We officially have some updates about a couple highly-anticipated animated series from Marvel Studios, as well as an exciting new announcement to enjoy. At a preview screening for What If…? season two, Marvel also shared news about its other upcoming animated properties. Firstly, an already-announced Disney+ series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is now officially set to release in 2024. Additionally, Marvel revealed a new Black Panther animated series for its line-up titled Eyes of Wakanda.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a show that was once known as Spider-Man: Freshman Year. Although Tom Holland won’t voice this Marvel Studios Spider-Man, Charlie Cox will return to give life to Matthew Murdock/Daredevil. This series will follow Peter Parker on his adventures before his time in the MCU and delve into his life as, well, a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. We look forward to seeing it sooner rather than later.

Additionally, Marvel Studios revealed a brand new animated Black Panther series. According to IGN, Eyes of Wakanda will focus “on warriors from Wakanda’s past traveling the world to recover dangerous vibranium artifacts.” The publication notes that the official description shares, “Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story.”

Most recently, Marvel Studio’s Head of Television Brad Winderbaum gave an update on the series to Marvel’s Official Podcast, noting, “Eyes of Wakanda, more than any other show we’re doing in animation, ties directly into the MCU. This is a story about Wakandan history. It’s produced by Ryan Coogler and directed by Todd Harris who is one of our longtime storyboard artists who I first met when he designed the Hulk vs. Thor fight in Ragnarok.” Additionally, Winderbaum added, “It’s an awesome show. The action is insane and the storytelling is fantastic. It’s both about the history of Wakanda, but also expands into the greater MCU at different time periods. If you’re a fan of the movies, I think this show is going to be a real treat.”

Please note the above image is from season one of What If…? and not from the new Black Panther show. Marvel Studios has not yet shared any further cast, images, or plot details about Eyes of Wakanda. But we are super excited already. It sounds like it will be one epic adventure series.

Originally published on December 12, 2023.

The post Marvel Studios Reveals Updates on New BLACK PANTHER Animated Series, Confirms 2024 Release for SPIDER-MAN Series appeared first on Nerdist.

Jennifer Hale has enjoyed an incredible voice casting career for over three decades, with titles in her impressive resume ranging from games like Mass Effect and Halo, to animated shows like The Clone Wars and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Her most recent high-profile role is taking over the part of Jean Grey for X-Men ’97. We had a chat with Jennifer Hale about returning to the role of the mutant telepath, a role she’s played in different iterations over several years, and guiding a newer generation of voice actors via SkillsHub.

Nerdist: You took over the role of Jean Grey from Catherine Disher, who played her in the classic X-Men show. But she is still part of this universe, because she plays Val Cooper. Did she give you any advice on playing Jean? Or did you guys even record together?

Jennifer Hale: We actually didn’t record together. But I took great inspiration from her original performance, and then was guided by the team as to exactly how they wanted to update all the different elements to bring the character to a modern audience.

A lot of the original X-Men cast returned, but both you and Ray Chase stepped in for Scott and Jean. Did you two bond at all at being the new kids, for lack of a better word?

Hale: Absolutely. It’s such an honor and a responsibility to step into a role like this. The great thing about Jean, and a lot of the Marvel universe, is I have great respect for all my peers, and one of the things about that is a lot of us share these roles. I’m not the only person to have played Jean. I’ve played other roles in the universe. I even played Rogue in various projects. And to be able to be Jean in this project really feels like winning the lottery. It’s kind of awesome.

This isn’t your first time at bat with Jean Grey. You played her in Wolverine and the X-Men, the X-Men anime, and in several different video games. Did you approach playing this Jean differently, or did you think of Jean as more or less the same across the Multiverse?

Hale: They’re all inspired by the same source material. The truth is, when I step into any role in any project, I am 1000% in service of the production and writing team. What does the team need? And one of the really, really cool things about the team on X-Men 97 is a huge number of them grew up watching the original show. They were fans, which is really exciting. And now they’re working on the show.

Of course, you didn’t just play Jean in X-Men ’97, you also played Madelyne Pryor. She might have started out as just a clone of Jean, but became her own person by the time we get to Genosha. Were there subtle differences in how you approached Maddie over Jean? Besides just getting to be almost a Disney villain when she was Goblin Queen?

Hale: Absolutely. There are distinct differences between Madelyne and Jean, and obviously, the Goblin Queen has her own lane. But yeah, very much. And that’s where I really rely on our voice director, Meredith Lane, and on the team, because having a good voice director on hand like Meredith allows me to just drop in and fully be in the moment, and not worry about whether I’m slowly migrating out of the lane that is Madeline back over into Jean. And I know she’ll guide me back in if I happen to step a little too far one way or the other.

The love triangle between Jean, Scott, and Logan has always been a huge factor in X-Men lore. And in this season, things got a little heated when Jean kissed Wolverine, in a moment when she and Scott were having problems. That’s further than the classic cartoon ever took things. How do you feel about finally giving the fans that moment?

Hale: Oh, I think it’s great. But I want to know how the fans feel about it. That’s what I want to know. I want to know what it meant to them, because that’s ultimately what we do it for, right?

Jean in the original series was almost a cliché, the way she was always fainting even though she was an Omega-level mutant. X-Men ’97 finally dropped weak Jean and showed her at full power. Were you happy that Jean finally got to let loose and show off in this series?

Hale: I was absolutely thrilled. I mean, come on. The general evolution of the way women are written now is so much better than it used to be. So much more fun. We actually get to be full human beings. We get to own our power, take our power, and quite often run things

X-Men ’97 teased the arrival of Phoenix for much of the first season, and in the finale she finally arrived. The comics have different interpretations of the Jean/Phoenix dynamic, but I’m wondering how you see things between them? Do you play it as the manifestation of Jean’s power, or an outside force that possesses her?

Hale: Jean is a channel for so many things. She’s kind of the voice of the heart of the people around her. She’s a channel for ultimate power to come through, and I think that is often my experience as a performer. So I think that’s the lens that it went through for me. Jean is a channel for the ultimate powers to move through her.

Of your many voice acting roles, which is one that is nearest and dearest to your heart?

Hale: Honestly, the thing that’s nearest and dearest to my heart is the diversity of characters. I’ve been able to play the sheer variety of roles, gives me so much.

Speaking of sheer variety of roles, you have this incredibly long resume of voice acting going back, what, 30 years, and that’s both cartoons and video games. You’ve taken a lot of those skills and you’re extending it to the next generation via something called SkillsHub. Can you explain what that is?

Hale: Yes. SkillsHub, it is a site where actors at any level can come and learn about voice acting, take the career they’ve got, and create real longevity and momentum. It started out with me just wanting help with auditions. I just needed 10 minutes with someone I trust. I didn’t need an hour of coaching, or a class. What I wanted was this calendaring system I had in my head to become a reality. And my sister said, “You need to meet my friend Bill, he’s amazing.” He built the site. He’s actually the guy who puts the stuff together, programs everything, and makes it happen. And the three of us run it.

It’s evolved into a site where it’s gone from me calling 20-something of my friends who are working actors, voice directors, and casting directors to help out people like me, other voice actors. We have a ton of free stuff. I personally, have written out these paths that are step-by-step career assembly instructions for a dozen different career paths through the voice work. And we have free stuff for members. We’ve got classes. Everything you need is right there. And now we have almost 90 coaches. We really have an incredible community.

All episodes of X-Men ’97 season one are now available on Disney+.

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Actress Lenore Zann has been providing the distinctive Southern belle voice of Rogue since the first episode of X-Men: The Animated Series in 1992. Now, 25 years since the last episode aired, she reprised the role for the Disney+ continuation, X-Men ’97. The show took everyone by surprise by just how excellent the writing and acting were, eclipsing the classic series. And a large part of why it was so good was Rogue’s unexpected character journey, which in many ways was the main emotional thread of the series. And it was all played brilliantly by Zann, without missing a beat. We chatted with Zann about returning to Rogue after all this time, and what the future holds for the sassiest X-Man at Xavier’s School.

Nerdist: So many old TV shows have had revivals recently after decades away, usually to mixed results. Did you ever think X-Men ’97 might end up as something that didn’t live up to the original ’90s series?

Lenore Zann: No. I really thought it would be a huge hit. Judging from the fans that we’ve been meeting over the last five years at Comic Cons, who just loved the original show and couldn’t wait to see more episodes of a new show. And we had no idea that a new show was going to be happening until about three years ago, I guess 2021. But as soon as I got the scripts, I knew they were going to be good. I knew it was going to be good, because really that’s what it was the first time around. The scripts were so damn good. The writing was excellent. It’s the same this time, too. Without a script, you don’t have anything. And the scripts were amazing.

Rouge kind of had the most iconic moments of the season, from throwing Captain America’s shield to going full rampage on the military base. You could see she had the biggest character arc of the season. Which of all of the moments was the most fun for you to play?

Zann: Well, of course I loved the meeting with Captain America and throwing his shield.
“Well, if your hands are tied, I guess you won’t be needing this.” So that was a lot of fun. But to be honest, also the emotional scenes with both Remy and Magneto in episode five. And then of course, the sad, tragic loss of my loved one, my soulmate Gambit. That was a gift for an actor to be able to play those beats and those emotions and be able to use my own personal emotions and experience to channel them into my character.

It had literally been 25 years since you played Rogue in the original X-Men series. Was it like riding a bike, or did you have to learn to be that character again?

Zann: I liken it to putting on a pair of well-worn, very fine, very comfortable gloves. You just put them on. You haven’t had them on for many years, and they just fit, and they feel good. For me, that’s how it is with Rogue. She is a part of me, and there’s a lot of me in her. So yeah, it was just a joy to come back to Rogue again.

For the entire original series, Rogue’s only romantic interest was Gambit. But for X-Men ’97, you got to have a romantic storyline with Magneto. What was it like for you to play a totally different romantic dynamic with someone else in the series?

Zann: Well, it was great. Again, for an actor, any of these scenarios are fun to play. But I did wonder if the public, if our fans would be upset because there are so many Gambit fans. and Rogue and Gambit, “Romy,” as they call them, fans. But it was fun. And I also knew where Rogue was coming from, that she really wanted to touch somebody and to be able to have that physical connection.

So in the scene in episode five, where she kisses Magneto, she comes down out of the ceiling, which is a great entrance. And then they dance very seductively, and touch palms like Romeo and Juliet almost. And then they kiss. But then she pulls away from that kiss and she says, “Thanks for the dance, sugar.” And then there was another line there, and I don’t remember what it was, but I said to [former X-Men ’97 showrunner] Beau DeMayo, who was there directing me, and I said, “Would it be okay if I said something else instead? Can I try something?”

He said, “Sure, try it.” And I said, “Thanks for the dance, sugar. But Remy was right. Some things are deeper than skin.” He had already said that earlier in the episode, and I just thought that that would be the button that was needed to let people know, love, true love, is deeper than skin. And on another level, it doesn’t matter what you look like. It doesn’t matter what skin color. Love, it transcends everything. And it’s the same for the LGBTQ community. So I thought it would really sing, and they kept it in. So I’m really happy about that.

You just mentioned the LGBTQ community, which I’m a part of. We have a huge connection to the X-Men. I think more than any other major nerd property actually. Do you have any stories of queer people coming up to you, talking about what Rogue and the X-Men have meant to them?

Zann: Absolutely. I was really pleased and honored to be able to be in the West Hollywood Pride Parade. And I went with my friend Morph, JP Karliak, and we had a convertible and we had a bunch of X-Men cosplayers, about 30 walking with us. And I thought that it was so important to be able to be there and make the statement that, “Hey, we are allies. We are yours. We belong to this community, too. And that we support you.”

So yeah, actually even since that parade, I’ve had two different young men come to me. I was in the Apple store, and I was having dinner somewhere else in Hollywood. And two different people said, “I saw you in the parade. I’m in the LGBTQ community. Thank you so much for being there. It meant a lot to us. And you made my childhood. You made us feel safe. Your show was a safe place for us to go. I could relate to Rogue. I’ve always loved Rogue.” It was really heartwarming. And this is what we hear over and over again.

Episode 5 was the turning point for the series. It’s when X-Men ’97 went from being just a nostalgic exercise, taking things to another level. And it had Rogue’s most heartbreaking moment, when she cradles Gambit’s dead body and says “I can’t feel you.” This asked you to go places as an actor the classic show never did. How did it feel getting to play the same character in a more grown-up and emotionally real setting?

Zann: No, because I’ve always been an extremely emotional actor. I have no problem going to the depths of my emotions and channeling them into a performance. And I’ve been known for doing a number of very strong performances, particularly in theater. When I was 19, I was discovered to play the role of Marilyn Monroe, in a rock opera about her life. And I was only 19 when I got it, and it was called Hey, Marilyn. I had to play her from the age of 16, all the way through her Hollywood years as Marilyn Monroe, to her final denouement at 36 when she died. And I had to do it all on a song on stage with 2000 people. So that was what kickstarted my career. If I can do that, then I can do anything.

You know a show has struck a nerve when it’s got plenty of memes, and the meme game for X-Men ’97 was wild. One of them had Rogue replicating the Kill Bill poster, saying “Kill Ya’ll” after Gambit died. What was it like seeing the reactions week to week, with the fandom so engaged? 

Zann: It was very funny. AJ LoCascio, who plays Gambit, and Matthew Waterson, who plays Magneto, we all get along really well. And we’ve all got a really good sense of humor. So we were sending each other these memes. But also, they were making memes about stuff we were doing in real life. Like when we went to a dinner with a whole bunch of people. And suddenly all the people were in one end of the room, and AJ was sitting by himself at one of the tables, and I was sitting with Matthew. I said, “Let’s do a photograph with AJ, showing him in his Gambit crop top by himself, over there at the table, and we’ll just gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes.” And then they shared that on social media, and then that became a meme. It was hilarious. It was a lot of fun.

After Genosha and Gambit’s death, Rogue chooses to go and join Magneto. Did that twist surprise you when you read it in the script, or was it something they told you Rogue was going to do from the get-go?

Zann: No, they didn’t tell me from the beginning. Again, I just found out as I got each script what was going to be happening, which I like it that way, so that I’m surprised as well. And then I can delve into it. But Rogue started off as a villain. And in these comic books, sometimes the heroes become the villains, back and forth, for various reasons. So I found that I thought it was very interesting.

And I thought, in a way, it made sense for Rogue at that point to find out that A: Magneto didn’t die. And B: that she’s starting to think that he could be right. As they say, “Magneto was right.” Which I think shows that Rogue, she wants to get vengeance. She wants to get justice for Remy, and also for all of the people that were killed in that genocide. And so she does what she does for a reason. But I am glad she came back by the end.

Are the any plotlines from the original series you wanted to see followed up on in X-Men ’97 that weren’t? I was a bit surprised the Rogue and her mother Mystique never had a moment.

Zann: I think it would be fun at some point to have some scenes again with Mystique. I’m not sure when it will come. We didn’t have any in this particular season. But I’m always interested in her relationship with Mystique because it’s definitely fraught with a lot of emotions. And anybody who’s ever had any mother issues can relate. But I was glad to see Nightcrawler playing a large role, and that was really lovely. The scenes between Rogue and Nightcrawler, Mystique’s son and her adoptive brother. I love it.

It was great that X-Men ’97 was a true ensemble show and not just the Wolverine show. Having said that, you and Cal Dodd didn’t have a ton of moments together. Can we hope to see some more Rogue and Logan moments in season two?

Zann: I can’t say. But there were a lot more Rogue and Storm moments in the original show as well. And in this show, they played up Jean and Storm being really close friends. Storm is one of my favorite characters, I just love her. And I think the way Alison Sealy-Smith plays her, with her incredible voice. She is like a goddess. And she’s done so much theater in Stratford and things like this. She’s perfect for the role. So I hope I get to do some more stuff with Storm in the future as well. And of course, Cal and Alison and I, and George Buza as Beast, we’re all good friends. And it’s always great to see them at Comic Cons when we have these various reunions.

Yeah. So where are you guys now with season two? Not in terms of what it’s going to be about, but have you guys recorded your lines? Where are you guys at?

Zann: I’ve recorded all my scenes for the whole season. A lot of people have, but a lot of people still need to be recorded. But the animation is what takes a long time. So they usually start with our voices, it’s called pre-lay. And then they do the animation to the voices. And then we come back for cleanups or pickups or line changes and things like that. Yeah, I’m excited and I can’t wait for season two to air, and I hope people really like it like they liked the first season.

What are your hopes for the future of Rogue going forward into, not just season two, but maybe season three and four, if we get that?

Zann: I am happy to do whatever the writers choose to do. I’m an actor at the end of the day. I take writers’ words and I try to make them live and breathe. And I’m up for anything really. I love her journey so far. I love her journey in season two. And I’m just looking forward to seeing where she goes from here. But at the end of the day, it is, we are a team and we have an amazing team. The artists, the writers, the music, the composers, the Newton brothers, the entire cast, the producers, the directors. It’s like lightning in a bottle. The way Larry Houston, our original director, likes to call it. He said, “We had lightning in a bottle the first time around, and we’ve had lightning in a bottle a second time,” which is just amazing.

When we first met the original writers again, Eric and Julia Lewold and Larry Houston. for the very first time, it was five years ago at a Comic Con in Texas where we were all invited to come. Cal Dodd, me, the rest of them, and the writers and the director. We had never met before, because back in the ’90s, we were performing in a studio in Toronto. And they, of course, were all in Los Angeles. And there were no cell phones then. There was no internet.

So we would record together in a group with a circle of microphones in the studio, and then they’d send the tapes to Los Angeles. I think they FedExed them or something. So when we finally met, we got along so well. And we all went out for a dinner one night at the end of this Comic Con five years ago, and I said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody bought the rights to the X-Men, and decided to reboot the animated series and brought us all back again?” And we said, “Let’s toast to that, and let’s put it out there to the universe to manifest.” I’d like to have seven seasons and an animated film. And then a spin-off with Gambit and Rogue. I’d like to do that, too.

All episodes of X-Men ’97 are now available to stream on Disney+.

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We loved X-Men ’97 pretty much from beginning to end. It’s the best X-Men thing, maybe ever. The three-part finale offered some intense action for our band of merry mutants. One such memorable moment came when Rogue—still raging about Gambit, et al—begins pummelling villain Bastion and punches him through the side of Asteroid M and into outer space. If that seemed familiar, that’s not a coincidence. Former showrunner Beau DeMayo explained in a Twitter post that the moment was a subconscious homage to 2013’s Man of Steel.

“The action is driven by emotion not plot,” DeMayo shared along with a video of his television. On it plays the scene from about the midpoint of Henry Cavill’s first Superman movie. As Zod threatens Martha (something we know is very touchy to people in this universe), Clark flies in, picks up Zod, and carries him across the cornfield and through a silo. It’s an example of wanton superhero destruction in the movie, but it’s also a great encapsulation of the moment of Superman’s first strike, as it were.

We’ll have to wait a very long time, likely, for a second season of the show. At least we can rest assured we’ll probably get a bevy of behind-the-scenes tidbits between now and then. We’re never mad to revisit such a great series.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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The final post-credits tease of X-Men ’97 season one saw the ancient mutant Apocalypse among the ruins of Genosha, after the genocidal attack by Bastion. He was lamenting his dead mutant children, saying “So much pain. So much Death.” He says the words “death” holding Gambit’s charred playing card, suggesting that just as in the comics, En Sabah Nur will transform the deceased X-Man into his Horseman of Death. This role once belonged to another former X-Man, Archangel. But what about the three other Horseman? Which mutants will take those roles?

Where there is a Horseman of Death, there are always three other Horseman at the side of Apocalypse. They are War, Pestilence/Plague, and Famine. The question is, which dead mutants will the ancient Apocalypse raise from the grave to join Gambit? While it’s not necessarily a given that all four horsemen will be resurrected mutants, we have a feeling their master will want to make a statement—using dead mutants murdered by Sentinels against humanity. Here’s who we think will join Gambit as the other three Horsemen.

Dazzler/Horseman of War

Longtime X-Men fans were thrilled to see mutant pop star Alison Blaire, a.k.a. Dazzler, in X-Men ’97, partying it up in Genosha. She’s a major X-Men character who only appeared briefly in the ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series. Her return was short-lived, as when tragedy struck Genosha, we saw Ali among the dead after the Sentinel attack. If Apocalypse resurrects her as a Horseman, our guess is she’ll be the Horseman of War. Even though her powers of turning sound into light may appear goofy, it also means she can fire deadly lasers from her hands. This is something she did handily in the original 1989 X-Men pilot. It’s a pretty outwardly aggressive power if perverted by someone like Apocalypse.

Banshee/Horseman of Pestilence

Poor Sean Cassidy. The romantic partner of Moira MacTaggert of Muir Island, the mutant Banshee was a major X-Man for many years in the comics. He appeared a handful of times in the ’90s cartoon. We see the Irish mutant flying away from the destruction in Genosha in “Remember It,” when a Sentinel blast incinerated him, along with the mutant Marrow. However, since his mutant ability involves a highly powered sonic scream, given how an airborne disease travels, we think Banshee might be a prime candidate for the Horseman of Pestilence. In the comics, the Apocalypse Twins resurrected him from death as one of four Horseman of Death. We could see a twist on that in X-Men ’97 year two.

Madelyne Pryor/Horseman of Famine

Jean Grey’s clone Madelyne Pryor was one of the breakout stars of X-Men ’97 as the Goblin Queen. Sadly, her life ended tragically after briefly connecting with her son Cable moments before she died in Genosha. As an Omega Level mutant, since she’s Jean’s genetic double, Apocalypse would be wise to use her as a Horseman. With her vast mental powers, she could lay waste to the Earth as only the Horseman Famine could. We also think she’d be the first of Apocalypse’s Horseman to break free from his control, just as she broke free of Sinister’s control in the episode.

Many other mutants died in Genosha, so the possibilities for new undead Horsemen is endless. We’ll find out who makes the cut for Apocalypse when X-Men ’97 eventually returns to Disney+.

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It’s the news that Marvel mutant fandom has been waiting patiently for over five years for. According to a report in Deadline, Marvel Studios is officially ramping up for their big-screen reintroduction of the X-Men franchise. Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes screenwriter Michael Lesslie is in negotiations to write the script for the new X-Men MCU movie. The film is still very early in the development process, without a director attached and no release date yet. With the massive success of X-Men ’97 on Disney+, and the return of Hugh Jackman as Logan for Deadpool & Wolverine, it seems Kevin Feige realized now is the time to get the ball rolling. MCU X-Men, here we come!

Besides the Hunger Games prequel, Lesslie wrote an adaptation of Macbeth starring former Magneto Michael Fassbender. He was also the lead writer on the series The Little Drummer Girl, featuring  Florence Pugh, Michael Shannon, and Alexander Skarsgard. In terms of genre productions, he wrote the original script for the 2016 version of Assassin’s Creed. Rumors abound that the new X-Men reboot movie will focus on the X-women more than the men. Other rumors suggest the MCU X-Men film will focus on newer characters, pushing aside the likes of Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, and Wolverine. Given the success of X-Men ’97, however, we wonder if Marvel Studios will stick to those plans.

The real question here is whether or not these new MCU mutants will arrive in enough time for the Avengers: Secret Wars movie. Right now, that film is set to premiere in 2027. Part of the appeal would be to have the X-Men participate in that giant event, along with the Avengers and Fantastic Four. The assumption was the X-Men we see in Secret Wars might be the original Fox actors. However, the fast-tracking of the X-Men reboot movie suggests they might wait until we have a new X-Men team in place. Perhaps we’ll learn more around Comic-Con and D23 time later this summer.

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Not long ago, former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo indicated on social media that Deadpool was an “off-limits” character for them to use on the series. Now, it seems that rule might not be a forever rule, and future seasons might include Wade Wilson in all his glory. While talking to Screen Rant, Marvel Animation’s Brad Winderbaum clarified the Deadpool situation regarding X-Men ’97, and hinted that we just might see him pop up in future seasons. Here’s what he had to say about everyone’s favorite Merc with the Mouth:

I don’t know that it was like a hard and fast rule that we couldn’t use Deadpool. We would have had to have an insanely compelling reason to bring Deadpool in. Because we’re also developing the feature simultaneously. So, unless it was something that really was an undeniable creative idea, it seemed like, ‘Why would we do it?’ But also, I’ll say, the season is so chock-full of big, giant, amazing fulfilling ideas that throwing Deadpool in there almost feels like arbitrary at a certain point. Is there a potential for Deadpool to come in? Absolutely, he was in the original series, briefly as we all know, and certainly we’re all fans, so we’ll see what happens.

Several years back, Marvel announced a Deadpool animated series for FX with Donald Glover in charge. However, they canceled it before airing a single episode. Maybe Ryan Reynolds didn’t want anyone else playing him on the regular. A guest appearance on an X-Men show may not be as hard to pull off though. If and when Deadpool shows up, it will likely have something to do with Wolverine’s Weapon X days. With Logan no longer having his adamantium skeleton, he might need help to get it back. Who better to enlist than another survivor of the same program like Wade?

