‘X-Men ’97’ Producer Brad Winderbaum Discusses the Pivotal Moment in Season 1
When Marvel Studios set out to revive the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series for X-Men ’97, few could have imagined what a triumph the show would be.
The X-Men ’97 team, led by showrunner Beau DeMayo, managed not only to continue the story of the original series but also bring in legions of new fans by telling perhaps the best X-Men story ever told outside of the comics.


Photo: Marvel
Now that the dust has settled on X-Men ’97‘s first season, executive producer Brad Winderbaum sat down with Variety to discuss the series’ impact and what the X-Men team has cooked up for Season 2.
Gambit’s Death
Far and away, the most memorable moment from X-Men ’97 Season 1 was the genocide in Genosha and the death of Gambit.
The Cajun mutant has long been a fan-favorite and was one of the defining characters in X-Men: The Animated Series. By killing off such a popular character, X-Men ’97, it was clear that the series’ stakes were real.


Photo: Marvel
As it turns out, the moment was just as emotional for the X-Men ’97 team as it was for fans.
“Yeah, the death of Gambit was something that kept us all up at night. Once we made the decision to do it, we knew it would be devastating. We knew it was on us to have to earn it, in the writing, in the directing, in the long setup of four episodes before it aired,” Winderbaum said.


Photo: Marvel
“You know, I don’t think there was a screening of that episode that didn’t bring me to tears watching it. So we were waiting with bated breath about what would happen when we when unleashed it on the culture.”
Inspired By the Real World
When writing the show’s pivotal moment, DeMayo and Winderbaum discussed real-world tragedies that have occurred and how people have experienced those monumental events on a personal level.


Photo: Marvel
“Yeah. Beau and I talked a lot about the loss of innocence that happened on 9/11. I was in New York on 9/11. I was on the street. When we’re developing it with [supervising director] Jake [Castorena], the idea that we would stay at ground level during the attack was new. In the comics, what I think what Grant Morrison did really well was that’s the epicenter, and you could feel that ripple just change the world around everyone for so many issues,” Winderbaum recalls.


Photo: Marvel
“The attack itself is actually pretty brief, which added to the tragedy in the comics. Something we were trying to capture in the cartoon was that feeling of just everything shifting in an instant, and being on the ground with people during that attack. That’s one of the reasons why I think it feels so visceral and devastating, and had the impact that it did.”
Learning From ‘X-Men ’97’
Despite the fact that X-Men ’97 is set in its own timeline and told through the medium of animation, Winderbaum says that the series will still affect other Marvel productions, even if they don’t tie directly into the animated series.


Photo: Marvel
“Everything we make at the studio informs everything else. We have a very collaborative environment here. I’ve never worked anywhere else, so I don’t know what it’s like other places, really, but we’re a tight- knit group. We’re always looking at each other’s materials, and talking about each other’s projects. Something like “X-Men ’97,” it influences not just plans for the X-Men, but our studio overall,” he explained.


Photo: Marvel
“Just like everything else we make, it sends a ripple through the other creative projects. We’re always trying to learn and have that conversation with the culture, and try to create stuff that we love that hopefully other people love, too.”
Season 2 Is in Development
While the story of X-Men ’97 will continue for at least two more seasons, Winderbaum says that fans are going to have to wait. Season 2 is currently in its animation phase.


Photo: Marvel
X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+.
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