Tag: MCU TV

Not since WandaVision has a Marvel Studios’ streaming project generated as much positive online hype as X-Men ’97. The animated revival has been overwhelmingly well-received and has fans clamoring for more projects set within a connected animated universe. With Season 1 nearing the end of its run, fans are already looking ahead to Season 2, which is deep in development. A third season of the series was recently given the green light but with a comic book history as deep and storied as that of the X-Men, it’s a series that could certainly make a long run. Just how long is unclear but it seems as though there was a clear plan in place at one point.

According to Beau DeMayo, who served as the showrunner for Season 1 and the yet-to-be-released Season 2 before being relieved of his duties, there was a 5-season plan in place for X-Men ’97.

Though he’s no longer officially associated with the series, DeMayo has been incredibly active on social media. Whether addressing fan questions and concerns, explaining creative decisions or supplying fans with weekly “homework assignments” to prepare them for the next episode, DeMayo has been a major part of the weekly water cooler discussion. When asked this week if the impending Season 1 finale would end of a cliffhanger, DeMayo skirted the question while also providing a very interesting bit of information.

While we’ll have to wait until next week to see how things will be left, it seems as though the studio, at one point in time, had big plans for the series. Whether or not the studio will go through with DeMayo’s original plan remains to be seen but with the amount of positive attention the show has received to date, it’s hard to imagine they won’t milk it for everything they can.

With Season 1 ending soon, fans are already looking ahead to what future seasons may hold. While the most recent episode has generated a lot of speculation about the Marvel Comics villain Onslaught making an appearance, another major X-Men villain has been the subject of most fan theories for quite some time: Apocalypse. When asked by a fan if adapting the villain’s most famous story, Age of Apocalypse, into a future season of X-Men ’97 was part of the plan, DeMayo made it pretty clear things are headed in that direction.

Of course, there’s plenty left to wrap up in next week’s season finale and with the fast pace of the animated series, it’s not as though an adaptation of Age of Apocalypse–or any other revered comic book story–would last an entire season. However, given the success of the series, it’s good to know that even though he’s no longer part of the team, DeMayo may have left behind a very complete road map to success for future seasons.

A common theme with many of Marvel Studios’ streaming series has been a concern that they would need to “stick the landing” in order to ultimately be considered successful. At this point, it seems as though X-Men ‘97 could not only wobble a little bit on the landing but perhaps miss the mat entirely. With 7 strong episodes now under its belt, Marvel Animation’s revival series has been a weekly topic of conversation. The latest episode, Bright Eyes, not only gave Rogue center stage to express her rightful rage but also finally revealed the big bad behind the mutant massacre on Genosha…and it’s exactly who we thought it was…the second time around at least.

Bright Eyes revealed that as far as X-Men ‘97 goes, there’s an even bigger fish than Mister Sinister. As speculated here (and hinted at heavily over the course of the series), the cyborg known as Bastion was indeed behind the Wild Sentinel’s attack on Genosha and it looks like he’s just getting started.

Who is Bastion?

Bastion, a formidable antagonist within the Marvel Comics universe, embodies the relentless pursuit of mutant extinction. As a Sentinel mastermind, Bastion represents the pinnacle of anti-mutant technology, leading the charge in hunting down and eliminating mutant-kind. His origins trace back to the depths of Nimrod and the Sentinel program, where he emerged as a genocidal force determined to eradicate all mutants. With Trask Industries backing his efforts, Bastion wages a relentless campaign against mutants, employing advanced AI technology and ruthless tactics to achieve his goal of mutant eradication.

Bastion’s attributes are as ruthless as they are deadly, with a fanatical devotion to his cause and an indomitable will to succeed. As the leader of Humanity’s Last Stand, he commands an army of Sentinels and Purifiers, relentless in their mission to exterminate mutants. His actions provoke confrontation and opposition from the X-Men and other mutant groups, who view him as a persistent threat to their existence.

In the ongoing struggle between mutants and their adversaries, Bastion remains a formidable adversary, challenging the X-Men and testing the limits of their resilience. His genocidal agenda and advanced technological capabilities make him a persistent menace, driving the X-Men to confront him time and time again in a battle for survival.

Who is Voicing Bastion?

As theorized in a recent Connecting Imaginary Dots piece, Bastion was voiced by Theo James. James has made quite a name for himself as a voice actor and has had a solid career renaissance of late by taking on villainous and somewhat shady roles. James knocked it out of the park in his debut as Bastion, especially in the way he comfortably and easily knocked Mister Sinister down a peg.

With three episodes left to go that seem to all be inspired by Bastion’s first major comic book arc, Operation: Zero Tolerance, the good news is that James is just getting started as Bastion and we’re likely to be treated to a delicious performance that will give fans a new face to hate.

The first seven episodes of Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 are now streaming on Disney Plus.

Be honest with yourself: do you truly know the rules of Marvel Studios’ Multiverse? If the answer is yes, good for you; however, the vast majority of fans tuning in to watch the latest streaming series or heading into theaters for the next big MCU film don’t know a Nexus Point from a Jump Point. So while hardcore fans might love to debate what should or should not be counted as canon or what projects should be on the Sacred Timeline, it’s really not that big of a deal to most fans. However, according to Emi Yonemura, who directed two episodes of Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, almost made a change so big it would have grabbed everyone’s attention.

In an interview with Inverse, Yonemura revealed that Feige considered setting the events of X-Men ’97 firmly within the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. “That has always been something we know was on Kevin Feige’s mind, do we make this part of the MCU? Do we not make this part of the MCU?” said Yonemura. “It’s actually gone back and forth quite a few times, and I think we did land in a smart place because [X-Men: The Animated Series] was its own thing, and I think that to continue it we needed to be our own thing.“

While it’s not entirely clear how X-Men ’97–or its predecessor, X-Men: The Animated Series–would have fit within the current parameters of the Sacred Timeline, another member of ’97s creative team is glad the decision was made to keep it separate. “We’re getting the X-Men in this format and we’re doing it justice not just by ourselves, but also other fans as well, and we’re starting to get a resurgence of the X-Men in film again,” said director Jake Castorena. “I love that. And I think it’s great that we can have different things, let them be different.”

According to Castorena, “it’s all connected” actually presents its own set of problems. “If you try to connect things like that, it may or may not, I dare not say hinder storytelling, but let them do their stories,” Castorena continued. “Let us do our stories and let the rest of the world eat it up, man.” With a Multiverse full of possibilities and hundreds of great X-Men stories that have yet to be told through animation or live-action, there should be plenty for the world to eat up for the foreseeable future.

Source: Inverse