We imagine any version of Deadpool on X-Men ’97 would be significantly more toned down than the big-screen iteration. After all, X-Men ’97 isn’t really a show where one drops f-bombs left and right. A “safe for kids” version appeared in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon back in 2013 on Disney XD. So there is precedent for this to happen.

Having said that, we wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan Reynolds played the role in X-Men ’97 when the time comes. This is not something we expect to see in the near future. In the meantime, we’ll have to be content with the live-action X-Men meeting Wade in Deadpool & Wolverine.

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It was just two wordless cameos in a pair of stacked episode, but fans of ‘90s Marvel animation jumped for joy at the X-Men ’97 episodes “Tolerance is Extinction” Parts I and III. During a crucial moment, when Magneto powers down all electrical devices across the globe, we cut to several cameos of Marvel characters. One of them is our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. It’s not just any Spidey spinning his webs, though. As fans of ‘90s Marvel cartoons know, the Spider-Man in the X-Men cartoon is the same one from the Spider-Man: The Animated Series, that ran concurrently on Fox Kids at the time. We then saw Peter Parker and MJ together in the season finale. Could this mean a Spidey spin-off is on the way, picking up from Spider-Man: The Animated Series? Here’s what Marvel Animation’s Brad Winderbaum said when asked by Screen Rant about the possibility:

There is always potential, right? We don’t want to close the door on anything. But I think that for now, for the foreseeable future, X-Men ’97 will own the ’90s, and how much we bring in guest stars or tell stories from other Marvel characters from that era is TBD, but it will be seen through that lens of the X-Men.

The ’90s X-Men and Spider-Man Animated Series Were Connected

Spider-Man appeared only as a hand shooting web fluid in X-Men: The Animated Series. The X-Men: TAS producers snuck the cameo in, as technically they didn’t have the rights to use Spidey. However, the full X-Men team from the ‘90s cartoon appeared in the two-part Spider-Man episodes “The Mutant Agenda” and “The Mutant’s Revenge” in 1995. All the X-Men: TAS voice actors returned, and their designs were identical to those on their own show. This was the first connection between two Marvel ‘90s animated shows, showing that at least the X-Men and Spider-Man existed within the same continuity. As for the other Marvel cartoons from the ’90s, that’s up for debate.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series Left Lingering Questions X-Men ’97 Could Resolve

So what does this mean for ‘90s Spidey in X-Men ’97? Former showrunner Beau Demayo confirmed on social media that this version of Spidey is the same one originally voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes in the classic show. As fans may recall, Spider-Man: TAS ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. After a long and convoluted adventure through the Spider-Verse, Madame Web appears to Peter Parker. She takes him to find Mary Jane Watson, who found herself lost in the multiverse earlier in the season. Viewers never found out if Peter and MJ actually reunited, much less if their planned nuptials ever occurred. It was a bit of a giant question mark. But X-Men ’97 answered that question in the season finale, which shows that Peter did indeed find MJ, and the pair were reunited. Beau DeMayo also confirmed this on social media.

Could X-Men ’97 Lead to a Spider-Man ’98 Spin-Off?

One big thing is likely keeping Spider-Man’s appearance from being a “backdoor pilot” to set up a spin-off show. That’s the upcoming Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man animated series coming to Disney+ soon. This is the series formerly known as Spider-Man: Freshman Year. If anything, the upcoming new Spidey cartoon is probably the biggest obstacle in getting a full Spider-Man ’98 series. Would Marvel Animation have two competing Spider-Man cartoons concurrently? However, the massive success of X-Men ’97 may eventually cause them to rethink those plans. Spider-Man was just as beloved a cartoon hero for ‘90s kids as the X-Men.

Could Peter Parker Teach at Xavier’s School in Future X-Men ’97 Seasons?

Even if we don’t get a Spider-Man ’98 series, there is room for a continuation of that version of Peter Parker in future X-Men ’97 seasons. After all, in the comics, Peter Parker became a teacher at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters for a time (then renamed the Jean Grey School), in the series Spider-Man and the X-Men. Why not make the ’90s version of Spidey part of the supporting cast of X-Men ’97? Peter could teach several new mutants, teens discovering their powers during puberty as he once did. Original voice actor Christopher Daniel Barnes has not been contacted yet, but has said he’s into the idea.

Spider-Man is technically not a mutant of course. He got his powers as a teenager during a lab accident, as everyone knows. None of that stopped the comic book creators from giving him a teaching position at the school though. Of course, we’d love for him to have a revival series like X-Men ’97. But if the other Spidey series on Disney+ makes that unlikely, we’ll take option B. Whatever happens, Spidey is officially part of the X-Men ’97 world now. We highly doubt it’s the last time he swings through the New York skyline in this series.

Originally published on May 1, 2024.

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The season finale of X-Men ’97 had one emotional moment after another, leaving fans with several huge cliffhangers. Yet the scene on everyone’s mind is the seminal moment from X-Men #25, where Magneto pulls the adamantium out of Wolverine’s body. In “Tolerance is Extinction Part III,” Logan clings to life after that attack. He lies on a makeshift hospital bed, with his best buddy Morph by his side. The most heartfelt moment came when Morph takes Jean’s form, and confesses their love for Logan. And that wasn’t just Morph taking Jean’s form to keep him fighting for his life. This was Morph truly confessing their feelings for Wolverine.

In case there was any ambiguity about what Morph meant with that scene, former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo confirmed on social media (via Comic Book Resources) that Morph transforming into Jean Grey and telling Logan they loved him was a true confession of their feelings for the iconic X-Man. DeMayo said “Yes, Morph was confessing romantic feelings for Logan. He later posted “You know when you’re secretly in love with a close friend, and you’re terrified to tell them? Wouldn’t it be nice to turn into someone you know THEY love, say the words to just finally say them and have them feel it, even if you haven’t fully accepted you feel them?”

Every queer person who ever had a crush on their straight friend in high school absolutely relates to this moment. We’ve all been there. In case there was any confusion, DeMayo explained further on social media, saying “Yep. Morph was giving the object of their desire the comfort of hearing those words from the woman he loves because Morph is in love with him.” Will Wolverine remember what Morph said when he eventually wakes up? We’ll have to wait for X-Men ’97 season two to see how this soap opera continues to unfold.

The post Yes, Morph Was Confessing True Love for Wolverine in the X-MEN ’97 Finale appeared first on Nerdist.

Airbnb has been putting together some fun fannish experiences for a long time. But now this category of stay has a brand new category behind it, Airbrb “Icons” experiences. Airbnb shares that the new Icons category includes “extraordinary experiences hosted by the greatest names in music, film, television, art, sports, and more. Icons let you step into worlds you’ve only ever dreamed of.” Hopefully, this means that not only will we see a greater depth and breadth of fun fandom Airbnb houses, but also that more people get to stay in them. Airbnb is kicking off its Icons category with 11 special icons that include X-Men ’97‘s X-Mansion (yes, in 2D) and a balloon-filled Up house that actually floats. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the upcoming Airbnb Icons that are particularly nerdy.

Airbnb Icons Invites You to Visit Edna Mode’s House From The Incredibles

It’s fashion, darling! Those who love The Incredibles can now visit Edna Mode’s house through Airbnb’s Icons rentals. A release shares:

Fashion enthusiasts can pull themselves together with the mastermind behind some of your favorite hero looks and suit up in style, à la Edna Mode. Tucked away behind closed gates in Los Angeles, California, guests will be invited to step into Edna’s world of fashion and flair and experience what it takes to be bold, dramatic, and heroic by designing a one-of-a-kind Supersuit, 20 years after her work first came to life in The Incredibles. Get a 1:1 consultation with the help from Edna’s team of expert designers, discover your unique superpower, and select intricate details and fabric swatches to create your personalized suit, all with the Edna Mode stamp of approval – no capes, of course! Full details are now available at airbnb.com/incredibles.

Could there be anything better? And yes, you’ll actually be creating your own Supersuit during this Airbnb experience at Edna Mode’s house. It will arrive to you in the mail after you visit. Wild!

When Can You Experience the Airbnb The Incredibles Edna Mode Home?

Airbnb shares, “The booking request period for Edna’s mansion opens on Friday, May 24 at 6:00 AM PT and closes on May 28 at 11:59 PM PT for 15 total experiences for 4 people occurring June 6-29 at $0.”

Airbnb Icons Rental Lets You Stay in X-Men ’97’s X-Mansion

X-Men ’97 has captured the hearts of fans, new and old, with its perfect storm of wonderful nostalgia and excellent storytelling. Now, Airbnb Icons invites you to join the team and stay in the X-Mansion from X-Men ’97. We know it’s this specific X-Mansion because everything is 2D.

Airbnb shares about this iconic X-Men stay:

Live like the X-Men as you stay in a 2D animated re-creation of Marvel Animation’s X-Mansion in Westchester, New York. You’ll discover your mutant abilities and even train in the Danger Room. 

You can take a look at more images from the X-Men ’97 X-Mansion Airbnb below.

Click To View Gallery

When Can You Stay in the Airbnb X-Men ’97 X-Mansion?

Airbnb shares that the booking period for the X-Men ’97 X-Mansion is now closed. But hopefully a second booking will open soon. But, for now, you can call Jubilee and she’ll tell you a little bit more about it.

Float Into the Sky with Airbnb Icons’ Up House

Who doesn’t want to float into the sky like the characters on Up do in their balloon-laden house? Well, as long as it’s safe, we do. Hopefully, this Airbnb Up house won’t hit any inclement weather because it does seem kind of cool, and, undoubtedly, it will make you tear up just a little bit.

Airbnb shares of this Icons experience:

Sleep inside one of Disney and Pixar’s most iconic homes—and yes, it floats. You’ll explore Carl’s world in this detailed re-creation of his home, complete with more than 8,000 balloons, and located in the scenic red rocks of Abiquiu, New Mexico.

8,000 is A LOT of balloons.

When Can You Stay in the Airbnb Icons Up House?

Airbnb shares the following about when you can rent the Up house, “A second booking request period for the Up house opens on Monday, May 27 at 6:00 AM PT and closes on June 3 at 11:59 PM PT for 10 one-night stays occurring July 10-25 at $0 a night.”

Stay Overnight at Inside Out 2‘s Headquarters

The final nerdy outing from Airbnb offers you a chance to get a little emotional with Inside Out 2. Like Riley’s emotions, you can find yourself in Headquarters. Just don’t bring any negative feelings with you, please!

Airbnb shares:

In anticipation of the June 14 release of Disney and Pixar’s new movie Inside Out 2, you’re invited to an overnight stay at Headquarters, the control center of Riley’s emotions. Your host, Joy, will welcome you into her vibrant world to witness the emotions in action and help keep things in balance. 

When Can You Stay in the Airbnb Icons Inside Out 2 Experience?

There’s no specific timing mentioned for the Airbnb Inside Out 2 experience. However, Airbnb does stipulate that it will happen “in anticipation” of June 14.

Airbnb’s Icons Experiences Promise More Fantastical Adventures to Come

This sounds like just the beginning of the Airbnb Icons fun. In addition to the three Airbnb Icons experiences detailed above, the first set of Icons releases also includes a night at the Ferrari Museum, an evening with Kevin Hart, a stay at the Musée d’Orsay, a session with Doja Cat, a stay in Prince’s Purple Rain house, a gaming experience with  Khaby Lame, a tour bus experience with Feid, and an evening with Bollywood star, Janhvi Kapoor.

Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO shares of these Icons experiences, “Icons take you inside worlds that only existed in your imagination—until now. As life becomes increasingly digital, we’re focused on bringing more magic into the real world. With Icons, we’ve created the most extraordinary experiences on Earth.”

Hopefully our favorite movies and TV shows will get the Airbnb Icons treatment. Personally, we hope for a stay in Fallout‘s vaults sometime soon.

Originally published on May 1, 2024.

The post Airbnb Introduces ‘Icons’ Experiences with X-MEN Mansion and Floating UP House appeared first on Nerdist.

In the season finale of X-Men ’97, we got several cliffhangers, and teases for what’s to come when the series returns. And we already have some well-reasoned guesses as to which classic comics will serve as inspiration for the new season. Here are the comic book stories we are confident will be the basis for the season two of X-Men ’97.

The Rise of Apocalypse

This 1996 mini-series goes back 5,000 years to ancient Egypt and the rise of En Sabah Nur. He was the very first mutant and the being who would one day take the name Apocalypse. Written by Terry Kavanagh and illustrated by Adam Pollina, The Rise of Apocalypse details how a former slave rose up against the Pharoah Rama-Tut. (He is a variant of Kang the Conqueror, should they wish to connect to the MCU.) Apocalypse then began his war on the weakest of the species, eventually recruiting his legendary Four Horsemen. The design for young En Sabah Nur in X-Men ’97 directly recalls his design from artist Adam Pollina. So we definitely see this having a big influence on season two.

The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (1994)

In 1991’s X-Factor #69, the tyrant Apocalypse infected Cyclops’ infant son Nathan with a techno-organic virus. The only way to save him was to send him thousands of years into the future. Cyclops was offered this choice by a warrior from the Clan Askani. We later found out the mercenary Cable, leader of X-Force, was Nathan as an adult. He’d been sent back to the present from that future.

In Scott Lobdell and Gene Ha’s 1994 mini-series The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix, newlyweds Scott Summers and Jean Grey are sent into the far future. They emerge in a time period where Apocalypse rules, and they go by the names Slim and Redd. There, they meet their daughter Rachel Summers, now the ancient Mother Askani. She gives them the chance to raise young Nathan from childhood to his teen years. The arrival of Jean and Scott in the far future indicates we are definitely are going to see an adaptation of this series.

Generation X

After years of villainy as part of the Hellfire Club as its White Queen, Emma Frost’s students, the Hellions, all died in a Sentinel attack. She very nearly lost her life too, falling into a coma for months. When she finally awoke, the trauma of this loss caused her to change her ways (somewhat), and she began training a new generation of X-Men at the Massachusetts Academy, now an offshoot of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

Frost and co-headmaster Banshee taught a new group of students, nicknamed Generation X, which included Jubilee. Among the others were Synch, Chamber, Husk, Skin, and M. Writer Scott Lobdell’s Generation X series lasted 75 issues. With the school closed on X-Men ’97, and Emma narrowly surviving Genosha, she may wish to start her own school of X-Men to keep the dream alive. Maybe with Jubilee and Sunspot as students? Generation X might be a dated term now for a group of younger mutants today, but in 1997? They would have been the right age for a name Like “Gen X.”

X-Men: Blood of Apocalypse

Peter Milligan’s mid-2000s X-Men run isn’t one that gets referenced a lot. However, this comic run did contain one story that likely will inform season two of X-Men ’97. After the mutant decimation provoked by the Scarlet Witch, causing most mutants to lose their powers, Gambit was in a funk. Especially as his great love, Rogue, started a romantic relationship with another mutant with immunity to her powers. He actually volunteers to become the new Horseman of Death for Apocalypse, in a storyline that began in 2006’s X-Men #185. Gambit’s time as Death is brief, and by X-Men #200, Gambit returns to normal. This will at least partially serve as inspiration for X-Men ’97 season two.

Uncanny Avengers: The Apocalypse Twins

If Apocalypse brings back Gambit or other dead mutants as his Horsemen, it will be based on something his heirs did. This was actually something done by Uriel and Eimin, the Apocalypse Twins, in the pages of Rick Remender’s Uncanny Avengers. The Apocalypse Twins brought back to life dead characters like the Sentry, Banshee, Grim Reaper, and Daken, and turned them into their Four Horsemen of Death. If Gambit is coming back via this method, it begs the question, what other three dead mutants from Genosha are coming back too? Banshee, Sebastian Shaw, Madelyne Pryor, and Dazzler are all prime candidates for resurrection as Horsemen of Death.

Onslaught

Although Professor X didn’t wipe Magneto’s mind after he pulled the adamantium out of Logan’s body, as in X-Men #25, he did spend a lot of time in Magnus’ head. It was enough that Jean Grey worried that so much time mentally fused might break them both. While they both seem intact at the end of X-Men ’97 season one, we’re not totally buying it. We think at some point in season two (or perhaps season three) Onslaught will emerge. The entity Onslaught was born when Charles Xavier absorbed some of Magneto’s rage and hostility when he mind-wiped him, and it stayed dormant for years. We think he was in Magneto’s mind long enough on X-Men ’97 for this comic story to still happen in season two. It’s just a matter of time.

The post X-MEN ’97 Season 2 Will Likely Draw Inspiration From These Comics appeared first on Nerdist.

The last few episodes of X-Men ’97, “Tolerance is Extinction Part I-III,” were chock-full of Marvel Comics cameos. Some have never even appeared in the X-Men: The Animated Series universe before now. Let’s break down each of them, and what we think they mean for the future of the series.

Daredevil

Helping to control the chaos and looting on the streets of New York during the blackout after Magneto’s EMP wave is Daredevil, who appeared as part of this universe in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

Doctor Strange

With hospitals having no power, Doctor Stephen Strange appears, doing mystical surgery on a patient. Doctor Strange’s magic powers have the same look as they do in the MCU in this X-Men ’97 Marvel cameo, something not present in his original Spider-Man: The Animated Series appearances. The mystics of Kamar-Taj were mentioned by Beast in this series as well.

Iron Man and Captain America

Although most of the Avengers are off-world dealing with the Kree-Shi’ar war, we do see Iron Man (in his ’90s armor) and Captain America advising the government on what to do about Magneto. Sadly, Tony Stark didn’t have any speaking lines in his X-Men ’97 cameo. Maybe next season, Shellhead.

Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris

Speaking of Magneto, when Charles Xavier is in his mind trying to reason with him, we see glimpses of Magnus’ children. We see the twins Wanda and Pietro (the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) as well as Lorna Dane, a,k.a. Polaris. Lorna appeared as a former X-Man and member of X-Factor on the classic show.

Black Panther

Marvel’s Black Panther also cameos in X-Men ’97, but he’s not who you think. It’s not Prince T’Challa in the role of the Panther. Instead, it’s his father, King T’Chaka. We’re not sure why Marvel went with this choice, except maybe thinking no one else should even voice act for T’Challa since Chadwick Boseman’s passing in 2020.

Cloak and Dagger

This is a deeper cut. The superhero duo Cloak and Dagger are seen on the streets of New York trying to control the chaos. In older Marvel lore, these purveyors of light and dark were mutants themselves. That has since been retconned. But back in the ’90s, they certainly thought they were mutants!

Psylocke, Alpha Flight, and Cecilia Reyes

On the ruins of Genosha, we see the mutant telepath Psylocke. She appeared a few times before, in the classic X-Men: The Animated Series. Alongside Psylocke is the Canadian mutant team Alpha Flight, including members Puck, Northstar, and Aurora. Also with them is Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a mutant and occasional X-Man.

Mister Fantastic

Morph transforms into Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, our first visual reference to a member of Marvel’s First Family. This wasn’t technically an X-Men ’97 cameo, but we were happy to see this Marvel character all the same.

Sauron

Morph also transforms into Sauron, the mutate from the Savage Land who is part human/part pterodactyl. Not to be confused with Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, although he was named for him.

The Hulk

This wasn’t technically an X-Men ’97 cameo, as it was shapeshifting Morph in disguise, but the Incredible Hulk smashed through Bastion’s forces in “Tolerance is Extinction Part II.” Still, it was amazing to see the Jade Giant in the world of the X-Men. Hopefully, the real Bruce Banner shows up before too long, and gets to battle his old nemesis Wolverine.

Rachel Summers

The most important Marvel cameo came early on in episode 8 of X-Men ’97. As Cable tells the X-Men the history of his future, he explains how Bastion’s plan resulted in his timeline. In one of the images we see, we witness how the surviving mutants in Bastion’s future are used as slaves to humanity. Among them is a telekinetic/telepathic young woman named Rachel Summers. She’s the (as yet) unborn daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey. Raised in the dystopian Days of Future Past timeline, she was one of the remaining mutants who were reconditioned by Sentinels to be mutant hunters called Hounds. The tattoos on her face are the signature of the Hound program.

In the comics, Rachel breaks free of her programming, goes back in time to our present, and becomes an X-Man. She even absorbs part of the Phoenix force, taking after her mother. Eventually, she goes thousands of years to the future, where she founds the Clan Askani. This is the same group that took in baby Nathan Summers. When Cable says a rebel from his time sent him back, we had a hunch he means his half-sister Rachel. This was confirmed in the final moments of season one, when we see Rachel as Mother Askani (voiced by Star Trek’s Gates McFadden) with Clan Askani in the far future.

Polaris (Lorna Dane)

Also in the same dystopian future is an older version of the magnetically-powered Polaris. She’s being used as slave labor by humans just like Rachel. In the X-Men: TAS continuity, Lorna Dane was a former member of the X-Men in the early years. She had a romantic relationship with Iceman/Bobby Drake. She is the daughter of Magneto, half-sibling of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, as noted in Magneto’s mind in the season finale.

William Stryker

One of the X-Men’s deadliest human enemies from Marvel Comics, Reverend William Stryker, appears in a “blink and ya miss him” X-Men ’97 cameo. We see him on a TV news show, predicting a war between humanity and mutants. In the comics, Stryker was an anti-mutant televangelist, who was the primary villain in the 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills.

That story was adapted into live-action in 2003’s X2: X-Men United. In that film, Stryker was reimagined as a military general, not a preacher. Actor Brian Cox portrayed him in the film. Stryker as a younger military man appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse played by Josh Helman.

Doctor Doom

Another big X-Men ’97 cameo is the first official appearance by Doctor Victor Von Doom in a Marvel Studios project. He appears on a monitor talking to Bastion, presumably from his castle in Latveria. He admits to his complicity in the Genoshan attack, however, the level of war crimes committed by Bastion disgusts him. Doom seems to regret allying himself with him, before cutting off the feed. To Victor Von Doom, someone like Bastion is quite beneath him.

Baron Helmut Zemo

Baron Helmut Zemo, sporting his classic comic book-accurate face mask, also pops up on one of the monitors talking to Bastion. He seems far less remorseful than Doom about what’s been happening. This minor X-Men ’97 cameo could be hinting that Zemo and his Masters of Evil, usually Captain America and Avengers villains in the Marvel Comics, might be fighting the X-Men in the future. Or maybe the Avengers and the X-Men team up against Zemo? Our heads are spinning at the thought.

The Silver Samurai

When Magneto unleashes his power and shifts the polarity of the Earth, we see electricity go out all over the world. In Japan, we get a quick look at a long-time Wolverine enemy. Looking out of a high-rise window is the mutant gang leader Silver Samurai, whose real name is Keniuchio Harada. Silver Samurai appeared in the classic X-Men: The Animated Series episode “The Lotus and the Steel.” Samurai appears again in the finale episode of season one.

Omega Red

In Russia, we see a government facility that looks like a nuclear power plant. As Magneto’s wave cuts the power across the world, we see that held in suspended animation in this scientific research base is the mutant operative Omega Red. With the power out, Omega Red awakens. Omega Red appeared in four X-Men: The Animated Series episodes over the course of five seasons. We later see him with the Russian Winter Guard, including Darkstar and Crimson Dynamo, in the season finale.

Spider-Man

Oh yeah, then there’s this guy. You might have heard of him. Yes, the amazing Spider-Man himself appears in a silent X-Men ’97 cameo as the power shuts down in New York City. Former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau Demayo confirms via social media this is the very same wallcrawler who starred in Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the ‘90s, which crossed over with X-Men: TAS. Could this be leading to a revival of that show too? We have our suspicions. In the season one finale, we see Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, and Flash Thompson on the streets of New York. Showrunner Beau DeMayo confirmed on social media that Peter and MJ were reunited after the events of Spider-Man: TAS, resolving that cliffhanger ending.

Originally published on May 1, 2024.

The post All the Marvel Cameos in the Final Episodes of X-MEN ’97 appeared first on Nerdist.

At the end of season one of X-Men ’97, our team of mutant heroes are now lost in time, and presumed dead to the world. We see that Forge is planning to keep the dream of Charles Xavier alive however, and he has a corkboard of several known mutants he plans to recruit. While many of the X-Men are listed as “Presumed Dead,” or in the case of Scarlet With and Quicksilver, “Off World,” several others are prime candidates. Based on Forge’s board, here’s who we expect to become the all-new, all-different X-Men in season two.

Colossus (Piotr Rasputin)

Piotr Rasputin, the metal-skinned mutant powerhouse called Colossus, is a mainstay of the team in the comics. In the animated shows, the Russian-born mutant was just a guest star a few times, and never formally joined the team. He only appeared in two episodes, displaying an over-the-top Russian accent. His appearance on Forge’s board suggests next season, Colossus will finally step up and become a real X-Man at last.

Magik (Illyana Rasputin)

Colossus isn’t the only member of the Rasputin family on Forge’s board. Also seen is his sister Illyana, a.k.a. Magik. We saw the mutant teleporter as a child in the original series, but here we see her as a teenager. That’s not a continuity error either. In the comics, Illyana spent years in the Limbo dimension as a child, when it was just months here, returning as much older. As a mutant sorceress and owner of the Soul Sword, she’ll make for a formidable X-Man if Forge recruits her. Like her brother, Morph transformed into Magik in one episode of X-Men ’97.

Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde)

One of the most requested (and beloved) characters in X-Men history finally appears on Forge’s board. Katherine “Kitty” Pryde, born with the power to phase through solid objects, is finally confirmed as existing in the X-Men: The Animated Series universe. Despite appearing in the original pilot episode “Pryde of the X-Men,” she never appeared in the ’92-’97 series. This appears to be the older version of the character, using her Shadowcat codename and costume. So if she joins the team, it’s unlikely she will be the junior member she originally was.

Havok (Alex Summers)

We know from this season that Scott Summers/Cyclops has a complicated family tree. This is a guy who has a cyborg son that’s older than he is, and a father who’s a space pirate. But he also has a powerful brother named Alex Summers a.k.a. Havok. A powerful energy manipulator, they separated Scott and Alex as children. When they met in the original series, Havok was a member of the team X-Factor, and they didn’t know they were brothers. As far as we know, they still don’t. It’s time to rectify that mistake next season with Forge officially recruiting Alex Summers into the X-Men.

Iceman (Bobby Drake)

Robert Drake, better known as Iceman, is a founding member of the team who only appeared once in the original X-Men: The Animated Series. He was front and center in the third season episode “Cold Comfort,” but we haven’t seen him since. This season, we kept seeing Bobby in the original X-Men class portrait in Xavier’s office, hinting there was more to come for him. The fact that he’s on Forge’s board suggests it’s finally time for this Omega Level mutant to rejoin the team. Besides, it’ll be nice to have such a prominent gay superhero on the X-Men.

Archangel (Warren Worthington III)

Another original X-Man on the board is Warren Worthington III, also known as the razor-winged Archangel. He’s listed as “Presumed Dead” on Forge’s board, although not because he was fighting with the X-Men on Asteroid M. We saw him flying around Genosha when the massacre happened. Yet given his upgrades from Apocalypse, who gave him his metal wings, it’s highly unlikely he died there. And if the X-Men’s “Big Bad” of season two is indeed Apocalypse, they’ll probably need his former Horseman of Death to fight him.

The White Queen (Emma Frost)

Emma Frost, the former White Queen of the Hellfire Club, made a brief appearance in season one of X-Men ’97. She was part of the ruling council on Genosha, before Bastion’s Sentinel massacre happened. Emma was presumed dead, but just as in the comics, she survived when her secondary mutation happened, emerging in her diamond form. She also took a romantic interest in Cyclops. But she’s still a telepath of the highest order, and Forge’s new team is going to need one of those, especially with Jean and Charles gone. Also, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde have a great love/hate dynamic we’d love to see in the show.

Dust (Sooraya Qadir)

This character is a more recent addition to Marvel Comics X-Men canon, first appearing in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men series in 2002. Dust, whose real name is Sooraya Qadir, is a young Muslim mutant who has the power to transform her body into a pliable cloud of sand. Originally from Afghanistan, the X-Men recruited Sooraya as a student of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. She’s quite powerful, and in her dust form is hard to detect telepathically. She would be an asset to any team that Forge forms.

Exodus (Bennet du Paris)

This one’s the wild card. On Forge’s board we see the image of Exodus, one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Comics pantheon. Bennet du Paris comes from the 12th century, where his telekinetic, telepathic, and teleporting abilities became augmented by Apocalypse. He’s served En Sabah Nur as well as Magneto in the modern age, even leading his Acolytes. We saw him on Genosha in episode 5, “Remember It,” partying it up. It looks like he survived the massacre. Exodus isn’t really a joiner, so it might be shocking to see him as an X-Man. But with Apocalypse in play next season as the main villain, anything is possible.

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As X-Men ’97 gears up for its season one finale, fans have some big questions about what’s going on with other Marvel heroes during the events of the series—especially as Magneto has essentially declared war on humanity. We know other Marvel heroes exist in this world, because we’ve seen them. Spider-Man has already swung in, however briefly, and Captain America had quite the confrontation with Rogue. So where exactly are the Avengers right now in X-Men ’97? Via IGN, we’ve learned that former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo had some answers. He also gives a reason why we haven’t seen everyone’s favorite “Merc with the Mouth” Deadpool during X-Men ’97 season one.

On the subject of the Avengers, it seems Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are out in space, dealing with a matter of galactic importance. A fan asked if the Avengers were knee-deep in a version in their own Marvel crossover event “Operation: Galactic Storm.” This 1992 Avengers storyline was all about a Shi’ar war with the Kree, which we know is going on thanks to episode 7, “Lifedeath, Part II.” So that’s where Cap and company are, while Bastion activated the Prime Sentinels and Magneto retaliated. As for the Fantastic Four? Still no answer. They may be with the Avengers.

There are also many famous mutants unaccounted for. Not everyone was on Genosha when the attack happened in episode five. A fan online asked about Sabretooth, and DeMayo simply said he’s “lying low.” Victor Creed may not appear in season one, but we’re not counting him out for season two.

We’re actually more curious as to where Mystique is, although we suppose she could be hiding in plain sight. For some time we thought she was Valerie Cooper, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. When asked, DeMayo just played coy. We’re simply dying to know where Raven Darkholme is.

Finally, someone asked about good old Wade Wilson. Deadpool made a few silent cameos in the original X-Men: The Animated Series, so we know he exists in this universe. All DeMayo would say on the subject of Deadpool was that he was “off limits.” This was no doubt due to Deadpool & Wolverine, and Marvel Animation not wanting to step on their toes. Hopefully, in later seasons, Wade might show up. We actually think Ryan Reynolds wouldn’t be off the table to voice him either.

Hopefully, future seasons give fans not only Deadpool, but also a proper Avengers vs. X-Men fight. After all, the comic book storyline that followed “Fatal Attractions,” the story X-Men ’97 is currently adapting, was an Avengers/X-Men crossover called “Bloodties.” Here’s hoping that saga comes in later seasons.

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X-Men ’97 has been killing it week to week, giving us an animated series that evokes the best of a certain era of Marvel Comics. Meanwhile, Batman: Caped Crusader, premiering this summer, looks to return to the Dark Knight’s roots in a 1940s noir detective world. Realizing this is a trend that may last, here are a few other comic book heroes that could translate perfectly to period-specific animated shows.

Blade (Set in the 1970s)

Marvel Comics originally introduced Blade in Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula series in 1973. The vampire hunter very quickly became the breakout character, headlining comics like Vampire Tales. Like Luke Cage, he was part of Marvel’s response to the ’70s blaxploitation craze with movies like Shaft and Superfly. Blade was much like those iconic ‘70s cinematic heroes, only instead of fighting criminals he was fighting some down-and-dirty vampires.

Everything about the original Blade aesthetic is very of its time, from the hair to the jacket to the catchphrases. We think a series featuring the Daywalker fighting the undead (and other supernatural creatures) in the groovy ‘70s would be incredibly fun. The ‘70s was an iconic time for the horror genre after all. It saw the emergence of Stephen King, alongside movies like The Exorcist and The Omen. Exploring the horror tropes of that era through the character of Blade could be a blast, especially as a bloody, sexy, R-rated animated series.

Wonder Woman (Set in the 1940s)

It’s difficult to convey now what a departure Wonder Woman was, not just for comics of the 1940s, but for culture in general. When William Moulton Marston created her in 1941, women had the vote in America for a mere two decades, still largely confined to roles as wives/mothers. Diana Prince showcased strength and power greater than men, representing an Amazon culture more advanced than the world of patriarchy. Wonder Woman was a feminist icon before the term became widely known.

For these reasons, we think a Wonder Woman animated series set in the ‘40s, perhaps evoking the fashion, aesthetic, and politics of the era, would be amazing. Especially if it really dealt with what it would mean for a woman like that to appear in the deeply puritanical and sexist America of the 1940s. Besides, that setting would ensure Diana Prince punching Nazis in World War II, which we all need to watch right now as cultural catharsis. James Gunn has hinted that a Wonder Woman animated series is long overdue. So why not a period piece set in her era of origin?

Spider-Man (Set in the 2010s)

We’re not sure that many other old superhero cartoons could pick up right where they left off like X-Men ’97. At least not at the same level of success. Yet there is one show that deserves similar treatment – the 1994-1998 Spider-Man: The Animated Series. We know that the same Spidey from that show exists in the X-Men ’97 universe, thanks to his recent cameo. But we would actually love for Christopher Daniel Barnes to return to the role of Peter Parker, and tell stories of a middle-aged wallcrawler years later.

An elder Spidey is how you differentiate this version from the teenage Spidey from the upcoming Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man show. Imagine the story 15 or more years later, with Peter now the father of teenage May “Mayday” Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Girl. It would be less “Spider-Man ‘98” and more “Spider-Man 2014,” but rooted firmly in the events of the ‘90s show. We could even finally have Spidey fight Sandman. He was the one classic villain the old show couldn’t use, as he was meant to appear in the never-made James Cameron Spider-Man movie.

Teen Titans (Set in the 1980s)

X-Men ’97 has been perhaps the best iteration of Marvel’s mutants in any media outside comics. Part of the reason is that longform, serialized melodrama is perfect for X-Men in a way movies aren’t. But in the ‘80s, Uncanny X-Men had a true rival for “best superhero soap opera” in DC’s New Teen Titans. That series had as much interpersonal drama, plot twist reveals, and out-of-this-world adventures as X-Men, and sold almost as well as Uncanny X-Men too.

So far, Teen Titans has had two cartoons aimed very much at young kids, and a live-action show that was brutally violent and dropped f-bombs. Neither has really captured the tone of the comics. Although a recently announced movie might, an animated show set in the ‘80s, the team’s heyday, could finally do the Titans justice as a series. Besides, with the ‘80s setting, you could do things like Starfire as a fashion model, Beast Boy as a former sci-fi TV star, and other very ’80s conventions. Just as long as they don’t get too Stranger Things with it.

Black Widow (Set in the 1960s)

When Black Widow first appeared in 1964, she was a very different character than the one we know in the MCU, or even the one from modern Marvel Comics. She first appeared as an Iron Man villain in Tales of Suspense, as “Madame Natasha.” She didn’t even have a last name yet. Natasha was a Soviet femme fatale spy, in the style of a Bond girl. Natasha had short black hair, a cape, and fishnets. It wouldn’t be until 1970 that she’d get the iconic black catsuit and flowing red hair, and became a notable fighter, not just a sultry spy.

In those original ‘60s stories, Widow gets romantically involved with Tony Stark, Hawkeye, and later Daredevil. Eventually, she defects to the U.S. and trades super spy for superhero. Those early adventures always showcased her as an appendage to male characters, and were quite very sexist. But an animated series for Natasha Romanoff where the male heroes are in support of her and not the other way around? Now that could be incredible, especially with a James Bond-style, Cold War spy backdrop of the ‘60s.

Justice League (Set in the 1970s)

The Justice League of America first appeared in 1960, but those early DC comics were rather simplistic and intended for very young readers. Every hero acted largely the same with little deviation between the team in terms of character. Things started to change in the ‘70s for the JLA, when DC Comics started to get “Marvelized,” for lack of a better term. The League started to have interpersonal drama that evoked issues of the day and moved to a satellite HQ orbiting above the Earth.

In those ‘70s JLA comics, Hawkman was staunchly conservative, while Green Arrow was a “hippy liberal,” which caused all kinds of tension which found heroes like Green Lantern caught in the middle. Black Canary was a wave one feminist ass-kicker, while Zatanna evoked the ‘70s fascination with all things occult. Of course, the ‘70s is also when the concept of the JLA went mainstream mainly thanks to the Super Friends cartoon. This is something a modern animated series could touch on in a meta way. It’s been far too long since we’ve had a proper Justice League animated show. Setting it in period could be the key to making a new one work.

Fantastic Four (Set in the 1960s)

Current rumors hint that the MCU live-action Fantastic Four film is at least partially taking place in the 1960s. Why is this particular era so linked to Marvel’s First Family? Because Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s 1961 origins for the series are very inspired by Atomic Age ideas. Things like the American/Soviet space race, and Johnny Storm being a teenage “hot rod” enthusiast were all cultural staples of the mid-century era. Even today, the Lee/Kirby 100-issue run of Fantastic Four from 1961-1970 remains the best run for the FF ever. Because of this, a ‘60s-set animated series seems like a no-brainer.

Similar to the way Mad Men used the time frame of 1960-1970 to reflect on the rapid changes in American society over that decade, an animated Fantastic Four set in this exact time period could do the same. This time, via a superhero/sci-fi storytelling lens. We know that both a 1960s Fantastic Four film and an animated series at the same time might be overkill. However, we can’t help feeling the series would be the superior product. Oh, and the most important reasons for a ’60s Fantastic Four series? The music! Who doesn’t want to see the Beatles pop up, and have the Fab Four meet the Fantastic Four?

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One of the most controversial X-Men villains of all time was almost certainly born in the penultimate episode of X-Men ’97, “Tolerance is Extinction Part II.” Even if you didn’t see a new bad guy appear anywhere on screen, we were witness to his conception, so to speak. The villain in question is Onslaught, a psychic entity born of the animosity between Charles Xavier and Magneto. But who—or more precisely what—is Onslaught? Created by Mark Waid, Scott Lobdell, and Andy Kubert in 1996’s X-Men #53, this is the strange history of the beyond Omega-level mutant nemesis.

Bishop, the X-Men Traitor Mystery, and the First Hints of Onslaught

The roots of Onslaught go back to the introduction of another major X-Men character, Lucas Bishop. When Marvel first introduced Bishop in Uncanny X-Men #281 in 1991, he was a time-traveler from yet another dystopian future. In his timeline, the X-Men were betrayed by one of their own and destroyed from within. The identity of the so-called “X-traitor” was a mystery lost to time which Bishop hoped he could solve. He initially believed the traitor to be Gambit. Years later, Marvel finally revealed who the X-traitor was. That revelation led to the emergence of the entity Onslaught.

X-Men: Fatal Attractions Is the True Genesis of Onslaught

In 1993’s X-Men #25, during a pitched battle between the X-Men and Magneto’s forces, Magneto ripped the adamantium metal from Wolverine’s skeleton, nearly killing him despite his regenerative powers. In a moment of uncontrolled rage toward his former friend, Charles Xavier used his telepathic powers to shut down Magneto’s mind, leaving him in a catatonic state. However, during this intense psychic contact, all of Magneto’s negative traits, like his anger, sadness, and enormous god complex, entered into Xavier’s mind. It intertwined with all of Charles’ suppressed negative emotions, and in time became its own entity called Onslaught.

Onslaught remained dormant inside of Xavier’s mind for some time, but slowly started to emerge. He learned how to manifest his own body eventually. It was a gigantic and monstrous form, whose head looked like a version of Magneto’s helmet. The Onslaught entity still retained Charles Xavier’s dream of uniting humanity and mutants, only he would do so using fear. If humans and mutants were all terrified of the wrath of Onslaught, they would join together under his rule. Onslaught sought to recruit known mutants and others to his cause, like his brother Juggernaut and Jean Grey. All rejected him, and he wiped their memories of his true identity as Xavier. He then bided his time to make his move.

X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught Event Series Changes the Marvel Universe

Eventually, when a young mutant died on the grounds of Xavier’s School for the Gifted, Xavier’s mind finally broke. The years of failures caught up to him, and Onslaught took full control of his body and mind. He tried to recruit his students the X-Men to his cause but they all turned him down, and fought against their former teacher. Bishop realized that Xavier himself was the X-traitor he had read so much about as a child. Bishop managed to save his fellow X-Men, but now Onslaught was free and ready to wreak havoc.

In the event series X-Men/Avengers: Onslaught, the powerful entity tried to attain the vast psionic powers of Franklin Richards, the mutant child of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four. He hoped that Franklin’s powers, as well as those of the alternate universe version of Cable called X-Man, might be enough to turn humanity and mutants into a collective consciousness. He reprogrammed Sentinels to obey only him. The X-Men and the Avengers were able to separate Xavier from Onslaught. But without Xavier’s noble side as an anchor, Onslaught became even more dangerous than before.

Onslaught “Kills” the Avengers and the Fantastic Four

The non-mutant members of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four realized they were going to have to be the ones to stop Onslaught. This was because the entity could more easily channel its energy into a mutant. They seemingly sacrificed their lives to stop him, dissipating his psychic energy into almost nothing. But the world blamed mutants for the death of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and anti-mutant hysteria reached a fever pitch. This allowed Bastion to get the backing of world governments to fund his Operation Zero Tolerance. X-Men ’97 seems to be doing these stories in reverse order.

Why Onslaught Remains a Polarizing X-Men Character

So why is Onslaught so controversial? Many fans felt that the character was merely used to get the Avengers and Fantastic Four characters “off the board,” and sent into their own separate universe. Even though the X-Men believed them dead, it turned out Franklin had merely sent them to a pocket dimension. In 1996, Image Comics’ Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld returned to Marvel where they were given carte blanche to reinvent those characters for the modern era. This year-long initiative, called “Heroes Reborn,” was not terribly popular. Many felt Onslaught was merely a vehicle to separate the Avengers and FF from the X-Men, thus splitting the Marvel universe. Because of this, the Onslaught character has only made sporadic returns since, although one was as recently as last year’s X-Men series.

The X-Men ’97 Future of Onslaught

In X-Men ’97, we saw Xavier reach deep into Magneto’s mind before his attack on Logan. And he was clearly in his head for an extended (and seemingly painful) period of time. This was the moment that created Onslaught in the comics, and we’re fairly certain he’s coming in the series too. While the character wasn’t that popular, X-Men ’97 has rehabilitated an equally unpopular villain in Bastion. We think the writers of X-Men ’97 can turn Onslaught into a fan-favorite too. We are not sure when or where he’ll appear, but the godlike child of Charles Xavier and Magneto will almost certainly appear in X-Men ’97 at some point. It’s just a matter of time until he rears his ugly helmet head.

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We only have two episodes left of X-Men ’97, and former series showrunner Beau DeMayo has been giving fans “homework” for the final episodes of season one. This homework takes the form of old X-Men episodes or comics to prepare for what’s coming next. The latest assignment comes in the form of watching the original X-Men animated pilot from 1989.

In the clip for episode nine of X-Men ’97, which you can see above, we see the team suit up in their classic costumes. Cyclops wears his suit with the skullcap, Wolverine puts on his brown and tan costume. Storm has her original suit from the comics. These are the same looks from the comics, also famously used in the original X-Men pilot, “Pryde of the X-Men.”

Another factor used in “Pryde of the X-Men” was Magneto’s orbiting stronghold, Asteroid M. His fortress was already teased several times in the show’s opening credits, as it appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series. We think the addition of “Pryde of the X-Men” as so-called homework only further fuels the notion that Magneto’s base of operations is making a big comeback. You can watch the full “Pryde of the X-Men” episode right here:

X-Men: The Animated Series is one of the most iconic superhero cartoons ever made. Without its huge success, it’s unlikely Fox would have ever greenlit the first X-Men film. But the X-Men cartoon we got was almost entirely different from what Marvel originally planned. Back in ’89, Marvel commissioned a pilot episode that introduced the X-Men’s junior member Kitty Pryde, hence the title “Pryde of the X-Men.” It only aired sporadically in syndication, before an eventual VHS release with a very odd live-action intro of Spider-Man talking about the importance of voting… to a presumably kid audience. (Sure, why not).

“Pryde of the X-Men” is fascinating for several reasons. It is a sort of spinoff to the version of the team first introduced in 1982’s Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends series. That is why they continued the weird decision to make Wolverine Australian, an idea first used in Spidey’s cartoon. (And which kind of predicted Aussie actor Hugh Jackman’s eventual role as Logan). For some reason, the producers substituted Rogue with Dazzler.

The cartoon had the classic line-up and concept from Uncanny X-Men, despite the late ’80s comics featuring a different team at the time. Despite its theme song paling in comparison to the ’90s show, the original pilot has some great things going for it. Overall, the animation was better. Plus, it featured iconic team members like Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Kitty as regulars. Kitty never once appeared in the ’90s show, which always felt like a glaring omission—maybe one X-Men ’97 will eventually rectify.

Back then, no network believed in X-Men as an animated series. It was producer Margaret Loesch who successfully pitched Fox Kids on the X-Men concept on the second try, in 1992. She cited the massive sales figures for X-Men #1 as an example of the IP’s popularity. No executive believed in X-Men, but Loesch staked her reputation on Marvel’s Mutants becoming huge. She was right, and the rest is history. Although X-Men: The Animated Series as produced bore little resemblance to “Pryde of the X-Men,” the one-off cartoon had a second life. Its designs and concepts were the basis of the massively popular Konami X-Men arcade game, also released in 1992.

As different as both shows were, they had one big thing in common. Both pilots featured a POV character who was a young girl discovering her mutant powers, and she’s our eyes and ears into this new world. In the ’90s series, it was Jubilee. We could easily see this approach, which began in “Pryde of the X-Men,” translated into the eventual MCU X-Men. It’s just too good and obvious a storytelling device. In the end, we would not be shocked in the MCU X-Men film begins with a teenage girl approaching the doors of a certain mansion located at 1407, Graymalkin Lane. But for now, it looks like X-Men ’97 is going to pay homage to this once-forgotten iteration of Xavier’s students.

Originally published on March 22, 2022.

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We only have two episodes of X-Men ’97 left in season one, and speculation about what might happen is running wild. Magneto is clearly back to his old ways, and Charles Xavier is finally back on Earth. This is going to lead to one hell of a confrontation. So far, the series has been remixing tons of lore from the comics, creating its own unique take on the X-Men. Former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has been active on social media lately, dropping hints as to what takes place in the last few episodes, and what classic episodes fans should revisit. Here’s what he’s shared so far:

So what could these references to classic X-Men: The Animated Series episodes mean? We have some ideas.

“One Man’s Worth, Pt. I and II” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4, Episodes 9-10

We know what one of these was hinting at already. The episode “One Man’s Worth” showed an alternate Wolverine and Storm heading to 1959 to prevent the assassination of a young Charles Xavier. In that episode we met a racist bully in the past, one we now know was infected by a future Nimrod Sentinel, and fathered Bastion. His mother appeared in that episode as well.

“Sanctuary Pt. I and II” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4, Episodes 3 -4

“Sanctuary Pt. I and II” featured Magneto attempting to create a mutant-only nation in orbit around the world with Asteroid M. Might he attempt such a thing again? That was also a part of the comics, in the storyline “Fatal Attractions.” (More on that story in a moment). That story ended when Magneto ripped the adamantium off Logan’s bones.

“Descent” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 5, Episode 9

“Descent” focused on the backstory of Mister Sinister, focusing on his days as a 19th-century scientist named Nathaniel Essex. This suggests we’ll see more flashbacks to Sinister’s younger days before the season is over. Maybe the show will finally explain what Sinister’s ultimate goals are in working with Bastion, besides just doing experiments on more mutant DNA. Mister Sinister always has plans within plans.

“The Final Decision” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1 Episode 13

“The Final Decision” was the season one finale of X-Men: The Animated Series. That episode featured the X-Men teaming up with Magneto to stop the Sentinel Master Mold from replacing the minds of world leaders with Sentinel-controlled brains. We could see a repeat of those events in X-Men ’97, only now with the threat of Bastion’s human-looking Prime Sentinels.

Uncanny X-Men #304, “…For What I Have Done”

We also have a comic book-related bit of homework. DeMayo shared the cover of 1993’s Uncanny X-Men #304, part of the “Fatal Attractions” storyline. In this issue, all of the X-Men and their adjacent teams gathered at the X-Mansion grounds for Illyana Rasputin’s funeral. Magneto crashed the funeral, declaring himself the new mutant savior. And he convinced Colossus, Illyana’s grieving brother, to abandon Xavier’s dream and join him. Colossus isn’t a regular member of the team in X-Men ’97, but this sure indicates that at least one stalwart X-Men is defecting to Magneto’s side before the season is over. Maybe even more than one.

We’ll discover what it all means when the last two episodes of X-Men ’97 season one, “Tolerance is Extinction” parts 2-3, drop on Disney+ on May 8 and May 15.

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X-Men ’97 has been a stellar series so far, and one of the best things that Marvel Studios has ever produced for Disney+. The show started out as a fun nostalgia trip. Yet by episode five, it eclipsed almost every other non-comics X-Men media so far. Now, we’re heading into the three-part finale, titled “Tolerance is Extinction.” Marvel Animation has released a new trailer for the season’s end that hints at ominous things to come, particularly with Bastion’s Prime Sentinels. And possibly some big status quo changes too. Watch it down below, and then we’ll unpack all the mutant goodness together:

The trailer opens with a voiceover from Professor X, saying “You were my first students. My family. I wanted you to be free.” This leads us to guess that Charles returns from space, and has a heart-to-heart with Jean and Scott, his first students. We also see him wiping the dust off his old hover chair, suggesting he loses the Shi’ar exo-suit. We also see that Storm returns to the team, in her new/old costume. She appears next to Forge, and what looks like Sunspot, now in his New Mutants uniform from the comics. One shot shows the Professor’s office burning down, suggesting Xavier’s School goes down in flames. The destruction of the X-Mansion is an X-Men comics staple at this point.

