An X-Men ’97 theory has hinted at an obscure but pivotal villain for the reboot Marvel series. X-Men ’97 will continue the iconic 1990s X-Men: The Animated Series, released on Disney+ separate from the MCU. The X-Men ’97 trailer teases a classic X-Men villain for the series who never appeared in the original show..
The X-Men ’97 trailer has revealed a few potential plot points for the animated series. The trailer proffers a thrilling update on the classic X-Men: TAS filled with nostalgic potential. Setting up the X-Men team’s life after Professor Xavier’s departure in X-Men: TAS, X-Men ’97 depicts both Morph and Bishop as full-time X-Men members. It has also included a pregnant Jean Grey, which has major connotations regarding the series’ potential villain.
10 Classic Stories X-Men ’97 Could Adapt Better Than Live-Action MCU Movies
X-Men ’97 has a wealth of stories from X-Men comics to adapt and continue X-Men: The Animated Series’ impressively faithful adaption history.
X-Men 97’s Jean Grey May Actually Be A Clone
X-Men: The Animated Series was known for its faithful adaptation of X-Men comics, which is why it’s surprising to see Jean Grey pregnant. Earth-616 Jean Grey has never been pregnant despite having several children from alternative future timelines. While the series may be modifying comic book elements, it seems far more likely that this isn’t Jean Grey – but rather her clone, Madelyne Pryor. Madelyne Pryor was an X-Men character introduced after “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” who eventually became the supervillain Goblin Queen. Madelyne’s pregnancy (with Cyclops) was depicted prominently in Marvel Comics and had great consequences in X-Men lore.
Despite X-Men: The Animated Series producing the greatest Dark Phoenix adaptation, the series never touched on Madelyne Pryor. This is presumably due to the complex nature of Madelyne’s backstory and the decidedly more mature themes, rendering the plot too inappropriate for Saturday morning cartoons. With X-Men ’97, Madelyne Pryor could be explored more fully, tying back to elements introduced in X-Men: The Animated Series, and exploring more mature themes. Madelyne Pryor’s Goblin Queen has appeared in several X-Men ’97 toy lines, suggesting that the villain will appear in some form.
Madelyne’s Comic Book Backstory Explained
Created by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith in 1983, Madelyn “Maddie” Pryor first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #168. Multiple retcons have complicated her backstory, but originally, Madelyne Pryor was introduced as a love interest for Scott Summers, who bore a striking resemblance to Jean Grey. Jean Grey was presumed dead following the fallout of “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” leading Cyclops to believe Madelyne could be Jean reincarnated. Falling in love, Scott retires from the X-Men team and marries Madelyn. Madelyne quickly becomes pregnant, and the family moves to remote Alaska.
In 1986, Marvel decided to reunite the original X-Men team for the series X-Factor. Consequently, Jean Grey was resurrected from the dead, prompting Cyclops to abruptly abandon Madelyne and their son. Madelyne is subsequently attacked by Mister Sinister’s Marauders, who kidnap Madelyne and Cyclops’s baby. Madelyne strikes up a bargain with the demon N’astirh to rescue her son, and it is revealed that Madelyne was created by Sinister as a clone of Jean Grey as part of his genetic experiments. Rocked by these revelations, losing her son, and Cyclops abandoning her, Madelyne begins her descent into villainy.
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Corrupted by demonic influence, Madelyne begins her transition into the Goblin Queen. When N’astirh returns Madelyne’s son, she agrees to join the demonic invasion of Earth during the “Inferno” storyline. Confronting X-Factor, Madelyne dies in battle. However, Madelyne reappears years later in 1995 and eventually becomes the Hellfire Club’s “Black Rook.” The Goblin Queen disappeared again but returned in 2014 and has remained a sporadic villain in X-Men comics since – most of which are connected to her and Cyclops’ son.
Who Is Madelyne Pryor And Scott Summers’ Baby In Marvel Comics?
Madelyne Pryor and Scott Summers’ baby is Nathan Summers, better known as Cable. Cable was briefly raised by Cyclops and Jean Grey after Madelyne’s apparent death in “Inferno,” but he became infected with a deadly techno-organic virus and was sent thousands of years into the future to be saved. There, Nathan grew into the warrior Cable and became an adversary of the villain Apocalypse. Cable returned to the present-day era years before his birth, fighting alongside the X-Men and various mutant teams, most notably the New Mutants and X-Force.
Why Cable Is Not Returning For Deadpool 3
Deadpool 2 indicated that Cable would stay with the X-Force team for a sequel. However, he is noticeably absent from the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer.
Cable has already appeared in some of the best episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series, often in stories concerning Apocalypse and dystopian future timelines. Though his origins were hinted at, the series never fully explored his origins. If Madelyne Pryor is the primary villain in X-Men ’97, Cable’s backstory could finally be depicted, exploring one of the strongest ancillary characters from X-Men: TAS.
X-Men ’97
X-Men ’97 is the direct continuation of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking up where the third season left off, Marvel’s revival brings back famous mutants such as Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains like Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.
- Cast
- Jennifer Hale , Chris Potter , Alison Sealy-Smith , Lenore Zann , Cal Dodd , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Chris Britton , George Buza
- Release Date
- March 20, 2024
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
- Franchise(s)
- X-Men
- Where To Watch
- Disney Plus
