X-Men: The Animated Series is instantly recognizable by some trademark elements, and the MCU aptly included them for fans of the 90s cult classic.

X-Men ’97 marks a watershed moment within Marvel’s on-screen history, continuing the premise of X-Men: The Animated Series while retaining its iconic elements, like Ron Wasserman’s quintessentially 90s theme song – something the Marvel Cinematic Universe has already demonstrated to great effect. With the X-Men ’97 voice cast bringing back many of the show’s original actors, audiences that grew up with the Fox cartoon are bound to get nostalgic. And the sound of this nostalgia obviously lies rooted in Wasserman’s dramatic synth progressions and electric guitar riffs.

But all the fan service aside, X-Men ’97 also opens up the avenue of exploring the mutants for a newer audience. With X-Men ’97 promising to deliver crisper animation and more in-depth characterizations, new-age viewers will also have a lot to expect from the Disney+ title. Post-Endgame MCU movies and shows had already been hinting at the arrival of X-Men in the franchise by remixing the iconic theme in Easter Eggs that would’ve been picked up only by keen listeners.

The X-Men: TAS Theme Played In Doctor Strange Sequel and Ms. Marvel

The Music Added Depth To Charles Xavier’s MCU Debut And Kamala Khan’s Mutant Possibility

The first time that Ron Wasserman’s X-Men theme played in the MCU was during the Illuminati meeting in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As the sorcerer is introduced to members like alternate universe versions of Mr. Fantastic and Monica Rambeau, he also comes across Professor X (Patrick Stewart reprising his role from the Fox X-Men movie timeline) in a yellow hoverchair very similar to the one in X-Men: The Animated Series. A rendition of the series’ electric theme music accompanies Charles Xavier’s entry, foreshadowing the arrival of the animated X-Men a few years before X-Men ’97.

Much like the Doctor Strange sequel, the X-Men: The Animated Series theme music briefly plays in the background in the season finale of Ms Marvel. The snippet can be heard after the climactic battle, when Kamala Khan pauses for a breather after her best friend Bruno Carrelli suggests that her powers might stem from her being a mutant. The mention of the word “mutation” builds up to a sped-up version of the animated series’ opening music. Coupled with Kamala’s wide-eyed shock, the background Easter Egg captures the thrill of the MCU timeline expanding its horizons to incorporate mutant characters.

Ron Wasserman’s Theme Music Has Become The Definitive X-Men Theme

The Synth-Heavy Opening Theme Returns In X-Men ’97

Most of the X-Men cartoons from the 2000s and 2010s had effective opening titles, but the impact that X-Men: The Animated Series had on the pop culture zeitgeist of the 90s makes its unforgettable theme music rank among the best animated Marvel show openings. No longer is it just identified with the Fox Kids series, but the theme has gone on to become synonymous with the X-Men themselves. The fact that the MCU decided to feature renditions of Wasserman’s music instead of borrowing the themes from any other X-Men show or the Fox movies bears testimony to the theme’s influence.

The theme music of X-Men: The Animated Series is, in a way, the anthem of X-Men as a whole. Instead of relying on any glorious trumpets or rousing lyrics like the themes for other Marvel teams like The Avengers, the instrumental theme captured a sense of eeriness and intense conflict through screeching synths and razor-sharp electric guitar. With X-Men ’97 relying on the theme from the original series, the music’s fast-paced intensity continues to be immortalized, both in and out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.