The best new scene in the trailer though has to be Cable suiting up for battle alongside his father Scott. He makes a mention of the X-Men costumes looking like colorful circus outfits, and Cyclops retorts “What would you prefer? Black leather?” This was of course a dig at the original X-Men film. Specifically, the scene where Wolverine makes fun of the leather costumes, and Cyclops says “What would prefer, yellow spandex?” Something which every X-Men fan in the audience said “YES!” to. Although in fairness to those films, after movies like Batman & Robin, we get the initial impulse to not go the multicolored route. (There was no excuse for it in later years though). Cable’s new costume his son hands him looks suspiciously like his late ’90s X-Force look. Which we are very down with.

X-Men ’97 releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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There are lots of ways to tell when a show has made its way to the forefront of pop culture. Sometimes it’s as simple as bonkers ratings and robust social media attention. You can also get a good idea how much people care by how many theories and explainers sites like ours write. Even an influx of popular memes and jokes can indicate a project has thoroughly made its way into the cultural consciousness. But there’s one specific sign something is truly connecting with audiences that is especially fun. It comes in little plastic brick form. We know viewers can’t get enough of a series when it gets a LEGO recreation. And that’s exactly what Disney+’s X-Men ’97 just got for its opening credits.

YouTuber LegoBricks Studio has turned Marvel’s mutants into a delightful LEGO short. Over three weeks the channel used Mecabricks to re-create the opening credits for the MCU’s X-Men: The Animated Series reboot. It recently launched to widespread acclaim. That’s true of both the show and its fantastic opening sequence. Accompanied by the original series’ iconic theme song, this intro shows Charles Xavier’s most important X-Men character by character before they run into battle against Magneto and his forces.

You can really appreciate how good this LEGO version is by seeing how it stacks up to the actual intro.

Not every LEGO re-creation is (re)created equally, though. Some are truly just full on shot-for-shot LEGO versions. But this X-Men ’97 takes it a step further by full embracing its LEGO-ness. You can see that when Beast goes from docile doctor to fierce warrior by spinning his LEGO head. He goes from smiling to growling just like an actual LEGO mini-figure. And rather than just a regular light emanating from Professor X’s head, it’s an illuminated LEGO piece.

Perfection.

And also the latest sign just how much people love this show.

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Promos had us believing the “Big Bad” of X-Men ’97 was going to be Mister Sinister. After episode six of season one, “Bright Eyes,” it turns out Sinister was just working for the Big Bad, who is a somewhat lesser-known X-Men comic book villain named Bastion. He’s voiced by White Lotus star Theo James. The series has dropped hints about Bastion all season, but now we know he’s the principal villain. So just who is this antagonist with a deep hatred of mutants, and what are his ties to some of the most lethal enemies the X-Men have ever faced, the Sentinels? Let’s unpack the bizarre history of this X-Men ’97 bad guy.

Bastion was a creation of writer Mark Waid and artist Andy Kubert, and debuted in 1996’s X-Men (vol.2) #52. He was the primary villain in the X-Men’s 1997 crossover event “Operation: Zero Tolerance.” In a way, Bastion is a new iteration of two classic X-Men foes: the Sentinel-creating Master Mold, and Nimrod, the advanced Sentinel robot from an alternate future. To explain how these robotic killing machines that target mutants became a (mostly) flesh and blood being named Bastion, we have to get into the powerful magic of the Siege Perilous.

Bastion Is of Both Technological and Mystical Origins

In the 1987 crossover event “The Fall of the Mutants,” the X-Men died saving the city of Dallas from an ancient evil called the Adversary. This is the very same supernatural being that caused Storm so much trouble recently on X-Men ’97. Although the X-Men died heroically, the goddess Roma resurrected them all as a reward for their bravery. Now invisible to all forms of human surveillance, they could strike at their enemies unnoticed. During this era, they lived in the Australian Outback, hiding from the world.

Roma gave the X-Men an “out” in the form of an ancient magical device called the Siege Perilous. It could open a portal, allowing anyone to walk through it to get a second chance at life. The Siege would judge you, and if worthy, you kept your memories of your previous life intact. If not, it erased your memory, and you were reborn with a new life. Five X-Men walked through it. One of them was Rogue, who went through during a pitched battle with Master Mold and Nimrod. She took the killer robots through with her. This occurred in 1989’s Uncanny X-Men #247. Rogue was reborn, memory intact, and because the Sentinels were machines, no one thought of them as alive and capable of mystical rebirth. They were wrong.

Part Master Mold, Part Nimrod, Part Human

The Master Mold/Nimrod hybrid came out of the Siege Perilous, now a total amnesiac. The mystical device had created a humanoid male body for it. Like many who went through before, the hybrid had no memory. A woman by the name of Rose Gilberti took him in. The amnesiac man bonded with the kind-hearted Rose, and she adopted him as a surrogate son, and even gave him her surname. He was now Sebastion Gilberti, or “Bastion” for short. Eventually hearing about the world’s “mutant problem” it triggered the anti-mutant part of his being. Bastion soon fell in with anti-mutant groups, like the hateful Friends of Humanity. Ultimately, this led him to government agencies where he knew he could do some real damage to the mutant community.

Bastion Initiates Operation: Zero Tolerance

With Bastion’s anti-mutant protocols activated once more, he started to organize an international anti-mutant strike force, named Operation: Zero Tolerance, or OZT for short. Deciding that the old model Sentinels were outdated, no doubt due to his being part “Future Sentinel” himself, he implanted several humans secretly with nano-technology. They were designated Prime Sentinels. These Prime Sentinels were all sleeper agents, programmed with nanotech, becoming mutant-hunting machines when activated by OZT. The X-Men and SHIELD defeat Bastion, but he keeps finding a way to make life miserable for mutants. Bastion is currently dead, but in the world of the X-Men, that is never permanent.

Bastion’s Powers and Abilities

Bastion is extremely powerful, especially as an advanced Sentinel given human form by mystical means. He has super strength, speed, flight, and agility. Like more rudimentary Sentinels, he can adapt to the powers of his mutant opponent. He can create mechanical weapons from his own body on a whim, and deploy deadly energy blasts. Much like the Borg on Star Trek, he had access to the Sentinel hive mind. Thanks to the techno-organic virus that creates Prime Sentinels, he can essentially reanimate the dead.

Similar to Star Trek’s Borg Queen, he can control all of his Prime Sentinel drones from any distance. Bastion also has the power of technopathy, meaning he can control all mechanical and electronic devices with a thought. When damaged, he can self-repair as well. Through techno-kinetic manipulation, he can alter his appearance. He can even time travel to the alternate future from which his Nimrod half originated. From a powers standpoint, Bastion is one of the deadliest villains the X-Men have ever faced.

Bastion in X-Men ’97

X-Men ’97 has hinted at Bastion appearing throughout the first season, since the second episode. We saw the distinctive back of his head at a war room meeting with military officials. We also saw him in a partial photo with Forge, in the episode “Lifedeath Pt.I.” This photograph was from Forge’s days as a government operative. You can also see him walking past Magneto at the celebration in Genosha in “Remember It,” before the Sentinel slaughter.

We know he’s promised Sinister something in return for his assistance in the genocide, acquiring Bolivar Trask’s DNA to activate the wild Sentinel. Sinister mentions that he was a villain that the X-Men faced once before. The X-Men battled a Nimrod in the original animated series, and it’s likely that he has evolved into Bastion. Although probably through non-magical means, as the Siege Perilous is not part of X-Men ’97 canon (yet). Whatever Bastion plans to do, he’s already caused horrific damage to the mutant community. We’ll find out how the X-Men plan to take him on in the final episodes of X-Men ’97 season one.

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On X-Men ’97 this season, Storm has been through it. She lost her powers, found out the cute new guy she’s been seeing actually caused that problem, and faced down a demon. It’s a lot. But after many trials and tribulations, in episode six of X-Men ’97, “Lifedeath Pt. II,” Ororo Munroe got her weather-controlling powers back. She not only got her powers again, but she’s now wearing her original costume. That costume is from 1975’s Giant Size X-Men #1. Now, a fan has mashed up Storm’s upgrade with Beyoncé’s song “Alien Superstar” from her album Renaissance. And yes, it fits perfectly. You can watch the video from Twitter user Steven T right here:

They describe this as a Storm’s magical girl transformation, and it really is just that. For those unfamiliar, the term usually applies to an anime trope, one where the heroine “utters a key phrase, accompanied by certain gestures and/or using some sort of magical device, and then hovers into the air over a magical background, then has her clothes disappear as her hero costume glows into existence over her.” Sailor Moon popularized this, but even that drew inspiration from She-Ra’s and Wonder Woman’s magical transformations on TV years before. Now, Storm follows in that same grand tradition.

Using Beyoncé’s hit song “Alien Superstar” is also fitting, because a few years back, the musical icon once wore an updated version of that Storm costume for Halloween, designed by Simone Bianchi. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment. Storm’s costume in the series is the first time in the X-Men: The Animated Series continuity she’s worn her original outfit. Designed by Dave Cockrum, this was Storm’s principal costume in the Uncanny X-Men comics for years. But aside from the failed pilot episode “Pryde of the X-Men” in 1989, Storm has never used it in animation. We can’t wait to see more of it in X-Men ’97.

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The opening credits sequence for X-Men ’97 is incredibly faithful to the one for the ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series. At first glance, you might think it’s exactly the same as it was before. But there are subtle changes to the opening sequence with each episode. These changes include many Easter eggs referring to the original animated show, as well as the classic Marvel comics. Let’s break them down, episode by episode.

X-Men ’97 Episode 1,”To Me, My X-Men”

The first episode of X-Men ’97 rather faithfully recreated the original X-Men: The Animated Series opening credits. But from the get-go, there were some changes. The entire team is inside the Blackbird cockpit now, including Jubilee. Jean Grey no longer wears her ponytail, and Storm is sporting her new mohawk. Both Morph and Bishop are added to the “roll call” in the credits. Morph also has a moment where he’s tormented by Mister Sinister. In the final showdown, where the X-Men and their enemies are running towards each other, Lady Deathstrike and the White Queen replace Thunderbird and Gargoyle.

X-Men ’97 Episode 2 “Mutant Liberation Now”

The second episode sees Magneto in his new costume as the first X-Man we see in the credits, effectively replacing Professor X. Although we still see Charles in the credits, right before the title card comes up. Other additions include Storm fighting and beating Callisto in the Morlock tunnels, from the original series episode “Captive Hearts.” We see a brief moment of Jean Grey in full Dark Phoenix mode from the original series’ adaptation of “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” We catch a glimpse of Bishop tumbling through time from the original show’s “Days of Future Past” adaptation. Finally, we see Magneto’s orbiting base Asteroid M, from the X-Men: The Animated Series fourth season episode “Sanctuary.”

X-Men ’97 Episode 3 “Fire Made Flesh”

For the third X-Men ’97 episode’s credits, new additions include a brief shot of the X-Men fighting Magneto. This is from the second episode of the classic series, “Enter: Magneto.” We see mutant Roberto da Costa, chased by the angry mob running toward a chain link fence, just as Jubilee did. Next we see Empress Lilandra of the Shi’ar with Charles Xavier, in a moment from “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” We also witness Jean Grey’s sacrifice in that same episode, in front of a very distraught Cyclops. Finally, there’s a shot of Rogue and Gambit on the basketball court. This scene is a recreation of Jim Lee’s art from 1992’s X-Men #4.

X-Men ’97 Episode 4 “Motendo/Lifedeath Pt. 1”

For the episode four credits, Jean Grey is back in her original X-Men: The Animated Series ponytail, letting us know this is the real Jean, and not the clone Madelyne Pryor. We also catch a glimpse of Jubilee saving the other-dimensional warrior Longshot from Mojo is from the X-Men: The Animated Series episode “Longshot” from season three. Next is a moment is from the classic episode “Cold Comfort,” which introduced Iceman to X-Men: The Animated Series continuity. We see Forge with the government-sponsored team X-Factor, including Lorna Dane/Polaris. Finally, we see Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, making telepathic contact with Charles Xavier. This is also from “The Dark Phoenix Saga” episodes of the classic show.

X-Men ’97 Episode 5, “Remember It”

This episode, despite its game-changing events, only had two new scenes in the credits. The first shows the cyborg mutant mercenary Cable, fighting a giant size version of the ancient mutant Apocalypse. This is from the original X-Men: The Animated Series episode “Time Fugitives.” Next, we see Gambit and Nightcrawler fighting side by side, presumably from the classic episode “Bloodlines.” Since Cable made his X-Men ’97 debut in this episode, and we got a visit from Nightcrawler, the inclusion of these two scenes makes sense.

X-Men ’97 Episode 6, “Lifedeath Pt. II”

The opening credits for episode 6, “Lifedeath Pt. II,” make another change to the team roster. We now have Nightcrawler, who jumps on his own logo, which was first designed for his 1985 miniseries. We also get a quick flash of the X-Men fighting Nimrod, the future Sentinel. Speaking of Sentinels, we also see a Master Mold produce many of its Sentinel offspring, probably from the original X-Men season one finale. The X-Men fighting the Shi’ar Imperial Guard is from the end of “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” and Lilandra meeting Xavier for the first time is from the opening episodes of “The Phoenix Saga.”

We expect many more new scenes and Easter eggs added to the opening credits as each new episode of X-Men ’97 drops on Disney+.

Originally published on April 3, 2024.

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The opening moments of episode six of X-Men ’97, “Lifedeath Pt. II,” don’t take place on Earth, but in the depths of outer space. It is in the galaxy ruled by the Shi’ar Empire, in fact. In that scene, we get a proper introduction to someone who will no doubt be a major thorn in the X-Men’s side in the future — the Shi’ar royal warrior known as Deathbird. Although she appeared fleetingly in a handful of X-Men: The Animated Series episodes in the ‘90s, it’s here that we really get to know this deadly alien. But her comic book history doesn’t begin in the pages of X-Men comics, but actually in the pages of Ms. Marvel. A series written by Uncanny X-Men’s Chris Claremont, who along with artist Keith Pollard, created Deathbird in 1977.

The Marvel Comics Origins of Deathbird

Born as Princess Cal’syee Neramani of the Royal House of the Shi’ar on the world Chandilar, Cal’syee was third in line to the throne. From birth, she was under a cloud of suspicion because of prophecies saying she would bring great evil to the galaxy. They exiled her from the Shi’ar homeworld when she brutally murdered her mother and sister and also stripped her of her name. She eventually took on the alias of Deathbird, reflecting her winged nature. Winding up on the distant world of Earth, Deathbird became a criminal working with villains like M.O.D.O.K., and battled Carol Danvers, then going by the name Ms. Marvel. This makes her similar to another well-known X-Men villain, Mystique, who also debuted as a Ms. Marvel adversary.

Deathbird Becomes an X-Men Villain

Deathbird becomes a major X-Men villain when she attempts multiple takeovers of the Shi’ar throne, trying to steal it away from her sister Lilandra. At the time, Lilandra was the paramour of Professor X, the X-Men’s leader. Eventually, with the assistance of the alien race the Brood, she was able to steal the throne from her sister. For quite some time, Deathbird ruled the Shi’ar Empire with an iron fist, until Lilandra, with the help of Charles Xavier, was able to help her take back her rightful place on the throne. Deathbird actually ceded the Empire to her at a later time, hating the day-to-day bureaucratic process of ruling.

Deathbird’s Mutant Romances

Eventually, Deathbird made some sort of peace with Lilandra, and helped her defeat the Kree in the Shi’ar/Kree War. When the Shi’ar ultimately conquered the Kree, they elevated Deathbird to Viceroy and ruler of the Kree Empire in the Shi’ar’s name. When she helped the X-Men fight the alien Phalanx, she found herself in a brief romance with the time traveler Bishop. Her most important romance however was with the Earth mutant Gabriel Summers, a.k.a. Vulcan, who is the younger brother of Cyclops and Havok.

When Cyclops’ parents, Christopher and Katherine Summers, were abducted by the alien Shi’ar, Katherine was pregnant. Although Emperor D’Ken killed her, the unborn mutant child was spared. He then grew at an accelerated rate in the Shi’ar Empire’s labs. Living most of his life off-Earth and taking the name Vulcan, thanks to his energy-controlling powers, he became the consort of Deathbird. Eventually, he takes the throne of the Shi’ar, becoming Emperor Vulcan, with Deathbird as his Empress. Together, they have a hybrid child, whose name, gender, and current whereabouts are unknown.

The Alien Mutant Powers of Deathbird

Like her Earthly enemies, Deathbird is a mutant. While all members of the Shi’ar race descended from bird-like creatures, Deathbird had a genetic mutation at birth. Her mutation made her far more akin to prehistoric Shi’ar, who were far more avian in appearance. This mutation gave her wings, allowing her the power of flight. In addition, Deathbird has super strength, speed, and agility. Her nails are like talons, and can tear through most substances. As if her innate mutant powers were not enough, Deathbird is a highly skilled warrior. She’s a fighter almost without equal in the entire Shi’ar Empire.

Deathbird’s X-Men: The Animated Series Cameos

In the original X-Men: The Animated Series, Deathbird made two silent cameos in a pair of episodes. We see her with her older brother, the mad emperor D’Ken, when he kidnaps the Summers family in a flashback. She also appears at the side of Apocalypse at the end of the fourth season episode “Sanctuary, Part II.” We learn in the episode “Beyond Good and Evil: Part II” that she allied herself with Apocalypse to wrest the Shi’ar throne away from her sister. But once Apocalypse captured the Shi’ar psychic Oracle away from Lilandra for his own purposes, he betrayed Deathbird, thus leaving her at the mercy of her sister.

Deathbird in X-Men ’97

Deathbird must have pleaded with her sister for a second chance after we last saw her. Because in X-Men ’97 she serves Empress Lilandra in her war with the Kree and defeats Ronan the Accuser. She also used her sister’s romance with Charles Xavier as a “weakness” to exploit, as he is a mere “Terran.” She suggests their union would taint the Shi’ar royal bloodline. Much like Chris Claremont and Jim Lee’s iconic Uncanny X-Men #275, we just might see Xavier’s students take on the alien villain before season one is over. It certainly seems like Deathbird is shaping up to earn her name in the eyes of Marvel’s mutants.

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The world of Marvel’s mutants has changed forever thanks to the genocidal attack on Genosha in episode five of X-Men ’97. So much so, we theorize it will cause a rift in the team that recalls not one, but two major events from the comics. The first is the emergence of the more militant, revolutionary version of Cyclops. For a time in the comics in the late 2000s, Scott Summers had a “take no prisoners” attitude that rivaled Magneto. The other is the formation of X-Factor, a team led by Cyclops consisting of the original X-Men. Here are the clues classic Marvel Comics have provided us that lead us to this is where X-Men ’97 is going.

Cyclops Is Becoming Angrier with Each Episode of X-MEN ’97

Even before the attack on Genosha, in the TV interview, Scott Summers seemed very done with the whole thing. He loses control and gets brutally honest, having an outburst where he mentions how sick he is of human prejudice and ungratefulness. It seems all the recent trauma in the series has gotten to Scott, including losing his infant son Nathan to an unknown future. Compounded with the genocide on Genosha, which killed the mother of his son, Madelyne Pryor, this might be enough to make Scott harden his heart and become a hardcore revolutionary. He might even take Magneto’s approach to mutant rights, and break from Xavier’s more peaceful method.

In the Wake of Mutant Decimation, Cyclops Becomes More Militant

In the comics, the genocide on Genosha, followed by the Scarlet Witch’s depowering of nearly all mutants on Earth in 2005’s House of M, led to a near annihilation of mutants as a race. This changed the remaining powered mutants in both good and bad ways. For Scott Summers, this time was particularly harsh. He had recently lost his wife Jean Grey (again), and learned that his mentor Professor X had lied to him and the team, about several things. Dating former villain Emma Frost, Cyclops became more and more militant in his belief that mutants must do anything to survive, no matter the cost. It was during this time he secretly formed a new version of X-Force, designated as a black ops team sent on missions to kill their deadliest foes.

During this era, Cyclops led what remained of the powered mutants to an island near San Francisco named Utopia. There, he formed the X-Men’s “Extinction Team,” which was designed to flex the might of mutants in the world, and who were created to thwart extinction-level events for humans and mutants. On this powerful lineup were X-Men like Emma Frost, Colossus, Namor, Magick, Storm, and, Magneto. The Master of Magnetism had ceded his role as the revolutionary leader to Scott, a man whom Magneto had tried to kill in battle many times when he was a boy.

Cyclops, Headmaster of the Proactive New Xavier School

It didn’t end there. Believing mutantkind must do whatever it takes to survive, Cyclops began training the few remaining younger mutants into soldiers. This led to a schism with Wolverine. Logan believed the mutant children needed to learn how to control their powers first, leaving the soldiering to the adults. From there, the team split to two factions of X-Men, with Cyclops leading one aggressively proactive team, and Logan another. Cyclops opened the New Xavier School in the former Weapon X base, militarizing a new generation of mutant teens. This act raised eyebrows among the mutant community, as well as teams like the Avengers.

“Cyclops Was Right”

Things really got out of hand for Cyclops when the Phoenix Force returned to Earth. This led to a war with the Avengers, and Cyclops (and four other mutants) became the new Phoenix hosts. The Phoenix pushed Cyclops into a darker mindset, ultimately leading to his killing of his mentor Charles Xavier. Of course, Xavier eventually returned. That didn’t stop his fellow X-Men from blaming Scott for what he did under the Phoenix’s influence. However, when Scott died (temporarily of course) many changed their views on Scott Summers, viewing him as a mutant martyr. Mutants in the Marvel universe began boasting the phrase “Cyclops Was Right.” Although his stance has softened quite a bit since his return to life, this militant Cyclops lasted for several years’ worth of comics.

Could Cyclops Form X-Factor As an X-Men Splinter Team?

We do think if proactive Cyclops breaks off a splinter X-Men team, the producers might go further in the comic book past for its roster. Since episode one of X-Men ’97, they keep showing a photo of the first class of Xavier’s students hanging in Charles’ office. Like the comics, the original X-Men were Cyclops, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Beast, Iceman, and Angel. The original series casually mentioned an original team before, notably in the Iceman-centric episode “Cold Comfort.” They never directed attention to the fact there was an “original five” team as much as they have in X-Men ’97. We think they are reminding us for a reason. It’s because when Scott forms his own squad, he’ll call his old classmates, and they’ll go by the name X-Factor.

In the comics, Cyclops lost leadership of the X-Men to Storm, attempting to settle down with his wife and son. But circumstances forced him to form his own team with his oldest friends. The original X-Factor’s mission statement was to use humanity’s paranoia and fear of mutants against them. Posing as X-Factor, the original five X-Men were like Ghostbusters for mutants. People would call them on a toll-free line, and they’d show up and deal with the local “mutant problem.” As they were all secretly mutants themselves, they would train these younger mutants as Xavier once taught them.

The mutants wore different costumes as the X-Terminators, a public mutant superhero team made of former X-Men. The unsuspecting public didn’t realize they were the same group. X-Factor thought they could use humanity’s fear of mutants to their own advantage, and save kids with active X-genes instead. The plan ultimately backfired and did more harm than good. Yet we could see X-Men ’97 make Cyclops lead a new charge with his oldest friends in tow. As the series continues to unfold, we’ll find out how far Cyclops has been pushed to extremism. We believe that much of his future character trajectory was spelled out for Scott Summers decades ago in some classic Marvel titles.

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The fifth episode of X-Men ’97, titled “Remember It,” was a true shocker that left fans with their jaws on the floor. In this chapter, not long after the mutant country of Genosha is recognized as a sovereign nation by the UN, a giant celebration is held, with members of the X-Men in attendance. We’re witness to a grand ball, with many happy mutants dancing the night away. Then, tragedy strikes. A giant Sentinel, bigger than any seen before, appears above the island and lays waste to it. Thousands are killed, if not more, including Magneto and Gambit. This harrowing moment, which left viewers speechless, is also one lifted straight from early 2000s era Marvel comics.

The Sentinel Attack on Genosha Is From NEW X-MEN by Grant Morrison

Starting in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run in 2001, many things about Marvel’s mutant team were reinvented. Morrison thought X-Men lore had become stagnant. So the creative team made some drastic changes. Grant made the X-Men into public figures, letting the whole world know that their home base was Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. This is something we see in X-Men ’97. Genosha, once a slave state for mutantkind, has become a free nation and home for mutants from all over the globe. Under Magneto’s leadership, it becomes the haven for some 16 million mutants. But in 2001’s New X-Men #114, a gigantic “Wild Sentinel” arrives above the island and kills nearly every inhabitant—a brutal genocidal act.

In the Comics, Cassandra Nova Sent the Sentinel to Destroy Genosha

We learn that this Wild Sentinel, built by a lost Master Mold and made of metal junk, was sent by Cassandra Nova, Charles Xavier’s evil twin, to destroy his dream. She becomes the primary antagonist of Morrison’s New X-Men run, which lasted through 2004. The Genoshan genocide is a serious blow to the mutant community, wiping out a significant portion of their population in one fell swoop. It’s one that haunts them for decades. It also marked the first time that the mutant race would form a country of their own, but not the last. Years later, the mutants would form a new homeland, the living island of Krakoa.

