Marvel revives 'X-Men: The Animated Series' with new project 'X-Men '97' coming to Disney+

After years of rewatching the classic episodes, and waiting, and hoping, X-Men: The Animated Series is back. 

During Disney+ Day on Friday morning, Disney announced that it will revive one of the most beloved eras of X-Men storytelling with X-Men '97, a new animated series that seems to be aimed directly at fans of the original X-Men animated series that looks primed to capitalize on all the nostalgia we've built up for it over the past three decades. The studio even used perhaps the most beloved meme from the original series to announce the show.

Launched in the fall of 1992, X-Men arrived amid the team's peak popularity in the comic book boom of the 1990s, after creators like Chris Claremont and John Byrne had spent the previous 15 years telling dozens of epic stories that were ripe for adaptation. For many superhero fans, the animated series was their first introduction to classic X-Men tales like "Days of Future Past," "The Dark Phoenix Saga," and more. In the years since its release, the series has enjoyed enduring popularity, particularly since streaming services brought renewed attention to the classic episodes. 

Now, it looks like the new series will pick up more or less where the original left off, at least in terms of chronological episode releases. X-Men: The Animated Series concluded its run in the fall of 1997 with an episode that seemed primed to send the characters off into a whole new era. Professor Xavier was headed off to Shi'ar space with Lilandra, while Magneto found himself allied with the X-Men and spending time at Xavier's mansion, setting the stage for an era of the show that would adapt the comics storylines in which Magneto was the team's leader. Now, with Disney+ as a launching pad, we might finally see those stories.

X-Men '97 arrives in 2023 on Disney+.