The Big Picture
- X-Men '97 maintains independence from the MCU, but hints at crossover potential with Marvel animated series like What If...?
- The appearance of a shadowy figure in X-Men '97 Episode 5 suggests one of the beings known as a Watcher could appear.
- The potential integration of Jeffrey Wright's Uatu in X-Men '97 could open doors for expanded crossovers with the MCU
Although it’s a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, which itself was set in the same continuity as other animated programs like Spider-Man: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 has so far been presented and described as one of Marvel Studios’ most independent projects, as it was not a aprt of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. But the latest episode features what appears to be a subtlecameo appearance by a character from another Marvel Animation series. While this doesn’t directly link X-Men ’97 to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, it is a reminder that all Marvel projects take place in the same multiverse and suggests that there could be more elaborate crossovers between the studio’s animated properties in the future.
X-Men '97
AnimationActionAdventureSuperheroA band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they're challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
- Release Date
- March 20, 2024
- Cast
- Jennifer Hale , Cal Dodd , Chris Potter , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Lenore Zann
- Seasons
- 2
- Number of Episodes
- 10
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
The Watcher May Be Hiding in 'X-Men '97'
Season 1, Episode 5 of X-Men ’97, titled “Remember It,” focuses on the mutant nation of Genosha, which is celebrating its recent admittance into the United Nations and the election of Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Matthew Waterson) as their new leader. But the celebrations are interrupted by a horrific attack by a Mega Sentinel, with many mutants, including Erik and fellow X-Man Remy LeBeau/Gambit (A.J. LoCascio) seemingly killed in the ensuing battle. Before the tragedy, what appears to be the silhouette of a giant man can briefly be seen in the Genoshan sky. This apparition recalls how the powerful cosmic being, the Watcher, sometimes appears in fellow Marvel TV series, What If…?.
Who Is Uatu the Watcher?
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Uatu the Watcher first appeared in Marvel Comics in The Fantastic Four #13 in 1963. He is a member of a race of immensely powerful aliens, themselves known simply as the Watchers, who observe important events throughout the universe. Uatu is the Watcher assigned to observe Earth, and witnessing the activities of the planet’s superheroes and other inhabitants eventually inspires him to break his oath to not interfere in universal events, with him often instead choosing to use his vast powers to help avert particularly dire catastrophes. The character also has the power to observe alternate realities in the multiverse and often serves as the narrator of Marvel’s What If? comics, which depict how famous Marvel storylines could have played out differently if certain circumstances were changed, as they are in these alternate realities.
The What If…? animated series serves a similar function for Marvel Studios, depicting alternate realities in which famous events from MCU films and series occur differently. Jeffrey Wright stars in the series as a Watcher based on Uatu. Initially just an omniscient, if emotional, narrator, like his comic counterpart, he eventually becomes moved by the events he witnesses and begins breaking his oath. He first does so at the end of the series’ first season, when a variant of Ultron (Ross Marquand) obtains the Infinity Stones, discovers the multiverse, and launches a destructive attack on it. The Watcher assembles a team of superheroes from different universes, dubbed the Guardians of the Multiverse, who eventually manage to defeat Ultron.
In Season 2, The Watcher returns to his policy of non-interference, which former Guardian of the Multiverse Captain Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) often criticizes him for when she notices him observing her on various missions. At the end of the season, Peggy and Kahhori (Devery Jacobs) must battle Peggy’s former teammate, Doctor Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch), who has become obsessed with restoring his destroyed universe, despite the danger his plan puts the rest of the multiverse in. Eventually, Strange relents and sacrifices himself to defeat the demons that had corrupted him, though his world is successfully reborn. The Watcher returns Kahhori to her world and offers to do the same for Peggy, but she suggests they take a scenic route to observe (and likely participate in) some interesting stories in the multiverse along the way. The pair come to an understanding after The Watcher explains that he had foreseen the events with Strange and knew that it was Peggy being involved, not the Watcher himself, that could redeem the sorcerer.
New 'X-Men '97' Poster States What Everyone Is Already Thinking
Magneto does make some good points.Connecting ‘What If…?’ to ‘X-Men ’97’ Would Be Complicated but Exciting
The Watchers all tend to have similar bald appearances and the silhouette in X-Men ’97 is translucent, so it’s unclear if this is even Wright’s version, especially since one or more other members of the species have briefly appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series and related shows before. And allowing an atrocity like the one in Genosha to occur without trying to interfere would seem out of character for Wright’s version. While X-Men ’97 is set sometime in the titular decade, so it could possibly be said to take place prior to What If…?, this wouldn’t be the most convincing explanation for the Watcher’s inaction, as he is able to view time differently than humans, even mentioning in his narration of What If…?’s title sequence that, “Time, space, reality, it’s more than a linear path.”
But there seems to be a good chance some of the events in Genosha may be undone or changed, and the Watcher could play a role in doing so, in which case it would be completely fitting for it to be Wright’s version. Before the attack, Cable (Chris Potter), a mutant warrior from the future, futilely attempts to evacuate the island, before his advanced computer system teleports him away against his wishes. With both him and a Watcher (regardless of which one it is) involved, it seems likely that there may be some solution involving time travel and/or the multiverse that could undo at least part of the calamity. Helping to bring about that change would be a great way to integrate Wright’s Watcher into the series, simultaneously delivering the fan service of a crossover (which could lead to further connections between X-Men ’97, What If…?, and maybe even other animated series), while respecting how the character has already been developed.
X-Men '97 and What If...? are available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
