While it might be too soon to classify X-Men ’97 as one of the best animated TV shows of all time, its stellar critical reception has certainly cemented it as one of the best series that’s been released on the 2024 TV schedule. This is thanks to both big moments, including the tragedy in Genosha and Magneto ripping Wolverine’s adamantium from his skeleton, and small ones, like the friendship between Jean Grey and Storm being highlighted. Jennifer Hale, who voiced both Jean and Madelyne Pryor in X-Men ’97, praised that aspect of the series while speaking with CinemaBlend, and she shouted out the popular Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso in the process.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Hale about her work on X-Men ’97 earlier this month, with Hale taking over Jean Grey-voicing duties from X-Men: The Animated Series’ Catherine Disher, who participated in this revival as Valerie Cooper. With the X-Men ’97 Season 1 finale having been released to Disney+ subscription holders back in mid-May, we were able to dive deep into her work in these opening 10 episodes, and here’s what the actress told he when I asked her if she welcomed Jean Grey and Storm’s dynamic being explored:
The dynamic of the friendship between Storm and Jean Grey is one of my favorite mini-arcs in the series. I love what's happening in modern writing for women. I think of, of course, Ted Lasso and the friendship between Rebecca and Keeley, and just all the different ways we're seeing women written as holding each other up, because that is the truth of how we make it in the world. I love how much energy and depth was put into that in this show.
If you’ve watched Ted Lasso with your Apple TV+ subscription, then you’re quite familiar with the friendship between Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca Welton and Juno Temple’s Keeley Jones. Although the two women weren’t close when the series started, it didn’t take long for them to start forming a bond, and when the series ended, they were the best of friends, with (spoiler alert) Rebecca investing in Keeley’s PR firm to keep it running, and Keeley pitching a AFC Richmond women’s team to Rebecca in the series finale. Jennifer Hale welcomes seeing these kind of supportive relationships between women on screen, so naturally she was pleased about Jean Grey and Storm getting such treatment.
Now that said, when X-Men ’97 started, it turned out that the Jean whom Storm had that important conversation with in “Mutant Liberation Begins” was actually a clone created by Mister Sinister, who later decided to rename herself Madelyne Pryor. By the time the original Jean reentered the picture, Storm had lost her powers and left the X-Men. Fortunately, Ororo Monroe eventually regained her weather-manipulating abilities during the “Lifedeath” arc with Forge and returned to her team/family, and by “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 2,” she and Jean 1.0 got to share a meaningful moment before they went off to fight Bastion.
When X-Men ’97 Season 1 was over, Jean Grey was trapped in the year 3960 A.D. with Cyclops, and it wasn’t revealed where Storm ended up with Wolverine and Morph. The good news is that X-Men ’97 Season 2 is happening, so we’ll get to reunite with these characters at some point, and hopefully Jean and Storm’s friendship will get even more time to shine in the next batch of episodes.
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