X-Men ’97’s Villain Reveal Lets An Upcoming MCU Movie Have A Marvel First

A recent reveal centered around one of X-Men ’97‘s theorized villains allows another MCU project to have an intriguing Marvel first. After the cliffhanger ending of X-Men ’97 episode 5, theories have run rampant about the show’s villains. The attack on Genosha by giant Sentinels resulted in the deaths of several major X-Men ’97 characters, with many questions afterward being directed toward which Marvel villain was responsible. Some earlier candidates include characters from X-Men: The Animated Series and earlier in ’97, like Henry Gyrich and/or Bolivar Trask, the masterminds behind the Sentinel program.

However, as the wait for X-Men ’97 episode 6’s release time continues, these theories have only spiraled further into the pit of X-Men villains. Some have claimed that the long-standing X-Men villain Apocalypse was behind the attack, as supported by Cable’s appearance before Genosha was destroyed. That said, in light of these various theories, one of X-Men ’97‘s core creators has addressed the perpetrator behind the assault on Genosha, with their answer allowing an upcoming MCU movie to have a compelling Marvel first regarding its central villain character.

X-Men ’97 Episode 5 Spawned Theories Of Cassandra Nova’s Villain Role

The connection between Genosha and Cassandra Nova in the comics supports such theories.

Aside from Apocalypse, another leading candidate theorized to be behind Genosha’s assault was Cassandra Nova. In Marvel Comics, Cassandra Nova is the evil twin sister of Charles Xavier. Cassandra was created by a parasitic life force known as the Mummudrai, or anti-self. The Mummudrai are beings of the Astral Plane in Marvel Comics and can copy a host body with the same powers, abilities, and traits, only driven by the malicious, evil intent of the parasitic creatures.

This is how Cassandra Nova was created in the comics, though it was thought that Charles defeated her as an infant. However, Cassandra Nova survived and, with the help of a member of the Trask family, attacked Genosha with an army of Sentinels. This backstory is largely the reason why many think Cassandra Nova is behind X-Men ’97 episode 5’s events, though the show’s head director has confirmed that this will not be the case.

In an interview with Inverse, X-Men ’97‘s Jake Castorena stated: “I wouldn’t get my hopes up for Cassandra Nova being a huge villain in our show.” Despite the story of Nova in Marvel Comics linking heavily to X-Men ’97 episode 5, Castorena has debunked any theories of her involvement in the show. As it turns out, another villain is behind the deaths of characters like Magneto and Gambit, with this reveal having an impact on a Marvel movie releasing in 2024.

Deadpool & Wolverine Is Rumored To Feature Cassandra Nova

The theorized X-Men ’97 villain may yet play a part in Marvel’s 2024 stories.

Despite being debunked as X-Men ’97‘s villain, Cassandra Nova is rumored to play a role in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine story. Deadpool & Wolverine will be released in July 2024, with many rumors and theories being centered around its story as much as X-Men ’97 and other upcoming projects. The common denominator of several rumors surrounding Deadpool & Wolverine‘s MCU story is that Cassandra Nova will be the film’s primary villain.

These rumors were seemingly confirmed in February 2024 when the first trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine was released. One shot in the trailer shows a bald person from the back, sporting a high-pointed collar and overlooking what seems to be a ruined city. Many took this as confirmation that Cassandra Nova would appear in the film, something supported by the United States Copyright Log for the film. With Deadpool 3‘s trailer featuring Cassandra Nova, the rumors and theories quickly turned into confirmation and speculation about her role in the MCU film.

Deadpool & Wolverine Will Benefit From X-Men ’97’s Lack Of Cassandra Nova

The MCU movie will not have to contend with a prior appearance in a major Marvel Studios property.

The confirmation that Cassandra Nova will not appear in X-Men ’97 only serves as a benefit to Deadpool & Wolverine. For one, X-Men ’97 and Deadpool & Wolverine are adjacent MCU properties of 2024. By the time the show’s final episode airs on May 1, 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine will only be two months away with no other MCU properties in between. If Cassandra Nova had appeared in both projects, a series of problems would have been caused.

The first issue relates to X-Men ’97‘s quality. As evident by the first five episodes of the show thus far, X-Men ’97 is being written to an incredibly high standard. This undoubtedly would have applied to Cassandra Nova’s character too, had she been used as the show’s main villain. This would then mean that Deadpool & Wolverine would have had to compete with X-Men ’97‘s depiction of the villain, facing pressure to either eclipse or surpass the story that had been told in the latter. With X-Men ’97 avoiding Cassandra Nova, however, this pressure on Deadpool & Wolverine is alleviated.

Deadpool & Wolverine will now be able to tell its own story, with a fresh villain, without having to face unnecessary comparisons to another Marvel Studios project. Secondly, X-Men’97‘s lack of Cassandra Nova makes sense as it would have been simply derivative for two adjacent properties to have the same villain. Cassandra Nova appearing in both projects only months apart would have doubtlessly been repetitive unless either X-Men ’97 or Deadpool & Wolverine drastically changed the comics. That said, all of these issues have been avoided by Jake Castorena’s X-Men ’97 reveal, only benefiting the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.

Deadpool & Wolverine’s Villain Is A Neat Reversal Of Previous X-Men Villain Trends

Cassandra Nova gives Deadpool & Wolverine a first for Marvel.

Throughout the live-action X-Men franchise released by 20th Century Fox, several major villains from Marvel Comics were used. From the likes of Magneto and Apocalypse to Jean Grey/Phoenix and Cable, the live-action X-Men movies featured a plethora of villains that have long been antagonists of the titular mutant team. However, despite this reality, these X-Men villains were all utilized in live-action after being explored in X-Men: The Animated Series. With Deadpool & Wolverine, however, a villain not used in film or TV format is possible via Cassandra Nova’s introduction.

Nova’s involvement as Deadpool & Wolverine‘s villain means the film can use an antagonist never before seen on film or TV. Rather than having to use villains who have been seen before, Deadpool & Wolverine will reverse the trend. With X-Men ’97 now confirmed not to feature Cassandra, Deadpool & Wolverine will have an interesting, villain-centric first for Marvel when concerning the live-action X-Men franchise.