We finally have a release date for X-Men ’97. The hotly anticipated project is a direct follow-up to the classic X-Men: The Animated Series that hooked a whole generation of fans on the Marvel mutants.
Originally slated for 2023, the Disney+ series was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Now, it’s on a track for a March 20 release date, which was announced in a new trailer that is absolutely brimming with nostalgic vibes.
If X-Men: The Animated Series was your go-to when it aired on Saturday mornings on Fox, you’re going to feel right at home with X-Men ’97 as Cyclops leads the iconic line-up that includes Jean Grey, Beast, Storm, Jubilee, Gambit, and Wolverine. There’s also a few new mutants along for the ride, and of course, Magneto is back to thwart the students of his old adversary Professor X.
Not much is known about the plot of X-Men ’97 except that it will pick up directly after Professor X left Earth for the Shi’ar homeworld. (The trailer makes it looks like he died. He did not.) However, it appears Magneto will take control of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters — per Professor X’s will, no less — which is going to make things very interesting for the X-Men.
The project also marks Marvel’s plan to lean heavily into the Fox X-Men films, which were directly influenced by the animated series and its slamming theme song. The Marvels already saw the return of Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, and the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer went heavy on pushing the Fox universe into the MCU.
X-Men ’97 premieres March 20 on Disney+.