X-Men ’97, Marvel’s latest hit animated series, has hit over four million viewers in just the first week of its release, drawing praise from longtime fans of the series, but also criticism for its updated character portrayals. Most of its fanbase grew up in the 90s’ with X-Men: The Animated Series, so it’s unsurprising that a 2024 update would garner such strong reactions.
Gambit’s choice of attire has attracted the amusement and ire of some netizens, who saw his outfit as a reflection of his sexuality. However, the outfit isn’t out of place for the era it’s set in, and crop tops were in fashion at the time. Gambit’s outfit gets his rebellious nature across, and times are changing, as are audiences.
His voice actor, AJ LoCascio, was not opposed to wearing the crop top, although he posted on X/Twitter that he’d “need this shirt and to stop eating pizza for about 3 months to wear it.” Replies to the Tweet were relatively positive, and fans rallied around LoCascio’s support of Gambit.
X-Men ’97’s 4 million viewers breaks the record previously held by What If…? as the most-watched Season 1 premiere for a full-length animated series. X-Men ’97 is streaming on Disney+ now with new episodes every Wednesday.
Trinity is a geek who enjoys watching anime, superhero and Sci-Fi movies and TV shows. She enjoys gaming (however has terrible gacha luck) and creates cool homebrew campaigns in her free time. She’s always up for a new adventure — with a cosy jacket and a good book in hand.
Natalie
