’X-Men ‘97’ Has Something for Every Marvel Fan
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MARVEL STUDIOS IS at a crossroads. Two of its most recent cinematic releases, The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, didn't manage to win over audiences, and now even its television arm has struggled to keep viewers, with Secret Invasion and Echo premiering to minimal fanfare. Reports from outlets like The Hollywood Reporter have been uniform and clear: Marvel is in a time of change, and, according to Disney's CEO Bob Iger ("we've reduced output, particularly at Marvel") they're done making content for content's sake.
A return to form is exactly what the comic book juggernaut needs, and that's why now is the perfect time to give fans more of what they've already enjoyed. While the X-Men haven't been on big screens since 2019's unfortunate Dark Phoenix, there's one avenue from years past that has yet to be revived, and could bring lots of good times: the animated series.
First premiering in 1992, many fans' introduction to Marvel, comics, and superheroes was the kids' show, following Professor X and one of the classic iterations of his team. The series ran for 5 seasons, and over the course of its run, recreated major events from the comics, including aspects of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" and "Days of Future Past." And Marvel's upcoming sequel series—officially called X-Men '97—starts right where the original show left off.
And the man to thank for that is Brad Winderbaum. He's been at the forefront of some of the MCU's biggest projects, beginning as an assistant on Iron Man, eventually executive producing everything from Ant-Man to What If...?. Whether its live-action or animation, Winderbaum has long had a foothold in the MCU.
Men's Health talked with Winderbaum on the eve of X-Men '97's premiere, getting the ins and outs of why Marvel decided to reboot the beloved show, and what's next in the world of Marvel animation.
MEN'S HEALTH: Tell me how X-Men '97 came to be. What was the process in making this happen?
BRAD WINDERBAUM: When we were first making stuff for Disney+, I pitched the animated show called What If...?. We had just finished the first season, and everyone was really happy with it, and it did really well. That was our first foray as a studio into animation. Based on the response to that show, [Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige] was like, "Well, what else do you want to do?" And the first thing I said was, 'I want to revive X-Men: The Animated Series.'
Then the next conversation was, 'Can we get the music? Do we have the music?' And then it was off to the races, collecting the most creative, talented X-Men fans to bring this to light.
MH: Why was this project so important to bring back?
BW: For me personally, it was [one of] the most important pieces of art in my life. I watched it as a kid after school, I just remember it was the first television show that wasn't patronizing to me as a kid—it met me where I was at. It was having conversations in the subtext of the show I was already thinking about.
At that time—and somewhat still—sometimes stuff that's for kids can talk down to them and avoid themes that are actually very present in their young minds. I've got two young kids, and they certainly live in our world, and are having the same conversations with their friends. X-Men is a great way to allow people to have an outlet for what they're feeling.
MH: Did you always imagine it in a similar format to the original? Did you ever consider modernizing it?
BW: Our #1 rule was to emulate our memory of the original. That was more important than emulating frame by frame what is was. Because if you watch the original show, the animation shifts. Working with [X-Men: The Animated Series director Larry Houghton] and [Eric Lewald, who developed the show, and Julia Lewald] who worked on the original show, this was part of their guidance—to show us where those limitations were, to see those guardrails, and try to get to the same place. We always wanted to evoke that feeling, which means we had to try to match the style, or people's memories of the style. Through the design process, it was challenging to not modernize. [We kept] arcing it back to the original, kind of old-fashioned design; big, bubbly muscles, soft curves.
With our modern sensibilities— we've all watched so much anime and are fans of modern animation—it's very easy to go angular. But we were constantly trying to go back to that soft '90s kind of vibe.
MH: What was the process in bringing back the original voice actors?
BW: Like the music, that was a key component: to have as many people come back as possible. And when you hear George [Buza] or Cal [Dodd] or Adrian [Hough] or Lenore [Zann] or Alyson [Court]... there are so many iconic voices you remember as a kid, and when you hear it for the first time, you don't even need the animation, you already see it in your mind. They are those characters. And then there's some people who, you're right, we switched around based on voices changing over time. Someone like Catherine Disher, who was the original Jean Grey, now plays Val Cooper—such an awesome character. And now, because of Catherine's performance, she gets more real estate on screen as the series goes on.
MH: Did any live-action projects that have come out since the original series influence this reboot?
BW: Because we were in this '90s era and trying to make this really specific thing, it was very liberating. We weren't setting up a live-action future. We're scratching a specific itch for a specific thing, a really particular piece of nostalgia. I think that's inherent to all X-Men.
When we do a live-action of any of these characters, we're always thinking about where they were in the source material in the comics, and what people love about them. As part of the grand tapestry of X-Men, I think it's an important milestone. But it's as influential as anything else, as we develop things in live-action.
MH: What's the demographic you envision? Is it just for nostalgia, or for newer audiences as well?
BW: I think it's both. We designed it in a way where our hope is that if you've never seen the original show or read an X-Men comic, you can start fresh, invest in the characters right away, and enjoy the story. Because of the tone, because of the retro style, because of the amazing performances, I think it draws you in on your own terms if you don't know what's come before.
But if you're a strong fan of the original series, it's very rewarding. Nothing's ignored. Everyone's backstories are intact. If you know the history, with Morph in particular, we changed his design for the show. And very quickly, you realize there's a continuity with that old design, and there are reasons why he looks the way he looks.
MH: In the original series, there were crossovers with Spider-Man and even some surprise cameos. Do you envision that in this version?
BW: We have a great executive who works for us named Drew River, who manages the continuity of the timeline. And obviously that becomes more complex as you enter the multiverse saga and tracking multiple timelines.
X-Men '97 fits into that '90s timeline, along with the OG series, as well as those concurrent '90s shows that would sometimes cross over with the X-Men. The potential is always there.
Without going into spoiler territory, the original show does have a lot of fun cameos, and '97 carries that torch.
MH: Speaking of which, you have some other animated shows in the works like TK and TK. What's your overall vision for Marvel Animation?
BW: We're exploring so many amazing avenues on the animated side. Eyes of Wakanda, more than any other show, fits right into our sacred MCU timeline continuity [good opportunity to link to our Marvel Movies In Order story?]. [Black Panther director Ryan Coogler] is a producer on it, Todd Harris is one of our long-time storyboard artists who directs it. It's about Wakandan history and mythology, and it's really cool. It looks amazing. And it feels like, 'Okay I'm getting an animated look into the MCU.'
There's also a third season of What If...? with Bryan Andrews leading the charge, whose been there from the beginning. And without spoiling anything, that's where we start to feel crossover potential with animated projects. We've got Marvel Zombies coming down the road. And Jeff Trammell's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman, which I'm going into a sound mix for in a couple of hours. It's so great. He and his team over there, they know how to make you invest in characters. It's a very high school, ensemble-driven show with Peter Parker at the center. It's just so much fun.
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