The Genoshan Genocide in X-MEN ’97

So how different is the X-Men ’97 version of events? The Wild Sentinel design looks extremely similar to the one designed by Frank Quitely for New X-Men. Unlike the comics, however, we don’t know who sent this weapon of mass destruction to Genosha. In the comics, it was Cassandra Nova as we mentioned. The series has yet introduce her, however. Could it be Mister Sinister? He’s the supposed “Big Bad’ of the season. We should note that when Cable appeared to his mother Maddie before the destruction, he told her “He’s coming.” Who is “He?” It could be Sinister or perhaps Apocalypse. He might use a Sentinel to cull the weak mutants from the strong, as he often did in the comics. We know someone sent that gigantic Sentinel, we just don’t know who yet.

Another nod to the comics is that Magneto appeared to die in the destruction of Genosha, something the animated show also did. But of course, Magneto actually lived, and we expect to see the Master of Magnetism appear again on X-Men ’97 before too long. In comic books and soap operas, if there’s not a visible body, they ain’t dead. In the case of the X-Men, even if there is a body, they are still likely not dead. Hopefully, by the end of this season, we’ll discover who where exactly this Super Sentinel came from. And we will have to see how mutantkind recovers from this devastating attack.

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X-Men ’97 has been a sensation since premiering on Disney+ last month, transcending just a quick nostalgia fix and proving itself to be top-tier Marvel storytelling. The animation is great, the voice-acting is spot-on, and so is the show’s musical score. We don’t just mean the immaculately re-created classic theme song either. This is all thanks to composers the Newton Brothers, known for their music in projects like Doctor Sleep and The Haunting of Hill House. We chatted with the musical duo’s Taylor Newton Stewart (who despite his name, is not siblings with his creative partner John Andrew Grush) about working on X-Men ’97.

Nerdist: Your credits before coming on to this project don’t suggest scoring an animated Marvel show. How did X-Men ’97 come about for you and your The Newton Brothers musical collaborator, John Andrew Grush?

Taylor Newton Stewart: So we’re big, big fans of the original X-Men: The Animated Series, and we had heard that they were redoing it. We submitted a demo, and the showrunner at the time was a fan of ours from Doctor Sleep and other projects we’ve done. Even though the genre was very different, they gave us a chance to put together a demo, and that’s how we got it.

The original X-Men theme is one of the most iconic animated TV themes ever. You’ve largely kept it intact for the new show, but if you listen closely, you can hear little differences, like it has a more dramatic lead-up. Were you nervous about making even the slightest changes to such a well-known theme song?

Stewart: Of course, I mean as you just said, you know, we wanted to pay tribute to it. And when you get something wrong, the fans will let you know. So we really wanted to do right by that. Also, speaking with the creatives at Marvel and the team, there was a very sort of specific direction they wanted to go on that.

Is there a character in season one you particularly liked writing music for?

Stewart: You know, it’s an interesting thing. I think Andy and I would go back [and forth] on this because there would be characters we would want to write for, and then it would change based on the episode and what was happening. I think overall for me, Magneto was probably at the top. But it did fluctuate a lot with other characters too. Like even writing for Nightcrawler, that was so much fun. So I think it does shift and does change. But I’m a little biased towards Magneto.

Speaking of Magneto, I feel the most dramatic musical moment came when he had his big scene at the United Nations in episode two’s climax, lifting the tribunal into the sky. What was your inspiration when coming up with the score for this scene?

Stewart: What we do for a lot of our shows or movies is, we write a suite of themes, ideas, and concepts before we get a locked picture. Sometimes it’s off a script, sometimes it’s animatics. And then from that point, we go into our studio and come up with different sorts of themes and ideas for the characters. In the case of Magneto, we had sort of an “angry Magneto suite,” and then we had more of an emotional one. And that the sequence when we put it into the show just fit so perfectly that it required very little adjusting. It all just worked.

Is there anything from all your horror film scoring experiences you brought to something that will be watched by at least some kids who aren’t the horror demographic? Because the third episode has the Goblin Queen doing some pretty supernatural and horror-esque things in it.

Stewart: When we went out beginning early in our careers, we weren’t seeking out horror, it just kind of happened. Although we’re big fans of certain horror projects, we’re more just fans of cinema. But I think, over years of working on stuff, you acquire knowledge in certain areas. And of course that’s gonna spill out into a horror show, you’re gonna have that kind of come in. But we drew actually a lot from more ’80s horror for that particular episode—Hellraiser, The Thing, even like Michael Jackson’s Thriller. There are certain vibes and tonalities that you grew up with. When you become an adult, you can’t help but have it sort of spill in.

Like I said, your resume has a lot of horror on it, especially a lot of Mike Flanagan horror. But X-Men ’97 is your first step into the superhero genre. Are you fans of comic-related material overall, or was X-Men ’97 just a chance for you to stretch your wings?

We were, yeah. Andy actually got into the comics, which led him to the show. I actually was a fan of the show first, and then I got into comics when I was a kid or early teen.

My understanding is that season two of X-Men ’97 is mostly done from a production standpoint. Have you started scoring the second season?

Stewart: No, we haven’t started in the second season. We’ve just more had open conversations with general direction and stuff. But we’re still in the early days of season two.

Eventually, there’s going to be a live-action X-Men reboot in the MCU. Is this a challenge you would be willing to take should the opportunity come up?

Stewart: I mean, we would obviously love that opportunity. Whether it’s animation or films, we sort of approach it very much the same way. By sticking to themes and trying to lock down the characters. And I think just in general in that world, I don’t know if they’re wanting to connect themes or they’re gonna wanna start fresh, I don’t know, but obviously that would be very exciting to have that, especially if they’re taking tones and stuff from the animated series in terms of sticking to the comic books.

I think everyone at Marvel Studios, they’re all such fans. I’ll be on Zoom calls and I’ll see action figures [in the background] and they just love the properties, they love it. So I think when you have people who are doing the projects that are that fans, it’s always in good hands. And I think it’s when it’s not in those hands, that’s when you have trouble. Luckily we’ve been fortunate enough to work with people who really, really care about it.

X-Men ’97 drops new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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Although Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-Men, not a lot of the villains they created for the mutant heroes became as iconic. Sure, there’s Magneto and Juggernaut. But aside from those characters, the most important X-Men villains to come from Lee and Kirby are the robotic Sentinels. That’s because these giant robots, while looking super cool and menacing (thank you Jack Kirby) also represent humanity’s hatred for anything that’s different. This is why they’ve lasted through so many iterations of the X-Men, from comics to cartoons to the big screen. Once again, they’re making life miserable for the students of Xavier’s School in X-Men ’97 on Disney+. Here is a brief history of the Sentinels in comics and beyond.

The First X-Men Appearance of the Sentinels

First appearing in 1965’s X-Men #14, the Sentinels were introduced as the creation of a scientist named Bolivar Trask. Believing mutants would rise up and wipe out the human race, Trask used his genius in cybernetics to create giant robots. Machines with the ability to detect mutant genetics, and capture or kill them. Sentinels ranged from 20-30 feet tall to slightly larger than human size. These robots had faulty programming and believed the only way to protect humans from mutants was to rule them.

Over a three-issue storyline, the X-Men discover that the Sentinels are created by a Master Mold. This was an even bigger Sentinel designed with software to create more Sentinels. Trask is horrified that what he used to supposedly help mankind against mutants would have been their destruction as well. He died destroying the Master Mold. The mutant race was safe from Sentinels—but only for a time. 

The Sentinels Evolve Into the X-Men’s Most Dangerous Foe

Over the following years, the X-Men fought new iterations of Sentinels. Bolivar Trask’s son Larry Trask picked up his father’s work. He created the Mark II Sentinels, new models that could adapt and counteract almost any superpower. Years later, another mutant hater, a robotics scientist named Stephen Lang, adapted Trask’s technology and created the Mark III Sentinels. He also created the so-called ‘X-Sentinels,’ which were androids that mimicked the X-Men themselves. And it was actually a mutant, the Hellfire Club’s Sebastian Shaw, who created the Mark IV-VII Sentinels.

“Days of Future Past” Shows the Sentinels at their Most Lethal

The true indicator of how much of a threat the Sentinels were was in Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s iconic two-part storyline, “Days of Future Past.” Running in 1981’s Uncanny X-Men #141-142, that story showed us a future in which Sentinels became fully sentient AI and took control of North America. They hunted mutants nearly to extinction, forcing the team to send one of their own into the past. All in order to help the X-Men stop this horrible future from ever happening. This story cemented Sentinels as the X-Men’s ultimate foe, and provided the basis for a two-part storyline in X-Men: The Animated series. Not to mention the live-action 2014 film of the same name.

Modern-Day Sentinels Almost Decimate the X-Men

In the “present time,” a Sentinel did massive damage to the mutant race. A giant “Wild Sentinel,” built by a lost Master Mold and made of metal junk, surfaced in South America. They were built in the service of Charles Xavier’s evil twin Cassandra Nova. She ordered them to obliterate the mutant island of Genosha in 2001’s New X-Men #114, killing 16 million mutants. Later, when the mutant population was decimated by 98%, human-piloted Sentinels were introduced. As a representative of humankind’s hatred of mutants, the Sentinels remained a perpetual thorn in the side of the X-Men.

Nimrod Is the Ultimate Evolution of the Sentinel

As the ‘80s and ‘90s storylines progressed, so did the Sentinels. In the ’80s, readers were introduced to Nimrod, an advanced Sentinel from the future that came back to the present. Hailing from the “Days of Future Past” timeline, Nimrod can transform to look like anyone. Also, its consciousness can extend outside its physical form. A Nimrod unit and a Master Mold mystically fused into the android Bastion, who was a major enemy in the ’90s era. In the most recent X-Men era, Nimrod came online in the present day. It emerged in the service of the mutant-hating organization called Orchis. The product of a powerful Mother Mold, a Sentinel that creates Master Molds, Nimrod has recently set back the mutant cause years, essentially running them out of their homeland of Krakoa.

Sentinel Powers and Abilities

The Sentinels initially had super strength, the power of flight, and energy blasts. They also had a program allowing them to detect and target anyone with an X-gene. The Mark II Sentinels had more advanced programming, allowing them to adapt to various mutant powers they encountered. They could also self-repair. When one of the Sentinels evolved and developed the power to teleport, it was considered a mutation, and so it self-destructed. Versions of the Sentinels from the future who time-traveled to the present were even more advanced, and could even reconstitute after being shattered to pieces, and download their consciousness to other computer systems.

The Sentinels in X-Men: The Animated Series

The Sentinels first appeared as the antagonists in the very first episode of X-Men: The Animated Series in 1992. In that two-part opener, “Night of the Sentinels,” the deadly robots were shown as the embodiment of mankind’s hatred of mutants. They were utilized by government forces to track down and contain mutants. They largely kept their comic book origins and design, and kept reappearing throughout the show’s five-season run. Sentinels also appeared in later X-Men animated shows, like X-Men: Evolution, and Wolverine and the X-Men.

The Live-Action X-Men Films’ Version of Sentinels

Despite being in several early drafts of the first two X-Men movies, their robot adversaries did not appear in the final films. We saw a glimpse of a Sentinel in the Danger Room sequence in X-Men: The Last Stand, but they weren’t the real deal, just a training hologram. Sentinels finally made their big screen debut in X-Men: Days of Future Past. In that 2014 film, Sentinels drove the entire plot. We learned that Bolivar Trask invented them as more rudimentary mutant-hunting robots in the ‘70s, reflecting their comic book aesthetics. We also saw future Sentinels in that film, which were highly advanced thinking machines that could replicate mutant powers. They had also taken over the world, making it a dystopian hellscape. We glimpsed the movie universe’s Mark I Sentinels one last time very briefly in a Danger Room sequence at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse.

The Sentinels in X-Men ’97

In the first episode of X-Men ’97, we learn that a secret army of Sentinels is being constructed in the Sahara desert, created by Bolivar Trask and Henry Gyrich. The X-Men arrive, and take them all out in an amazing action scene. Storm in particular does some damage. In an echo of the original cartoon, the revival series is using the Sentinels early on, hammering home the notion that these robots are the mutant race’s ultimate enemy. We’ll see as the first season of X-Men ’97 unfolds if more Sentinels are still out there, waiting to say “Halt Mutant!” in their eerie robotic voices.

Originally published on March 18, 2024.

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He’s one of the X-Men’s most notable foes, and he’s just made a big comeback in the Disney+ animated series X-Men ’97. Few villains have been as much of a thorn in the side of Charles Xavier’s students as the mysterious Mister Sinister. Here is the century-long history of one of the chief architects of the Marvel Comics mutant’s misery.

Mister Sinister’s First Marvel Comics Appearance

Two of the X-Men’s greatest foes made their debuts in the 1980s. One was the immortal mutant Apocalypse, and the other, the mad geneticist called Mister Sinister. This pale-faced, red-eyed, and razor-toothed villain made his first official appearance in 1987’s Uncanny X-Men #221, kicking off the seminal “Fall of the Mutants” Storyline. However, from behind the scenes, his first major move against the X-Men happened a year earlier, when they revealed him by name as the mastermind behind the infamous Mutant Massacre, in 1986’s Uncanny X-Men #211.

Mister Sinister and the Mutant Massacre Saga in X-Men

The “Mutant Massacre” storyline was where the X-Men first felt Sinister’s evil, though we would not formally meet him for another year. In this story, a band of vicious mutants called the Marauders slaughtered the mutants who lived under New York City in its sewer tunnels called the Morlocks. These Morlocks were created by stolen science of Sinister’s, and he considered them an abomination to be eliminated. The Marauders were organized by future X-Man Remy LaBeau, a.k.a. Gambit, who felt tremendous guilt about his role in the massacre for the rest of his life. Following the event, Sinister stepped out of the shadows and became one of the X-Men’s most mortal foes, fighting them for years. But he had been in the wings since long before Xavier formed the X-Men.

The Origin of Mister Sinister

The original Mr. Sinister was born in Victorian England, as Dr. Nathaniel Essex. When his first child passed away due to several birth defects, the brilliant biologist wanted to discover the source of human mutations. In fact, it became his singular obsession. He identified the random element in the human genetic code that caused mutations, which he called “the Essex factor,” later shortened to “the X factor.” But the scientific community of the time ridiculed him, eventually making Essex an outcast. But it didn’t deter his work, and he paid a London street gang called the Marauders to kidnap disfigured people and bring them to him for experimentation.

At one point, the Marauders encounter the ancient mutant En Sabah Nur, a.k.a. Apocalypse, who had just awakened from his centuries-long slumber. He was so impressed by Essex’s work with mutations he offered him immortality, and the gift of incredible powers, if Essex used his knowledge in Apocalypse’s service. At first, Essex said no, but eventually the death of his wife Rebecca and his second child cemented his descent into amorality. Learning of his twisted experiments, his wife’s final words to him called him “sinister,” which he then took as his name after Apocalypse enhanced him.

What Are Mr. Sinister’s Marvel Powers and Abilities? Is Sinister a Mutant?

Altered at a cellular level by Apocalypse, and his access to Celestial technology, Sinister now had enhanced durability and an extended lifespan. Over time, he absorbed the powers of other mutants via sampling their genetic material. Among these powers are telepathy, telekinesis, superhuman strength, energy projection, and control of his body at the molecular level, giving him shapeshifting powers. He also rapidly heals from most injuries. His own innate scientific genius allows him to be a master at cloning, which he put to horrible use in the following decades.

Mister Sinister vs. Apocalypse

Apocalypse gave Essex incredible powers, but the latter quickly realized that En Sabah Nur was too dangerous and would likely destroy the world. He knew he had to engineer a mutant powerful enough to take him down. He believed that mixing specific bloodlines could produce a mutant powerful enough to destroy him. Sinister spent much of the 20th century attempting to bioengineer that very being. In Russia, he encouraged Gregori Rasputin to have as many children as possible, ultimately resulting in Colossus and Magik. Neither was strong enough to defeat Apocalypse.

Nathaniel Essex joined Hitler’s Third Reich in the ‘30s, and at Auschwitz, he experimented on children, including a young Magneto, possibly expanding his powers to what they ultimately became. After World War II, he embedded himself in the United States government’s Project: Black Womb under a new alias. There, he inserted his genetic material into the children of his fellow scientists. These children included Sebastian Shaw and Charles Xavier. He would later teach a young Xavier at Oxford. However, his biggest “science project” had to do with future X-Men Scott Summers and Jean Grey.

Why Is Mister Sinister Obsessed with the X-Men Leader Cyclops?

Sinister’s obsession with Scott Summers goes back to the 19th century. In his early years, he encountered a time-traveling Scott and Jean and marveled at their mutant powers. He discovered their surnames were Summers and Grey, and became obsessed with tracking their bloodlines. In the early 20th century, he opened the Nebraska State Home for Foundlings, an orphanage where he housed discarded children with genetic potential. Two of those children were orphans Scott and Alex Summers. Using the alias Dr. Nathan Milbury, Essex decided that Alex had less potential, and separated him from his brother.

While running the orphanage, Sinister masqueraded as another child named Nate, who was Scott’s only friend. He thought this way was easier to manipulate him. He even gave young Scott his first Ruby Quartz glasses to control his mutant optic blasts. When Scott Summers was almost adopted, Essex arranged for the death of his prospective parents. But Scott later escaped the orphanage, eventually going to Xavier’s School. Fortunately for Sinister, Scott met another Omega-level mutant there named Jean Grey, and they fell in love. Sinister hoped that their eventual union would produce the mutant to defeat Apocalypse once and for all. But Jean’s transformation into the Phoenix and eventual death temporarily halted that scheme. But as always, Essex had a backup plan.

Mister Sinister, Madelyne Pryor, Cable, Apocalypse, and Miss Sinister

Sinister created a clone of Jean Grey who he named Madelyne Pryor, and with false memories inserted her into the life of Scott Summers after Jean’s death. They married and had a child, the ultimate goal of Sinister’s centuries-long plan. That mutant child, whom Scott named Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, was named for the fake “best friend” he had at the orphanage, aka Sinister in disguise. The baby Nathan was an Omega-level mutant, so Apocalypse infected the child with a techno-organic virus. He would either survive and become more powerful, or the virus would kill him.

After being sent to the future, that child grew up to become the warrior Cable. As Cable, he came back in time on a mission to defeat Apocalypse, which he did, fulfilling Sinister’s decades-long plans. Apocalypse eventually returned, however. Despite seemingly dying several times himself, Sinister kept returning as well. He kept transferring his consciousness into new clone bodies of himself, including a female one, Miss Sinister. The assumption was always that the Sinister the X-Men had fought for years was the original. That, it turns out, was not the full truth.

Mister Sinister and the Mutant Nation of Krakoa

Despite years of enmity towards each other, Charles Xavier and Magneto asked Sinister to join them in establishing the mutant nation of Krakoa. Sinister had genetic material on almost every mutant on Earth, something they needed for the Krakoan Resurrection Protocols to give mutants immortality. They even gave Sinister a seat on the Krakoan Quiet Council, which ruled mutantkind. It was during this Krakoan era that Sinister’s biggest secret came to light. The Mister Sinister the X-Men fought for years wasn’t the original Nathaniel Essex, but his clone. Actually, one of four clones made in the late 19th century of the original Nathaniel Essex.

The Truth About Sinister, and His Many Clones

We learned during the Krakoan era that the real Essex died in 1895. He made three clones of himself, each believing themselves to be the real Essex, and sharing his memories. The one we know today as Mr. Sinister was a mutant born with an X-gene, one whose powers Apocalypse augmented. A human clone, who believed in homo sapiens’ superiority, became the hateful Mr. Stasis. Another clone, Orbis Stellaris, left Earth to learn about alien technologies. The fourth clone was actually of Essex’s dead wife Rebecca, called Mother Righteous, who wielded magic. Each had a different playing card designation on their forehead, with Sinister’s being a red diamond. The human supremacist clone Mr. Stasis has very nearly destroyed the mutant race with his Orchis initiative. Thus proving that in one form or another, Nathaniel Essex might be mutantkind’s greatest foe.

Live-Action Mr. Sinister Teased in 20th Century Fox Films like X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool 2, and New Mutants

Although most of the X-Men’s main foes appeared in live-action in the Fox X-Men films, Mister Sinister wasn’t one of them. They teased the character at the end of X-Men: Apocalypse, when we saw agents of “Essex Corps” cleaning up blood samples after Wolverine’s bloody rampage. Another tease happened in Deadpool 2, with the young mutant Russell living in the Essex House for Mutant Rehabilitation. In New Mutants’ Dr. Reyes worked for Essex Corporation too. Yet despite all this buildup, we never saw Sinister. This allows for the MCU to actually make Sinister their main villain for their eventual X-Men films without repeating what Fox did.

Mister Sinister in X-Men ’97

Before any MCU appearances happen though, Sinister will be the main villain of X-Men ’97 on Disney+, with actor Christopher Britton returning from X-Men: The Animated Series to voice him. He arrives in episode three of season one, “Fire Made Flesh.” We learn he created a clone of Jean Grey, which would produce a mutant child with Scott Summers for him. Once baby Nathan was born, he “activated” clone Jean to bring the child to him.

Hoping to make him stronger, he infected Nathan with a techno-organic virus… one that if he survived, would make him quite powerful. Although the X-Men rescue the child, Sinister escapes. We expect his machinations will continue throughout season one of X-Men ’97. It sure feels like Mister Sinister might soon claim the throne of the X-Men franchise’s most prominent and feared villain.

Originally published on March 8, 2024.

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The original theme song and opening credits for X-Men: The Animated Series are among the most iconic for any cartoon series ever. Composer Ron Wasserman came up with the theme song, along with the theme for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Both became permanent earworms for an entire generation. With X-Men ’97 picking up where the classic show left off, the first question everyone had was “Will it have that theme song?” The answer is yes, it most certainly does. And now Marvel has released the full X-Men ’97 opening credits with the re-recorded theme song, which you can watch right here:

The music and animation from the new credits are a perfect update to the original version. The music is basically the same, but with more texture and a bit more modern pizazz thanks to composers the Newton Brothers. As for the visuals, it’s mostly the same, but fans will notice some key differences. For starters, we now have the addition of Morph and Bishop to the opening credits. Also, the “marching villains” from the original opening credits have received an update. Thunderbird, the first X-Man to die in the comics, was inexplicably with the villains before. Emma Frost now takes his place. The oddest villain from the original credits was not even an X-Men bad guy, it was Gargoyle, a deep-cut Hulk villain. Lady Deathstrike runs in his place now.

The second X-Men ’97 episode updated the credits even further. However, describing those will give away some massive spoilers for how episode one ended. So you’ll just have to watch the series on Disney+ to see what those changes are. We’ll just say that they add in some characters, while deleting others. We hope the opening credits have slight tweaks and new Easter eggs for every episode. Not that we’d ever hit “Skip Intro” for X-Men ’97, but this gives us even more reason not to.

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BoxLunch is bringing an exclusive collection to you, beloved X-Men fans. The fandom retailer is celebrating the debut of X-Men ‘97 on Disney+ with a few new and very cool items. You know, the show that is uniting Millennials and Gen X over its awesome blend of nostalgia and inspired new storytelling that honors the comics. We can all wear our love for this band of mutants loud and proud, thanks to BoxLunch’s X-Men ‘97 exclusive collection.

The following apparel comes in sizes XS-4X: 

• X-Men ’97 Logan Tank Jersey ($44.90)
• X-Men ’97 Group Portrait Colorblock Hoodie ($64.90)
• X-Men ’97 Wolverine Striped Portrait Crewneck ($59.90)
• X-Men ’97 Bomber Jacket ($79.90)

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The whole X-Men ‘97 BoxLunch line is fire. But that bomber jacket and Wolverine crewneck truly speak to my specific sense of style. Considering how spring is currently not fighting back against winter, the long-sleeved options are still a must for many. And, when Mother Earth decides to put us in the oven, we can rock that Logan jersey all summer long.

Perhaps we will get even more items in the future that celebrate other mutants! We would totally rock a Gambit crop top in honor of his style. Or, we could use some apparel that celebrates Magneto and Rogue’s romance. For now, we will marvel at these images while we fly over to the website to order. 

This collection is currently available for purchase so grab your gear today!

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X-Men ’97 on Disney+ has been a hit with both fans and critics, restoring Marvel’s mutants to their proper place in the pop culture pantheon. Although the show’s first two episodes have focused solely on the X-Men, there have been tiny hints of other Marvel heroes for the eagle-eyed viewer. Episode one displayed a Daily Bugle paper with a mention of Spider-Man for example. Speaking of Spidey, could we actually see the wallcrawler show up in X-Men ’97? According to a Screen Rant interview with X-Men ‘97 executive producer Brad Winderbaum, he dropped the following nugget of information when asked about other non-mutant Marvel characters appearing. And it sounds promising.

X-Men ’97 fits directly into the continuity of the 90s animated shows, and as you know, there were some awesome crossovers, most notably with Spider Man[: The Animated Series.] I will say that if you remember the awesome cameos from the original show, you’re going to be happy in X-Men ’97, without going into spoiler territory. It’s an exciting timeline to explore that ’90s world!

