Disney+ has a science fiction television show that manages to make the Avengers movies look small in comparison in just ten episodes. As far as superhero movies go, few films manage to achieve the sheer gravity and scale of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers franchise. Every Avengers movie crosses over multiple superheroes, features villains that could destroy the Earth or the entire universe, and feels absolutely massive in scale.
Even with the massive scale of the Avengers movies, however, there’s another superhero show that feels even larger. That show, X-Men ‘97, isn’t part of the main MCU, and it features fewer heroes, fewer franchises, and a much smaller cast, but it still blows the Avengers franchise out of the water. That’s because X-Men ‘97 makes a point to make its world feel bigger, and the future of the show is set to raise the stakes just as high as Avengers: Infinity War.
The main way X-Men ‘97 makes the Avengers movies seem small in comparison is through its world. When looking only at the four Avengers movies that have come out so far, the world of the MCU feels lifeless. The original Avengers and Age of Ultron had moments where characters would be concerned about civilian casualties, and the global politics surrounding the Sokovia Accords and Wakanda somewhat factor into the films, but other than that, the world of the Avengers movies seems fairly barren.
The Avengers films don’t do much to show how everyday people react to the superheroes, the mass destruction they’re regularly subjected to, and the deadly supervillains that keep cropping up. Other MCU movies and shows dive into these ideas in much greater detail, but the Avengers movies themselves aren’t very interested in portraying a complicated and interesting world. The world of the MCU is just a backdrop for the Avengers’ interpersonal drama and massive fights.
In stark contrast to the scarce world-building in the Avengers franchise lies the world-building of X-Men ‘97. The world of X-Men ‘97 feels so complicated and important that it basically becomes a character all of its own. The X-Men constantly face anti-mutant sentiment from ordinary humans, some of their enemies are fringe terrorist groups fueled by bigotry, and the group even works directly with the United Nations in the first season.
Even the action and fights of X-Men ‘97 lend themselves to the show’s world-building. Xavier, for instance, wants to see humans and mutants co-exist, while Magneto wants to conquer humanity. So many of the X-Men’s missions, as well, are based around global conflicts. A huge point of conflict, the mutant nation Genosha, also plays a massive role in the show. The world of the Avengers franchise is just a setting, but the world of X-Men ‘97 is a core part of its story.
Aside from world-building, X-Men ‘97 also has Avengers beat in a few other areas. Both stories have large casts of characters, but X-Men ‘97 focuses much more on the dynamics of its team than any of the Avengers movies do. The X-Men also have far more villains to battle and threats from all sides than the Avengers do, which heightens the sense of danger and the show’s stakes. X-Men ‘97 may be a smaller show on the surface, but it does everything bigger than Avengers does.
The only area the Avengers truly have X-Men ‘97 beat in terms of scope is in its villains, but even that is subject to change. The Avengers movies have had some great villains already, including Loki, Ultron, and the incredibly menacing Thanos. Avengers: Doomsday is also set to up the stakes even higher with the arrival of Doctor Doom. X-Men ‘97’s various villains, chiefly Magneto, can’t compare in terms of danger and cool-factor.
X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ‘97 are perfect for introducing some of the mutants who will play important roles in Avengers: Doomsday.
X-Men ‘97 season 2, however, is primed to introduce another villain that will put the show right on par with the Avengers movies. Apocalypse is set to return in the coming season, and based on everything we know about the character, there’s a very good chance his plans to rewrite the universe in his image will return with him. It seems X-Men ‘97 season 2 will be redoing the Age of Apocalypse story from the comics, which is a universal-level threat.
If Apocalypse is trying to rewrite the entire universe in X-Men ‘97 season 2, that goal would easily put him on par with both Thanos and Doctor Doom from the Avengers films. Apocalypse would also cement X-Men ‘97 as the largest superhero team-up story the MCU currently has. X-Men ‘97 has a more developed world, a more in-depth cast of heroes, and it will soon have just as threatening of a villain for those heroes to fight as the Avengers movies do.
](/db/tv-show/x-men-97/)
](/tag/animation/)
](/tag/action-movies/)
Science Fiction
](/tag/sci-fi/)
Jake Castorena, Emi Yonemura, Chase Conley