Marvel is renowned for its iconic teams, such as the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, who have garnered significant popularity through comics and films. However, the X-Men stand out as arguably the most popular team in comic book history, having starred in countless comic books, animated shows, and feature films.

Many fans' initial encounter with the X-Men was through the live-action film trilogy from 2000 to 2006, featuring actors like Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellen. While Marvel Studios is currently developing a new live-action X-Men film, the recent animated series, X-Men '97, has emerged as a highly popular project, serving as a direct continuation of the classic X-Men: The Animated Series.

At a recent Big Lick Comic Con panel moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt, voice actresses Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm) and Catherine Disher (Jean Grey in X-Men: TAS, Valerie Cooper in X-Men '97) discussed their evolving relationship with the X-Men family. Disher recounted an anecdote about Larry Houston, the original director and producer of X-Men: The Animated Series. Houston, responsible for selecting the featured mutants, effectively "created a family" with his choices. When asked by Disher about a collective noun for a group of X-Men, he thoughtfully responded, "A family of X-Men." This concept highlights how many people were introduced to comics through the animated series.

The profound influence of X-Men: The Animated Series extended to the live-action films. Bryan Singer, director of the initial X-Men movies, reportedly had limited prior knowledge of the comics and relied heavily on the cartoon for character selection. This led to central figures like Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, and Storm being prominently featured in the franchise, shaping its trajectory. Disher emphasized that Larry Houston's character choices for the animated series were crucial in establishing the core roster that continued into the films.

Had Houston chosen a different set of mutants, such as Bishop, Polaris, Cable, or Cannonball, to be more prominent, the Marvel universe's cinematic representation might be vastly different today. Despite a change in director for the final film of the early 2000s trilogy (Brett Ratner replaced Singer), the foundational characters and storyline established earlier remained, making a complete roster overhaul impractical at that point.

Viewers can find the first season of X-Men '97 on Disney+ and look forward to Season 2, which begins streaming next month on July 1. For those interested in exploring their own Marvel affinities, the provided content also included an interactive personality quiz designed to identify which MCU hero, such as Spider-Man or Iron Man, best matches a user's values and fighting spirit. This separate feature offers a unique way for fans to connect with the broader Marvel universe.