X-Men '97 will finally arrive on Disney+ next month, a whopping 27 years after X-Men: The Animated Series ended. Everything we've seen from the revival suggests it will do its predecessor justice, and we now have news on an unexpected addition to the show.
According to scooper @CanWeGetToast, Deathbird is set to make an appearance in X-Men '97. She had a non-speaking role in X-Men: The Animated Series and sought to overthrow her sister, Shi'ar Empress Lilandra, and install herself as Majestrix.
She'd later join forces with Apocalypse but was ultimately abandoned. Marvel Studios must have bigger plans for the character and this comes after the same leaker previously reported on plans for Lilandra to appear.
In X-Men: The Animated Series, a dying Professor X was forced to leave his X-Men behind to seek a cure in the Shi'ar Empire. The first trailer for X-Men '97 seemed to suggest Charles Xavier has since died, so it will be interesting to see how both Lilandra and Deathbird factor into this follow-up.
Marvel Studios has also released a couple of new stills from X-Men '97, this time without the watermarks which plastered them when they were published by Entertainment Weekly and Empire.
"X-Men'97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future," reads a brief synopsis.
Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), George Buza (Beast), Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler), Lenore Zann (Rogue), and Chris Britton (Mister Sinister) will all reprise their X-Men: The Animated Series roles in X-Men '97.
However, Catherine Disher, the original Jean Grey, is now voicing Dr. Valerie Cooper. Chris Potter, the original Gambit, is now playing Cable. Lawrence Bayne, the original Cable, is now playing X-Cutioner. Ron Rubin, the original Morph, is now playing President Robert Edward Kelly. Alyson Court, the original Jubilee, will take on the role of Abscissa.
Ray Chase is the new Cyclops, and he'll be joined by Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, JP Karliak as Morph, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, Ross Marquand as Professor X, Giu Augustini as Sunspot, Gil Birmingham as Forge, and Eric Bauza as the Sentinels.
Beau DeMayo serves as head writer; episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura. Featuring music by The Newton Brothers, the series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo.
X-Men '97 is set to premiere on Disney+ on March 20.