It’s no secret that the output of Marvel Studios’ live-action content for the past few years has proven divisive amongst both critics and fans; an issue that seems especially apparent in the wake of the MCU’s shockingly consistent first three phases. While Marvel’s Disney+ series have also received mixed responses, it appears that one area in which Marvel Studios is flourishing is the medium of animation. It may only be a few episodes in, but Marvel’s long-awaited follow-up to the classic X-Men: The Animated Series – the newly released X-Men ’97 – is already making waves as one of the MCU’s best and most ambitious projects in a long time.

Before X-Men ’97, however, Marvel Studios had already enjoyed critical success in the realm of animation with What If…? – a show that explores a series of hypothetical alternate-timeline scenarios involving the MCU’s most popular characters. The show’s first and second seasons currently hold 94% and 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively. Although it’s undeniably a good time, What If…? does fall short of X-Men ’97 in one key area.

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X-Men ’97’s big advantage is its voice cast

As each episode of X-Men ’97 continues to unfold, the show’s ability to recapture the style and nostalgia of its predecessor – while updating its animation, expanding its world and sending its narrative in a fresh new direction – has been consistently impressive. Still, it’s X-Men ‘97’s stellar voice cast that gives it the edge over What If…?

The show’s voice cast may have implemented a few changes since its original incarnation, but it’s hard to distinguish where those changes are without actively looking it up. Storm, for instance, is voiced by her original voice actress, Alison Sealy-Smith, while Magneto is voiced by newcomer Matthew Waterson following the unfortunate passing of David Hemblen, who previously voiced the character in X-Men: The Animated Series. Both characters are voiced with an appropriate level of gravitas, with X-Men ‘97’s second episode, “Mutant Liberation Begins”, acting as a great showcase for both voice actors. Joining Sealy-Smith and Waterson in the cast are Ray Chase as Cyclops, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Lenore Zann as Rogue, A. J. LoCascio as Gambit, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, J. P. Karliak as Morph and George Buza as Beast – just to name a few.

Still, it’s great to see Marvel hire professional voice actors for X-Men ’97 rather than resorting to stunt casting – which is likely why its cast feels more robust as a whole than What If…?’s.

What If…?’s voice cast has some weak spots

One of the big draws of What If…? when it was initially announced was the return of a large number of MCU cast members reprising their iconic roles. This has become something of a double-edged sword for the show. While it’s great to hear Paul Rudd back as Ant-Man or Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, the quality of the show’s voice acting is unfortunately inconsistent. Firstly, it should be noted that acting and voice acting are two different art forms entirely. A great screen actor may not necessarily thrive in a voice-over booth, while the reverse is also likely true. Combined with the fact that many of these actors lead extremely busy professional lives, it likely isn’t possible to put as much time and attention into their What If…? roles as they might like – but are contractually obligated to take on the role nonetheless.

Additionally, the return of such a large number of MCU cast members makes it all the more distracting when specific voice actors don’t return. While many of their replacements do a great job, noticing these changes – as well as the inconsistent performances of the original cast members – has a tendency to take the audience out of the show.

X-Men ’97 features old and new actors

Sure, X-Men ’97 also features both old and new cast members, but all the show’s performances feel like they were carefully considered. After all, it has been almost 30 years since the release of the original show, so it’s natural that many of the original performers’ voices have changed considerably – and sadly, many of X-Men: The Animated Series’ cast members have also passed away in the years since its release. Due to this, the entire cast had to re-audition for their X-Men ’97 roles, ensuring that the actors were still the right fit for the project. It’s also clear there’s no bad blood between Marvel and the actors who didn’t reprise their roles, since they still feature in the voice cast in other capacities. Jean Grey’s original voice actress Catherine Disher, for instance, is heavily featured in X-Men ’97 as Valerie Cooper – a government agent responsible for mutant-human relations.

It's also notable that several of the show’s new cast members happen to be talented impersonators. A. J. LoCascio and Ross Marquand – who also seamlessly replaced Hugo Weaving as Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – are great examples of this, with their roles as Gambit and Professor X feeling pitch perfect. Overall, it’s clear that X-Men ’97 has gone to great lengths to ensure that its voice cast is of as high a quality as possible, while effectively maintaining the nostalgia of the original show.

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X-Men '97

The animated X-Men team returns in the Disney Plus reboot, X-Men '97. With Professor X gone, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and the rest of the mutants find themselves under the leadership of Magneto and facing a new threat. X-Men '97 is the first project under the newly created Marvel Animation banner.