Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for X-Men ‘97 Season 1 Episode 8.
X-Men ‘97kicked its three-part season finale “Tolerance is Extinction” off with a bang, as the X-Men found themselves cornered on all sides by Bastion (Theo James) and the overwhelming force of Operation: Zero Tolerance. Zero Tolerance’s forces consist of Prime Sentinels, human beings infused with Sentinel tech that makes them unstoppable killing machines. While the bulk of the action was dedicated to the X-Men’s fight against the Prime Sentinels, “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 1” still managed to pack inplenty of cameos featuring characters from the X-Men mythos as well as other Marvel heroes and villains. Some of these cameos passed by in the blink of an eye, while others were characters that previously appeared inX-Men: The Animated Series. Here’s a look at each of the characters that show up in “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 1.”
A 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.
The Amazing Spider-Man Swings By ‘X-Men ‘97’
Perhaps the biggest cameo in “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 1"belongs to none other than Spider-Man himself.The web-slinger is shown hurtling through New York City when Magneto (Matthew Waterson) triggers an electromagnetic pulse that disables the Prime Sentinels and throws the world into a new dark age. Spidey’s presence had previously been teased before in “To Me, My X-Men” whenaDaily Buglearticlefeatured photos courtesy of his alter ego, Peter Parker. The X-Men also cameoed inSpider-Man: The Animated Series,specifically the Season 2 episodes “The Mutant Agenda” and “Mutants’ Revenge.” Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) appeared duringSpider-Man’s take on the classicSecret Warsstoryline. Perhaps Spidey’s appearance is hinting that he’ll return the favor in future episodes, or that Disney might be considering a similar revival forSpider-Man: The Animated Series.
Two X-Men Villains Reappear — And They’ve Both Fought Wolverine
Spider-Man isn’t the only person who witnesses Magneto’s EMP. In Japan, the mutant known as the Silver Samurai observes with a grimace. In Russia, a lab starts to fail… reawakening the mutant super soldier known as Omega Red.Both the Silver Samurai and Omega Red previously appeared inX-Men: The Animated Series, and both of them clashed with Wolverine (Cal Dodd).
Omega Red was a product of an attempt to replicate the process that grafted the indestructible metal adamantium onto Wolverine’s bones. He tries to take over the leadership of Russia in the episode “Red Dawn,” but is stopped by Wolverine, Jubilee, and the steel-skinned Colossus. The Silver Samurai encountered Wolverine in the episode “The Lotus and the Steel,” where Wolverine manages to defeat his teleporting nemesis. Both of them reappearing could hint at trouble for Wolverine… anda potential return of Colossus toX-Men ‘97.
Rachel Summers Appears in ‘X-Men ‘97’
Most of “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 1” is dedicated to the dynamic between Cyclops (Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), and Cable (Chris Potter). It’s a dynamic that’s made awkward by the fact that Cable is several decades older than his father due to the nature of time travel and that he’s also the son ofJean’s clone, Madelyne Pryor. However, Cable isn’t the only Summers child to make an appearance in the episode — while debriefing the X-Men on the future Bastion comes from, a redheaded mutant is shown lifting objects as fire wraps around her.This is Rachel Summers, Cyclops and Jean’s daughter.
Rachel was born in the dystopian future known as theDays of Future Past, where the Sentinels have all but wiped mutants out. She was originally brainwashed into becoming a mutant hunter known as a “Hound,” but eventually broke free. Rachel would travel to the present and ultimately master the Phoenix Force,making her one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. If Rachel shows up in the present inX-Men ‘97, it’ll continue the branching out of the weird, wildSummers-Grey family tree.
Two Marvel Supervillains — And a Future X-Men Foe — Appear in ‘X-Men ‘97’
X-Men ‘97has slowly been introducing other characters from the Marvel Universe in its back half, including Spider-Man andCaptain America (Josh Keaton), and that continues with “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 1.“Doctor Doom and Baron Helmut Zemo are members of Zero Tolerance, with both of them expressing their doubts about Bastion’s plan. Doom’s presence, while surprising, is not entirely unexpected:Zero Tolerance was founded by the UN, and as the ruler of the nation of Latveria, he is part of that governing body. Zemo’s presence is interesting, especially considering the comics “Tolerance is Extinction” is drawing from. In the comics, Zero Tolerance was formed as a response to Onslaught, the creature who supposedly killed the Avengers and Fantastic Four. In their absence, Zemo disguises himself and his Masters of Evil as theThunderbolts— who are having a resurgence ahead of their upcoming live-action movie.
The X-Men also have another enemy waiting in the wings. Early in the episode, Bastion leaks footage to the world that Charles Xavier (Ross Marquand) is not dead but was whisked away to the Shi’ar Empire for treatment. This sparks a flurry of reactions,including one from William Stryker. Stryker himself was one of the deadliest foes the X-Men ever faced, as he used his evangelical crusade to proclaim mutantkind as agents of the devil — and his Purifiers would take that to a lethal extent. While Stryker previously appeared in the live-action movies (most notablyX2: X-Men United),his appearance inX-Men ‘97hints that mutantkind will have plenty of hurdles to overcome. Stryker himself even became linked to Bastion when the Prime Sentinel resurrected him and other anti-mutant figures, making them into cyborgs.
X-Men ‘97is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S. with new episodes on Wednesdays.
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