Marvel's X-Men '97 final trailer breakdown: 3 key takeaways
Marvel's X-Men '97 will debut on Disney+ today, March 20, marking the return of the one of the most popular animated series in comic book history. On February 15, 2024, Marvel released a new trailer on YouTube, to give fans a sneak peek at the exciting adventures that promises to be coming up.
The series continues the popular X-Men: The Animated Series from the 1990s. Created by Beau DeMayo for Disney+, the ten-episode series, picks up right where the first one left off. In a world full of prejudice and violence, the superhero team X-Men '97 has a lot to deal with, while their boss, Professor X, is no more.
The trailer offers thrilling adventures and spectacular battles, indicating that the X-Men might once again captivate audiences worldwide. It hints at the emotional fallout from Xavier's departure, as his former pupils struggle to find acceptance in a world where prejudice against mutants coexists with the loss of their teacher.
Key takeaways from the trailer of Marvel's X-Men '97
From the X-Men '97 trailer, it appears that Xavier's former students have still not recovered from the death of their beloved professor. And though they have put in efforts to rescue the world time and again, they are still despised by humans who are set to wipe them off the face of the earth.
A major takeaway in the trailer shows a reformed Magneto (Matthew Waterson) saying that he has inherited all that the professor had created - "Everything he built now belongs to me". This happens after his trial at the United Nations for charges of crimes against humanity.
Out of honor for his longtime friend, Magneto took the responsibility of managing Professor X's X-Men and his School for the Gifted in X-Men: The Animated Series. In the trailer, Magneto addresses the mutants as "My X-Men" saying,
"Xavier's sacrifice brought about a world more tolerant towards mutants. His dream is dead, so I offer a new one."
Once an arch-enemy of the X-Men, Magneto is now their new leader offering them a new dream and offering every mutant a new hope. While Jean accepts Magneto as the Professor's choice for their leader, Cyclops says "he was wrong". This may place the mutant rival with a big responsibility in a curious spot within the narrative.
There is some entertaining content with Peter Parker and the mutant island in the X-Men '97 trailer, which reintroduces fans to the original squad. A Daily Bugle issue appears, with an article questioning whether Spider-Man is a mutant. Also, a "mutant fashion show is mentioned," presumably as a reference to Krakoa's Hellfire Gala.
The trailer doesn't give a clear picture of what the team including Cyclops (Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), Rogue (Lenore Zann), Beast (George Buza), Jubilee (Holly Chou), Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), Wolverine (Cathal J. Dodd), and Gambit (A.J. LoCascio) are up against this time as they try to save humanity while their life is at stake.
However, there's the first glimpse of Jean Grey's pregnancy, as she and Scott Summers prepare to have their first child.
Disney+ will begin streaming Marvel's X-Men '97 on March 20. New episodes will debut every Wednesday.