- X-Men '97 continues the legacy of X-Men: The Animated Series with familiar voices and the iconic theme song.
- X-Men: Evolution is overdue for a sequel series, offering a fresh take on young characters and unresolved storylines.
- Marvel relaunching X-Men: Evolution would be nostalgic yet meaningful, as the series didn't have proper closure and has unexplored potential.
At a time when the Fox X-Men movies have given way to mutants in the MCU (starting with Deadpool & Wolverine), it’s refreshing to find that the multiversal franchise is also providing impetus to continue preexisting canonical adventures like X-Men: The Animated Series. The Disney+ original builds up from the finale’s watershed moments with Morph rejoining the team and mentor Charles Xavier passing away. But the Fox Kids show isn’t the only X-Men series that needs closure even after decades. Just one season short of its 1990s predecessor, X-Men: Evolution deserves a sequel now more than ever.
Related All The X-Men Movies In Chronological Order The X-Men timeline may be jumbled but there is a way to watch all the movies in chronological order. Marvel Studios Can Give X-Men: Evolution New Life The Show Was A Spiritual Follow-Up To X-Men: The Animated Series 
While X-Men: The Animated Series faithfully adapted its source material and incorporated most of Jim Lee’s character designs from the decade, X-Men: Evolution was a fresher and more youth-centric take on the Marvel superteam. Even while pitting the X-Men against quintessential villains like Magneto and Apocalypse, the show played out against the backdrop of high school themes like teen angst, social alienation, parental woes, and innocent relationships. Wolverine and Storm were relegated to mentor roles with the spotlight often on young mutants like the dynamic leader Cyclops, the show’s original character Spyke, and more light-hearted versions of Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler.X-Men: Evolution spawned a short-lived comic book series of the same name that got canceled after nine issues.
The subversively young characters of X-Men: Evolution offer an edge over X-Men: The Animated Series. A new season could allow its now-older protagonists to take charge of a new bunch of mutant students, showcasing the diversity of the X-Men universe beyond mainstream characters like Wolverine, Jean Grey, and others. The fact that Marvel’s current TV roster also includes animated series set in alternate realities like the upcoming Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man offer hope for X-Men: Evolution to exist alongside the main MCU continuity. X-Men '97’s release can hopefully help in reviving this cult favorite from the 2000s.
Why X-Men: Evolution Makes Sense To Revisit The Show Never Finished Its Story Close The MCU potentially relaunching X-Men: Evolution is bound to make some audiences nostalgic but more than the memories, the show deserves a revival because it couldn’t wrap up its story in the final season. Initially intended to air over five seasons, the showrunners were asked to conclude the storyline in season 4. This might explain why some elements of the final arc felt rushed and left potential for future storylines. Even though the mutants foiled Apocalypse’s plans in the finale episode “Ascension,” the series didn’t reach a definitive end with Professor X going through some prophetic visions.
The X-Men animated series ended on a bittersweet note as the team’s celebrations were interrupted by Charles Xavier glimpsing the futures of his students in Apocalypse’s mind, minutes before the mutant villain was banished to the end of time. Xavier foresaw Magneto becoming his ally, Jean Grey going rogue (a nod to the classic Dark Phoenix comic arc), the Brotherhood of Mutants working under SHIELD, and the X-Men team going through a member reshuffle. All of these scenarios play out in a minute-long montage but leave enough possibilities for Marvel to explore if they give the green light for an X-Men: Evolution revival.
X-Men '97 debuts Wednesday, March 20 with a two-episode premiere on Disney+.
