, making it one, if not the most, recognizable opening in any cartoon series. The song, composed by Ron Wasserman — also credited with the iconic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers theme song — invoked a sense of excitement, and later nostalgia, in X-Men fans ever since we first heard it on Fox Kids on Saturday morning, October 31, 1992.
Considering that the series builds upon the foundations laid by the original and continues its narrative, using the original theme song was a must. However, obtaining the rights to the song wasn’t as easy; as series consultant Eric Lewald shared, the rights were all over the place, as Ron Wasserman composed the song while under contract with producer Haim Saban, thus giving legal ownership of the song to Saban. Marvel, being Disney’s subsidiary, did what its parent company does best and lawyered up.
Following a series of legal battles over the use of the theme song, Marvel Studios paid a large sum to secure the rights to the song in 2022 under the condition that it has to be re-recorded for future projects. Of course, the song was a bit tweaked and modernized with an orchestra, choir, and some modern synthesizers, but it still remains very faithful to the original theme song.
But Kevin Feige had yet another condition that had to be met before greenlighting the series: the return of the original voice cast.
This was potentially difficult to pull off since more than 25 years have passed since the original series concluded, and some of its aging voice actors sadly aren’t with us anymore. Norm Spencer, the voice actor best known for his voicing of Cyclops, passed away in 2022, the same year David Hemblen, whose deep and intense voice gave Magneto an unforgettable gravitas, had died. Voice actor Cedric Smith, whose calming yet authoritative portrayal of Charles Xavier was central to the show, hasn’t returned to the series due to undisclosed reasons.
Nevertheless, several members of the original cast have returned to their respective roles, including Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, George Buza, Adrian Hugh, Christopher Britton, and Alison Sealy-Smith, who voiced Wolverine, Rogue, Beast, Nightcrawler, Mister Sinister, and Storm, respectively. Other members of the original cast were assigned to new roles; for example, Catherine Disher, who previously voiced Jean Grey, now voiced Valerie Cooper, while Chris Potter voices Cable in the new series after voicing Gambit in the original.
Meanwhile, new actors such as Ray Chase took on the role of Cyclops, Jennifer Hale (recognized as the most prolific video game voice actor by Guinness World Records) replaced Disher as the voice of Jean Grey, Holly Chou took on the role of Jubilee, A. J. LaCascio replaces Chris Potter as Gambit, Ross Marquand voices Professor X, and so on. Understandably, some adjustments were needed to meet Kevin Feige’s condition and move the series forward, but the end result remains quite satisfying.
These two elements, the original theme song and the return of the original cast, were crucial to preserving the nostalgic feel of the original show. Kevin Feige masterfully leveraged said elements to captivate the audience, as they resonate deeply with those who grew up watching the original show on Saturday morning while also appealing to newer generations with a fresh narrative and new adaptations from the comics. We did, however, also discuss several adaptations that X-Men ’97 should bypass or skip entirely, and those are definitely worth checking out.
X-Men ’97 could very well be Marvel’s first step in creating a new animated universe, as well as the framework for the correct way to finally introduce X-Men to the MCU — Deadpool & Wolverine already introduced some X-Men to the MCU, but they’re not yet part of the Sacred Timeline.