X-Men ’97 has what the Master of the Universe is missing

In 2026, Marvel and Mattel are both releasing projects designed to capitalize on people’s love of iconic superheroes from childhood. Masters of the Universe has put the live action He-Man on the big screen, with the second season of X-Men ’97 it’s about to throw in some of Charles Xavier’s mutants an apocalyptic future. All of these projects are clearly created by people who love the original, and are also filled with nerdy Easter eggs designed to make die-hard fans happy. X-Men ’97 and Masters of the Universe Both are plays of desire, but the main difference between the two – and undoubtedly the reason why one of them did not do very well – is the work that has been making people with their characteristics live in pop culture.

In its second season, X-Men ’97 he divides his group of mutant heroes into several groups that find themselves in very different situations in history. While one group travels to ancient Egypt, the other is transported thousands of years into the future. While both groups want to return to the 90s, they are also desperately searching for a way to stop the undead Apocalypse (Ross Marquand) from destroying the world. And because Apocalypse is alive both times, the two X-Men teams agree that it’s best to spend time where they are.

Instead of changing one story from a Marvel game, the new season of X-Men ’97 they combine descriptors from a number of subspecies – chief among them Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix from 1994 and 1996 The emergence of the Apocalypse. Using beats from the actual movies to enhance the story feels very 90s. But what’s even more surprising is the amount of recent X-Men comics that suggest the show is essentially portraying a world around the villains.

When X-Men ’97 and continuity of X-Men: The Movie SeriesMarvel has made it new revising the established canon in major ways. Taking that approach is part of what made the list hit the polls when it premiered in 2024, but fans’ longstanding love and familiarity with the X-Men were also big factors in the equation.

One of the main reasons fans have been foaming at the mouth over the new content X-Men work like ’97 and the upcoming X-Men MCU film it’s that Marvel didn’t let this property stand on the back burner. Even 20th Century Studios’ X-Men things were bad, there was always enough humor about the X-Men as well TV series in the mix to give fans hope that the studio in the end come up with something better. And if Marvel had spent less time developing the X-Men franchise, the franchise would have found itself as successful as Mattel. Masters of the Universe now it is.

There have been several new ones to follow the originals Masters of the Universe drawings. But overall, He-Man’s cultural popularity has declined in the years since Prince Adam and his friends recounted their experiences on television every day from 1983 to 1985. This is probably why the new Mattel. Masters of the Universe the film has been underperforming at the box office since its release last week. So far, the film has been in slow development $54.4 million against a production budget of $200 millionmaking it a serious financial problem.

Masters of the Universe it has become a lesson in Hollywood’s habit of learning the wrong lessons from its past successes. People flocked to the theater to watch Barbie because it was a strange, feminine image of a picture that is always there, but Mattel interpreted it as a sign that viewers are hungry. stories to entertain many. Masters of the Universe tries to delve deeper into the toxic masculinity, but this isn’t enough to convince people to care about He-Man. With the exception of die-hard fans, most people aren’t engaged or connected to the world of He-Man, and Mattel hasn’t done enough to convince audiences that there’s anything interesting about the latest film.

If He-Man was as entrenched in the public imagination as the X-Men are, the discussion revolved around it. Masters of the Universe it can be very different. Mattel would do well to label this as an important lesson, but it has still be symptoms about being like that. In the middle X-Men ’97‘s second season is Avengers: DoomsdayMarvel is entering a year of big stories that put evolution front and center. And it’s a moment the studio has been building for years.

The second season of X-Men ’97 hit Disney Plus on July 1st, and Masters of the Universe it’s in theaters now.