REVIEW: ‘X-Men 97’ Season 1 Is Marvel’s Best In Ages

X-Men 97 Season 1 is the best writing the MCU has delivered since Avengers: Infinity War. With biting social commentary, explosive emotional moments, and breathless action sequences, the continuation of the cult-favorite animated series delivers enormous impact. Created by Beau DeMayo, the series is a loving homage to the original X-Men: The Animated Series while managing to carve out its place despite the same characters. Packed with edge-of-your-seat moments and insightful character beats, the series triumphs.

The success of X-Men 97 is found in many areas. First, after a long line of duds — barring some exceptions — Marvel is again delivering top-tier storytelling. Certainly, they’ve produced the best-written piece of media since Infinity War and one of the best periods under Kevin Feige’s reign. The second is that it’s the best animated series Marvel has produced.

At the same time, certain remaining aspects don’t come together naturally, such as the clunky, sometimes stiff character motion contrasted against the fluid action, which is distinctive. More than anything, it’s yet another rallying cry for fans and critics to see and respect animation as a medium that’s just as capable of delivering devastating blows as live-action. Considering just how excellent the series is, possibly more so.

But beyond anything else, the series succeeds in being an authentic story about the X-Men by refusing to just rely on famous iconography such as their names and costumes. There’s depth to these characters that are missing in other adaptations, and it’s through them and their motivations that make for such a gripping, deeply emotional watch.

At the start, it almost feels like the series will stick to an episodic formula. But X-Men 97 Season 1 goes beyond our expectations. Instead, aside from the opening episodes that establish our characters and their current struggles, it launches into a brutal, overarching storyline tackling the desperate need to be seen as enough, fighting a status quo that would deem the mutants less than.

Mostly, the season allows each character a moment to flourish. Scott Summers, aka Cyclops (Ray Chase), and his wife, Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), suffer a tremendous loss and marital upheaval. Ororo Monroe/Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) must reckon with her powers and the fear she harbors, reborn once she confronts it.

Logan/Wolverine (Cal Dodd) refreshingly is a certified supporting character, though his love for Jean burns on. Meanwhile, Rogue (Lenore Zane) has one of the most well-rounded storylines of the series as she carries tremendous grief with her after the shocking Episode 5.

Of all the main characters, Morph (J.P.Karliak) deserves more time, though there’s a moment with them in the finale that’s as subtly heartbreaking as any. Nightcrawler (Adrian Hough), too, could’ve appeared more, though he too has moments of immense emotional potency, especially when acting as the voice of reason to others.

And while Jubilee (Holly Chou) doesn’t get a ton of central focus, her story with Sunspot (Gui Agustini) is the foundation of what makes the X-Men story so profoundly timeless. It captures the story of young people who find home and refuge in a group of outsiders who accept them for who they are, proving that while “blood is blood, family is a choice.”

Of all the characters in X-Men 97, Magneto (Matthew Waterson) has the most affecting storyline. He takes pains at the start to earn the trust of the other X-Men, though it comes with a caveat. He is here only at the request of Charles Xavier. The moment that the world proves themselves unworthy of the X-Men’s empathy and their capacity to help heal despite the pain wrought against them, the moment he becomes an enemy once more.

While we know that turn will happen, it doesn’t make the blow any less intensive. We want him to be good. But the series finds its power in those gray elements. There are many moments where characters reflect on the fact that Magneto is right.

His actions might not be, but his understanding of the world and its doomed, cyclical nature is. So, while he takes a significant pivot after the atrocities faced in Episode 5 — by far the standout episode of the series — we understand. We understand why watching innocence die in front of him at the bigoted hands of those without patience or compassion would stir him to violence. It isn’t justified, but the writing makes us understand. It makes his moments in the final episode all the more stirring, as Charles declares to him he’ll always be by his side, no matter the everlasting, polarizing differences.

Beyond the characterization and the superb writing, the show finds strength in the big, bombastic visuals. The battles are beautifully destructive. More than any MCU film, X-Men 97 Season 1 makes a fine point of showing the casualties of these superpowered battles. Lives are lost, such as Remy/Gambit (A.J. Locascio) in self-sacrificial displays of heroism. But that only tampers the bleeding so much when so much blood has already been spilled.

If there’s a main narrative criticism of the series, it is its uneven momentum. Episode 4 loses its edge with the Jubilee storyline, and Storm’s growth deserved a full episode rather than be split up. It would’ve allowed for Rouge’s journey in Episodes 5 and 7 to feel more grounded and emotionally taut as we ride the wave of grief with her without any interruptions.

That said, on the whole, X-Men 97 Season 1 is a tremendous feat of storytelling. Emboldened by an eerie timeliness, the series is a powerful and kinetic example of why people are so drawn to stories about the X-Men. They’re heroes, but they’re outsiders, and their willingness to fight for the sake of good despite the prejudice they face creates a stirring, cathartic exchange of blows.

X-Men 97 Season 1 is out now on Disney+.