X-Men: The Animated Series may have only lasted for five years, but the fact it's so beloved is what led to us getting Marvel Studios/Marvel Animation's critically acclaimed revival, X-Men '97.
Of course, that wasn't the only Marvel series which dominated the '90s because we also got the likes of The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Spider-Man: The Animated Series. The latter is up there with X-Men: The Animated Series in terms of how beloved it is, and the hope now is that will also receive a follow-up.
The show ended on a major cliffhanger and any sort of revival would surely receive the same glowing response as X-Men '97. However, Marvel Studios' plans may be even more ambitious than that.
According to The Cosmic Circus, "There have been discussions about exploring a Marvel 90s animated universe, which would most likely be explored through X-Men '97 at this time."
"There is potential for more projects to be developed within this universe, the most likely candidate being a sequel series to Spider-Man: The Animated Series, but this is still very early in development as an idea being tossed around."
In other words, it sounds like Marvel Animation has plans for crossovers which will show us more of the characters who took centre stage in the shows listed above. With any luck, that will lead to a full-blown "Spider-Man '98" TV show as there's potential there for something...spectacular.
Brad Winderbaum, an X-Men '97 executive producer and the head of animation, streaming and television at Marvel Studios, was recently asked about a possible Spider-Man: The Animated Series revival and seemed to suggest that nothing is off the table.
"We’re doing that right now. We’re in production on Daredevil: Born Again in New York, they’re shooting as we speak - I’m seeing text messages come up from set," he said, largely dodging the question. "That’s probably the next show that is going to kind of revisit and revive a really strong, and one of my favorite pockets of our universe and our fandom. And...you never know, is the answer!"
John Semper, the creator of the wall-crawler's 1990s animated series, was recently asked if he'd be open to getting involved and said, "All they have to do is call me. I'm here, and I'd certainly consider doing it."
It's probably best not to get too excited about any of this just yet, but this is a promising update. The X-Men '97 premiere even referenced Spider-Man: The Animated Series with an Easter Egg which, while misspelled, was still significant.