It sounds like there is definitely some kind of crossover in the works with the greater Marvel animated universe. Of course, this may occur in season two, which is well into production already. Technically, eight ’90s animated series take place in the same continuity as X-Men. These include Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and more. Although, the most notable crossover was with Spider-Man: The Animated Series, where the X-Men appear in a two-part episode. (It helped that both series were on the same network). Spider-Man ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. It would be fascinating if they resolved that storyline 25 years later in an X-Men series. Thanks to his popularity, we imagine Iron Man is a candidate too. We’ll find out as X-Men ’97 continues to unfold.

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A very delightful aspect of X-Men ’97 so far is the bigger role for Morph, the mutant shapeshifter and “comic relief” X-Man. However, thanks to his expanded role, it’s led many folks to comment that the character was a creation of the original X-Men: The Animated Series. That is only half true. Yes, the name “Morph” was an invention for the cartoon. But Morph has a history in Marvel’s X-Men comics, going back to the mid-1960s. Here’s how a discarded and forgotten X-Man got a second life thanks to the Saturday morning cartoon, and how that character then returned to the comics, and back to animation again.

Morph Took the Place of Thunderbird in X-Men: The Animated Series

When developing the original series back in the ‘90s, producers wanted to raise the stakes by having one of the team die in the first episode. In the original comics, the mutant named Thunderbird died in a very early mission with the second generation team, in 1975’s Uncanny X-Men #95. But seeing as Thunderbird was a Native-American character, the producers realized it was problematic to introduce a POC hero only to kill him off right away. That left the X-Men: The Animated Series creators in a bit of a predicament. Who would be the first mutant to die?

According to the behind-the-scenes book Previously on X-Men by Eric Lewald, the creators decided to comb through the back issues for a replacement for Thunderbird as the sacrificial lamb. There, they found a long-forgotten X-Man named Changeling. They changed the name to “Morph,” as DC Comics had a popular Teen Titans hero by that name already. Interestingly, when that character came to animation himself in 2003, DC changed his name to Beast Boy. The company thought the word “changeling” was too much of a mouthful for young kids.

The Original Version of Morph From the X-Men Comics Was Called Changeling

Marvel first introduced Changeling in X-Men #35 back in 1967. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Changeling was a member of the mutant villain group Factor Three. (He also wore one of the goofiest helmets in comic book history.) Most of Factor Three consisted of already existing X-Men foes, but Changeling was a new character. The shapeshifter, who was second in command of the group, served the mysterious “Mutant Master,” a second-rate Magneto who sought mutant supremacy over the Earth. Eventually, the story revealed the Mutant Master was actually an alien who sought to destroy humans and mutants alike. Changeling turned on his master, helping the X-Men at the end. And for a long time, we didn’t hear from him again.

Changeling Becomes the First X-Man to Die in the Line of Duty

Professor X was seemingly killed in X-Men #42, leaving the team without their mentor. But in X-Men #65, he was shown to be alive, working in secret in the X-Men’s hidden bunker. In one of the X-Men’s first major retcons, Marvel revealed the Professor X who died was actually the Changeling in disguise. Discovering he had a terminal illness, the Changeling came to Professor X. He sought atonement for his crimes in his final days. Since Charles had to concentrate all his energies on preventing an upcoming alien invasion, he let Changeling take his place in the X-Men. He augmented his limited psychic abilities so he would pass among the team. Sadly, the villainous Grotesk killed him not long after, making Changeling the first X-Man killed in the line of duty.

Changeling Transforms Into Morph for X-Men: The Animated Series, Later Comes to Comics

Once X-Men: The Animated Series introduced Morph, he became pretty popular with kids. So the executives at Fox Kids asked the producers to bring the character back to life. His popularity on the show continued to grow, and Marvel Comics took notice. The show brought in an alternate universe version of the character in 1995’s Age of Apocalypse event. Here, he was given pasty-white skin and a bald head, and the real name of Kevin Sidney. Another alt-universe version of Morph became a lead character in the reality-hopping series Exiles. Sadly, that version of the character died too.

Morph Lives Again in the Pages of Marvel Comics

Flash forward to 2019, and the modern Krakoan age of the X-Men. In this era, all of mutantkind stands united, living on the living island sanctuary of Krakoa. Using Charles Xavier’s psychic backups in Cerebro, as well as Krakoan methods of resurrection, the original Kevin Sidney returned to life. He has not had a large role in this modern era, but he’s out there, waiting to become a main member of the X-Men again. And given his popularity thanks to X-Men ’97, where the character turns into all manner of fan-favorite mutants, we think it’s only a matter of time.

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If you ask any casual Marvel fan who the X-Men’s primary villain is, chances are they’ll tell you Magneto… and it’s true. The Master of Magnetism has been their primary antagonist ever since the first issue of X-Men came out in 1963. But he’s also often been an ally—and even a full member—of Charles Xavier’s mutant hero team. As X-Men ’97 has shown us, in that animated universe, Professor X left his whole estate and fortune to him. Of course, the producers of X-Men ’97 lifted this story right from the comics. From villain to reluctant hero to complex bad guy once again, here’s the comic book history of Magneto’s heroic turn.

When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created Magneto back in the sixties, he was a pretty clear-cut villain. He believed the mutant race, a.k.a. Homo superior, were more genetically advanced than Homo sapiens and should therefore subjugate and rule them. There were not a lot of nuances to his fight against the X-Men in those early years. Whenever he fought the Avengers, or Iron Man, he was even more of a straight-up villain. But starting in 1975, a young writer named Chris Claremont started to view Magneto in a more sympathetic way. This led to one of the most interesting character arcs in all of comics.

The Tragic Backstory of Magneto

When Chris Claremont took over as Uncanny X-Men writer with the title’s revival in 1975, it was a year before the mutants fought against their original foe once again. But when they did, there was instantly a change in his demeanor. Magneto wasn’t quite so mustache-twirling anymore, and seemed dismayed at having to kill to save other mutants. Claremont’s Magneto had a conscience. He also had many aliases. Over the years, Charles Xavier often referred to him as Magnus. However, his other aliases include Erik Lehnsherr (used in the live-action films) and Max Eisenhardt. Magnus returns to fight the new X-Men after a story in Defenders, where he was de-aged into a child. He later became an adult in his prime once again. All of this will matter in his later heroic turn.

It wasn’t until Uncanny X-Men #150 in 1981 that we learned the source of Magneto’s pain and rage. After a terrorist attack against a Soviet sub, Magneto nearly kills the teenage Kitty Pryde. Horrified at his own actions, in which he not only seriously injured a fellow mutant but also a young Jewish girl, he describes growing up in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, and losing his entire family. These traumatic events are the reason that he’s willing to do anything to make sure mutants aren’t hunted down and murdered as his own Jewish family was during the Holocaust. It’s here he begins to wonder if he’s become the monster he hated so much as a child.

How Xavier Met Magneto in the Marvel Comics Universe

Not long after that issue, Claremont explores the past of Charles Xavier and Magneto even further. Those early Lee/Kirby X-Men issues established that the two powerful men knew each other years prior, and part ways at some point. But they never elaborate on it further. It was nearly two decades later, in Uncanny X-Men, that we learned that the two met years before Charles lost the use of his legs. It was during a time when he was in Israel using his mental abilities to help trauma victims recover.

It’s in this Israeli hospital that Xavier first met Magnus, the name Magneto was going by at the time. Neither knew for sure the other was a mutant. Xavier suspected something was different about Magnus, when he had trouble reading his powerful mind. Eventually, the pair revealed their powers to each other when fighting a Hydra terrorist attack. This attack proves even more to Magneto that humans will always try to exterminate mutants, and he and Charles’ ideological paths diverge at this point.

Magneto Becomes a Nuanced Villain, then Later, a Hero

After almost killing Kitty Pryde in Uncanny X-Men #150, Magneto begins to show a more honorable side. He sides with the X-Men in the seminal 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills, which was the basis for the film X2. He also fights alongside the X-Men in the event series Secret Wars. It’s also around this time that Magneto discovers that the Avengers’ Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are his twin children. This revelation softens his character’s temperament even further.

This is where Chris Claremont’s true vision for the Magneto/Xavier relationship begins to really take hold. Although modern readers have often viewed Xavier and Magneto as “Martin Luther King and Malcolm X,” that was not the original intent. (Although, Chris Claremont has admitted in an interview with Empire those parallels are also valid.) In Claremont’s plan, Magneto was based far more on Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He was a terrorist in 1947, eventually embracing a more peaceful approach, to the point where he was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 30 years later.

Magneto Becomes Headmaster of Xavier’s School

Magneto truly becomes a hero in 1985’s Uncanny X-Men #200. His recent adventures with his former enemies the X-Men lead to a true self-examination. He surrenders himself to a global tribunal, to stand trial for his many crimes. Because Magneto was turned into an infant and later “reborn” as an adult once more, this tribunal dismisses all charges against him, suggesting that the old Magneto “died” and the new one deserved a second chance.

In this same issue, a dying Xavier must leave Earth and go to Shi’ar space to heal. (They later echo this in the X-Men: The Animated Series finale.) He begs his old friend to take over as Headmaster of the Xavier School, teach the New Mutants, and fight alongside the X-Men. He reluctantly agrees. At this point, Magneto loses his helmet, and begins wearing his short-lived superhero costume. He also assumes the name of Michael Xavier, pretending to be the cousin of Charles Xavier to the outside world.

Magneto Reverts to His Old Ways

Magneto spends the next several years as not only the head of the Xavier School, but a member of the X-Men as well. He serves with the team during many major events, including their battles with both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. However, his time as a hero does not go smoothly. The younger students, the New Mutants, never fully trust him. When Magneto joins the Hellfire Club in what he thinks is a power move to protect mutantkind, the students reject him. Things get worse when Doug Ramsey, the New Mutant called Cypher, dies under his tutelage. Eventually, the New Mutants leave Magneto, choosing mentorship under the original X-Men, then called X-Factor, and later, the cyborg soldier Cable.

The X-Men then died on a mission in Dallas, without Magneto at their side. Although resurrected, they do not tell their former enemy that they are alive and well. The loss of his allies further sends Magneto down a darker path again. He starts to feel he let down both the New Mutants and the adult X-Men. Slowly but surely, he reasserts his older, more militant ways. By the time Charles Xavier comes back to Earth and leads the X-Men again, chronicled in 1991’s record-breaking X-Men #1, Magneto is a villain. A sympathetic, nuanced villain to be sure but not anyone that was going to have brunch with Captain America or Iron Man.

Xavier and Magneto, Friends and Allies Once More

Much of the ‘90s and ‘2000s era comics portrayed Magneto as a sympathetic villain. However, more recent comics have established him as one of the good guys again. At least as far as the other X-Men are concerned. In the modern Krakoan Age, Xavier and Magneto realized for the mutant race to survive, they would have to put aside their ideological differences and work together on their island nation. The two friends finally buried the hatchet, seemingly for good. However, we know Magneto can turn on a dime. As the current Krakoan era wraps up, who is to say what side Magneto will be on when the dust settles?

How Will Magneto Show Up in the New X-Men ’97 Series?

As we saw in the second episode of X-Men ’97, “Mutant Liberation Now,” Magneto voluntarily surrendered himself to the United Nations to stand trial for his various actions as a mutant terrorist. He was seeking atonement for his crimes and a chance to prove himself as a worthy successor to the martyred Charles Xavier. When he saved the tribunal from an angry mob, they vindicated him, and he officially became one of the X-Men. All of this is a fairly straightforward adaptation of Uncanny X-Men #200. Will X-Men ’97 continue to be this faithful to the comics? It remains to be seen. But if they are, then we know Magneto’s heroic turn has a shelf life. That purple helmet will be back eventually.

Originally published on February 22, 2024.

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Aside from Cyclops and Jean Grey, the X-Men’s premier “power couple” is Rogue and Gambit. In fact, it’s hard to imagine the sassy southern mutants with anyone else. But as X-Men ’97 hinted at in episode two, “Mutant Liberation Begins,” Rogue also once had a relationship with their enemy and occasional ally Magneto of all people. This star-crossed romance began in the main 616 universe, but other versions of it flourished even more in other alternate realities.

Rogue and Magneto’s Savage Land Flirtation

The first hints of a romance between Rogue and Magneto began in the early ‘90s X-Men comics by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee. Specifically, in 1991’s Uncanny X-Men #274. After a period of time where the Master of Magnetism tried his best to be a good guy, he retreated to the prehistoric Savage Land. There, he met up with Rogue, during a very strange period in her life. As most X-Men fans know, Rogue’s mutant powers are energy and life force absorption. When she touches a mutant with her bare skin, she can absorb their powers too. When she was young, she touched the hero Carol Danvers for too long, landing her in a coma. But Rogue permanently absorbed Carol’s super strength and flight powers, along with her memories.

When Rogue went through the mystical portal called the Siege Perilous, it split her in two. The Carol aspect of her personality gained its own body. But as long as Rogue was alive, it could not sustain itself, so it tried to kill her. This version of Carol followed Rogue to the Savage Land, the hidden primordial world. There, Magneto killed her, saving Rogue’s life, and the two mutants reconnected. During their time in the Savage Land, Magneto and Rogue grew close. They found out that Rogue could actually touch him, because her powers were on the fritz. But when Magneto kills his enemy Zaladane in cold blood, Rogue is horrified at his turn back to the dark side. She leaves Magneto before a real relationship can begin.

In the Age of Apocalypse Reality, Rogue and Magneto Are Married with a Kid

In one alternate reality, Rogue and Magneto’s romance actually flourishes. This alternate reality, called the Age of Apocalypse, happened when a young Charles Xavier died, leaving Magneto to form the X-Men himself. Magneto’s X-Men led a charge against that world’s mutant despot, Apocalypse. This world’s version of Rogue was one of Magneto’s top X-Men, but she was in a relationship with the Cajun mutant Gambit. When Wolverine, who in this reality was their enemy, attacked the three of them, Rogue could only save one teammate. She chose Magneto, making her feelings clear.

A heartbroken Gambit leaves the X-Men, and Magneto and Rogue officially become an item. In this reality, Rogue permanently absorbed magnetic powers from Polaris. Since Rogue’s powers always contain a form of magnetism now, the two magnets cancel each other out. This allows Rogue and Magneto to touch. They soon marry, having a son named Charles, who has psychic abilities. However, the Age of Apocalypse timeline is eventually wiped out of existence, restoring the X-Men reality everyone was familiar with. Thus, consigning the romance of this reality’s Magneto and Rogue as something that never really happened.

The Doomed Romance of Rogue and Joseph, Magneto’s Younger Clone

Back in the main 616 timeline, the X-Men encounter a young mutant named Joseph, a clone of Magneto. Rogue feels a strong connection to Joseph, and since he does not have any of his genetic template’s darker tendencies or tragic past, the two strike up a relationship. This was during a time Rogue and Gambit were on the outs. Like her teammate Scott Summers, it seems Rogue could not resist a clone copy of a past love. It’s safe to say that Joseph dating Rogue didn’t endear Gambit to him much. Eventually, Joseph died and the real Magneto returned. Later, for a brief time, so too did the Magneto/Rogue romance.

Magneto Proposes Marriage to Rogue

After the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, Rogue and Magneto grow close again. Possibly because both have dark pasts as villains, they are trying to atone for as X-Men. In X-Men: Legacy #249, the two finally consummate the relationship in the main 616 timeline. Magneto falls hard for Rogue, and in X-Men: Legacy #274, he actually proposes marriage to her. Shocked, Rogue turns him down. Ultimately, Rogue returns to Gambit, and the two get married, and become “Mr. and Mrs. X.” Rogue and Magneto are simply not designed to be an “endgame” couple, and there’s always an obstacle in the way of any potential romance.

Rogue and Magneto in X-Men ’97

In episode two of X-Men ’97, Rogue and Magneto share a private moment in Xavier’s old office. The two come close to touching, and they make it clear that at some point in the past, the two shared a romantic relationship. Rogue reminds Magneto this is something she’d like to continue to keep secret. There are no hints of a Magneto/Rogue pairing in the original animated show, so whatever happened between them, it will certainly be a shock to everyone when they learn the truth. Especially poor Gambit. We’ll see if the Magneto/Rogue romance has a better chance of survival in the animated universe than it did in the comics.

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Storm of the X-Men has been through a lot in her time. She was worshipped as a goddess in Kenya. She was turned into a vampire queen by Dracula, and went through a mystical portal becoming a child again. Ororo Munroe was even an expert thief in New Orleans with Gambit for a hot minute. But none of those things compared to the extended period in which Storm lost her mutant weather-manipulating powers, a storyline that X-Men ’97 is adapting. And it wasn’t a brief period either. The powerless Storm phase lasted a solid three years. And it’s still one of the character’s most memorable storylines. Here’s how Storm lost and regained her powers in the X-Men comics.

Storm Lost Her Powers Protecting Rogue in 1984’s Uncanny X-Men #185

The beginning of this odyssey began for Storm in 1984’s Uncanny X-Men #185. In that Chris Claremont/John Romita Jr. story, Ororo loses all her weather-controlling abilities when government agent Henry Gyrich shoots her with a special weapon. One that instantly drains mutants of their powers. Gyrich meant that blast for her teammate Rogue, but Storm took the brunt of the fire. What she didn’t know at the time was that another mutant, the Native-American inventor named Forge, actually created the weapon.

“Lifedeath” Begins the Strom and Forge Love Story

Forge was determined to find a way to undo what his creation had done, and get Storm’s powers back. This occurred in Uncanny X-Men #186, in a story called “Lifedeath.” This issue was gorgeously illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith, and is still a true X-Men classic. As the Kenyan weather goddess healed from her injuries, she also fell in love with Forge. However, their blossoming romance came to an end when she found out that Forge was the one who created the weapon that robbed her of her powers.

Storm Becomes “Goddess of Thunder,” Loses Her Powers Again, But Still Leads the X-Men

Although she spent time away from the X-Men processing her circumstances, it wouldn’t be long before she returned home to Xavier’s School. Although she didn’t have her powers, she was still an expert fighter and an asset to the team. It was during this time that Storm would get her powers back —although only briefly. During an adventure in Asgard, Loki restored her powers, making her a Goddess of Thunder. That was a calculated move, designed to enrage his brother Thor. Given that the source of this upgrade was Loki, she ultimately rejected this power. At this time, Professor X had to go to Shi’ar space to heal from a grave injury. Storm then fought Cyclops in a battle to determine who would lead the X-Men. Even without powers, she won. Cyclops left the team with his wife Madelyne, leaving Ororo in charge.

Storm finally gets her powers back in 1987’s Uncanny X-Men #225

Many events happened in the lives of the X-Men, and Storm proved a capable leader even without her powers. Eventually, Storm and Forge met again, when his mentor, possessed by the Adversary, convinced Storm that Forge had become evil. The Adversary tricked Storm into almost killing Forge, after which the entity banished them both to another dimension. There, they spent a full year together, and fell in love all over again. Only this time, Forge, whose power it is to come up with any invention, was finally able to create something to give Storm her powers back. It worked, and in 1987’s Uncanny X-Men #225, Storm became a weather-controlling mutant once more.

Sadly, Storm got her powers back after all this time only to sacrifice her life, as well as the lives of her X-Men teammates, to save the city of Dallas from the Adversary. Luckily for her, they were all resurrected by the goddess Roma. Storm chose to let the world believe the X-Men were dead; however, believing the deception gave them an advantage over their enemies. They chose not to tell their closest friends and allies they were alive, and Forge believed he’d given Storm her powers back only to see her die. When he eventually found out she was alive, he was just as hurt as she was when she discovered he was the creator of the power-draining weapon. Despite brief flirtations here and there, Storm and Forge never truly got back together again.

X-Men ‘97 Puts Its Spin on a Powerless Storm

X-Men ’97 intended the weapon for Magneto instead of Rogue. The anti-mutant crusader X-Cutioner, and not Henry Peter Gyrich, pulled the trigger. But the result was the same, and Ororo lost her powers. She leaves the X-Mansion, hoping to find a way to restore her abilities. At the end of episode two, we see she’s in Texas, wearing her full punk rock leather outfit from the mid-‘80s comics. It’s there she meets Forge. Will he help her restore her powers? Almost certainly. We’d be surprised if Storm wasn’t back at full power by season’s end. The X-Men, and the fans, need their weather goddess back.

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In the first episode of X-Men ’97, the series introduces us to a new young mutant, Roberto da Costa, a.k.a. Sunspot. As a new guest at Xavier’s School, Roberto fills the role Jubilee did in the original X-Men: The Animated Series pilot episode, as our POV character. Sunspot is a long-standing X-Men hero who was also an Avenger in the Marvel Comics. Here’s everything you need to know about the Brazilian powerhouse mutant known as Sunspot.

Sunspot’s Origin Story in Marvel Comics

During a time when Charles Xavier believed his X-Men to be dead, he considered shuttering his school. But he convinces himself that his School For Gifted Youngsters should remain open. However, he believed its third generation of students should train not to fight, but to simply control their powers. This was how writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod introduced the New Mutants, in Marvel Graphic Novel #4 in 1982. Among that original New Mutants lineup was Roberto da Costa, a young Afro-Brazilian teenager who came from incredible privilege, but also with a potentially deadly power.

Roberto, sometimes called Bobby, was the son of an extremely wealthy Afro-Brazilian entrepreneur by the name of Emmanuel da Costa. His father, who came from poverty and built a business empire, constantly pushed his son to his limits. While in high school, he became an exceptional athlete, excelling on the school’s soccer team. He was even eyed for potential Olympic training. However, one day racist bullies attack him, causing his X-gene to activate. He became a being of solid black solar energy, which resulted in incredible physical strength. The crowd, shocked at his appearance, all fled in terror, except for Roberto’s girlfriend, Juliana. Tragically, she later dies taking a bullet meant for Roberto.

Sunspot Joins the New Mutants, and Later, X-Force

Roberto joins four other students — Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Mirage, and Karma — as students in Xavier’s School. Dubbed “the New Mutants,” the intent was for them not to become X-Men, merely to hone their talents. Nevertheless, these New Mutants find themselves caught up in all kinds of superheroic adventures. During his time as one of the series leads in New Mutants, Roberto becomes close friends with Samuel Guthrie, a.k.a. Cannonball. The two friends part ways for a time when the warrior Cable reforms the New Mutants into the paramilitary X-Force. After this, Sunspot returns home to Brazil. However, in time, he would eventually join his old teammates as an X-Force member himself.

Sunspot Joins the Hellfire Club, Later Teaches the Young X-Men

Over the decades, Sunspot pops up in various teams. After a stint on X-Force, he leaves the team when his father dies. Since his father was part of the elite Hellfire Club, he inherited his position and became the Inner Circle’s Black Rook. Later, he becomes the head of the Los Angeles branch of the X-Corporation. X-Corp was a company designed to help civilian mutants around the globe. But when the Scarlet Witch de-powered 98% of Earth’s mutants, the X-Corp was dissolved. After that, Cyclops asked Sunspot and his former teammate Dani Moonstar to train a new generation, dubbed the Young X-Men. Thus bringing Roberto’s journey as an alumnus of Xavier’s School full circle.

Sunspot Becomes an Avenger

After the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, Roberto and Cannonball are asked by Captain America to join the Avengers. The two accept his offer, and go on many adventures with the team. In fact, Roberto uses his vast wealth to buy the often-villainous think tank Advanced Idea Mechanics, creators of M.O.D.O.K. He transforms it into Avengers Idea Mechanics. As a result, this new iteration of A.I.M. has its own Avengers team, the U.S.Avengers. Roberto leads the team first as Citizen V, and later, renaming himself Citizen X. His BFF Cannonball is along for the ride with each iteration. Sadly, Sunspot dies in the Asgardian War of the Realms. But as with most mutants in the Krakoan age, that is not the end of his story.

Thanks to the Resurrection Protocols of the mutant island of Krakoa, Professor X brings Roberto da Costa back to life, along with every other dead mutant whose psychic essence was stored in Cerebro. He rejoined his original graduating class of students, the New Mutants, for a space adventure to join with Cannonball, who was now living off-world. Eventually, when mutants took over the planet Mars and terraformed it into Arrako, Sunspot moved there, opening up a bar called the Red Lagoon. He would eventually return to Earth, however.

Sunspot’s Mutant Powers and Abilities, Explained

Originally, Sunspot could only absorb solar radiation and turn that power into super strength. His body becomes pitch black when he does this, as he drains all the ambient light from his skin. He had the equivalent strength of 2 tons, eventually expanding to 50 tons. When the immortal mutant Gideon experimented on him, he exposed him to more solar radiation, which gave Roberto the power to fly by generating thermal updrafts, and also the ability to project solar blasts. Although super strong, he’s not invulnerable, although he can take a heavy beating. He is immune to all forms of heat and fire, and any attacks on him with heat weapons only increase his strength. When in powered-up mode, Sunspot can even survive the vacuum of space, as his solar energy will sustain him.

