’X-Men ‘97’ review: The X-Men go to hell in “Fire Made Flesh”

In “Fire Made Flesh,” X-Men ‘97 cranks the heat up. This third episode is clearly where the Marvel Animation team finds their footing. “Fire Made Flesh” leans deep into the X-Men lore and pulls out some of the series’ most soapy material. This week, Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) takes center stage in an adaptation of the classic “Inferno” comic story. While this follows the legacy of the original, X-Men ‘97 begins to show more of its uniqueness this week. 

‘X-Men ‘97’ lights a “Fire Made Flesh”

“Fire Made Flesh” is a speedrun of a crossover event called “Inferno” and retains the core components of that story. The Jean Grey that showed up on the X-Mansion’s doorstep last week is the real deal and the one Scott just had a baby with is a clone. Needless to say this triggers an existential crisis for everyone, Clone Jean especially. This opens the door for the mastermind to step out of the shadows and Mister Sinister (Chris Britton) returns. 

Sinister is another iconic X-Men villain, and for good reason. He’s a real piece of work and he doesn’t show any ambiguity with his plotting. That’s owed in part to ‘97 committing to the same briskness that the original series had. Entire chunks of nonsense crossover comics fit within the tight run time, hitting all the necessary beats. 

Streaming trade offs and benefits

That said, while the original could do the same it wasn’t afraid to stretch across episodes when needed. In comparison, X-Men ‘97 must squeeze “The Trial of Magneto” or “Inferno” into single episodes due to a smaller episode count. “Fire Made Flesh” does everything it can, but there’s very little time for Clone Jean or anyone else to really reckon with the revelation.

That said, a brisk pace does carry benefits. “Fire Made Flesh” trims a significant amount of the fat off of its source material. For example, both Jeans are much more centered than “Inferno” really allowed for. Instead of fighting over Cyclops (Ray Chase) or baby Nathan, the two clash over the shock and trauma of Sinister’s violation. 

Neither Jean or the newly named Goblin Queen can say with full confidence who’s memories are real and the shock of this is the driving factor. Considering how easy it would have been to make this somehow about Scott Summers — in fact “Inferno” was in part an attempt to square the circle of this ill-advised triangle — it’s a welcome change. 

The part where I praise Marvel Animation

Even more welcome is that the animation is up to the task. The Goblin Queen traps the X-Men in a hell of their own minds and it is visceral. Once again, not having to follow standards and procedures is to X-Men ‘97’s advantage. The horrors the X-Men have to face would have been an uphill battle to get onscreen in broadcast. That’s to say nothing of the Goblin Queen’s design. She’s comic accurate, which here means “big domme vibes.” Not something you’d expect to actually show up on a Saturday morning. 

This episode also has a lot more action than the premiere as well, and all of this leads to a bump in the animation quality. Truly, this is the best Marvel Animation has put out, period. It’s also significantly more dynamic and striking than the original series had the capacity to put out. It’s hard to pick out a highlight, but the Goblin Queen going hit for hit for Magneto (Matthew Waterson) is probably the winner. Magneto is doing less this episode but his presence still towers over the rest of the cast, save for the Jeans. 

Getting better and better

Altogether, “Fire Made Flesh” improves on X-Men ‘97’s premiere. While I would like a bit more breathing room, the series really is hitting all the notes it needs to. Should this trajectory continue, not only will X-Men ‘97 be a successful continuation, it may even surpass the memories we have of the original.  

X-Men ‘97 drops new episodes every Wednesday on Disney +.

Images courtesy of Marvel Studios/Disney