All The Marvel Comic Easter Eggs In The X-Men '97 Trailer, Ranked By Nerdiness
"X-Men '97" is bringing the marvelous mutant heroes back to the small screen like they never left it, picking up right after the original series finale, "Graduation Day." Since that aired, the show's '90s setting has gone from contemporary to period piece.
The long-awaited trailer for "X-Men '97" debuted on February 15, 2024, and there's plenty to discuss even with less than 2 minutes of footage. For one, we've now finally seen the series' animation style, which brings modern shading and three-dimensionality to the original's classic cartoon look. ("X-Men '97" was animated by South Korea's Studio Mir, famous for "The Legend of Korra" and "My Adventures with Superman," whereas the original was animated by a different Korean studio: AKOM, famous for their shoddy work on "The Transformers" and early "Simpsons" episodes.)
Much of the original voice cast is back (even if they only get a line each to show it), while Ray Chase and Matthew Waterson sound uncanny as Cyclops and Magneto (stepping in for the late Norm Spencer and David Hemblen, respectively). I'll admit I've been skeptical of "X-Men '97" before now — I've never been a huge fan of the original (the production values were quite low and often off-putting). Plus, the X-Men's world is so vast, why revive an old show when they could easily sustain a new one? However, I won't deny this trailer piqued my excitement. By now, I've watched it several times and spotted many comic nods that should have all of you fans excited too.
9. Storm goes punk
Ororo Munroe, aka the X-Men's white-haired weather witch Storm, is back in "X-Men '97" (voiced again by Alison Sealy-Smith, whose bombastic performance was one of the most memorable in the original series). In "X-Men," Storm had a long mane of flowing hair, reaching down her back and across her shoulders. In "X-Men '97," she's ditched the mullet for a mohawk. This isn't a styling choice without precedent.
In 1983's "Uncanny X-Men" #173 (written by Chris Claremont, art by Paul Smith), Storm trades out her original Dave Cockrum-designed look for a punk outfit: all black leather, sleeveless jack, choker, and yes, a mohawk. Soon after (in "Uncanny X-Men" #185, by Claremont and John Romita Jr.), Storm is temporarily deprived of her powers. Her punk look is synonymous with her depowered era.
Now, in "X-Men '97," Storm has only changed her hair; she still has her full-body white suit and cape from the original series. There's also a shot of her calling down lightning strikes, so the storm is still hers to command. However, the mutant inventor Forge (voiced by Gil Birmingham) will be appearing in the series revival, and he invented the device that stole Storm's powers in the comics. Be careful, Ororo.
8. A sweet Summers child
Despite Wolverine's meme-worthy yearning (and what the live-action "X-Men" movies will have you think), the team's core romance is Scott Summers/Cyclops and Jean Grey. Jean isn't totally disinterested in Logan, but her heart belongs to Scott. She even tied the knot with Cyclops in season 2 of "X-Men." On their honeymoon, they were abducted by evil geneticist Mister Sinister, who thinks the couple's combined genes could create especially strong mutants.
The "X-Men '97" trailer shows they're still going strong; they kiss and Jean is visibly pregnant. In the comics, the Summers-Grey family has a few children. For one, Rachel Summers, who inherited her looks and powers from her mother. In the comics, Rachel was born in the alternate future of "Days of Future Past" (when the robotic Sentinels take over Earth and eradicate the X-Men, "Terminator" style) and sent back across time to the present day, where she joined the X-Men.
However, I'd bet the bun in Jean's oven is actually Nathan Summers. You might know him under a different name: Cable. Yes, the time-traveling cyborg mercenary (who guest-starred plenty in the original "X-Men" series), is actually Scott and Jean's (genetic) son, who was sent into the far future as a child. Here's why I think this: see, Cable is technically the son of Scott and Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean created by Sinister. Scott met and wed Maddie after Jean perished in "The Dark Phoenix Saga." Sinister is back in "X-Men '97" as a major villain and Pryor's Goblin Queen persona now has an action figure on sale.
Is the pregnant Jean in the trailer actually Madelyne Pryor, whom Sinister surreptitiously swapped with the original? I'd bet good money on it.
7. The Trial of Magneto
One of my favorite scenes in "X-Men" is in the episode "Sanctuary," where Magneto crashes a United Nations assembly and confronts them with the oppression that mutants face:
"We have seen communities torn apart by the jealous hatred of our mutant gifts [...] There are those who have tried nobly to enlighten their human brethren, to strive for freedom and equality for all men. Their efforts have been repaid with brutality and hatred!"
