X-Men '97 - continuation of 1992 Animated Series

The Predaking

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Familial relationships in the Marvel Multiverse are notoriously prone to retcons -- just ask 616-Quicksilver, who in universe has said that he does not wish to hear from any more randos offering Yet Another Twist regarding his parentage -- but I believe that the comics versions of Xavier and the Juggernaut were a case of same-mother-different-fathers? Though it's been a while, and that could have been rewritten. Also it may have been not included in the cartoon backstory.


I remember in the flashback Marko telling Xavier that he was his step brother and that he would step all over him. However, I can't find the clip anywhere on youtube, so maybe I am misremembering.
 

The Predaking

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Familial relationships in the Marvel Multiverse are notoriously prone to retcons -- just ask 616-Quicksilver, who in universe has said that he does not wish to hear from any more randos offering Yet Another Twist regarding his parentage -- but I believe that the comics versions of Xavier and the Juggernaut were a case of same-mother-different-fathers? Though it's been a while, and that could have been rewritten. Also it may have been not included in the cartoon backstory.


I remember in the flashback Marko telling Xavier that he was his step brother and that he would step all over him. However, I can't find the clip anywhere on youtube, so maybe I am misremembering.
 

ZacWilliam1

Well-known member
Citizen
It was established somewhere back in the comics that Cyclops' force beams come through dimensional portals in his eyes from a dimension of pure kinetic energy (colloquially the "Punch Dimension".) It was likewise apparently established that all "recoil" and pushback from the beams are pushed through the portals not to Cyclop's body, specifically to avoid this issue.

-ZacWilliam, of course there are issues with that too given how we see his powers work so just assume "it's comic book fiction I should really just relax."
 

Shadewing

Well-known member
Citizen
Fire Made Flesh

With only 10 episodes, I'm not surprised all of Inferno got reduced down to a single episode; but part of me is faintly disappointed it didn't get more time to breath.

So naturally this is a Jean centric episode. Jean's back; gets quickly confirmed that she's the real Jean. Cue Maddie's understandable mental breakdown as she doubts Beast's finding and that Scott doesn't immediately back her. Which; points to Scott overall; he at least tries comfort Maddie, rather then just dumping her like old luandry as he did in the comics. Then we take a brief decent into Hell as Maddie decides its Horror Movie time, thanks to a Sinister suggestion. Of course Jean gets framed as an angelic presence. We see Morph is still dealing with his some of his truama from the original series, which was hinted at in the opening. A very nice scene of X-Men vs Goblin Queen, with her pretty much worfing Magneto. Jean to the rescue again, and we get the childhood flashback and eventual breaking of Sinister's control. Baby Nate is saved, kinda. And we learn the whole reason Bishop is in the series: Plot Device to send Baby Nate into the future so he can become Cable. Maddie and Jean part on good terms, and we get the lead into to our next Episode with the return to Storm's plot.

So yeah; this episode is good, but imo kinda rushed. Everything just happens rapid fire, and there is little to no time to digest. Makes me even more sure that we'll see Storm get her powers back this season and not have it stretch out multiple ones, least that gets two episodes. I do like that they don't specifically nail down when the switch was made. It could have been all the way back in season 2 when Sinister kidnapped Scott and Jean; it could have been after the Pheonix Saga similar to the comics; they leave it vague since there's no definiative place in the original series that it could have logically happened.

If Episode 1 was a 9, and 2 a 10; this would be an 8 from me.
 

Steevy Maximus

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See, I'm glad all that nonsense got compressed to one episode. That's what they would have done "back in the day", as they wouldn't be able to commit a bunch of episodes to the idea (especially with Storm's exile being a season long side plot). And again, they are really leaning into that TV-PG rating more and more. A LOT of that episode would NOT have flown on Fox Kids in 1997.

Solid episode, and again, isn't far off to how all that might have been handled in 1997. Some GREAT sequences though, big props on Morph's Illayna Rasputin cameos (and both versions of her!)
 

Shadewing

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Citizen
See, I'm glad all that nonsense got compressed to one episode. That's what they would have done "back in the day", as they wouldn't be able to commit a bunch of episodes to the idea (especially with Storm's exile being a season long side plot). And again, they are really leaning into that TV-PG rating more and more. A LOT of that episode would NOT have flown on Fox Kids in 1997.

