Marvel Studios continues to work on plans for X-Men '97, while the studio is moving forward with a standalone X-Men feature film. The animated series brought mutants back to Marvel for the first time since the 1990s, continuing the story of the classic X-Men: The Animated Series. The second season premieres on Disney+ on July 1, and new episodes are already in production. With the upcoming big-screen reboot, fans continue to ask one obvious question: can both versions of the team exist simultaneously?
Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Television and Animation, addressed this issue during a recent panel about the show's second season at the Tribeca Film Festival. He confirmed that X-Men '97 will continue to air even after the X-Men feature film hits theaters, telling ScreenRant that "« These two projects can definitely develop simultaneously.»
«"Yes, I think those two directions could very well develop simultaneously. Look at how many things there are related to Spider-Man. There's 'Your Neighborhood Spider-Man,' the 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' movies, live-action films, a preschool animated series. 'X-Men' could very well do the same. I'm not sure they have a preschool animated series, but 'X-Men '97' could definitely develop alongside the live-action films.".
X-Men '97 premiered on Disney+ in 2024, marking Marvel Studios' first X-Men project since reclaiming the film and television rights from 20th Century Fox. The series picks up where X-Men: The Animated Series left off, following Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, and the rest of the team after the loss of their mentor, Professor Charles Xavier. Positive critical acclaim and a strong fan reaction made it one of Marvel's most acclaimed projects in recent memory, and the studio renewed it for a third season before greenlighting a fourth.
The live-action reboot is a standalone project with its own creative team. Jake Schreier, known for his work on the Thunderbolts series, will direct the film, working from a script by Lee Sung-jin and Joanna Calo. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige described the project as a younger-audience-focused take on mutants, though the cast and release date are still unknown. The film is expected to be released no sooner than after the next two Avengers films, making the animated series the primary platform for the X-Men in the near future.
The simultaneous release of X-Men '97 and its live-action reboot is a huge success for Marvel fans.
For years, X-Men fans were content with very little. After Fox ended its run on the animated series Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants, mutants mostly appeared as guest stars, such as Patrick Stewart's Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. X-Men '97 broke this drought in 2024, giving the entire team their own storyline. Winderbaum's plan rewards X-Men fans' patience, as they will no longer have to choose between the animated series and the film. Both projects can develop in parallel.
The two projects also promise very different experiences. X-Men '97 retains the continuity and many of the original voice actors from the series that captivated audiences in the '90s, as well as its soapy, serialized style. The live-action reboot, on the other hand, starts from scratch with a younger cast and likely a completely different tone.
The uniqueness of both projects will enhance the X-Men experience, allowing fans to experience two distinct versions of the mutants. It's similar to how Spider-Man fans can simultaneously experience different versions of the character's universe.
This dynamic will also foster healthy, creative competition. X-Men '97 was incredibly popular and set a high bar for Marvel Studios' mutant-themed projects. The film should meet or exceed this standard, giving Marvel additional motivation to create the best possible cinematic experience featuring the X-Men.