Wolverine voice actor Cal Dodd reveals that he has begun recording sessions for the Disney+ revival of the X-Men animated series, X-Men '97. The series was announced as part of Marvel Studios' showcase on Disney+ Day 2021. Dodd voiced the clawed Canadian mutant throughout the original show's 76-episode run from 1992 to 1996.
X-Men: The Animated Series was an incredibly pivotal piece of Marvel media in the '90s. Before the success of cinematic outings like Blade, Spider-Man, and X-Men, many young fans were introduced to the comic characters through series airing on the Fox Kids Network. Its popularity led to other series based on Marvel Comics being developed, such as cartoons based on Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four. Despite being influential, the series was canceled after five seasons but would be fondly remembered and go on to inspire future projects, such as the 2000 film. Fans were delightfully surprised when a revival was announced on Disney+ Day, continuing the series from where the finale left off, and now one of its original cast members has revealed that work on the series is well on the way.
Posting on his personal Twitter, Dodd shared an image of himself in the recording booth. The voice actor revealed that he had begun recording for the animated series revival, stating that he was glad to be returning as Wolverine. In the photo, Dodd raised three of his fingers while smiling for the camera, mimicking Wolverine's adamantium claws. Check out Dodd's original Tweet below:
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Prior to the announcement, there had been rumblings and rumors of a new X-Men animated series that would air long before their MCU debut. In August 2020, series producer and director Larry Houston revealed talks had happened with Disney over resurrecting the animated series. Producers and writers Eric and Julia Leward also made appearances as part of Hasbro's Marvel showcase for Hasbro PulseCon weeks prior to the announcement in October 2021 to discuss their time on the show. Alongside Dodd, most of the remaining cast who are available will reprise their roles alongside new cast members. However, Jubilee voice actress Alyson Court revealed she would not voice Jubilee in the revival, and an Asian-American actress would take on the role.
Though X-Men '97 isn't set to air until 2023, seeing Dodd's return is a welcome update for fans. Though the character has been voiced by many brilliant actors in the years since the series, such as Steve Blum, Dodd's voice is iconic to the Jim Lee-inspired artwork of the animated series. His and most of the original cast's return will help once more recapture the '90s era of the X-Men for new and old fans.
Source: Cal Dodd