As far as comic book adaptations go, Disney+ delivered a sci-fi masterpiece consisting of 95 episodes and counting. In the modern streaming landscape, TV shows based on comic book properties tend to be shorter in length. Even the best comic book TV shows, be it Loki or Watchmen, have less than 20 episodes between them. The same can be said for the likes of WandaVision, Wonder Man, or, more recently, the DCU’s Lanterns. Now more than ever, shorter-form content is dominating superhero media on TV.
For that reason, the best of the genre tend to stand out as longer stories. One of Disney+’s best sci-fi shows epitomizes this, given it has had 95 episodes and more planned for the future. The show in question is a two-in-one: X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97. The former ran for 76 episodes in the 1990s before the latter was reborn on Disney+ as a continuation. Currently, X-Men ’97 has 19 episodes across two seasons, continuing the legacy of one of the greatest comic book adaptations. Moreover, X-Men ’97 season 3 is on the horizon, promising more in the future.
What makes these shows special is their length, allowing characters, storylines, and multi-season arcs to be fully fleshed out, without the need to tie into a wider shared universe. Although both do exist in continuity with other Marvel animated TV shows, they are primarily self-contained, allowing for a much more in-depth exploration of the titular team, their conflicts, villains, and relationship dynamics. On top of all that, X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97 tell great adaptations of comic book stories with a mix of fidelity and enough original content to warrant existing. Undoubtedly, the collective whole is a sci-fi, comic book masterpiece.
The X-Men’s TV Dominance Will Only Continue
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The two X-Men shows may already be considered masterpieces, but that is only set to be solidified. X-Men ’97 specifically was revered for the maturity of its writing and the complex way in which it dealt with typical mutant storylines linked to oppression, prejudice, and discrimination. With that in mind, it becomes even more exciting that the show will have at least two more seasons. Season 3 is expected in 2027, while development is ongoing on season 4, priming it for a 2028 release date. Evidently, Disney+’s comic book masterpiece does not intend to slow down.
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That is without mentioning the other promising possibilities of the X-Men franchise on Disney+. After 2026, the mutants will be an official part of live-action stories in the MCU. While this has led to a movie set for release in 2028, it opens the door to plenty of Disney+ stories after Avengers: Secret Wars soft reboots the multiverse.
The X-Men TV Era Has The Potential To Be Its Own MCU
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What this all means is that Marvel Studios could have a sub-franchise that, ironically, could be just as big, if not bigger, than the MCU itself. After all, the roster of X-Men and their many villains is huge, much bigger than that of the Avengers. This offers Marvel a wealth of potential stories that could benefit from a TV format. As proven by X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97, longer stories elevate the characters they involve, which could be the same for live-action adaptations.
Marvel Studios has recently overhauled its TV productions, leaning more into traditional serialized formats than the aforementioned short-length seasons that work more as drawn-out movies in a larger universe. If this benefits any of Marvel’s many properties, it is the X-Men franchise. Be it solo character entries centered on the team’s biggest heroes or team-up TV shows akin to X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97, Disney+’s comic book masterclass can be extended and adapted in live-action with a host of exciting possibilities.
X-Men ’97
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