Adam and I are back with episode 10 of Remember That Show?, and we’re looking at the original X-Men animated pilot, X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men. Plus, episode 10 is a big deal to me, as it means we’ve completed our first “Netflix season”! I feel like we’ve been doing this a lot longer than 10 (and a half) episodes, but I guess that’s just a testament to how much fun we have when recording the show. Anyway, with all of the hype leading into the Disney+ series, X-Men ’97, we figured it would be a great time to take a look back at where Marvel’s merry band of mutants has been.
Released in 1989, X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men was a pilot created by Marvel Productions, using much of the team roster from the “All New, All Different” era of the franchise. Set around the time of issues #129-139 of the Uncanny X-Men comic, the episode follows 14 year old mutant Kitty Pryde, as she not only discovers the existence of the X-Men, but also ends up fighting alongside them, IN SPACE, for the fate of humanity. It’s a tight 24-minute episode that serves as a great, baggage-free primer on who the X-Men are, as well as what it is that they do.
Looking back, it’s funny to think about how this was released at a time when the franchise was something of an unknown quantity to anyone outside of comics fandom. While the pilot did not immediately yield a series, much of the team lineup would later show up in the classic Konami X-Men arcade game. Eventually, Margaret Loesch, the president of Fox Kids, would order a Saturday morning X-Men cartoon – with many of the Pryde crewmembers on board – that debuted in 1992. Riding the wave of comics superstar artist (and current DC Comics Chief Creative Officer) Jim Lee launching what I love to call the “Adjectiveless” X-Men comic, complete with character redesigns, this show would introduce an entire generation to Charles Xavier and his students.
At the time of this posting, X-Men ’97 has been a HUGE success on Disney+, so join us as we take a look back at where this long road began. You can find the episode here, or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaking of which, Google Podcasts will shut down tomorrow (April 2nd), so here’s your reminder to find a new place to get us in your ears, if you haven’t already! I mean, of course you’ve subbed to the show by now…
