As someone who grew up in the ‘90s I was fortunate to have a front-row seat to revolution that superhero animation was going through at the time, which was building shared universes way before it was ever a live-action concept. On the DC side, there was arguably the greatest animated comic book adaptation of all time, Batman: The Animated Series, which began in 1992 and eventually led to Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, and Batman: Beyond. Marvel, on the other hand, doubled down on this approach, creating their own animated universe, releasing the hugely influential X-Men: The Animated Series in 1992 also, followed by seven other interconnected shows that included the similarly popular Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man to name a few.
Those were times I cherished, and although I was too young to always follow the ongoing storylines, or indeed the more mature and complex themes at play in both the DC and Marvel shows, I voraciously consumed every episode I could, instilling in me a love of superheroes and comic books that persists to this very day. However, that is a bygone era as it is the live-action superhero universe that reigns supreme today…or, at least that seemed to be the case for some time.
I say this because Marvel made the decision to revive the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series, now titled X-Men ’97. This was risky given the critical and commercial struggles of their content in recent years following the conclusion of The Infinity Saga, not to mention X-Men: The Animated Series still has a loyal and protective fanbase, even all these years later. While Deadpool & Wolverine, releasing on July 26th, is the single most important production of 2024 for Marvel, it turns out that X-Men ’97 was the shot in the arm their content desperately needed yesterday, as it could very well lead to a reestablishment of a universe that, crucially, is unrestricted by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
To clarify, it’s been confirmed that X-Men ’97 is not a part of MCU cannon and is thus not beholden to the whims of its shaky multiversal storyline post-Endgame, but rather the events of the animated shared universe of the ‘90s (with the odd retcon here and there), leading to one of the most refreshing and thematically deep productions since the conception of the MCU. Covering issues such as racism, redemption, psychological trauma, the hollow concept of “tolerance”, and what constitutes family, X-Men ’97 covers such complex issues with a measure and grace rarely seen in live-action dramas, never mind an animated superhero series! Marvel has proven that there is a way to revive the series for a modern audience, without taking away from what made the original show special in the ‘90s. And Marvel may even be hinting at reviving more shows from that period, especially if Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s cameos are anything to go by, potentially ushering in another shared universe and the wealth of opportunity that comes with it.
What I hadn’t realised about the original show, though, is that it featured an overwhelming amount of Canadian voice actors, many of whom have returned for X-Men ’97 at various capacities, along with some newcomers as well.
Perhaps most notable is the return of Irish-Canadian actor Cal Dodd, who is widely regarded as the best and most recognisable voice of Wolverine. Other Canadians who have returned include Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler, Christopher Britton as Mr. Sinister, George Buza as Beast, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, and Lenore Zann as Rogue. Canadian newcomers to the series, then, are the Newfoundland-born legendary voice actress Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey (although she has been the go-to actress for the character since 2008’s Wolverine and the X-Men), and the Emmy Award-winning voice actor Eric Bauza as Master Mold and the Sentinels.
Interestingly, both Hale and Bauza replace Canadians in these roles, with Jean Grey being originally voiced by Catherin Disher, who returns as Dr. Valerie Cooper this time around, while Master Mold and the Sentinels were voiced by Len Carlson and David Fox, each of whom passed in 2006 and 2021 respectively. These are not the only instances of shaking up the cast in intriguing ways either, which can get a little complicated, so bear with me.
To begin with, Gambit is voiced by American actor A.J. LoCascio, replacing Canadian actor Chris Potter, who now voices Cable instead. However, Cable was originally voiced by another Canadian, Lawrence Bayne, who also ironically voiced Captain America, and while these roles have been recast for the revival, Bayne still returned to voice the villain X-Cutioner. It doesn’t end there either, as Ron Rubin, who originally voiced Morph in the original show, now voices President Kelly instead, another character originally voiced by the late Len Carlson.
Although X-Men ‘97’s creator and showrunner, Beau DeMayo, was recently fired by Marvel for reasons we can only speculate as of now, X-Men ’97 is already an outstanding animated show with a solid foundation to build upon regardless of who fills his vacant role, all of which is further bolstered by an outstanding voice cast, many of whom are Canadian. An anticipated release date for the second season has yet to be announced, though they have at least confirmed that they are also working on a third season, so there is plenty to look forward to from the newly established studio Marvel Animation.