Solid episode, and again, isn't far off to how all that might have been handled in 1997. Some GREAT sequences though, big props on Morph's Illayna Rasputin cameos (and both versions of her!)

Pheonix saga got 9 episodes, and what is basically its followup/fallout only gets one. For me, it feels like this should have been at least two episodes. This should be a big epic event; one of the key members of the team is a Clone, and a Clone that has been with them for /years/. But it all feels brushed under the rug, in a series that is largely about being largely melodramaic and soap opera-ish. There's very little reaction to it overall and they're quickly moving on. This is one of those things that should be a big thing. This feels like it would have been one of the seasonal arcs that the old show did have. With it being address fully in the finale while a couple of episodes deal with the build up. Don't need to look any further then Season 2; Sinster's schemes unfold slowly with a few bits each episode, usually with Charles and Magneto in the Savage land; until the finale where everything is brought togeather. Don't have Beast just suddenly have the answer; let it take time an episode while they deal with something else, while Maddie/Jean struggle with their being a "clone" of her. Let there be some actualy build up to her face-heel turn and not just Sinister going "Oh, you're evil now btw." Cable's backstory is overall a convoluted mess and should be streamlined, yes; But Maddie deserves Some time to actually deal and process this. Since this the Jean we've been following for at least half the original series. This isn't the comics where she's some nobody Scott found that looks like Jean; this is the person we, and the characters, believed WAS Jean for years. Its just poor storytelling imo, to rush that.
 

Fero McPigletron

Feel the fear!
Citizen
Going too fast, yeah. Would have liked one extra ep with Logan considering the possibility that he could go after the second Jean, haha.

I'm sad about the loss too. Made sense but, darn it, they'd have to change the intro again, haha

Also, poor Gambit, haha
20240327_233642.jpg
 

tec

Maystor missspelur
Citizen
It was fantastic it does not talk down to kids its not watered down its entertaining
And the best way to watch is Saturday morning or early mornings like cartoons of old you watch before school
 

Echowarrior

Well-known member
Citizen
It was fantastic it does not talk down to kids its not watered down its entertaining
And the best way to watch is Saturday morning or early mornings like cartoons of old you watch before school

I watched it this morning before I went to work. That's close enough, right?

Anyway, yeah, good episode. The series continues to be consistently good, and I love it.
 

Powered Convoy

Randy
Citizen
A little rushed, but still excellent. Love the following:
- Opening with Gambit holding Rogue while playing basketball
- Magik, hope she shows up for real
- Not knowing when Jean was switched
- Bishop
- Genuine sorrow for Maddie and Scott, baby Nate was cute and didn't deserve his fate
- The horror elements, particularly with Roberto's mother
- Morph is in love with Logan
- Savage Land Rogue
- Maddie chewing up the scenery
- 80's punk Storm
- Forge
- Maddie vs Magneto

Watching this show is a delight. The animation is so high caliber at points, I want to know its budget.
 

Daith

Bustin make feel Good!
Citizen
Glad to know I'm not the only one seeing the main reason Bishop had been on the team at the start of this series. Honestly I do hope he comes back but then we would have to ask wheres Nathan immediately.

But that always was the series problem for me was the lack of the rest of the Blue and Gold teams considering that's what they modeled the show after. At the start Bishop was a rather new character in the books only introduced a year before the series and actually Gambit only a year prior. But it always felt like a crime that we never got much with Angel/Archangel, Iceman, Psylocke, Colossus, and Nightcrawler. And with Roberto here I kind of hope we see the beginning of another team of the next generation, though it's hard to say whether it'd be modeled solely on any one team. New Mutants seems like the way to go possibly, but Wolfsbane is already running with X-Factor. With Cable known to appear later it would point to an X-Force, but I'd like to see Gen X as well. And with Emma added into the beginning it would be cool to have her maybe starting up the Massachusetts Academy.
 

Thefakelink

Active member
Citizen
I’m watching the original series for the first time. Is the virus that Sinister infects Nathan with meant to be the same as the plague that Apocalypse created in S2?
 

Shadewing

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I’m watching the original series for the first time. Is the virus that Sinister infects Nathan with meant to be the same as the plague that Apocalypse created in S2?

