The new Disney+ Marvel series X-Men ‘97 has brought the popular ‘90s animated series back to life, and it’s also evident that Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel has inspired the series on multiple levels. X-Men: The Animated Series originally aired from 1992 to 1997 on Fox Kids, introducing an entire generation to the X-Men long before the superhero movie craze began.
Did X-Men 97 Steal From Man of Steel?
The revival series X-Men ‘97 has brought the show back into the mainstream with a vengeance, boasting a more mature tone, gorgeous animation, and a gripping story of the prejudiced mutants who continue to battle in the Marvel Universe. X-Men ‘97 also has a particular affinity for one particular DC movie.
The first major nod to Man of Steel is seen in the sixth episode, “Lifedeath -Part 2”, when a re-powered Storm flies through the sky, over wildlife, and across the ocean, with many fans noting on social media that the sequence bears a striking resemblance to Superman’s first flight scene in Man of Steel. X-Men ‘97’s eighth episode, “Tolerance is Extinction”, Part One, draws even more explicitly from Man of Steel in the scene of a young Bastion in a classroom, finding himself overwhelmed with his telepathic powers.
This is a direct parallel to a flashback to a young Clark Kent’s childhood in Man of Steel, in which Clark’s powers of super-hearing and X-ray vision cause him to experience sensory overload in class, with Clark fleeing to a janitor’s closet and his adoptive mother Martha Kent helping him to focus his powers.
The flashback also includes a moment of Bastion’s mother comforting her frighted son who fears he will never be “normal”, his mother telling him “You are normal. You are my son.” in a major parallel to Jonathan Kent’s “You are my son” scene in Man of Steel.
Beau DeMayo Confirms
If there were any doubt these homages to Man of Steel were accidental, X-Men ‘97 creator Beau DeMayo himself has dispelled them on social media, DeMayo confirming to a fan on Twitter/X that Storm’s flying scene was indeed inspired by Superman’s first flight scene and DeMayo also describing himself as a Zack Snyder fan, “especially Man of Steel”.
While the online discussion of everything pertaining to Zack Snyder is often lacking in nuance, Snyder fans and X-Men fans alike should take these homages by the show as a great storytelling tool for the series.
Filmmakers often homage and pay tribute to each other in movies and TV series, and the superhero genre is a prime example of that. Snyder’s own Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice make heavy references to Excalibur, while James Mangold’s Logan can easily be read as a futuristic riff on Shane and Todd Phillips’ Joker is essentially Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy with clown make-up.
In instances like these, the writers and directors are not simply ripping off other filmmakers’ works but weaving their DNA into stories to be passed onto the next generation of movie lovers. DeMayo and the creative team of X-Men ‘97 are doing exactly that in the show’s homages to Man of Steel, utilizing storytelling devices from the film in a manner that works for their story and that shows a true affection for the Superman origin story Man of Steel tells.
X-Men ‘97’s Love For Man of Steel
By the same token, Snyder fans themselves have every reason to love X-Men ‘97’s love for Man of Steel, as it solidifies the enduring impact the film has had and continues to have on Superman lore. However polarizing Snyder’s DCEU films may have been upon release, they unequivocally have left an impact on popular culture and modern superhero mythology that has kept Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League fresh and relevant in the public zeitgeist.
X-Men ’97’s affection for Man of Steel is just one example of many that can be pointed to of the legacy of Snyder’s DC films remaining so strong (the CW’s Superman & Lois essentially places the tone and feel of Man of Steel into a TV series.) In all, it’s quite clear that X-Men ’97 has a lot of love for Zack Snyder’s contributions to DC lore. Perhaps one day, Warner Bros. and DC themselves will feel the same.
X-Men '97 |
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A band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they're challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future. |
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| Creator: Beau DeMayo |
| Cast: Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Alison Sealy-Smith, Cal Dodd, J. P. Karliak, Lenore Zann, George Buza, A. J. LoCascio, Holly Chou, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Matthew Waterson, Ross Marquand, Adrian Hough |
| Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure |
| Number of Seasons: 1 |
| Streaming Service: Disney+ |
