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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 season 2, episodes 1-3X-Men ’97 is back with an all-new season, featuring Marvel’s iconic team of mutants displaced throughout time. Premiering on Disney+ with its first three episodes, X-Men ’97 season 2 already has a wide collection of awesome Easter eggs, Marvel references, and more fun connections and cameos.
In the aftermath of X-Men 97’s season 1 finale, the X-Men were divided, with some being sent to the ancient past and others to the distant future. Finding themselves at significant moments of Apocalypse’s life, the X-Men’s new mission features some truly great callbacks to the original comics, most notably the “Age of Apocalypse” run of the mid-nineties, while also offering some exciting new mysteries as well.
Like the first season, X-Men ’97 season continues to reward longtime viewers who watched the original X-Men animated series as well as readers of the original comics (while still remaining accessible to newcomers). Keeping that in mind, here are more than 30 Easter eggs, Marvel references, comic ties, and cameos you may have missed in X-Men ’97 season 2’s opening three episodes.
Days of Past Future
The very first episode of X-Men ’97 season 2 is titled “Days of Past Future”, a fitting inversion of Days of Future Past, the X-Men’s most famous storyline involving time travel.
Cyber Hounds
Traveling to the future in the year 3960 AD (the height of Apocalypse’s power) Forge is attacked by Cyber Hounds, robotic enforcers clearly inspired by similar robotic warriors in the comics.
Logan’s Bone Claws
Wolverine arrives to back up Forge, wielding bone claws instead of adamantium, the result of Magneto brutally ripping out the metal from Logan’s body at the end of X-Men ’97 season 2, “Fatal Attractions” style.
Logan’s Blue Mask
In the dystopian future ruled by Apocalypse, Wolverine is shown wearing a new blue mask over his head, seemingly an homage to Colossus’ similar red mask, which he wore in the original “Age of Apocalypse” comics storyline.
“Oh My Stars And Garters!”
Forge quotes Beast’s classic exclamation from the X-Men animated series and original comics.
The Final Horsemen
The X-Men in the future face the Final Horsemen, Apocalypse’s contingency mutant servants in the comics. The Final Horsemen include: Pestilence (Ichisumi), a Japanese mutant from the Edo period who can control insects, War (Decimus Furius), a mutant from Ancient Rome who was worshiped as a Minotaur, Famine (Jeb Lee), an American Confederate soldier whose mutant power is the ability to transmit cancer through sound, hence his drum playing, and Death (Sanjar Javeed), a mutant from ancient Persia with the power to induce terminal diseases.
Ozymandias
Ozymandias is also featured, Apocalypse’s first servant and advisor, who’s been with En Sabah Nur since the dawn of his conquest.
Mother Askani (Rachel Summers)
Mother Askani is secretly Rachel Summers, daughter of Scott and Jean from an alternate reality, sister to Nathan Summers, and a host of the Phoenix Force (hence the brief shot of the Phoenix in her eyes). Likewise, her upside-down flaming meditation is a callback to Jean, something Rachel’s mother did during the comics back in the 90s.
“Thanks For Today, Please For Tomorrow”
The quote from Mother Askani comes directly from the comics as one of Clan Askani’s most frequently heard prayers.
Storm Commanding Solar Winds
Ororo Munroe taking command of a cosmic solar storm is an epic reminder of just how powerful Storm is in the comics as an Omega-level mutant. Her powers have never been locked to weather alone, as her true power is complete and total energy manipulation. It just tends to manifest most often by controlling the weather.