Based on the news report we hear near the opening scenes of the first episode, it becomes clear that X-Men '97 is set one year after the events of X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran for five seasons from 1992 to 1997. Of course, the most important question remains this: Is Charles Xavier dead or alive? At the end of The Animated Series, Lilandra took Xavier to the Shi'ar Empire. In X-Men '97, we see Xavier's death certificate. I guess he is...gone? Well, anything can happen, especially in the superhero universe. I won't be surprised if the professor returns in the future.
Episode 1 opens with the X-Men rescuing an arrogant Roberto da Costa (Gui Agustini). He thinks money is the solution to every problem. That collar you see on his neck is a gadget that temporarily disables the powers of the mutants. Attach a chain to it, and you can put the heroes on a leash. Who wants a (super)human dog? Anyone? The tension between the ordinary citizens and the X-Men remains in X-Men '97. A man named X-Cutioner (Lawrence Bayne) grumbles that humans suffer more than superhumans, but they don't whine about their troubles. The problem with the X-Men, according to X-Cutioner, is that they moan too much about their pain. I suspect this bad guy's mission fails because he spent more time coming up with a cool name.
Let's see what else happens here. The first episode is all about the X-Men investigating and destroying Sentinel weapons. Nothing about their task screams "exciting!" or "urgent!" Bodies float in the air while lasers and other superpower-y stuff are fired to inflict damage. The images come and go without leaving any impact. The second episode fares slightly better as Magneto's (Matthew Waterson) true intentions hang in the air. Has he really changed? Does he really want to fulfill Xavier's goal of human-mutant co-existence?
I must say, I was quite impressed by Magneto's timing, given he takes control of the school just when Jean (Jennifer Hale) and Cyclops (Ray Chase) plan on bidding farewell. Perhaps it will be revealed to us later that Xavier didn't actually hand over the responsibilities of the school and the X-Men to his best friend (or, shall I say, ex-best friend?). As I mentioned earlier, anything can happen. For now, Magneto seems hell-bent on being seen as a friend. He refers to the team as "my X-Men."
It's unfair to pass judgment on a show without watching it entirely. But based on these first two episodes, X-Men '97 comes across as forgettable, meh, uninteresting. I winced when a letter about finding connection was read aloud in front of the group while "cute," "friendly" visuals appeared on the screen. It's Clumsy Drama 101 for kids - an amateurish way of establishing a connection with the audience. There is one scene, however, that I found chuckle-worthy. When Jean yells, "He's here," Wolverine (Cal Dodd) reveals his claws and asks, "Who, Apocalypse?" Logan's comment turns out to be more effective, and more fun, than other superheroic tasks.
Final Score - [4.5/10]