The man is spittin' facts! Based on a brief wide shot in the trailer, Magneto is back at the UN. The shot evokes "Uncanny X-Men" #200, "The Trial of Magneto," (by Claremont and Romita Jr.) in which Magneto (halfway through his first redemption arc) is tried by the International Criminal Court.
"Graduation Day" was half-inspired by this issue, specifically the part where Professor X falls ill and has to leave Earth for treatment after a final talk with Magneto. Where the episode differed was Magneto's story. Instead of being prosecuted, he was about to lead a mutant revolution, but he abandoned his followers at the last minute to help Xavier. In the end, their friendship mattered more to Magnus than his dream did.
"X-Men '97" is based in part on the storyline that followed "The Trial of Magneto" — with Xavier gone, Magneto takes up residence at his School for Gifted Youngsters. As Magneto becomes a teacher to his former foes, Xavier's pupils have to trust that the Professor's faith in Magneto was not misplaced.
Promo images and toys show Magneto's costume in "X-Men '97" is the purple, M-emblazoned one that he wore in "Trial of Magneto" and his following time as a hero. One wonders if this means his next talk at the UN will be friendlier.
6. The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier
The "X-Men '97" trailer misleadingly implies that Professor X is dead. There's a shot of a candlelit memorial to him followed by a funeral casket being lowered into the ground. Everyone talks about him in the past tense and the trailer even opens with a clip from "Graduation Day," where Xavier (on his deathbed) says goodbye to his students.
What the trailer doesn't show is how Xavier's alien girlfriend — Lilandra, empress of the Shi'ar — saved him at the last minute. However, the Professor still had to leave with her to receive indefinite medical care on the Shi'ar homeworld. He's not technically dead, but for the story being told, he's out of the picture and the X-Men's lives. That's why Xavier's will, leaving his possessions and dream in Magneto's stewardship, has been brought out. The trailer ends with Magneto reading the will and showing it to the X-Men, gloating that "everything [Xavier] built now belongs to me."
Notice how the book is specifically titled "The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier," recited aloud by Magneto. This is the title of a 2014 "Uncanny X-Men" comic story arc written by Brian Michael Bendis, set after Xavier was murdered by a Phoenix Force-possessed Cyclops in "Avengers vs X-Men." While "X-Men '97" may not be set in the 21st century, the comics of that era aren't verboten as influences.
5. An X-Men circuit
One of the money shots of the trailer is Wolverine, claws unfurled, running toward the screen. Gambit, who can infuse objects with kinetic energy, jumps on Wolverine's back and powers up his claws. As for how he does this without Wolverine exploding, I guess adamantium is just that durable.
Such combo moves are common in "X-Men." In the comics, the most famous one is for the super-strong Colossus to throw Wolverine at enemies with a "fastball special." The current era of "X-Men" comics, where mutants settle on the island of Krakoa and build a civilization, has been exploring the idea of mutant abilities in sync as a form of technology.
With mutants wielding their abilities together towards one goal, mutant-kind has created a new element (Mysterium, via teleporters mixing their powers to cross dimensions) and conquered death (via the Five: telepath Hope Summers, reality-warping Proteus, time-manipulating Tempus, biological manipulator Elixir, and Egg who, well, makes eggs. With their abilities combined, the Five can grow new bodies for fallen mutants and age them up/re-insert their memories to the point of their death).
"Planet-Size X-Men" #1 (written by Gerry Duggan, art by Pepe Larraz) takes these "Mutant Circuits" to its furthest extreme yet: a handful of mutants terraform Mars into a copy of Earth in a matter of hours (Magneto reforges the planet's core, Storm repairs the Martian surface's climate, Iceman adds oceans' worth of water, etc.).
It remains to be seen if "X-Men '97" will feature move combos of this magnitude.
4. Spider-Man on the scene
One shot in the trailer is a discarded edition of The Daily Bugle floating in the wind. This fictional New York City newspaper is, of course, the one that employs Peter Parker to take photos of Spider-Man. Anti-vigilante editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson is unaware that Parker and Spidey are one and the same.
The trailer highlights this easter egg with one of the front page's headlines: "Is Spider-Man A Mutant?" We know he isn't (he got bitten by a radioactive/genetically altered spider), but for denizens of the Marvel Universe, it would be a safe assumption. Like the X-Men, Spider-Man is also one of the heroes who is distrusted and marginalized, compared to the public-facing Avengers and Fantastic Four.
