Throwback Saturday
How 90’s nostalgia transports us back to the good ole days and reminds us we’re not as alone as we think.
As a Millennial, I’m pleased to report that Millennials are making a comeback.
Well, maybe it’s less about us making a comeback and more about 90’s/2000’s culture having another moment in the sun.
Disagree with me? You clearly haven’t been on the internet lately. Gen Z — and the world — is totally obsessed with the nostalgia culture. Overalls are back in style. They’re wearing jelly shoes again. Olivia Rodrigo surprised her Coachella audience with a No Doubt cameo. Hell, even Lana Del Rey performed and did a duet with Billie Eilish of Video Games. Most importantly, Saturday morning cartoons are back. We’re all getting to re-live the heyday of the 90's through Marvel Animation’s X-Men ‘97.
If you know anything about me, you know I know a thing or two about X-Men. I’m a bonafide comic book superhero show/movie nerd. Some might even say I’m an aficionado. I may have been invited to a superhero pub quiz in Berlin and led our team to 6th place out of 12 teams chock full of fellow superhero nerds. And I’m proud of it.
How did I become this? It all started in the 90’s, the days of peak memorable youth. Every Saturday morning, my dad and I would wake up and watch a block of animated TV shows, including X-Men. Why did he make me, a girl, watch these shows with him, you ask? He claims that while I was in the womb, the doctors told him I was a boy. When I was born a girl, he figured why let that stop him from having a first-born he could do everything with?
Saturday mornings became a ritual for us, a moment when the world stopped and all that mattered were the animated stories in front of us. Stories like X-Men uplifting diverse, marginalized people. Stories of underdogs fighting back, becoming heroes. People who looked like you winning for once. It was, in hindsight and even in the moment, a beautiful time to be alive.
So imagine my utter glee at the announcement of an upcoming X-Men reboot. I knew right then that this reboot would be epic. Just what the doctor ordered, and right on time. What’s more is that it wouldn’t be a mere retelling of the original series; it would be a true reboot that leveraged Millennials’ penchant for 90’s nostalgia to hit us right in the heart strings.
And let me tell you: it has yet to disappoint.
I couldn’t wait to devour each episode. While new episodes drop on Wednesdays, most of us Millennial nerds wait until Saturday morning to indulge (the way God intended). Much to our surprise and delight, every episode achieves new levels of perfection. I watched Episodes 1-4 on my own. By the end of Episode 2, I’d texted my dad at 8:07 am on Saturday morning something along the lines of:
“Hello, this is very important. You have to watch X-Men ‘97!!!! It’s Saturday AM. Hurryyyyyyyy!”
He did not hurry. Nor did he seem the least bit interested. Talk about a let down.
When I flew home to Ohio shortly thereafter for the eclipse, I knew that was my opportunity. I cornered him, also early in the morning on a Saturday, and made him watch Episodes 1-4 with me. He screamed, we laughed, he experienced wonder. I was happy to rewatch them because the experience needed to be shared. We bonded over a show we’d loved so much in our youth. His and mine. The moment was unforgettable, unlocking new core memories.
CUT TO: I’m back home in NYC and Episode 5 has been out for days. I can’t wait to dive in. I watch with joyous anticipation, wondering where things could possibly go after Episode 4 (no spoilers here, pinky swear).
By the end of the episode, I was in shock. A literal puddle of tears. Not that that means anything to you, dear Reader, because I am admittedly always crying. But what it meant for me was that this show, this reboot of a foundational childhood staple, had hit a nerve. Possibly too many.
Alone and in shambles, I was concerned that I was a mess all by myself. Did everyone else react the same way I did? Am I the only one who's broken now? I raced to the internet to find solace. Social media did not disappoint. All my fellow Millennial comic book superhero nerds felt the same way. And by god, were they vocal about it.
“You owe my therapist money.”
“I know that Disney+ has their schedule of releasing episodes on Wednesday but the hype is so high right now that I need a new episode to come out on Saturday mornings.”
“Not me resisting the urge to spend all of my money on action figures I never got as a kid.”
“Just like the 90’s toys back in the day. Nostalgia is winning. I’m here for it. I can’t wait for new episodes of X-Men ‘97!”
“I’m a grown man. I’m getting the toys and I cried after this episode.”
What a relief it was to know I wasn’t alone. My reactions were not singular, not the tears, not the brokenness, none of it. It was a beautiful reminder that we are never alone, even if it feels that way. Especially if it does.
COVID and the pandemic did something to us all. It robbed us of connectivity. Of the knowledge that we are a part of something greater. Of the feeling that we belong to humanity and sub-communities within it. We can always find our tribes. You can be a nerd, ethnically diverse like Storm and Jubilee, or disabled like Professor Xavier, or non-binary like Morph. We all feel. We’re all nostalgic for what was. We all like these stories that remind us of the times when everything was good. We love this kind of strong narratives like that of X-Men because it’s characters were different and outcasts but they saved the day. They represented the vast societal and personal changes we longed for but perhaps, back then, thought were impossible to achieve.
For Millennials, that time was the 90’s. Now, thanks to X-Men ‘97, the 90’s are back with a vengeance. Everyone can experience or relive the glory of the good ole days. Doesn’t that just make you feel alive? Here’s hoping you remember you don’t have to do it alone.
X, Jocelyn J
Beautiful, moving story !