Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 8.
X-Men ’97 has proved to be a such a success that Marvel fans everywhere are hoping this kickstarts a new trend for old animated series getting Disney Plus revivals. And, wouldn’t you know it, the eighth episode of the aforementioned X-Men show may just have sowed the seeds for exactly that happening.
While X-Men ’97 doesn’t take place within the MCU’s mainstream continuity, it does exist in a fully-fledged Marvel universe of its own. ’90s kids may remember that X-Men: The Animated Series shared a continuity with various other cartoons airing at the time, including The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, and most notably of all, Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
Given that S:TAS ended on an even bigger cliffhanger than X-Men back in the day, that’s definitely the one that deserves a follow-up next. And Marvel just got our hopes up that it could happen.
Which Spider-Man variant just appeared in X-Men ’97?
In X-Men ’97 episode 8, “Tolerance is Extinction, Part 1,” Bastion unleashes his army of Prime Sentinels who set about hunting down mutants across the world. Once freed, Magneto uses his Omega-level powers to destroy the Sentinels with an electromagnetic pulse sent around the globe. To give us a feel for how enormous this pulse is, we see various familiar Marvel characters witnessing it. Chief among them? The one and only Spider-Man!
Spider-Man’s cameo in the episode is silent, as we simply see the webslinger swinging through New York before he comes to a stop on a rooftop, his white lenses widening as he takes in Magneto’s EMP wave. Showrunner Beau DeMayo has confirmed, though, that this is indeed the Peter Parker variant voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes from Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
Seeing his Spider-Man again is quietly a huge development. The last time he appeared was in that show’s finale, in which he dove into a portal in search of Mary Jane, who had been kidnapped and taken somewhere else in the multiverse. Clearly, though, Peter made it back to his own Earth, hopefully with MJ in tow. Now we just need that story to be told…
Could a Spider-Man: The Animated Series revival actually happen?
With his X-Men ’97 cameo raising hype for the potential all over again, it’s certainly fun to imagine that Marvel and Disney Plus are secretly working on a Spider-Man revival behind the scenes. Just imagine a 2020s version of that epic Aerosmith theme tune (see above)?
That said, there is sadly a major road block to such a project happening: Marvel already has another Spider-Man animated series on the way. Formerly titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will explore how the MCU’s Peter became the wallcrawler, prior to the events of Civil War. The only problem is we already know it’s not entirely canon to the Sacred Timeline and takes place in another universe.
Because of that, honestly, fans would probably pick a Spider-Man revival over Friendly Neighborhood if they had the choice. As it is, from a branding perspective and concerns about diluting the IP with too much similar content, two different Spidey cartoons coming to Disney Plus at the same time seems unlikely. What does seem likely, however, is for Spider-Man to return to X-Men ’97 now that he’s swung onto screens the once.
