Marvel dropped a few bombshell updates recently involving the MCU and their cartoons. They announced the cast for Fantastic Four, which was unusual as big news like this is usually announced at significant events like Comic Con. Other significant events included the release of the Deadpool and Wolverine trailer and the X-Men 97 trailer. All this news was dropped in quick succession and almost made everyone forget that the MCU was in dire straits.
There have been rumours that Marvel is looking to pivot their approach after the failure of The Marvels and flops like Secret Invasion on Disney+. Knowing what changes they will make is mostly guesswork, except for Disney chief Bob Iger’s claims that Marvel will create less content and increase the quality of their upcoming releases.
Who knows whether there is genuine willpower to fix the MCU? If they want to fix things, they should revamp their casting, writing, and directing approach. Still, the place where this mammoth overhaul should begin is with Marvel’s animated content.
The X-Men 97 trailer looked so good that it created great excitement and reinvigorated the fanbase, which has become disillusioned with Marvel. Instead of looking to the Fantastic Four and Deadpool to turn things around, Marvel should see their animated catalogue as the spark that will turn things around, and its possible that these cartoons could save the MCU.
X-Men 97 and Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Continuing the X-Men cartoon from the 90s was a smart idea. The cartoon has a die-hard fanbase, and general audiences are also familiar with the series. Everyone loves cartoons, but what was not to enjoy? It has excellent animation, gripping storylines, brilliant voice-acting, and thrilling action; it didn’t get better than the 90s. Something else did come close, though: John Semper Jr.’s Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
With X-Men getting a second life, thoughts naturally turned to another spectacular Marvel cartoon from the 90s. The show’s creator, John Semper Jr., recently came forward and chastised Sony for not crediting him in the Spider-Verse movies.
Semper created the Spider-Verse concept in his famous animated series, which Sony was happy to utilize for their current run of films. Semper Jr. posted on X, saying, “Hey, Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and Christina Steinberg, even though you’ve never seen fit to thank me in your credits for creating the Spider-Verse concept – You’re welcome, anyway!’
In response to a fan query, Semper also reminded Marvel that he is ready and willing to continue his Spider-Man cartoon from the 90s, ‘All they have to do is call me’, he wrote, ‘I’m here, and I’d certainly consider doing it.’ Talk about laying it on the table! Semper did Marvel a great favour by making his desire public. Marvel would be wise to take him up on the offer as quickly as possible.
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Laying New Foundations for the MCU: X-Men 97
Marvel’s floundering after Avengers: Endgame has become painfully obvious. The studio is looking to Fantastic Four and Deadpool to right the ship, but will these be enough to have a lasting impact? Perhaps they will, but rather than look to be ambitious with mega-blockbusters to turn things around; Marvel should start small and use their rich animated legacy to be the vanguard that begins the healing and fixes the wrongs of the past.
X-Men 97 looks really good, and if it sticks to the formula it had in the 90s, then the series should be a great success. The next step should be to greenlight Semper Jr’s Spider-Man series. The show was another high point for comic book cartoons.
Like X-Men, Spider-Man: The Animated Series was studded with great characters, impeccable music (can’t beat that opening theme), and captivating stories. These shows were well written and featured plenty of dramatic tension and exciting fighting and adventure; it felt like mini-movies you were watching instead of made-for-television cartoons.
The Path to Recovery: Iron Man, Spider-Man and Silver Surfer
Marvel should scale back on releasing films and Disney+ content but increase their animated content. If X-Men 97 proves successful, the studio should continue some of their other 90s cartoons, like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Silver Surfer. Heck, they should already be mapping and planning for these cartoons. Iron Man: The Animated Series was another stellar cartoon that could be the launchpad to reintroduce Iron Man into the MCU.
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Silver Surfer was pure animated art, a series ahead of its time and a fantastic portrayal of Norrin Radd and Galactus. Focusing on these cartoons is a good way to tell new stories while rebuilding credibility. If Marvel can do right by these cartoon series and have them be successful, it would go a long way in repairing the damage and showing that they can still tell compelling stories without risking too much.
Films and live-action series are expensive and are more high-risk commercially. Another negative factor is increased pressure from critical blowback, which is harsher for live action. Marvel has been getting more negative reviews, especially from its audience.
Cartoons can better absorb the pressure while forging new paths and rebuilding the brand. Marvel would be wise to gauge X-Men 97‘s success and build on top of it with Iron Man, Spider-Man and Silver Surfer. If the formula for the cartoons works, then it’s a no-brainer that films and live-action series should copy them.
What do you think about Marvel leaning more into their animated catalogue? Will these cartoons help fix the problems in the MCU?