Moon Knight writer Beau DeMayo, who is also the head writer and executive producer of Marvel Studios’ X-Men ‘97 revival, compares working on the two Disney+ shows. Following Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019, Deadpool, the Fantastic Four, and X-Men were brought under the control of Marvel Studios. In the years since, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s implementation of mutants has been eagerly anticipated. To date, the most prominent MCU debut of an X-Men idea was WandaVision’s Quicksilver/Ralph Boner fake out and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s inclusion of Madripoor. Now, Patrick Stewart is all-but confirmed to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a variant of Professor X, with a comic-book accurate yellow chair à la X-Men: The Animated Series.

In the wake of What If…?’s success, Marvel Studios is expanding its animation department on Disney+. An X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997) relaunch is coming to the streaming service in 2023, bringing back members of the original voice cast including Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, Adrian Hough, George Buza, Christopher Britton, Chris Potter, Catherine Disher, Alison Sealy-Smith, and Alyson Court. As a direct continuation of the original series, the revival likely won’t be canon within the MCU. However, the classic ‘90s series is still considered to be one of the greatest animated comic book shows of all time. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure to do its characters justice, perhaps even more so than Moon Knight.

Related: X-Men 97 Can Finally Resolve One Of Marvel's Biggest Cliffhangers

In an interview with The Direct, Beau DeMayo talked about working as a writer on Jeremy Slater and Mohamed Diad’s Moon Knight as well as serving as the head writer/executive producer of X-Men ‘97. When asked to compare the two projects, DeMayo said they were “no different” from “a studio and process standpoint” before acknowledging the pressure of writing mutants for Marvel Studios. Read the full quote below:

“From a studio and process standpoint, no different. Kevin [Feige], Brad Winderbaum, Dana [Vasquez-Eberhardt] who’s working with us on this, who are our producers, they have the same level of involvement. I know in some studios, animation is treated like the red-headed stepchild and, honestly, What If…? and Marvel’s other animated series are treated just as seriously as their live-action properties. And X-Men, in particular, is something that is very close to Marvel Studios’ hearts, now that it’s back home at the studio. So that has been different."

X-Men The Animated Series 97 featured

DeMayo went on to talk about the “weight and a responsibility” he feels towards X-Men ‘97 given it's Marvel Studios' first mutant project and one with a nostalgic history. The first few seasons of X-Men: The Animated Series—along with its unrivaled theme song—can largely be accredited for cementing the X-Men’s place in popular culture. While the later seasons diminished in quality, Marvel Studios now has a chance to restore its former glory. DeMayo has admitted to more sleepless nights working on X-Men ‘97 compared to Moon Knight because while Slater was ultimately responsible for the latter’s scripts, X-Men ‘97 is DeMayo’s show.

Moon Knight introduced mainstream audiences to a relatively unknown character and story that isn’t heavily reliant on the larger MCU. That said, the writers pretty much had free reign to do whatever they wanted. Conversely, X-Men ‘97’s characters are beloved both because of the animated series’ original run and, of course, Fox’s live-action franchise. Kevin Feige and company have certainly cultivated a reputation for faithful and thoughtful comic book adaptations. So, it comes as no surprise that X-Men ‘97 is “very close to Marvel Studios’ hearts.” That said, it remains to be seen if Multiverse of Madness will have ties to X-Men ‘97 or do anything to facilitate the implementation of the mutant gene. Regardless, whether it be in the MCU or at Marvel Studios, the future of the X-Men is an exciting one.

More: Moon Knight Makes The Worst X-Men MCU Debut More Likely

Source: The Direct

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