X-Men '97 Disney+ premiere date announced: First look trailer released

While we're all eagerly awaiting the debut of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the legendary superhero team is returning in animated form next month in the highly anticipated X-Men '97 series.

Confirmed by Marvel, X-Men '97 will premiere on Disney+ next month on March 20th. A trailer was released today, giving us our first look at the animated series.

A sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series, the trailer begins with a glimpse of cliffhanger ending from that original series. It's a fitting introduction as X-Men '97 builds off Professor X's disappearance during the orignal series' finale.

With the X-Men reunited following an "impactful event," the series will follow the team — now led by Cyclops — on new adventures. The trailer provides us with glimpses at many returning fan-favorite characters, including Cyclops, Wolverine, Gambit, Storm, Beast, Jubilee, Morph and Bishop. And right before the ending, we get another surprise appearance by another recognizable character — Magneto, who drops the bombshell that he is now in possession of the last will and testament of Charles Xavior.

"Everything he build now belongs to me," Magneto says before the trailer cuts away to the Disney+ logo.

X-Men: The Animated Series was known for its faithful adaptations of the many storylines from the comic books. Despite existing as a cartoon, storytelling was at the heart of the series. X-Men '97 will look to capture the "DNA of the original show."

When X-Men '97 was announced, there was also a lot of emphasis on the animation. While it still looks 2D, it was clearly designed with more modern technology at the artists' disposal. It still has the same look and feel as the original, but there are clear improvements with subtle character animations.

From the return of that iconic theme song to the "Previously, on X-Men" intro, everything about this teaser brought me back to childhood. I can't wait to catch the series when it drops on Disney+. Thankfully, the wait isn't too much longer.

X-Men '97 will debut on Disney+ on March 20, 2024.