Now, the 1994 "Spider-Man" cartoon aired alongside "X-Men" — and they even crossed over, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe brought such intersections to live-action. Specifically, the "X-Men" cast (characters and actors) appeared in "Spider-Man" season 2 two-parter, "The Mutant Agenda" and "The Mutants' Revenge." Spider-Man hits it off with fellow geek Beast, butts heads with Wolverine, and shares some flirting with Rogue.
"X-Men '97" season 1 has only 10 episodes, so there's probably no room for a Spider-Man guest appearance (if Spidey voice actor Christopher Daniel Barnes was involved, it'd probably have gotten out by now too). But hey, the show's already gotten the season 2 sign-off.
3. A Hellfire Gala
The other headlines in the Daily Bugle mention a "Hellfire Gala" and a mutant fashion show. This is another nod to more recent "X-Men" comics.
The "Hellfire Gala" goes back to the Hellfire Club, the New York social club run by secret mutants like Sebastian Shaw (The Black King) and Emma Frost (The White Queen). The Hellfire Club was introduced during "The Dark Phoenix Saga" as villains and their appearances in the 1992 "X-Men" cartoon drew from that.
These days in the comics, though, Emma is a good guy (Shaw is not, but he at least got on board with the Krakoa project for a bit). She's also CEO of the Hellfire Corporation and turned the Club's annual "Hellfire Gala" into a diplomatic event, where human dignitaries could visit Krakoa. The event became a brief annual tradition for "X-Men" comics; the 2021 "Hellfire Gala" ran through a single issue of each "X-Men" title, followed by "Hellfire Gala" one-shots in 2022 and 2023. (Sadly, the 2023 one — written by Duggan with a huge team of artists — was crashed by anti-Mutant group Orchis, which left Krakoa in no condition to hold any more parties).
From the famous guests to the extravagant outfits, the Hellfire Gala is inspired by the real Met Gala, held annually by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. While each Hellfire Gala proved narratively pivotal, part of the fun was how it doubled as a mutant fashion show. All the guests wore custom formalwear, sharing color schemes and design motifs with their superhero costumes. The creativity on display is reflected by the use of many different artists.
The Hellfire Club returns in "X-Men '97," so I only hope we see some of those Hellfire Gala outfits as well.
2. The X-Men's workout clothes
Speaking of fashion, when the X-Men confront Magneto at the trailer's end, they're all underdressed; they're not wearing their uniforms, but skimpy workout clothes. Evidently, they were playing some friendly basketball (even superheroes shoot hoops) when they got the alert that Magneto was in the building.
Many of their outfits resemble those seen in "X-Men" #4 (written by John Byrne, drawn by Jim Lee), when the X-Men square off against each other on the basketball court. Jubilee has the same number 7 jersey and Rogue wears a grey torn sweatshirt over her uniform. To the gratitude of the X-women and the X-gays, Wolverine and Gambit are both shirtless (and the latter has a red bandana). Since the show has the whole team in on the game, it fills out the gym motif across their designs (for instance, the pregant Jean is in a black-and-white referee uniform).
Jim Lee's 1991 "X-Men" relaunch was the main aesthetic influence on the original "X-Men" animated series (even though story-wise it often pulled from earlier Claremont-written issues). The redesigns of Cyclops, Jean, Rogue, and Storm are the ones the cartoon used. Indeed, the show often looked like Lee's multi-issue cover for "X-Men" #1 but in motion.
1. To me, my X-Men!
The climactic hero shot of the trailer is a wide frame of a desert landscape, with Cyclops standing up-close and center-frame. He shouts "To me, my X-Men!" and as the music swells, the rest of the teams in dynamic style and fill out the shot's background in hero poses.
"To me, my X-Men" is the team's battle cry, like the mutants' version of "Avengers, Assemble!" Traditionally, it's been Professor X's catchphrase. After all, he's a telepath and can summon the team without saying a word. Indeed, the very first page of "X-Men" #1 (published in 1963, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) is the Professor summoning the team for a roll call where they show off their powers. The last panel of this debut issue is the Professor telepathically commanding, "Return to me, my X-Men," so I'd guess the catchphrase sprung from that.
Cyclops saying it in this trailer shows how he's stepped up as team leader in Xavier's absence. A similar moment occurs in Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's "Astonishing "X-Men" #23." All seems lost; the X-Men are missing while Scott has seemingly lost his powers and is being tortured by an alien villain. Then, he reveals it was all part of the plan and blasts his torturer with his eye beam, now completely under his control. The issue ends with a single panel page of Scott standing triumphant, bathed in the red glow of his power, and declaring, "To me, my X-Men."
It's my wish that "X-Men '97" gives Cyclops his due as well as this comic did.
"X-Men '97" premieres March 20, 2024, on Disney+.