Sunspot in X-Men: Days of Future Past, New Mutants, and X-Men: Evolution

In the X-Men live-action film franchise, Sunspot played a small role as one of the rebel mutants in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, portrayed by Adan Canto. In 2020’s The New Mutants, he’s a principal character, played by Henry Zaga, a young mutant traumatized by accidentally killing his girlfriend. Although not appearing in the original X-Men: The Animated Series, they showed Sunspot as one of the New Mutants recruits in X-Men: Evolution. These castings all came with some controversy, as none were Afro-Brazilian actors. Even the voice actor for his character in X-Men ’97, Gui Agustini, while Brazilian, is Caucasian.

Sunspot’s Future in X-Men ’97

In X-Men ’97, the mutant-hating group The Friends of Humanity kidnaps teenage Roberto da Costa. The X-Men rescue him, and although at first reluctant to join Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, he strikes up a friendship with Jubilee. In this iteration, Roberto’s parents don’t know about his mutant powers, and he’s hoping they don’t find out. It remains to be seen if Sunspot becomes a fully-fledged X-Man by the time the first season of X-Men ’97 finishes up, or if we’ll have to wait till season two to see him in a superhero uniform battling Sentinels and other X-Men foes.

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The first two episodes of X-Men ’97 introduce a bespectacled woman with government ties, presented as an old friend of Charles Xavier’s. She’s Valerie Cooper, and while you may think Marvel created her for the animated series, she actually has a long history in the X-Men comics, going back over 40 years. Here’s the Marvel Comics history of Dr. Valerie Cooper, the mutant community’s enemy-turned (sometimes) friend.

Valerie Cooper’s Introduction in Uncanny X-Men #176

During Chris Claremont’s run on the X-Men titles in the ‘80s, he introduced us to a character who would play a relatively small but pivotal role in the Marvel universe for several years. Dr. Valerie “Val” Cooper was a National Security Advisor, specializing in superhuman affairs, particularly those of the mutant variety. She actually has a PhD in the study of mutant behavioral patterns. Co-created by artist John Romita Jr., she first appeared in 1983’s Uncanny X-Men #176, shown in a government meeting with Henry Peter Gyrich. Cooper believes mutants are a clear and present danger that the United States government must deal with. At first, she doesn’t appear to be very sympathetic to the mutant cause, but her stance evolves over time.

Freedom Force Becomes Val Cooper’s Government-Sponsored Mutant Team

Eventually, the government put Valerie Cooper in charge of creating a government-sponsored mutant team. She recruited Mystique and other former members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants like Pyro and Avalanche to form the Freedom Force, in exchange for pardons for their crimes. (This predates DC Comics’ similar concept for the Suicide Squad). She even drafted Jessica Carpenter, the second Spider-Woman, into joining this new team, despite not being a mutant herself. During this time, she oversaw the recruitment of John Walker as the new Captain America, before he became US Agent. The two would eventually become romantically involved.

Val Cooper Takes Command of X-Factor

Eventually, most of the members of Freedom Force die on a mission in the Middle East, ending the experiment. After a brief possession by the malevolent Shadow King, during which Mystique impersonated her, Valerie Cooper decided to give the notion of a government-sponsored mutant team another try. For a time, the original five X-Men went under the name X-Factor. When the group returned to the X-Men proper, Cooper formed a new government-sponsored team with that name. Among the recruits were Cyclops’ brother Havok, Polaris, Wolfsbane, Strong Guy, and Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man.

Valerie Cooper formed a positive working relationship with X-Factor at first. She even became friends with the members. Yet the partnership strained when they discovered an awful truth she had kept from them. The United States government was working on something called Project: Wideawake, which would reintroduce the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots again. X-Factor was appalled their supervisor and friend would betray them like that. A shamed Val Cooper gave control of the team over to the mutant inventor Forge as a result. Cooper returned to her role in the Commission on Superhuman Activities, often helping the X-Men against her own orders. This was after coming to know them and sympathizing with their plight over her years working with them. However, at times, she had to perform unpleasant duties, like taking Professor X into government custody after the Onslaught incident.

Val Cooper becomes head of the Office of National Emergency, or O.N.E.

Around the time of M-Day, the catastrophic event when most mutants lost their powers thanks to the Scarlet Witch, Valerie Cooper helped start the Office of National Emergency, or O.N.E. This new department was meant to prepare against superhuman and mutant threats of any kind. Eventually, she climbed up to the role of O.N.E. director. In the aftermath of M-Day, Cooper’s Sentinel Squad O.N.E., which had human pilots, established a refugee camp for mutants. Interestingly, it was located on the grounds of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

Although ostensibly created for mutant protection, many of these now non-powered mutants felt forced into these refugee camps. Most felt like prisoners there. This caused even further strain between Cooper and the mutant community. X-Factor eventually reformed as a private investigation office specializing in mutant crimes. During this time, Cooper helped out her old employees when she could.

Valerie Cooper in X-Men ’97

X-Men ’97 introduces Valerie Cooper as a United Nations operative. She’s described as an old friend of Charles Xavier’s who is the X-Men’s contact within the government. The United Nations tasks her with apprehending a seemingly reformed Magneto, asking him to stand trial at the UN for his crimes as a mutant terrorist. When the hate group The Friends of Humanity attacks the UN building, hoping to not just kill Magneto but also those holding his trail, Magneto ultimately saves the lives of the entire commission. Seeing his desire to change for real, Valerie Cooper grants Magneto a pardon, allowing him to serve with the X-Men and lead them. We’ll see if Dr. Cooper continues on past these episodes in X-Men ’97. We already know X-Factor exists in this universe. Could Val be working with them? We’re crossing our fingers that X-Men ’97 explores her character further.

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On September 20, 1997, a dying Charles Xavier said goodbye to his fellow mutants. That left them to navigate a dangerous world without their wise leader. At least they would have had to if Fox hadn’t canceled X-Men: The Animated Series. What awaited Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Beast, and the rest with the Professor? We’re finally going to find out. At long last, the show’s highly-anticipated Disney reboot, Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 has released.

X-Men ’97 Picks Up Where The Animated Series Left Off

Bust out your best pogs and crack open a can of Surge soda cause the ’90s are back. X-Men: The Animated Series will get to resume its story on Disney+ with X-Men ’97. The show’s first trailer picks up right where the old series left off, too. The death of Professor X means the team needs a new leader to emerge. They’ll also be forced to deal with an old enemy who will now have an even bigger role in their lives. Charles Xavier left everything he had to none other than Magneto.

That will make for a whole lot of fun. For us. That will be fun for us, not the X-Men.

Sentinels Have Landed

And Magneto won’t be the X-Men’s only headache in X-Men ’97. The latest clip from the series reveals the team fighting massive Sentinels. These murderous robots are programmed to hunt down and destroy all mutants. Yikes!

X-Men ’97‘s Episode Titles

X-Men ’97 has revealed the titles of its ten episodes. The series will conclude with a three-part arc titled “Tolerance is Extinction.” Of course, eagle-eyed fans will already be drawing connections to other X-Men lore from comics, cartoons, and beyond. What Easter eggs do you spy in this line-up of titles?

X-Men ’97 Will Not Be a Part of the MCU

For the curious, X-Men ’97‘s former head writer, Beau DeMayo confirmed on Instagram that X-Men ’97 would not be a part of the MCU’s continuity. He replied, “We are our own thing,” while answering a question that pondered whether the series would be canon to the MCU.

The Series‘ Cast and Production Team

Disney also announced the cast for the show. X-Men ’97 stars: Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, JP Karliak as Morph, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, AJ LoCascio as Gambit, Holly Chou as Jubilee, Isaac Robinson-Smith as Bishop, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, and Adrian Hough as Nightcrawler. Theo James also joins the cast in a mysterious role.

Jake Castorena, Chase Conley, and Emi Yonemura serve as the ten-episode season’s directors, with Beau DeMayo on as head writer.

When Is X-Men ’97‘s Release Date?

Despite this being the first trailer for a reboot more than 25 years in the making, we won’t have to wait long to see its first episode. X-Men ’97 premieres on Disney+ on March 20. X-Men ’97 will run for 10 episodes. The series will release its first two episodes on the 20th.

Obviously, mutants are just as eager to resume their story as we are to see what happens to them next.

Originally published on February 15, 2024.

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While X-Men ’97 on Disney+ is bringing back many well-known and beloved characters from back in the day, it is also incorporating one X-Men character from the ’90s many have forgotten about. This character has not appeared in a significant capacity in a Marvel comic in years. He did not even show up on the ’90s cartoon. That character is the mysterious villain the X-Cutioner, whom Marvel Animation has confirmed will play a big role in the Disney+ series, and already has an action figure in the new Hasbro X-Men ’97 line. Here’s the lowdown on this often-forgotten villain.

The 1993 First Appearance of the X-Cutioner

Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Jason Pearson, the X-Cutioner first appeared in Uncanny X-Men Annual #17 in 1993. In the story “The Gift Goodbye,” the mysterious figure in the executioner’s hood first appeared. He’s a human slaying mutants, but only “mutants who have killed first.” He gets on the X-Men’s radar in a bad way, and they discover he’s using a collection of advanced weapons from various villains they’ve faced. Some included Sentinel tech, but most others include alien races like the Shi’ar and the Z’noxx. After that first encounter, X-Cutioner fakes his death, but Storm suspects he teleported away instead. She was correct.

The X-Cutioner Fights Cyclops, Cable, Rogue, and X-Man

The X-Cutioner next appeared later that same year in Uncanny X-Men #301, also written by Scott Lobdell. He attacks the X-Mansion and tries to murder the comatose Emma Frost. Supposedly this was a judgement for her crimes as White Queen of the Hellfire Club. Cyclops and Cable find a way to stop him. However, the mystery of who he really is under that mask remains. It’s not until 1995’s X-Man #11 that we learn the truth about this hooded figure, and why he targets mutants. It’s a secret that ties into the X-Men’s earliest days under Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

The X-Cutioner’s Origin Revealed in X-Man

In the early X-Men comics, Professor Xavier had a contact in the FBI named Fred Duncan. He was sympathetic to the mutant cause, and he helped Xavier on many occasions. He faded into obscurity over time. Decades later, when Marvel revealed the X-Cutioner’s origin, we learned that a mutant murdered Duncan, and his FBI partner Carl Denti vowed revenge. Duncan confiscated alien materials from the X-Men’s adventures which Denti now had access to. He donned the guise of the X-Cutioner and used the alien gadgets to kill mutants he saw as dangerous. Denti believed himself to not be a bigot, saying he didn’t hate mutants, only those that caused harm to others. He attacked Rogue, Nate Grey, and Gambit. After assisting the Punisher on a case, he disappeared for years. The X-Cutioner returned after nearly two decades, in the X-Men’s Krakoan era, when he attacked the Marauders.

The Powers and Weapons of the X-Cutioner

The X-Cutioner has highly advanced technological weaponry, mostly of an extraterrestrial origin. These weapons came from the government storehouses of his old FBI partner Fred Duncan, who once worked with Charles Xavier. The armor he wears is possibly the same armor used by Shi’ar operative Eric the Red, who once fought the X-Men. The armor gives Denti enhanced strength and durability. It can also analyze DNA, distinguishing mutant from human, possibly extracted from Sentinel tech. The X-Cutioner wields a staff that has some sort of powerful plasma discharge. He also has a teleportation device, almost certainly also of alien origin.

The X-Cutioner in X-Men ’97

It remains a mystery just what kind of role the X-Cutioner will play in X-Men ’97. The fact that he has an action figure suggests he will be much more than a cameo. It’s quite possible this X-Cutioner is not Carl Denti at all, but someone already hinted at in the original X-Men: The Animated Series. He’s a relatively obscure and minor villain, so the man behind the mask might be someone else entirely on the show. Fred Duncan was never in the classic show, so it makes little sense for him to get a reference in the new series. We’ll find out what role the X-Cutioner plays in X-Men ’97 when the show rolls out this spring.

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With the upcoming premiere of X-Men ’97 on Disney+, there’s an all-time high appreciation for the Marvel mutants in their ’90s heyday. As much as we may love (some) of the live-action films, no media outside of comics has captured what people love about the students of Charles Xavier’s School more than X-Men: The Animated Series. Now, you can display your love for the ’90s era X-Men’s ultimate love triangle heroes, Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey, with a new series of figures from the folks at YouTooz. You can check out images and details for each one right here:

Cyclops (X-Men #1)

The first figure is of Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops. The X-Men’s field leader, whose deadly optic blast can shatter a mountain. This figure captures Cyke in his Jim Lee-designed costume, featured prominently on the cover of 1991’s X-Men #1. Of course, it became world famous when X-Men: The Animated Series used it. This Limited Edition X-Men #1 Cyclops will set you back $39.99.

Jean Grey (Uncanny X-Men #281)

Where there is a Scott Summers, so too must there be a Jean Grey. The mutant with psychic abilities arrives wearing her signature ’90s look, as it appeared on the cover of Uncanny X-Men #281. This was the era when Jean joined the X-Men’s Gold Team, and Sentinels killed her (Don’t worry, she got better quickly again). No longer Marvel Girl or Phoenix, the Jean Grey of this era was the team’s most powerful member. This Limited Edition Jean Grey figure is also priced at $39.99.

Wolverine (Wolverine Omnibus Vol. 4)

Finally, it’s just not the X-Men without their most popular member, is it? This Wolverine figure is based on the cover of Wolverine Omnibus Volume 4. It shows Logan tearing through an alley with his adamantium claws. Like Cyclops and Jean Grey, he wears his signature ’90s costume. Also just like his teammates, the Wolverine YouTooz figure is $39.99.

To order these amazing X-Men YouTooz figures for yourself, head on over to their official site.

The post X-MEN YouTooz Figures Showcase Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey in ’90s Costumes appeared first on Nerdist.

Marvel Studios has revealed the ten episode titles for the first season of X-Men ’97 in a fun way. The X-Men are on what looks like a TV Guide cover straight from the ’90s. These titles tell us a lot, especially if you are a longtime comic book fan or a fan of the classic animated series. Let’s break down what each episode title is likely referencing from the X-Men’s long history.

Episode One: “To Me, My X-Men”

This X-Men episode title reference is simple enough. We hear Cyclops say this turn of phrase in the trailer. Traditionally in the comics, “To me, my X-Men” is what Charles Xavier says to his students when he’s summoning them. This goes all the way back to X-Men #1 in 1963 and later leaders of the team carried on that tradition. Our guess is this episode will mainly deal with who gets to lead the team after Xavier — Cyclops or Magneto.

Episode Two: “Mutant Liberation Begins”

The phrase “Mutant liberation begins” is usually uttered by Magneto in the comics. He says it in his introductory episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, “Enter: Magneto.” We have a feeling this episode will deal with Magneto transitioning from the X-Men’s enemy into a member of the team. Maybe he will be the team’s leader.

Episode Three: “Fire Made Flesh”

When Jean Grey became the Dark Phoenix, Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Claremont had her say the phrase “I am fire and life incarnate.” This happened midway through “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” In the animated adaptation, Dark Phoenix said the words “I am fire made flesh.” While we don’t expect to see the Phoenix return, the death of Dark Phoenix (or in the animated series, its departure) is when Jean’s clone Madelyne Pryor awoke. Based on this X-Men ’97 episode, it could mean we will discover that the pregnant Jean from the trailer is really Madelyne.

Episode Four: “Motendo/Lifedeath Pt.1”

We know there is a Nintendo-themed episode this season, which features the X-Men as ’90s video game characters. The episode centers on mall arcade aficionado Jubilee. We think this will take place in Mojoworld, the dimension ruled by the grotesque Mojo, who believes the X-Men are just fodder for entertainment.

As for the meaning of the X-Men ’97 episode title “Lifedeath,” it is a reference to another seminal story from mid-’80s Uncanny X-Men focusing on Storm coping with the loss of her powers. It also marks the start of a romantic relationship with the mutant inventor Forge. We know Forge appears in the series, so it might be an adaptation of this story.

Episode 5: “Remember It”

Gambit’s catchphrase on X-Men: The Animated Series after defeating a villain is usually “The name’s Gambit! Remember it!” in a thick Cajun accent. So we bet this episode focuses mainly on Remy LeBeau. Since Mr. Sinister is the main villain of the season, we might get into their mutual past and how Sinister helped stabilize a young Remy’s powers.

Episode 6: “Lifedeath Pt. 2”

The seminal Storm story in Uncanny X-Men #198, by writer Chris Claremont and artist Barry Windsor-Smith, actually got a sequel of sorts. This issue featured Storm and no other X-Men characters, except as hallucinations. Maybe this one is a Storm solo episode, exploring her African past in a story that is not tied to the rest of the series.

Episode 7: “Bright Eyes”

During the original X-Men: The Animated Series, “bright eyes” is something that Rogue often said in her signature southern drawl. Often before landing a punch on a baddie, she’d say “Remember me, bright eyes?” Sometimes she said this regarding Gambit. Our best guess is that this episode explores the Rogue/Gambit romance and its many obstacles. Of course, the chief obstacle is that Rogue can’t touch anyone without draining their life force.

Episode 8-10: “Tolerance is Extinction”

This three-part finale could draw inspiration from three separate X-Men comic book events of the past. The first is “The X-Tinction Agenda,” a 1990 storyline that had the Genoshan government, which used mutants as slave labor, put the X-Men on public trial. The word extinction spelled normally however means we could see an adaptation of Grant Morrison’s 2001 “E is for Extinction” storyline that introduced Xavier’s evil twin sister, Cassandra Nova.

One other clue in the title is the word “Tolerance.” It suggests “Operation: Zero Tolerance,” a story that ran in the X-Men comics (appropriately enough) in 1997. That story had the human/Sentinel hybrid Bastion create a new army of government-backed Sentinels to wipe out the remaining mutant heroes after the Fantastic Four and Avengers disappeared. Maybe X-Men ’97 is adapting all these stories, combining them into one. Certainly, the X-Men movies have done that in the past.

We’ll know for certain how X-Men ’97 draws inspiration from the classic comics when the series drops on Disney+ on March 20.

The post The X-MEN ’97 Episode Titles Reference Many Past Marvel Comics appeared first on Nerdist.

The hype is real for Marvel Studios’ animated series X-Men ’97, which continues where the classic show left off. And one major character from the ’80s era Uncanny X-Men comics just made her first appearance in the series’ third episode, “Fire Made Flesh.” That character is Madelyne Pryor, the Goblin Queen. But who is this X-Men ally turned villain? And why does she look just like Jean Grey? Here’s the complex history of one of X-Men lore’s most tragic figures.

Madelyne Pryor’s First Marvel Comics Appearance

Madelyne Pryor first appeared in 1983’s Uncanny X-Men #168, as a cargo pilot that Scott Summers/Cyclops meets while visiting his grandparents in Alaska. This was when he was still mourning his lost love Jean Grey, who sacrificed herself after becoming Dark Phoenix. Maddie (sometimes spelled “Maddy”) bore a striking resemblance to Jean, looking almost like her identical twin. Scott fell head over heels instantly. Eventually, Maddie and Scott began a romantic relationship, and he took her home to meet the X-Men. Within a year, Scott and Maddie were married, and Cyclops left the X-Men, leaving Storm as leader. Writer Chris Claremont intended for Maddie to be Scott’s “happily ever after” after the death of Jean. Yet “Happily ever after” is not usually part of the X-Men game plan.

Madelyne Pryor, Jean Grey, and Cyclops

When Scott and Maddie left the X-Mansion in Uncanny X-Men #201, it was shortly after the birth of their son, Nathan Christopher Charles Summers. But domestic bliss did not last long for the new parents. Jean Grey was discovered to be alive. The Phoenix who had died was a cosmic entity that copied Jean’s consciousness and memories, leaving her real body to heal at the bottom of the ocean. When Cyclops got the call that Jean was alive, he ran to her side to confirm if it was true. Maddie said if he left to chase after the ghost of his old girlfriend, to not bother coming back. Cyclops then re-teamed with the other four original X-Men as the group X-Factor.

Not long after, the Marauders, the villain Mister Sinister’s deadly soldiers, attack Madelyne and baby Nathan. When Scott Summers returns home to look for his family, all evidence of their existence has mysteriously been erased. Although the X-Men rescue Maddie, her child remains missing. When the X-Men suddenly die saving the world, the goddess Roma resurrected them. They chose to let the world think they died, and Maddie leaves with the team to a hidden base in the Australian Outback. She starts to grow close to her brother-in-law Alex, also called Havok. Maddie eventually learns Scott got back together with Jean, which she discovers via TV newscasts. This enrages Madelyne, and her rage becomes a beacon for the demon S’ym. He offers her power, and she takes it. She uses this dark demonic power to try to find her missing son, Nathan.

The Truth About Madelyne Pryor’s Origins

It is during this time that Madelyne finally learns the truth of her origins. The genetic manipulator Mister Sinister long had an interest in the Summers and Grey bloodlines. He believed that the offspring of mutants Scott Summers and Jean Grey would be an Omega-level mutant. When Jean became Phoenix, he feared that she was too erratic, and might depart the Earth, thwarting his plans. So he used a tissue sample of Jean to create a clone of her. But the clone didn’t show signs of any powers, and she remained in the incubation tube.

But when Dark Phoenix died, a spark of her power awakened the clone. Now alive and sentient, Sinister gave this clone fake memories and a fake identity as Madelyne Pryor, her name a joke about her “prior” life. He set her up working for Scott’s grandparents, knowing that once Cyclops met her, he’d fall in love with the spitting image of his dead lover. But once she gave birth to Nathan, and the real Jean returned, Sinister had no use for Maddie any longer. So he sent his Marauders to kill her, treating her as a “loose end.” Finding out her whole life was a lie drove Maddie further down a dark path.

Madelyne Pryor Becomes the Goblin Queen

Losing her grip on sanity, she joins forces with the demon lord N’astirh, during the X-Men crossover event Inferno. Taking on the mantle of the Goblin Queen, Maddie unleashes demonic hell on New York. She very nearly sacrifices her son Nathan to demonic forces during this event. First, to get back at Cyclops, and then, as revenge on Sinister, who treated her as breeding stock. Ultimately, the X-Men and X-Factor stop her, and Maddie uses her newly discovered telepathic power to connect with her clone Jean Grey, believing that if she kills herself, she’ll take Jean with her. Maddie dies, but Jean survives, and the Phoenix Force returns. It implanted Maddie’s memories into Jean, transferring her love for Maddie’s son to her. And for a long time, that was the end of Madelyne Pryor.

Madelyne Pryor and Her Son, Cable

Madelyne and Scott’s child, Nathan, was now being raised by Scott and Jean Grey. But this happy family was also short-lived. The immortal mutant Apocalypse infected the child with a techno-organic virus, which threatened to consume him. To save the child, they sent him to the distant future, hoping advanced science could save his life. It did, and we eventually learned that the cyborg mercenary Cable, who was the leader of X-Force, was actually an adult Nathan Summers who went back in time to the era of his birth.

Years later, the alternate version of Madelyne’s son Nathan from the Age of Apocalypse timeline known as X-Man came to the 616 reality. A powerful psychic unencumbered by his doppelgänger Cable’s techno virus, he used his powers to pluck Madelyne’s spirit from the astral plane and give it new life, looking for a mother figure. Weirdly, they start dating, a bizarre development given that genetically speaking, Madelyne is, at the very least, Nate’s aunt. (Editor’s Note: Fuckin’ ew.) This Madelyne joined the Hellfire Club as its Black Rook, and didn’t have most of Maddie’s original memories, probably because Jean Grey had absorbed them. She eventually gets her memories back, and finally forms some kind of understanding with her son Cable. Although he has a few conflicted feelings about his mom trying to sacrifice him to demons as an infant. (Hey, family can get complicated). Eventually, Maddie dissipates into the Astral Plane again.

Madelyne Pryor in the Modern X-Men Age

A version of Madelyne later returned from the Astral Plane and formed the Sisterhood of Mutants. However, whether or not that was actually Maddie has come into question. Many believe it to be the Jean Grey of another universe posing as her. The true Madelyne recently came back to life once more, via the Resurrection Protocols on the mutant island of Krakoa. She finally made peace with Jean Grey, who granted her the memories of the years she raised Maddie’s son Nathan. Madelyne reclaimed her Goblin Queen throne, where she ruled the hellish Limbo dimension once again. She even formed her own “Dark X-Men” team.

The Goblin Queen’s Marvel Powers

Although at first appearing as a baseline human, as Jean Grey’s clone, Madelyne has the same powers as her genetic template. Perhaps because of her forced growth in the lab, her powers didn’t activate at puberty. It took her far longer to manifest them. Eventually, not only does she have Jean’s telepathic and telekinetic powers, but she eventually absorbs the mutant Selene’s power of teleportation. However, since she developed them later in life and as an adult, her psychic abilities were never quite as strong as Jean’s. However, when she became the Goblin Queen, she was imbued with magics as well, making her powerful in a way Jean never was.

