5 Lessons The Live-Action MCU TV Shows Can Learn From X-Men '97

X-Men ‘97 is KILLING it right now!

I’ve already talked about how it finally got me to open up my Disney+ app again, and I raved about the first two episodes. But, now that we’re halfway through the first season, it got me to thinking: How can the live-action MCU shows learn a thing or two from this fantastic animated series?

Because let me be clear. Even though I was starting to like the MCU again after months of disliking it, I stopped watching the live-action MCU shows altogether with Secret Invasion, since I thought it was TERRIBLE. That said, I’m 100% on board with X-Men ‘97. So, here are five lessons that the live-action shows can learn from it.

Oh, and some spoilers up ahead for X-Men ‘97 if you’re not caught up yet.

When It Comes To The TV Shows, Keep People Guessing Every Episode

The live-action MCU shows started with a bang when they debuted with WandaVision back in 2021. I know a lot of people were utterly bewildered by the first few episodes, but I absolutely ADORED them. Do you want to know why? It’s because I had no idea where the show was heading. In fact, it was actually when the show started to become “normal” by episode five that my interest started to flag.

Since then, it seems like all of the live-action MCU shows, sans maybe Loki, seemed to be pretty predictable. Yes, there were some surprises here or there (for example, I particularly loved how She-Hulk seemed to be taking the piss out of narrative structure to be more whimsical), but for the most part, I’d only watch the live-action MCU shows to the end because I don’t like starting things and not finishing them. It definitely wasn’t because I was super engrossed.

But, that isn’t the case with X-Men ‘97, because I have absolutely NO idea where this series is heading, and I'm loving every second of it! One minute, Storm is losing her powers, and the next, Jean Grey arrives at the mansion only for us to find out that the Jean we THOUGHT we were dealing with was actually a clone!

Then, we have Episode 5, “Remember It,” which left fans absolutely devastated by the end. I’ll tell you, if the live-action MCU shows could keep people guessing in every episode like X-Men ‘97 does, then I guarantee people would come back to watching them, week after week, just like in the WandaVision, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier days.

Change Up The Intros For Every Episode

I want to talk about WandaVision again, because one thing that really made me fall in love with that series was how they would change up the intros to replicate different eras of television. It got me enthused to see what each new episode would be like, and it kept my attention all the way through.

X-Men ‘97 does that as well! At first, it just seemed like the same intro and theme song for every episode. But then, you start to realize that there are bits and pieces spliced into the intro that foreshadow events or characters that you might see later in the episode. For example, in Episode 4, “Motendo/Lifedeath–Part 1,” we actually saw the supervillain Mojo in the intro, who appeared later in that installment.

We also saw Mister Sinister in the intro of Episode 3, “Fire Made Flesh,” and he appeared later in that story. It may seem like a small thing, but it makes me alert for each new episode to see if I can glean any hints about who I might see next in the series, which brings me to my next point.

Put In As Many Villains As Possible

You know what Marvel character I love? Moon Knight. But while there were certain things I adored about the live-action series, there were also things I actively disliked. In fact, I thought that Moon Knight could have been a turning point for the MCU, but ultimately, it wasn’t. Do you want to know one thing that I think really hampered the series? The villain. Because even though I love Ethan Hawke, I really thought they dropped the ball with Arthur Harrow.

Like, where was Stained Glass Scarlet? Where was Sun King? Where the hell was Raoul Bushman (and not just a hint of him)? I mean, sure, Arthur Harrow is definitely one of Moon Knight’s enemies, but I wouldn’t expect him to be the MAIN antagonist, especially for a character that a lot of people were first introduced to through the Disney+ series.

It would have been great if we had gotten an assortment of Moon Knight’s villains, few as they are. And, don’t tell me that the live-action shows have more of a character arc, so it’s necessary to focus on only one antagonist. Just look at X-Men ‘97! We’re getting one continuous narrative, but also SO many X-Men villains in this new series.

The live-action MCU shows should do the same. Give us an overarching storyline, but also sprinkle in as many villains as possible. It goes back to keeping the audience guessing. We love being surprised!

Spend More Time Building Relationships Between The Heroes And Villains

Speaking of surprises, It was a huge one to see Magneto, the neverending villain of the X-Men, actually LEADING the team in X-Men ‘97, and I think the live-action shows could do this as well. One thing that was really cool about the original Netflix Daredevil series was the relationship between Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. The Kingpin.

We haven’t really seen much of that in the live-action MCU shows, though. In fact, I have a hard time even recollecting who some of these villains even are, let alone seeing a symbiotic relationship between the heroes and the villains. Villains are actually a major problem in the MCU in general, but especially in the TV series.

There's no Killmonger, or a Thanos-type villain in any of these shows where the heroes are directly connected to the journey of the villains. They could learn a thing or two from X-Men ‘97 where a character like Morph is terrified of Mister Sinister because of their history together.

It’s this tension that makes X-Men ‘97 exciting week after week, and I really think the live-action shows could benefit with this extra layer of tension if they decided to connect the antagonists more closely to their protagonists’ journeys.

Don’t Be Afraid To Kill Off Important Characters In A Meaningful Way

Lastly, I want to circle back to Secret Invasion, which truly turned me off to the live-action MCU shows. One thing that really bugged me was the death of Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders. It’s not that I had any great attachment to her character, even though she’d been in the MCU for quite some time, but that’s just it. I had no real attachment to her character. And yet, you get a sense that her death was supposed to be a gut punch, when in actuality, it wasn’t.

It almost seemed like a throw-away death, and pretty cheap to do so early in the series (Episode 1!). Do you want to know what really hurt, though? When Gambit died on X-Men ‘97. Okay, so maybe Gambit isn’t actually dead (I mean, I certainly hope he isn’t), but my wife was in tears, and I was definitely shaken after it happened.

It was the way that Rogue delivered her “I can’t feel you,” line over his seemingly dead body that really did it. It was also the response the other X-Men had from all the destruction they were witnessing on television that really hammered home the destruction and loss.

The live-action MCU shows can kill off characters, sure, but if they’re going to do it, then they better make sure it counts! Otherwise, it just feels like a cheap way to make us cry, and it probably won’t work.

What do you think? Are you also loving X-Men ‘97? Do you also think the live-action shows could learn a thing or two from it? For more news on all things Marvel, be sure to swing by here often!