Telling a story has many challenges. Resuming a story almost thirty years later is a challenge with its own particularities. People change, the medium does too, and even the way of narrating and the aesthetics can be diametrically opposed, in terms of trends. That’s why we see so few occasions when old series are rescued. Because it is a particularly complex job, even if it may seem otherwise.
X-Men ’97 is a series premiered on March 20th that continues the story of the X-Men where X-Men: The Animated Series left off. With similar animation and designs, although with a more contemporary aesthetic and direction that sometimes refers to anime, it picks up from the events of the end of the fifth season of the original series, which ended somewhat abruptly. And surprisingly, it has turned out really well, receiving great reviews.
A significant part of the appeal of X-Men ’97 is that it does not require prior knowledge of the X-Men. Even if you don’t understand why Professor Xavier doesn’t appear. If you haven’t read a single comic in your life and haven’t watched X-Men: The Animated Series, besides recommending that you do both, you won’t miss anything by watching the three episodes released so far of X-Men ’97. While it closely follows the events of the comics, with its own interpretation, and continues where the original series left off, it is designed so that it is not necessary to know anything in particular about its characters or its history.
However, it is undeniable that it is more enjoyable the more knowledge one has of them. Those who have seen X-Men: The Animated Series will be able to recognize the relationships of all the characters, and the conflicts they entail. Those who have read the comics will be able to enjoy their clever reinterpretations of some of the most beloved storylines by fans. Although, the key storyline they seem to be adapting is also one of the most dramatic in X-Men history.
Summarizing certain events that occur in episodes 2 and 3 of X-Men ’97, Storm receives a beam of energy that was intended for Magneto, which leaves her powerless. Deprived of her mutant abilities, she decides to leave the X-Men mansion, seeking her new place in the world. While traveling somewhere, she stops at a bar to rest, and a man introduces himself, claiming to recognize her as Forge.
If you are a fan of the X-Men, you haven’t seen the series yet, and you have read this far, you may have stifled a scream of excitement. We don’t blame you. It’s a normal reaction. If you don’t know why we say this, the explanation is simple: this is a reinterpretation of the premise of two of the most celebrated comics in X-Men history, Lifedeath and Lifedeath: From the Heart of Darkness.
To begin with, who is Forge? He is a mutant who first appeared in Uncanny X-Men in 1984 and has four peculiarities: his power is to create any kind of invention, he is a war veteran, he has a leg amputated, and he belongs to the Cheyenne nation. When we meet the character, he works for the US government and, due to an unresolved trauma where his entire platoon died and he lost his leg, he is isolated from the outside world. At least, until he meets Storm.
In issue #186 of Uncanny X-Men, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, titled Lifedeath, Forge and Storm meet. Storm has already lost her powers, but in the comic she does it by protecting another character, Rogue. Forge takes Storm to his apartment and they both share a special connection, partly due to their respective traumas and the feeling of something missing from their own existence — Forge his leg, Storm her powers.
Despite the mutual attraction and shared feelings, things didn’t turn out as expected. Especially when Forja, after learning about what happened with Tormenta, is unable to keep a secret from her. He is the person who created the weapon that stripped her of her powers. This causes her to leave the apartment angrily, returning to wander the world.
We would have to wait until Uncanny X-Men #198, exactly one year later and also written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, to read the conclusion of this story in Lifedeath: From the Heart of Darkness. A story where Storm, alone and delirious, finds herself in the depths of Africa, where she finally accepts the loss of her powers, reconnects with her own roots, and thus, returns to the X-Men, even without regaining her ability to control the weather.
Of course, both comics have many more details. And it is expected that X-Men ’97 will cover or change them in one way or another. Because, in addition, we know that is going to happen: the fourth episode, on April 3rd, is called Motendo/Lifedeath – Part 1, and the sixth episode, on April 17th, is called Lifedeath – Part 2. So we will soon know how they adapt this story.
Why is this story so important within the X-Men? To begin with, because of its intimacy. It demonstrates how what makes a person a mutant is not their powers, but being a mutant; even after losing her powers, and even if it takes her a long time to accept it, Storm remains a mutant. And while she will eventually regain her powers, it will still take many years for her to do so. The other reason is that it is exquisitely illustrated by Windsor-Smith, which makes Claremont’s script even more spectacular.
How likely is it that in X-Men ’97 they will know how to handle this story with the delicacy and weight it deserves, by delving into trauma, guilt, and identity, both with Storm and Forge —since being Cheyenne is important to the character and to the events of Lifedeath—, is something that remains to be seen. But if they want to make a great X-Men series, Lifedeath is the kind of story they should aspire to be able to shape, as all fans of the most famous mutants in comics know.
