by Joe Schickman, Reporter

After 9,678 days, or approximately 26.5 years, X-Men ‘97 is finally here to continue the revered run that started with X-Men: The Animated Series. It’s pretty unanimously a hit, garnering immediate positive attention from both fans and critics alike. With the top notch care given to this show’s new run, it was no surprise that the show was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Animated Programing (along with the likes of Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons). But how did we get here, and what part does the terrific music play in this show’s storied legacy?

Why X-Men ‘97 is an important entry into the long awaited sequel trend:

X-Men: The Animated Series has a place of particular importance in the 90’s Marvel cartoon lineup, and in the hearts and minds of a whole generation who grew up with it. In those days, X-Men, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four, Spiderman, and The Incredible Hulk, among others, made up the MCU (or Marvel Cartoon Universe), with crossovers running among them, linking continuities and fandoms. In that MCU, X-Men was the dark, gritty, mature progenitor, full of action, exhilaration, and edginess, an ideal recipe for the early 90’s. That attitude was all epitomized in the opening credits, backdropped X-quisitely by the great Ron Wasserman’s epic theme/score. Like many of my peers, I remember eagerly waking up weekend mornings, throwing off my blankets, and barreling to the TV, willing to watch whatever it took to get to X-Men, determined to be ready for those first iconic notes to start pumping/ringing/pulsing out. 

Much like Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series (which similarly started off its own exciting shared universe, also with terrific music), X-Men did not shy away from telling adult stories with intelligent themes that were soundly rooted in the source material. The show stayed very true to the tone and vibe of the comics at the time. However, unlike its DC counterpart, X-Men: The Animated Series had five seasons, and then ended, where it remained in suspended animation (pun absolutely intended) for nearly 30 years. So, while the sounds of the late great Kevin Conroy’s definitive Batman never left our ears, continuing on in project after project as the DCAU expanded, the cancellation of much of the 90’s MCU meant we had to say goodbye to the iconic characters we’d grown up with. 

Like so many beloved shows, a special place was entombed for X-Men: The Animated Series, and the fans never forgot. As time sped along, many popular intellectual properties saw a resurgence, a many years later sequel, or at the very least, a reboot that honored the memory. The potential of seeing those old friends again in some fashion became increasingly likely. Yet, many attempts to bring back franchises also failed. This lead to the fans to feel betrayed, with the creators accused of tarnishing beloved favorites by trying to capitalize on the memory without care.

So, X-Men ’97, after so many years, had to be handled X-tremely, to carefully X-tract the original tone and vibe and recapture that X-factor and lightning in a bottle. But, how does one create something new with a show as quintessential to 90’s children’s experiences as X-Men: The Animated Series without insulting the fans? Follow three main rules; 1. First and foremost, get the tone right. 2. Get talented and experienced people to work on it. And 3? Have those people be fans with love and reverence for the source material. 

Why does tone matter so much?

I would argue the most important thing with any adaptation is you have to get the tone right. Even if the adaptation isn’t perfect, a lot can be forgiven if you capture the correct tone. In the 1989 Batman movie, the titular character wore bulletproof body armor, equipped both the Batmobile and Batplane with guns, and kills multiple times, all derivations from most classic canonical characterizations/interpretations in the comics. But the tone was so perfectly portrayed with the incredible theme and score by Danny Elfman, unique visuals of the costumes, sets, and props, and inspired casting choices, that it is regarded as one of the best on screen versions of the Dark Knight to this day. 

Conversely, 2013’s Man of Steel also changed a lot of core elements, including the backstory of Krypton, Jonathan Kent’s death, and the survival of Zod and his soldiers (not to mention abandoning the color scheme and over-the-tights shorts), but it is the brooding dark tone for an otherwise hopeful and positive archetype which alienated and diminished the enjoyment for many fans (yes, I know we are told the House of El symbol in that movie means hope, but show, don’t tell). On the other hand, 1978’s Superman also had changes to the comic character’s portrayal, but the on brand tone of pure heroism, virtue, and nobility has made it an enduring and beloved movie. Subsequently, it has stood the test of time (even with the weird flying poetry scene).

More evidence of tonal importance in adaptation is seen over and over with too many examples to name, but suffice it to say, there’s a reason why Sam Raimi was able to get rid of Peter Parker’s invention of web-shooters without fans leaving the theaters disgusted. And it was the otherwise on point feel and tone of the web-slinger brought to life, accompanied by great music again by the legendary Danny Elfman. Heck, even Game of Thrones gets away with murder when it comes to straying far afield from the books early on, because they were able to capture something of the tone of Westeros. So tone is key.

What sets the tone more than any other element?

