It may be that Marvel Studios has shot themselves in the foot in the best way possible as the recently wrapped first season of the animated series, X-Men ‘97, is now the top-rated production of all time in the MCU.

Finishing with an impressive perfect score of 100 percent, the show not only dethrones all other Disney+ projects to come before it, but it also wins out on top of beloved movies, including Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame, and Iron Man. Seeing as how the studio has found itself in a slump with the last few titles – both on the big and small screen – could this rating be a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Marvel Set A Bar So High The MCU Can’t Reach It

One thing is for sure: the MCU is going to need to step up its game with future productions if it hopes to catch the favorable wave that X-Men ‘97 was riding. From the jump, the show was promising as it served as a reboot of the classic blast-from-the-past, X-Men: The Animated Series. For five seasons, the adventures of Professor X and his X-Men kept many of us millennials entertained on Saturday mornings and were a staple in our childhoods.

Bringing The Comics To Life

So, when it was announced that Disney+ and Marvel would be bringing the fun back, it already had a built-in fanbase. From there, excitement and intrigue only continued to build for X-Men ‘97, with several of the original voice cast returning, either to the same characters or different ones. From Gambit to Cyclops, Mojo to Magneto, all our favorite heroes and villains were returning in dazzling color.

Nostalgia Done Right

While some may have worried that Disney and Marvel would botch what was a perfect memory from our childhoods, it was abundantly clear by the end of the two-episode premiere at the end of March that the studios would do right by the long-gone series. From the soaring guitar on the theme song to the throwback animation and designs, everything about X-Men ‘97 was perfectly on point, and both fans and critics agreed that Disney+ had struck gold.

Smashed Marvel’s Post-Endgame Output

As the first season marched onward, the stories, character development, and creative vision only continued to grow, which is why we aren’t one bit shocked that when all was said and done, Season 1 of X-Men ‘97 nabbed a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

To be frank, it was the boost that Marvel needed going into 2024 as 2023 saw a slew of misses at the global box office with movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels. The only real winners on the big and small screen last year were Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Season 2 of Loki, both of which were still completely smashed by X-Men ‘97’s Rotten Tomatoes score.

Live-Action X-Men

Along with X-Men ‘97, Marvel has another hope this year for viewership and box office success as July marks the arrival of the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-led Deadpool & Wolverine.

The good news for both Marvel, Disney, and fans of X-Men ‘97 is that the series is already moving forward with a second season, meaning there will be plenty more animated stories to come from our favorite group of mutants. Too bad there’s no way the show can beat its Season 1 score on Rotten Tomatoes.