Marvel at SDCC – ‘X-Men 97’, ‘What If’, ‘Marvel Zombies’, and Groot

Marvel showed off all of the upcoming animated shows at SDCC. There’s a lot to look forward to this year and next.

Before they pull out the big guns tonight in Hall H, Marvel hosted a panel to show off all of the animated series that are coming up. Let’s start with some mutants, shall we? The original series from the early ’90s dropped on Disney+ a while ago, but something wasn’t right. The episodes were in an odd order. After complaints from fans, the show is now available in original story order.

The studio also showed off character designs for X-Men ’97, which is set in and inspired by the ’90s timeline. They gave Storm a haircut, otherwise the style looks like a the original series – yellow spandex and all. It’s set to arrive next year.

Not X-Men, For Grown-Ups

What If…? is returning for a second season next year. So far we know that there will be stories involving Tony Stark on Sakaar with Valkyrie, an adaptation of Marvel 1602, plus more Hela and Odin. A.C. Bradley, the head writer for What If…? told EW:

“Going into the second season, we’re sticking with anthology form. It’s going to be all-new stories, lots of fun, new heroes, and pulling more from Phase Four. Hopefully, we’ll see hints of Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Black Widow characters. The fun of What If…? is that we get to explore the entire infinite multiverse. We try and bounce around as much as we can. I want to play with all these characters. I’m very excited to show new worlds, new heroes.”

IT’S MARVEL ZOMBIES! I love the comics, was super happy with how they brought the idea to the small screen. The creators are promising plenty of blood splatter, too. Enough so that it’s rated TV-MA (TV’s equivalent of R). It’s going to be bonkers.

The series will feature undead Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Abomination, Captain Marvel, and Okoye. Fighting against them will be Yelena, Kate Bishop, Red Guardian, Jimmy Woo, Death Dealer, Shang-Chi, and Ms. Marvel. It also appears that Eternals’ Ikaris is going to be showing up as a half-zombie/half-human. And some Skrulls on motocycles.

Not the best photos, but you get the idea.

via Marvel

via Marvel

Marvel at SDCC – For Kids and Grownups

Next up, Spiderman Freshman Year. As mentioned below, the show is set in an alternate MCU before Civil War. It’s got a large cast of characters – including Nico Minuro as one of Peter’s team of friends. Charlie Cox will be voicing Daredevil; Benedict Cumberbatch has not been confirmed for Doctor Strange, but the character is in the show. The series premieres in 2024 and has already been renewed for a sophomore year.

Last, but certainly not least, a beloved tree of few words. I Am Groot! is a series of shorts that will start dropping on August 10th. It follows Baby Groot as he adventures across the galaxy, meets tiny new friends, and plays with fashion. There are also explosions if you’re that kind of person. The adorable series of shorts is both kid and adult friendly.

Author: Mars Garrett

Pop culture writer and news editor that has been on the BoLS team since 2010. Contributor on the One of Us podcast. Marvel, Vertigo, Batman, and dystopian sci-fi fan. Enjoys bad movies, amazing stunt performances, and the internet. Hates rom-coms. (she/they)