A different actor voices X-Men: The Animated Series‘ Jean Grey in upcoming Disney+ revival series X-Men ’97 – we’ve explained why below.
Related: All Major Voice Actors & Cast List for X-Men ’97
X-Men ’97: Why a Different Actor Voices Jean Grey, Explained
Catherine Disher supplied Jean Grey’s voice in all five seasons of X-Men: The Animated Series‘ original run. She also voiced Jean in her cosmically supercharged Phoenix and Dark Phoenix forms, as well. Disher isn’t reprising the role in X-Men ’97, however, as veteran voice actor Jennifer Hale will portray Jean, instead. This doesn’t mean Disher is sitting out the revival show entirely, though. On the contrary, Disher will star as a new character, Dr. Valerie “Val” Cooper.
It’s not entirely clear why Disher isn’t playing both Jean and Val, given performers juggling multiple roles is a staple of the animation medium. Presumably, Disher – now 27 years older than when she recorded her final X-Men: The Animated Series episode – no longer sounds the same as her younger self. That said, X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has shared the rationale behind casting the British-born Canadian actor as Val.
Related: X-Men ’97: Why a Different Actor Voices Cable, Explained
“Val has a very interesting arc in our first season, I will say,” DeMayo explained in a recent Entertainment Weekly interview. “I remember when I first met with Catherine. I was like, ‘You’ll be delivering the thesis of the series in this one particular episode, and we are going to be building it very carefully through these episodes.’ To me, she was such the heart of the original series, to have her deliver the thesis felt right to me.”
Disher isn’t the only X-Men ’97 legacy cast member filling a different role this time around, either. Fellow X-Men: The Animated Series alumni Alyson Court (Jubilee), Chris Potter (Gambit), Lawrence Bayne (Cable), and Ron Rubin (Morph) now voice Abcissa, Cable, X-Cutioner, and President Robert Kelly, respectively.
X-Men ’97 arrives on Disney+ on March 20, 2024, and will run for 10 episodes.
Published: Feb 23, 2024 07:38 am