In each of the above examples of adaptations successfully capturing a tone which resonated with fans, the music was a primary contributing factor. Danny Elfman’s work on 1989’s Batman theme brings you into the gothic darkness of the world during the opening credits, eerily taking you through a cavernous maze led by slow horns, then excites you in the next section as the drums enter and the music picks up pace through the dark corridors, crescendoing as you pull back to reveal the Batman symbol you’ve been traversing all the while. Before any other characters have been introduced, the music has set the tone and pulled the audience in completely. 

The brilliantly prolific John Williams’ 1978 Superman score does much the same thing. As the credits fly through space, the scene is playfully underscored by rhythmic builds, melodic swoops, and triumphant lifts, musically mirroring the sensations of flying through space, while trumpeting heroism, inspiring awe, and truly supporting the film’s tagline “You’ll believe a man can fly.” All of this eliciting emotions in the audience which reflect the characters core tones from the offset, and superbly casts the music’s characterization for the rest of the film. This is crucial because the music in a movie or tv show is essentially the unseen star of any scene, controlling pacing, tension, mood, intensity and many other elements which impact the audience. 

In fact, the music can be such a potent component/ingredient that when listening to soundtracks or scores it’s often easy to visualize exactly where you would be in the film without watching, which makes a good soundtrack/score the perfect running or driving companion. Sometimes, I just listen to movies or shows without watching, and still feel all the highs and lows, pangs and exaltations/excitements that you would while sitting in the theater (at least for things I’ve seen before). The action is even often mirrored in the musical hits and cadences, so as to know exactly when that punch was thrown, or that kick recovered from. Of all the elements which control tone, music’s influence uniquely overpowers the rest. So if you are going to succeed in adapting an IP’s tone correctly, it is paramount that you get the music just right, especially when that IP has an original score as recognizable as Ron Wasserman’s X-Men opening theme.

How do you get the musical tone just right? Pay homage to what came before! 

Ron Wasserman (who is a legend in the field and is responsible for some of the most iconic music of any 90’s kid’s childhood), composed X-Men’s opening theme in a grueling back and forth process which took two weeks, but it came out stunningly. For so many, X-Men: The Animated Series‘ original theme is not only a great piece of musical nostalgia, but a timeless banger which would be difficult, if not impossible to top. Just like with the aforementioned 1989 Batman and 1978 Superman themes, Wasserman’s X-Men theme sets the tone before the show has even begun. So how do you reimagine such an important component in an endeavor to get the tone and magic of the original just right?

The way to recapture the magic in this instance is, instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, utilize the same incredible theme, with a few modernizing tweaks while still staying true to the source material. This is what was beautifully done with the incredibly talented Newton Brothers’ masterful reimagining, fastidiously adding elements to the original score, but keeping the framework completely intact.

It’s still apparent that it is a new version with different instruments and tasteful alterations, but it feels right, and hits all the same marks as the original by following the format throughout. And thus, the musical tone for X-Men ‘97 is set well before the first episode has really begun. The same can be said for the music throughout the new show’s first season, beautifully emphasizing and underpinning the most crucial segments. 

But who are The Newton Brothers and why were they the perfect choice for this project?

The Newton Brothers are an incredibly talented, versatile, multi-instrumentalists, and dynamic  composing duo made up of John Andrew Grush (Andy) and Taylor Newton Stewart (Taylor), who’s training and experience makes them singularly perfect for the task of creating the new yet true to form sound for X-Men ‘97. They apprenticed under Hans Zimmer and co-scored the Mike Flanagan film Before I Wake with Danny Elfman, both of whom’s work is heavily present throughout the comic book movie industry. They have also had experience working on preexisting and beloved/cherished franchises that could have been risky, but ended up being successful endeavors. They composed the music for Dr. Sleep, the sequel to the horror cornerstone, The Shining, as well as the Five Nights at Freddy’s adaptation. They even already took their hand to another 90’s franchise, Goosebumps. Their work spans genres, ranging from comedy, to suspense and horror, action and adventure, and more. Moreover, they, like many of us, grew up loving X-Men: The Animated Series, so they understood and desire to treat it with the utmost care and respect, while having a great time doing it, and getting to nerd out themselves along the way. 

The Newton brothers had clearly proven their incredible talent, musical acumen, and love and respect for the source material. I set the bar for X-Men 97‘s music pretty high. It did not take The Newton Brothers long to earn my favor. The moment where I realized the music of this new show was in good hands was mere minutes into the premiere, just after the newscaster’s voiceover spoke of the danger to mutants, and an inhibitor-collared mutant is shown captive in the back of a car. Until this point the score has been silent, but just as the scene shifts to the forced extraction of the mutant, a loud dun dun-dun strike, rings, and decays in a split second, mirroring the sudden danger on screen.

Special thanks to BHI for arranging this interview at SDCC 2024.

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