X-Men ’97 has what Master of the Universe is missing
EDITOR BRIEF
Marvel’s X-Men ’97 season two and Mattel’s live-action Masters of the Universe both lean heavily on childhood nostalgia, fan service, and reverence for classic animated heroes. The piece argues that X-Men ’97 has an advantage because it treats its retro roots as a foundation for new storytelling, rather than relying mainly on Easter eggs.
CONTEXT
The comparison highlights a broader entertainment trend: legacy franchises need more than familiar characters to win over modern audiences. Successful revivals increasingly depend on creative continuity—preserving what fans loved while giving the material enough narrative momentum to feel current.
ARTICLE
In 2026, Marvel and Mattel are both releasing projects designed to capitalize on people's love for iconic animated heroes from their childhoods. Masters of the Universe has put a live-action He-Man on the big screen, and the second season of X-Men '97 is about to fling some of Charles Xavier's mutants into an apocalyptic future. Both projects were clearly made by people who love the source material, and they are similarly filled with nerdy Easter eggs meant to get hardcore fans hyped up. X-Men '97 and Masters of the Universe are both nostalgia plays, but the biggest difference between the two - and arguably the reason one of them hasn't been … Read the full story at The Verge.
