X-Men fans received some surprising good news on Disney+ Day as the streaming service announced X-Men ’97, a continuation of the beloved X-Men animated series from the 1990s. That series ran for five successful seasons in a period when Marvel’s fortunes were in decline, and introduced an entire generation to Marvel’s mutant family years before the first live-action X-Men movie hit screens. Longtime fans appreciated its visual style – which deliberately evoked the comics at the time – as well as its faithful presentation of a number of beloved plot arcs.
Its fifth and final season came as something of a gift. The producers intended the finale to the fourth season to be the end of the series, an epic time-traveling tale that ended with the defeat of Apocalypse. The fifth season prompted the producers to change animation houses, as well as shaking lingering problems with the episodes' order of airing. It gave the show a chance to explore additional storylines and characters, including the introduction of Nightcrawler earlier in the season. Current fans are likely to focus on the series finale – Season 5, Episode 6, “Graduation Day” – as the starting point for the new season.
“Graduation Day” came full circle to explore the X-Men’s oldest dilemma: whether peaceful coexistence with humanity is possible or if the divide between humans and mutants will only end in war. During a mutant-human summit meeting, Henry Peter Gyrich uses an electronic device to out Professor X as a telepath and psychically injure him in the process. Unable to save their dying mentor, the X-Men turn to Magneto for help.
Out of loyalty to Xavier, the Master of Magnetism calls off his long-planned mutant conquest to assist in summoning Lilandra to heal him. In order to do so, she must take him back to the Shi’Ar homeworld. Xavier departs after giving words of comfort to each of his students, and Magneto joins them as they watch Xavier and Lilandra depart. Though aware that the danger of Gyrich and his ilk hasn’t vanished, they remain hopeful for a brighter tomorrow where Xavier’s dream prevails.
Besides giving Xavier a chance to say goodbye – and by extension, the show to give its main characters a final curtain call – “Graduation Day” also gave Charles and Magnus an opportunity for closure. It plays up Magneto’s moral dilemma as he gives up his long-awaited war with humanity to save a friend, and in so doing, essentially gave Charles the final word. Indeed, one of the more intriguing prospects of a new X-Men season is seeing how much Magneto takes it all to heart, and whether he can reform enough to defend his one-time rival’s dream.
The episode’s other big reveal concerned Morph, an original character created for the show who apparently died at the hands of the Sentinels during the show’s premiere – Season 1, Episode 1, “Night of the Sentinels” – only to return as a pawn of Mister Sinister. He broke free of the villain’s control but didn’t return to the X-Men, believing that he wasn’t yet ready to take up the mantle. “Graduation Day” brought him back in the team’s hour of need, impersonating Professor X in order to coax the world back from war, and ending the series side by side with the team he finally rejoined.
Any -- or none -- of this could inform the beginning of X-Men '97. Its optimistic note could give way to something darker, or it could continue on its hopeful note with the X-Men and Magneto working together. But just as it left the series with a sense of closure, so too did it speak to future adventures, and there are still numerous plotlines from the comics that can be mined for story purposes. As sharply as the series ended, leaving the way open for more turned out to be the smart play.