Season 1 Episode 3 of X-Men ‘97 builds upon the previous episodes with excitement and ease. The story brings new stakes for the X-men team to face going forward, while also elevating the individual stakes for each of the characters of the show. Beau DeMayo yet again elevates his writing game with this episode, elevating the emotional stakes for each character, and also making every fight sequence feel like it could be the last. Each character gets their moment to shine throughout the episode, with the voice acting being great across the board.
In this episode, the main standout is Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey. Hale takes the character of Jean to a whole new emotional range that was not seen in the other episodes. This makes Jean feel not only more powerful, but also feel more relatable as a character for the average viewer of the show. Ray Chase as Cyclops also does a great job in this episode, with more of an emotionally open performance, that allows Cyclops to let out some of his inner emotions that haven’t come out before.
The animation is absolutely stunning in this episode, definitely the best in the series thus far. This episode’s story lends itself to more crazy animation, but the creative team of X-Men ‘97 knocks it out of the park. They were able to create incredible animations, really using the hero’s powers as their friend, letting go of the norm and instead creating something that feels completely unique. Each shot that takes place in the back half of the episode looks like it could be a painting due to how meticulously each shot was made. The colors are what truly makes the episode stand out from the others. This episode is filled with vibrant and unique colors that make each sequence that much more memorable for audiences.
Overall, Season 1 Episode 3 of X-Men ‘97 takes everything good from the prior two episodes and elevates it to a whole new level, creating more excitement within the fanbase for what is to come in the rest of the season.
Rating: 8.5/10