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Marvel's track record with TV shows has been hit or miss despite strong entries like Loki and WandaVision, but 2026 could change everything. While the MCU has managed to transform the landscape of film since 2008, with numerous box office blockbusters crossing the billion-dollar milestone and gripping audiences from a broad range of backgrounds, the TV shows haven't fared quite as well.
Marvel Studios remained a separate entity from Marvel Television throughout the Infinity Saga, which was, ironically, when some of Marvel's best-performing shows were released, such as the Netflix Marvel shows and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, at the dawn of the Multiverse Saga, Marvel made a major move to align the TV shows with the movies, resulting in some standout shows.
Unfortunately, while there have been a handful of strong new releases on the small screen, the Multiverse Saga and Marvel TV have been flailing. Thankfully, there is one show that is currently ahead of the pack as one of Marvel's absolute best, X-Men '97.
X-Men '97 Is One Of Marvel's Greatest Of All Time TV Shows
X-Men '97 was a genius new entry in the new library of Marvel Television as a series that sought to revive the classic X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon from the 1990s. But, instead of simply leaping decades into the future or simply taking a new direction with the classic story, the series picked up immediately after the final moments of the previous series and provided closure for fans of the original series while opening the door for new stories to be told.
It's also fair to say that among Marvel animated shows, the animation style on X-Men '97 stands out from the rest, capturing a sense of nostalgia and comic book authenticity. It also grew up with the audience, taking the previous story that was an elevated cartoon for kids with big ideas into something that adults enjoyed and leaned even more into the emotional intensity and moral lessons that the original tapped into.
X-Men '97 Is Underrated At 99% On Rotten Tomatoes
Beyond the incredible content of the show, which is clearly an objective indication of whether a show works for someone or not, there is also incredible evidence to support why X-Men '97 is Marvel's top TV show. When compared to some of the other most widely praised series from the catalog, X-Men '97 stands at the top.
But even with the 99% critics' score, it is an incredible shame that this series does not get the same attention, recognition, and praise as its live-action peers. Evidently, there are people who are hesitant to watch an animated series, but those who are willing to take the leap clearly find a story worth watching, and something that feels richer, more expansive, and more ambitious than most live-action.
Another factor could be X-Men '97 is not technically set inside the MCU, which means there is less of a draw to check out the series, and it ultimately leaves the total fanbase as a pretty narrow group of people who watched the original as a kid and still enjoy cartoons and superheroes. Fortunately, the MCU could learn a lot from X-Men '97.
The MCU Has The Chance To Create Something Similar After Avengers: Secret Wars
The Multiverse Saga's struggle to land with audiences has been a tragedy for the MCU, and certainly impacted the total income of Marvel Studios after a slate of incredible releases that were frequently shattering records. Fortunately, this has led to the MCU committing to having a soft reboot after the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
While these movies will serve to introduce Doctor Doom, and they will see many familiar faces return to the big screen as the Multiverse comes to an end, they will also provide a launchpad for the MCU's next era, the Mutant Saga.
With mutants set to lead the way in the coming years of the MCU, there is an opportunity to learn from the powerful stories and a broad cast of characters from shows like X-Men '97. Hopefully, Marvel Studios will pay attention to what is working and try to at least incorporate some elements into the future of the MCU.