Nope. This is more connected to the Phalanx Technovirus which shows up in season 4, least in animated continuity. But in the comics Apocalypse is the one that infected him rather then Sinister. Apocalypse knew that Cable would be fated to take him down, so he created the virus to try and nerf him; rather then Sinister infecting him to make him impervious or whatever.
 

LBD "Nytetrayn"

Broke the Matrix
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Pheonix saga got 9 episodes, and what is basically its followup/fallout only gets one. For me, it feels like this should have been at least two episodes. This should be a big epic event; one of the key members of the team is a Clone, and a Clone that has been with them for /years/. But it all feels brushed under the rug, in a series that is largely about being largely melodramaic and soap opera-ish. There's very little reaction to it overall and they're quickly moving on. This is one of those things that should be a big thing. This feels like it would have been one of the seasonal arcs that the old show did have. With it being address fully in the finale while a couple of episodes deal with the build up. Don't need to look any further then Season 2; Sinster's schemes unfold slowly with a few bits each episode, usually with Charles and Magneto in the Savage land; until the finale where everything is brought togeather. Don't have Beast just suddenly have the answer; let it take time an episode while they deal with something else, while Maddie/Jean struggle with their being a "clone" of her. Let there be some actualy build up to her face-heel turn and not just Sinister going "Oh, you're evil now btw." Cable's backstory is overall a convoluted mess and should be streamlined, yes; But Maddie deserves Some time to actually deal and process this. Since this the Jean we've been following for at least half the original series. This isn't the comics where she's some nobody Scott found that looks like Jean; this is the person we, and the characters, believed WAS Jean for years. Its just poor storytelling imo, to rush that.
Two big differences here, though:

1) 10 episodes instead of 13

2) While this is functionally like a sixth season of the original cartoon, we have to remember that this is still technically season one of a new show. So, they're probably treating it like season one of a new show, and trying to get what they can in and tied up by season's end, since they had no way of knowing if there would be a second season. Which, as you noted, is where they spread stuff out over more episodes, and X-Men was red-hot at the time.

I know a second and third season have already been greenlit (and even then, that's not a guarantee of anything), but that may have come after work was done on this episode, seeing as we're still in the early goings.
 

Steevy Maximus

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Citizen
Actually, it inadvertently got stated that season 2 was already in production before season 1 even aired. One of the writers, and I think even a comment by one of the VAs, talked about season 2 being in production before we even got a solid date for Season 1’s release.
And given general production trends we’ve learned about over the years, most animated projects seem to get at least 15-20+ episodes just to justify the production costs.
 

Covert Agent Rodimal

Active member
Citizen
Jean had to have been replaced right after the Phoenix saga or later. One: Because that's too big a change to the comic story (Maddie being the Phoenix) and isn't remotely canon and the show tries to be canon has much has it can. Two: If Jean was replaced right after, it does fit has much has possible to the original storyline. Maddie was the replacement for Jean, at least in looks. Remember, Jean was originally supposed to stay dead, Scott would retire with Maddie and Nathan and the XMen would move on with Storm has leader.

[Rant mode on]Then someone at Marvel (Jim Shooter, I believe) got a bug up their butt about reforming the original team, brought back Jean (and in the process, pissed off Chris Clairemont, who turned Cyke into a wife leaving àsshole, ruining his character for years), and Maddie became a clone who made a deal with a literal devil to get revenge on Scott for "leaving her".[/Rant mode off].

Anyway, they should play out the what do we do now between Scott and Jean (and Logan) for a bit (but no too long, because it will get old quick if its the focus more than a couple episodes). And Imo it should end with Scott and Jean reconciling and getting their permanent psychic connection like they had in the comics during that time period.
 

Shadewing

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Citizen
Jean had to have been replaced right after the Phoenix saga or later. One: Because that's too big a change to the comic story (Maddie being the Phoenix) and isn't remotely canon and the show tries to be canon has much has it can.

1. By making Maddie replace/be Jean for multiple years, they're already changing canon. 2. There is no reason there HAD to be a Maddie, as they could have kept Jean herself and let Nathan be their child who still got sent to the future. Considering how quickly they rushed through Inferno and how little care they actually gave Maddie; they really weren't that interested in Inferno.
 


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