It’s no surprise that X-Men ’97 is full of nods to the source material. The original X-Men animated series from the 1990s was similarly packed with Easter eggs. However, the references go far beyond newspaper headlines and character cameos.
A Sinister Reminder
One of the more obvious changes to the show’s opening involves the shape-shifting hero Morph. X-Men ’97 features Morph among the characters profiled among the title cards. (The original X-Men series left them out.) Morph also gets a quick action scene, where they are attacked by an unseen figure. The reflection of their eye briefly reveals the visage of Mister Sinister, who brainwashed Morph in season 2 of the original X-Men animated series.
Actual X-Men Villains in X-Men ’97 Intro
One of the more infamous oddities in the original X-Men animated series intro involved the characters Magneto was leading into battle. For some reason, the line of villains included the hero Warpath and the Incredible Hulk villain Gargoyle. The intro for X-Men ’97 replaces them with White Queen and Lady Deathstrike.
Marrow is Missing
An establishing shot of a Friends of Humanity hideout features a missing poster for an unnamed girl. She will be instantly recognizable to readers of the 1990s X-Men comics as Marrow. First introduced in 1994, Marrow had the power to grow bone spikes out of her body. She was one of the more popular new X-Men at the time the animated series originally aired. The poster is also visible later when a copy of The Daily Bugle floats into the shot.
Mutant Fashion Show
Several X-Men make cameo appearances as fashion models on the same copy of the Daily Bugle that mentions a Hellfire Gala and asks if Spider-Man is a Mutant. The featured models include Loa, Nature Girl, Stacy X, Banshee, Maggott, and Dust.
Gambit is Good in the Kitchen
While he tends to be celebrated more for his skills as a master thief, Gambit is also a fantastic chef. The first episode of X-Men ’97 features a scene in which the Louisiana native is shown frying beignets for the team’s dinner. This is also a subtle shout-out to the Christmas special of the original animated series, where Gambit and Jean Grey fought for control of the kitchen.
Goldballs Gets No Respect
When quizzing new Mutant Robertoda Costa on his power, Jubilee guesses he can “shoot gold balls from your body.” Unlikely as it sounds, this was the power of Fabio Medina, who joined the X-Men under the name Goldballs. He later changed it, understandably, to Egg.
Valerie Cooper Sounds Familiar
The first episode of X-Men ’97 introduces Valerie Cooper as the team’s liaison with the United Nations. Valerie Cooper is a prominent character from the X-Men comics who often antagonized superheroes on behalf of the federal government. She is voiced in X-Men ’97 by Catherine Disher, who played Jean Grey in the original X-Men animated series.
An Omega Level Threat
When Storm makes her grand entrance in the climax of the first episode, a Sentinel identifies her as “an Omega-level threat.” This is a reference to the classification system used to measure the strength of Mutant powers in Marvel Comics. Omega Mutants are those whose powers have no quantifiable limit. With the ability to control the weather around her to a minute degree, Storm is easily one of the most powerful Omega-level Mutants.
The Passing Storm
However, Storm loses her powers protecting Magneto as a result of the X-Cutioner’s energy weapon in episode 2 of X-Men ’97. This mirrors an incident in X-Men #185. However, in that story, Storm sacrifices herself to protect Rogue from Henry Gyrich. She also did not leave the X-Men, as she did in X-Men ’97.
A Magneto/Rogue Romance
The second episode of X-Men ’97 reveals that Magneto and Rogue had a romance at some point in the past. The end of the episode also reveals that Magneto is not affected by Rogue’s energy-draining touch. This is a nod to a story from X-Men #269-274, where the two enjoyed a brief flirtation while stranded in the Savage Land.
The first two episodes of X-Men ’97 are now streaming on Disney Plus.
