X-Men ’97 has proven popular with critics and audiences alike, and the Marvel Studios-produced series has reached an impressive milestone on Disney+.
Marvel Studios’ newest animated series X-Men ’97 wowed critics and audiences with its two-episode premiere, and now, it’s also broken an impressive record on Disney+. The long-awaited streaming series continues directly on from the ending of X-Men: The Animated Series, which wrapped up its five-season run in September of 1997. While nostalgia can be a powerful tool, tying the series to a show older than many potential viewers was a risk – but it’s clearly paying off.
Disney has confirmed that the X-Men ’97 series premiere hit 5 million views in its first five days, which makes it Disney +’s most-watched full-length animated series premiere since What If…? season 1 in 2021 (per Variety). X-Men ’97 currently sits at an impressive 98% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, supported by a similarly positive 92% from audiences.
Why X-Men ’97’s Positive Reception Is So Important For The MCU
X-Men ’97 isn’t part of the MCU, but its success is still important for the bigger X-Men brand and a sign of Marvel Studios’ understanding of the characters. As the MCU struggles at the box office and with critics, it seems that the iconic franchise’s next big push will be the X-Men. Given Fox’s X-Men franchise ended with the disappointing Dark Pheonix, a positively-received X-Men project is a start to winning back public perception of the mutants in film and TV. Should it be good, Deadpool & Wolverine will help in the same way this July.
Moreover, X-Men ’97 seems to really understand what makes the titular team different from the Avengers and other superhero squads. While other teams fight together, the X-Men live together, train together, and generally fight with exceptional teamwork. As much has been shown on the show already, in addition to fixing characters like Cyclops who have struggled to shine in live-action movies. If the MCU can follow suit, X-Men fans should be excited about what’s to come.
New episodes of X-Men ’97 premiere at 3:00 A.M. ET every Wednesday on Disney+.
