Are We Still Getting The X-Men Animated Series Revival?
X-Men: The Animated Series was a cartoon hit in the 90s. Could Marvel be bringing back the series on Disney+? The creators have some news
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X-Men: The Animated Series was a go-to for many Marvel fans over the years. On the air when superhero shows and comic book adaptations were a little harder to come by, for many it was an introduction to a whole universe of characters who were finally popping off the printed pages. So with the growth of the Marvel Universe on Disney and the expansion of new shows and content, it makes sense that there could be a revival of the show on Disney+. The original creators clearly want it to happen and the X-Men are about to take center stage on the streaming network. Could we see the animated series back in the mix?
Larry Houston was one of the producers on the original X-Men: The Animated Series said in a recent interview that he was clear about wanting to bring the original show back to Disney+ as part of the Marvel stable of programs. On the Much Talk About Nothing podcast, Houston sat down to talk about the fate of the show and whether it would get a revival/ reboot on the streaming platform. He didn’t seem all that confident it would happen and explained that he basically hadn’t heard anything that would suggest it was in the plans. Here’s part of what he said about the show’s future:
“We’ve let it be known, like, ‘Hey, we’re still here. We’re not under the ground. We really want to pick up where we left off.’ But, it’s been crickets. So I have no idea what they’re doing… When I saw the WandaVision thing, I was like, ‘Oh my god. They’re taking the first baby step!’ But, we haven’t heard anything, so I don’t have anything to report.“
Of course, this isn’t the news you want to hear about X-Men: The Animated Series making a comeback on Disney+. One would think that the studio would, at worst, connect with the original creative team if they were moving into a development phase with a new program. At least at present, that doesn’t look to be the case. And Houston appears disappointed by the lack of movement on that front. Rightfully so considering the renewed popularity likely coming for the popular mutant group.
The time is ripe to get another updated X-Men: The Animated Series on the screen for a new audience. Recently, the X-Men began to fold back into the Marvel Universe which just started this past week when the first mutant character officially made his way back onto the screen. It’s just the first of many planned moves now that the X-Men are fully back under the control of Marvel. Why not get another animated series to complement the live-action piece?
X-Men: The Animated Series originally aired on the Fox Kids Network in 1992. It lasted five seasons and played out all kinds of storylines for the group of characters. They covered a lot of ground in the universe with similar stories that we’ve seen adapted into live-action movies. Some of those included the building of Sentinels to combat the mutant crisis, and later the Dark Phoenix saga. It was a rather ambitious show and included a ton of the original characters.
It would be great to get X-Men: The Animated Series back in some form on Disney+. The storytelling opportunities are nearly limitless with this medium and now that Marvel has full control of the characters we might get a chance to see dynamics among the group play out in a way we haven’t seen before. And, of course, there would be no casting worries. Time will tell on this initiative, but if it happens it doesn’t seem like the original creatives will be a part of it.