Madelyne Pryor in X-Men ’97

In the third episode of X-Men ’97’s first season, “Fire Made Flesh,” we discover the Jean Grey we’ve seen since the first episode, who gave birth to a son in episode two, was not really Jean at all. She was a clone of Jean, created at some unknown point in the past, and swapped out for the real one. Her creator was none other than Mister Sinister. As in the comics, he wanted to create a mutant with the powerful DNA combo of Jean Grey and Scott Summers. But if he created a clone of Jean he could control, she would deliver that offspring to him. When the real Jean shows up, and the clone is revealed as the imposter, Sinister activates his mind control over the clone, unleashing her dark side.

Clone Jean then mentally taps into demonic energies, and becomes the Goblin Queen. She takes her infant son Nathan to Sinister, who performs experiments on him to make him stronger. But the real Jean mentally links with clone, and breaks Sinister’s hold over her. She helps the X-Men rescue baby Nathan, but Sinister has implanted a techno-organic virus in the child. He must be sent to the future with Bishop to be saved. Clone Jean makes a tearful goodbye to her genetic twin, now taking the name Madelyne Pryor for herself. She leaves the X-Mansion for parts unknown. Will we see her in the future? Unlike the comics, she was not killed off. We’re sure to see Maddie again on X-Men ’97.

The post Who Is the Villainous X-MEN ’97 Clone, Madelyne Pryor? The Marvel Comics History of the Goblin Queen, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

We’re a mere month away from X-Men ’97 dropping on Disney+. But before Xavier’s students return to protect a world that fears and hates them, Marvel Comics is releasing a new X-Men ’97 comic that will cover the gap between the end of X-Men: The Animated Series and the new show. This new four-issue limited series, also titled X-Men ’97, will hit within days of X-Men ’97’s Disney+ premiere. It’s written by Dark X-Men writer Steve Foxe, with art by Salva Espín, and a cover by Todd Nauck. Marvel.com has released several pages of the first issue, which you can check out in our gallery below:

Click To View Gallery

Although the pages are textless, we can see a lot of the classic X-Men tropes we all love at play. We’ve got Magneto attacking a city, throwing cars around like pillows. (Is this the Danger Room?) Also, Cyclops and Wolverine yelling at each other, and getting in each other’s faces. Not to mention the team beating up a bunch of bigoted thugs. We also see Bishop with the team. Hopefully, we’ll get an explanation in the comic about how the time-traveling future mutant permanently found a home with the X-Men in the past. On, and last but not least, we see Storm debuting her mohawk look. It seems Jubilee is far more excited about Ororo’s new ‘do than Kitty Pryde was in the comics (she ran and cried).

Salva Espín’s art style recalls the cartoony style of the old series, but with a modern twist. Marvel Studios hasn’t been clear just how much time will pass between the end of X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97, but in the trailer, Jean Grey looks pretty far along in her pregnancy. So we’d say at least several months. We’ll find out for sure when X-Men ’97 #1 arrives on March 27.

The post Marvel’s X-MEN ’97 Comic Bridges the Gap Between Old and New Shows appeared first on Nerdist.

The trailer for X-Men ’97 was brief, but it gave us a glimpse of some important plot developments. Magneto inheriting the X-Mansion? A pregnant Jean Grey? Many of these things were actually set up in the original ’90s series. Here are some episodes of the classic X-Men: The Animated Series you may want to watch again before X-Men ’97 releases in March on Disney+.

X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2, “Night of the Sentinels”

In the trailer for X-Men ’97, we see the unmistakable hand of a Sentinel robot. The giant mutant-hunting machines are the embodiment of humanity’s hatred of homo superior. In many ways, they are the X-Men’s biggest enemy. We were first introduced to these Sentinels in the two-part opening episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, “Night of the Sentinels,” way back in 1992. They are responsible for killing the shapeshifting X-Man named Morph (he gets better), who will be a key player in the new series. Besides, what’s a better place to start getting ready for X-Men ’97 than with X-Men: The Animated Series very first episodes?

X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1, Episode 3, “Enter Magneto”

The trailer for X-Men ’97 also shows Magneto inheriting the X-Mansion, and, presumably, the fortune of Charles Xavier via his last will and testament. It shows that Charles Xavier believed in the good within his former friend turned enemy. The backstory of their complicated relationship is explored in Magneto’s first appearance in X-Men: The Animated Series, “Enter Magneto.” Given Magneto has such a big role in the new show, there’s no better time than now to go back and see how the friendship between Xavier and Magneto fractured. This X-Men: The Animated Series episode will surely come into play in X-Men ’97.

X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1, Episodes 11 & 12, “Days of Future Past”

“Days of Future Past” is one of the most iconic X-Men stories of all time. It tells of a future where Sentinel robots have all but made the mutant race extinct. So, one of the future X-Men must go back in time to change history, preventing this apocalyptic future. The original ’80s comics had Kitty Pryde as the time-traveling X-Man, while the film adaptation used Wolverine. But in the two-part adaptation of the story for the cartoon, Lucas Bishop was the character to go back in time. Since Bishop is now a member of the “prime timeline” X-Men in X-Men ’97, the version of the story found in these episodes of The Animated Series may be one you wish to revisit.

X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4, Episode 8, “Nightcrawler”

Although not seen in the trailer for X-Men ’97, Marvel Studios has confirmed that the teleporting mutant Nightcrawler will be a series regular. For the show, he’ll be voiced by Adrian Hough. Although a main member of the team since 1975 in the comics, X-Men: The Animated Series only used him twice. Still, the episode “Nightcrawler” was a great chapter in the series. It really summed up why the demonic-looking (yet devoutly religious) mutant is so amazing. This is one episode of X-Men: The Animated Series you might want to revisit to get to know Kurt Wagner better before his X-Men ’97 return.

X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4, Episode 18, “Beyond Good and Evil Part 1”

Jean Grey and Scott Summers are the premiere X-Men couple. Although they attempted to get married in season two, their actual nuptials actually took place at the end of season four. Why does this matter? Because in the X-Men ’97 trailer, we see a very pregnant Jean Grey. But what if that’s not Jean, and Scott married someone else? Toy releases tied to X-Men ’97 show that Madelyne Pryor, Jean’s clone and Scott’s first wife in the comics, will play a big part in the show. These toys also show Maddy with a baby. That baby grows up to be the cyborg warrior Cable in the comics. Our theory is that they replaced the real Jean shortly before their wedding in Beyond Good and Evil. Therefore, Scott actually married her clone Maddy. Considering that, it might be a great time to revisit this famous wedding episode of X-Men: The Animated Series.

X-Men: The Animated Series Season 5, Episode 75, “Descent”

Marvel has already confirmed that Mister Sinister will be the main villain of X-Men ’97. The white and pasty-skinned mad scientist has a fixation with mutant bloodlines, and he experiments to create even more powerful mutants. But who is he really? In the final season, the episode “Descent” tells us the origin story of Nathaniel Essex, who used his gifts to give himself powers back in Victorian England. It also ties Sinister into the real-life legend of Jack the Ripper. Given his importance to the upcoming X-Men ’97 series, this episode of X-Men: The Animated Series feels like essential viewing.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series Season 2, Episodes 17 & 18, “The Mutant Agenda” and “Mutants’ Revenge”

You might be confused about these episodes being included, as they are part of the ‘90s Spider-Man animated series, not X-Men. But in the X-Men ’97 trailer, we see a copy of the Daily Bugle, with the headline “Is Spider-Man a Mutant?” This lets us know that Spidey is part of the X-Men: The Animated Series world. But we knew this already because the versions of the X-Men from the ‘90s cartoon appeared in a two-part episode of Spider-Man. It is possible that we might see that version of Peter Parker appear in X-Men ’97. How cool would it be to see these Marvel ‘90s icons meet once again? The ‘90s Spider-Man series is also on Disney+. So it’s worth rewatching the X-Men’s two-episode appearance, as it might actually matter to upcoming events in X-Men ’97.

The post 7 Important X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Episodes to Watch Before X-MEN ’97 appeared first on Nerdist.

At some point in the first half of 2024, the mighty mutants from the ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series are making their grand return on Disney+ when X-Men ’97 premieres. But in anticipation, a ton of new X-Men ’97 merchandise has already hit the shelves, including action figures, t-shirts, and more. Of course, there will also be X-Men ’97 LEGO sets, starting with a new X-Jet. Or, as Marvel Comics fans know it, the Blackbird. This 359-piece construction set measures over 3 in. (8 cm) high, 11 in. (30 cm) long, and 10 in. (25 cm) wide, and is already available for pre-order for $84.99. You can check out several images of the new X-Jet set in our gallery below:

Click To View Gallery

The buildable toy features twin cockpits with room for 4 minifigures, including Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, and Magneto, in his new good guy costume. It also has 2 stud shooters on both sides of the plane, and 2 spring shooters beneath the wings. The buildable model plane also includes 2 removable containers where you can store spare studs… and Wolverine’s long claws when they are not attached to him. For added fun, builders can zoom in, rotate models in 3D, and track their progress using the LEGO Builder app.

Unlike some early LEGO announcements, this set doesn’t really offer up any spoilers for the upcoming X-Men ’97 series. They already revealed some time ago that Magneto would be in hero mode in this continuation, so that doesn’t count. His costume is an homage to the era of comics where Charles Xavier left him in charge of his school. But other product releases have spoiled certain plot developments, like the addition of Mister Sinister as the series’ main villain. Hopefully, some big surprises will remain unspoiled from merch reveals when X-Men ’97 drops later this year.

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Marvel tarot cards? Check. Renewals for some of our favorite shows? Check. A Paddington Bear musical? Check. The Northern Lights for breakfast? Check.

Here are some of our favorite pop-culture news odds & ends from this week.

Jump to:

• House of the Dragon Seasons 3 and 4 Are Already In Active Discussion
• Twisted Metal Has Been Renewed for Season 2
• Hasbro Announces New X-Men ’97 Inspired Marvel Legends Figures
• A Paddington Bear Musical Is in the Works (And a Game of Thrones Play)
• Foundation Has Been Renewed for Season 3
• A Marvel Tarot Deck Could Be Perfect for the Nerdy Witch in Your Life
• Netflix Finally Releases Some Viewership Numbers
• Max Renews Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake for Season 2
• LetterBoxd Adds Movie Showtimes to Help Get Folks to Theaters
• Build a Festive Cin-Gingerbread House with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Kit
• Robert Pattinson Is an Unhinged Heron in The Boy and the Heron
• Icelandic Provisions Potions Kit Wants You to Turn Skyr Yogurt Into the Northern Lights

House of the Dragon Seasons 3 and 4 Are Already In Active Discussion

House of the Dragon season two hasn’t even arrived yet, but happily for Game of Thrones fans G.R.R. Martin is already discussing seasons three and four of the series with Max series showrunner Ryan Condal. Martin shared in a blog post, “I also spent two days locked in a room with Ryan Condal and his writing staff (Sara Hess, Ti Mikkel, David Hancock, and Philippa Goslett) talking about the third and fourth seasons of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. They were lively, fun discussions, and we got some good work done… though two days was not nearly enough. There is so much ground to cover that I am not sure twenty days would have been enough.”

Of course, House of the Dragon has not yet been renewed beyond season two, but we feel confident it will be… and so does Martin. For now, you can check out the teaser trailer for season two of the show.

Twisted Metal Has Been Renewed for Season 2

Everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic dramedy will return for a season two. Peacock announced their series adaptation of the Twisted Metal game would be back for more end-of-the-world adventures sooner rather than later. Anthony Mackie stars in the live-action TV show based on the iconic PlayStation game. We can’t wait to see him back behind the wheel as John Doe. And, of course, more Sweet Tooth the Clown is exactly what we need in our lives.

Hasbro Announces New X-Men ’97 Inspired Marvel Legends Figures

We’re very excited for Marvel Studio’s upcoming animated series, X-Men ‘97. In celebration of this reboot of X-Men: The Animated Series, Hasbro has launched a new line of X-Men ‘97-inspired Marvel Legends figures. These include figures of Magneto, Nightcrawler, Jean Grey, Goblin Queen, The X-Cutioner, and Cyclops.

Click To View Gallery

Here are some of the stories we’d love to see X-Men ’97 tackle.

A Paddington Bear Musical Is in the Works (And a Game of Thrones Play)

Time to put on your red hat and get ready for adventure. A Paddington Bear musical is officially in the works. According to Variety, it will be released in 2025. Not much is known about Paddington: The Musical yet, but its creative team shares, “We cannot wait to bring Paddington, his antics, adventures and mishaps with the Brown family, and Michael Bond’s other treasured characters to the stage. We hope to inspire audiences of all ages with fun, beauty, joy, and all that Paddington stands for.”

Additionally, a Game of Thrones play is in the works and eyeing a 2024 release. G.R.R. Martin shares in a blog post, “one of the meetings I had in London was with Dominick and Duncan, the director and scriptwriter of our own stage play, the one we have been working on for the past few years. Originally we were calling it HARRENHAL, but we have now settled on THE IRON THRONE as a title… until we think of something better. Regardless, things are coming well, I think, and we are hopeful of being able to open in late 2024.”

As we wait for updates on these, check out what we know about Paddington Bear 3.

Foundation Has Been Renewed for Season 3

‘Tis the season for renewals. The sci-fi epic Foundation will return for a season three. So, we guess the Lee Pace shower battle scene really did the trick. We can’t wait to see more from Foundation‘s epic cast and nuanced world in the near future.

A Marvel Tarot Deck Could Be Perfect for the Nerdy Witch in Your Life

Still trying to fill up a stocking? This Marvel tarot deck could be just the thing for the nerdy witch in your life. This deck features “78 cards with art of characters like She-Hulk, Captain America, Spider-Man, and more” and is available at BoxLunch. We’re already obsessed.

These fantasy cardigans would also make delightful gifts.

Netflix Finally Releases Some Viewership Numbers

It is about time we see some transparency from Netflix. On the heels of gains made during Hollywood’s strikes, the streamer has released concrete viewership numbers for its many shows. The information reflects “what people watched on Netflix over a six-month period.” Coming out on top was The Night Agent, while Nerdist favorite Wednesday landed as the fourth most-watched show in second half of 2023. Fascinatingly enough, the now-canceled series Shadow and Bone also seemed to perform favorably. We guess we’ll have to wait and see how this information transparency shapes the landscape.

We’re crossing our fingers Netflix’s One Piece will land at the top of the charts when Netflix releases its next report. It was one of our best TV shows of 2023.

Max Renews Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake for Season 2

It’s time for more Adventure Time. Max has renewed the Adventure Time spinoff series Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake for a second season. Season one was absolutely adorable, so we can’t wait for more adventures with these alternate universe versions of Finn and Jake.

Here’s season one’s trailer if you haven’t watched it yet.

LetterBoxd Adds Movie Showtimes to Help Get Folks to Theaters

People head to LetterBoxd to get the scoop on what’s good in the world of movies. And now, if something sounds particularly excellent, users can also immediately see when the movie is playing in theaters in the LetterBoxd interface. This update only makes sense. We first saw this news on The Hollywood Reporter.

If you want to know more about what was good in theaters this year, you can also check out our 2023 “Best Of” list.

Build a Festive Cin-Gingerbread House with Cinnamon Toast Crunch Kit

Admit it, gingerbread is like your tenth favorite holiday cookie. It could use an update. And that’s why Cinnamon Toast Crunch has made Gingerbread Toast Crunch. And you can even build a Cin-Gingerbread House instead this Christmas season. You can get this festive kit online now. It includes quite a few things, including an ugly sweater and Gingerbread Toast Crunch, but our favorite pieces are the Cinnamon Toast Crunch icing and Cinnadust. Those things sound like they’d be good on a Cin-Gingerbread house, but also just good. Happy Holidays!

Follow this treat up with some Doritos Nacho Cheese liquor.

Robert Pattinson Is an Unhinged Heron in The Boy and the Heron

When we heard that Robert Pattinson would play the Grey Heron in the latest Studio Ghibli film, we were delighted. And he did not disappoint. But don’t take our word for it. Check out the clip of Pattinson as an unhinged heron above. And then head to theaters to watch the Miyazaki movie.

You can also check out the full English-language dub trailer for the film:

Icelandic Provisions Potions Kit Wants You to Turn Skyr Yogurt Into the Northern Lights

Firstly, why have normal yogurt when you can have Icelandic Skyr from Icelandic Provisions? Skyr is “akin to yogurt but has a different texture thanks to the heirloom Icelandic cultures used to make it. It takes nearly four cups of milk to make one cup of Skyr, making it thicker, and creamier than yogurt.” It’s also just delicious. But if you’re going to have Skyr, why not cast a spell to turn it into the Northern Lights?

Icelandic Provisions has created a kit that brings the majesty of the Northern Lights to your breakfast. And it kind of makes you feel like a witch brewing a potion when you do. Also, there’s glitter. It’s delightful. And it’s just right for the feeling of the Winter Solstice.

A release shares, “The Icelandic Provisions Northern Lights Skyr Kit (retail price: $11) will allow fans to create their own version of this iconic natural phenomenon with wholesome, vibrant ingredients that evoke the stunning colors of the lights and celebrate the earthy elements of the Icelandic landscape.” You can join the waitlist now to know first when the kits go on sale. Fans who register will also be entered into a contents to win a trip to Iceland to see its breathtaking scenery and maybe the Northern Lights in person!

And, if you want one picture that says a thousand words. Here’s what became of my preview kit.

Originally published on December 14, 2023.

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Fans of Marvel’s Mutants are eagerly anticipating the early 2024 arrival of X-Men ’97, the new Disney+ continuation of the classic ’90s X-Men: The Animated Series. The original show adapted many classic storylines from the pages of Uncanny X-Men over its run. At least, stories that were written up until that point. But since it went off the air in 1997, many new and seminal X-Men stories have been added to the canon in the Marvel Comics. And we think these would make for perfect animated episodes in the upcoming revival series. Here are our top picks for X-Men stories we’d love to see adapted next.

X-Men: Onslaught (1996)

Onslaught is not from a particularly creative high point for the X-Men titles. This story was mainly a function to remove the Avengers and Fantastic Four characters from the 616 Universe for a year in the Heroes Reborn event. But the basic premise would still be great for animated episodes. In the Fatal Attractions story a few years prior, Xavier had mind-wiped Magneto, in an attempt to put an end to his schemes once and for all. But a seed of Magneto’s mind lived on in Xavier, becoming the unstoppable and ridiculously huge psychic entity called Onslaught. This story is maybe too over the top and too ’90s for live-action, but would be perfect for the world of X-Men ’97.

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills (1982)

This early ‘80s original graphic novel by Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson was the template for X2: X-Men United. But that film changed some key elements of the story, such as changing the villain William Stryker from a televangelist to a military general. The original story dealt more with the concept at the very core of the X-Men comics, which is how people use religion and politics to justify bigotry. It represents key X-Men writer Chris Claremont at his creative peak. Some elements of the story haven’t aged well. However, the core ideas would still work in the animated format. Plus, this might be the perfect excuse to bring in key characters from that story, like Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler. This storyline was a bit too mature for Saturday morning audiences, so it was never adapted then. But it’s perfect for today.

X-Men: Inferno (1988-1989)

Rumors persist that the clone of Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor, is making her way into X-Men ’97. With Mister Sinister confirmed as one of the series’ main antagonists, it makes sense that Maddy would appear. After all, she was a creation of that pasty-skinned mad geneticist. If Madelyne does appear, then it would be an ideal time to adapt her most famous storyline, Inferno, for animation. In that 1988-1989 comics event, Madelyne, bitter her husband Cyclops left her for his resurrected lover Jean Grey (her genetic template), makes a deal with powerful demons to unleash Hell on Earth. X-Men vs. demons from Limbo might be a tad much for live-action, but for animation? It’s just perfect.

New X-Men: E is for Extinction

In the early 2000s, superstar writer Grant Morrison lent their genius to refreshing the X-Men franchise for the 21st century. And the first story out of the gate for them in what was called New X-Men was E for Extinction. That storyline saw the addition of Emma Frost to the Xavier School faculty. It also introduced one of the best modern X-villains, Cassandra Nova. Unlike many X-Men baddies, she actually presented a real threat, destroying the island nation of Genosha and murdering millions of mutants in one heinous act. And did we mention Cassandra is Xavier’s secret twin sister, whom he believed he killed in the womb? This is one story that we’d really love to see the animated series tackle.

X-Men: House of X and Powers of X

In 2019, writer Jonathan Hickman upended decades of mutant status quo in the series House of X and Powers of X. For once in their long publication history, mutantkind would be on top. He reintroduced the mutant island of Krakoa, a living island where Xavier and Magneto welcomed every mutant as a citizen. But Krakoa had secrets. Among them is the key to mutant immortality. This era raised the X-Men to the level of almost gods on Earth. Marvel Comics has done a version of this era as if it happened in the X-Men: The Animated Series world. And we think adapting that for the cartoon would be amazing. And it would really meld the classic ’90s X-Men with the storytelling daring of the modern Marvel Comics. Put Wolverine’s claw to our head? This is the one we want the most.

The post The Marvel Comics Stories We’d Love to See X-MEN ’97 Adapt appeared first on Nerdist.

X-Men: The Animated Series arrived on TV screens across the country 30 years ago, catapulting Marvel’s mutants into household names. Without the success of the cartoon, it’s unlikely the X-Men films would have ever happened. All roads lead back to the animated version of Xavier’s School. So it’s only fitting that Disney+ is continuing those adventures in the new X-Men ’97 animated series, coming to the platform sometime this fall. Recently, X-Men ’97 head writer and executive producer Beau DeMayo confirmed which mutant characters would take center stage in the new series in a now-deleted tweet. So who are the X-Men ’97 revivals’ main characters? None other than Cyclops and Storm. We absolutely love to hear it.

At SDCC 2022, we finally got our first details about the new show. Here’s what we know so far.

Cheers erupted when Brad Winderbaum spoke fondly of the legacy of X-Men: The Animated Series and presented a sizzle reel featuring cast and creatives from the popular ‘90s animated show. X-Men ‘97 writer and executive producer Beau DeMayo then spoke about the new series, and shared artwork. The main cast looks almost identical to the original ’92 series, but Storm seems to have a new hairdo. Of course, Ororo Munroe changing her hair constantly is very much a staple of the character. And Jean has lost her signature ponytail.

Aside from the main cast, returning X-Men include Cable, Bishop, Forge, Morph, Nightcrawler, and former New Mutant Sunspot, who never made it to the original series.

Magneto is now the leader of the X-Men, and is shown wearing his short-lived “hero” costume, from Uncanny X-Men #200, way back in 1986. This is the one with a giant “M” on the chest, and the opera gloves. He’s also got much longer hair, like his ’90s incarnation.

Emma Frost, the White Queen appeared, along with her fellow Hellfire Club companion Sebastian Shaw. Also, Morlock leader Callisto, government agent Val Cooper, and Mister Sinister images were shown. On the panel, they revealed that Val Cooper “has an agenda” that will learn about as the season progresses.

They presented an early animatic, showing the team fighting Sentinels. It was very rough, but gave the fans in Hall H an idea of what the show is — pure ’90s Fox Kids action. Although the show won’t debut until Fall 2023, X-Men ’97 already has a second season renewal.

Here’s hoping we learn just how X-Men ’97 ties into the wider Multiverse when the show debuts. We know there has to be a reason the cartoon theme song keeps playing in MCU films Like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and shows like Ms. Marvel. We’ll just have to wait and find out in 2023.

Originally published July 22, 2023.

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X-Men: The Animated Series defined Marvel’s mutants for a whole generation who grew up watching them in the ’90s. That’s why the upcoming X-Men ’97 Disney+ series, which picks up where the classic show left off, has as much fan anticipation as any live-action MCU series. But aside from a few character designs shown at Comic-Con last summer, we know little about the new show—until now. A writer for the series has revealed the main villain, and he’s as classic an X-Men foe as they come. X-Men ’97’s villain for season one is none other than master manipulator Mister Sinister.

Via The Direct, we learned that at the recent 60 Uncanny Years live virtual event, celebrating six decades of the X-Men, X-Men ’97 writer Beau DeMayo confirmed that amoral geneticist Nathaniel Essex, a.k.a. Mister Sinister, would feature prominently in the show’s first season. Christopher Britton, who voiced the character in the original series, will reprise the role. Here’s what DeMayo had to say about the returning mad scientist villain:

A very, very, very, very favorite character of mine and many others, Mr. Sinister, will rear his ugly head from the past with a pretty foolproof plan to destroy the X-Men once and for all.”

Mister Sinister has been a thorn in the side of the X-Men in the comics since 1987. We learned in the comics that he manipulated the gene pool of the Summers family for generations, particularly Scott Summers (Cyclops) and his brother Alex (Havok). Sinister cloned Jean Grey after her apparent death, creating the doppelgänger Madelyne Pryor. He arranged for her to meet Scott and marry him, producing a powerful son. A son who would grow up to become the mutant mercenary called Cable.

Much of Mister Sinister’s comics backstory made it into the classic cartoon. In more modern comics, Sinister has been an uneasy ally of the X-Men, but has just as often betrayed them. Unlike Magneto, he’s just one of those villains who can’t ever seem to turn over a new leaf. As the new series will feature Magneto in charge of the X-Men, taking over from Xavier, we can’t wait to see a Sinister vs. Magneto showdown for the ages.

X-Men ’97 will release on Disney+ sometime this fall.

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