From classic storylines, classic characters, and nods to iconic cover art, here’s our rundown of the best Marvel Comics Easter eggs in X-Men ’97.
Half the fun of X-Men ‘97 is all the nods. The series has so far been filled with many nods to the original series and the comics it is based on.
Many of these are pretty obvious, especially if you read a few X-Men comics in the ‘90s. But some of these nods are incredibly obscure, with references to forgotten X-Men and classic stories.
If you’re looking to get up to date, here’s a running list of all the Easter eggs we’ve found so far in X-Men ‘97.
Every X-Men ‘97 Easter egg
Contents
Here’s every Easter egg to the comics, movies, and original animated series featured in X-Men ‘97, including references to classic comics, every character Morph transforms into and nods to iconic cover art.
Episode 1: To Me, My X-Men
- The credits are a riff on the original but with some updates. The order is shifted, and character designs are updated. Morph and Bishop are also added to the line-up, along with a new interstitial of Morph running from Mr. Sinister.
- The wanted poster seen at the beginning features Marrow, an X-Men character who was coming into prominence just as the original animated series was ending its run. She’s a Morlock whose mutant power involves bones that grow uncontrollably and can be used as weapons.
- Storm‘s mohawk has become as iconic as her, debuting as a look in the ‘80s. Today, it typically shows back up to highlight when she’s less in a goddess mentality and more rebellious.
- Cyclops yet again feigns defeat in the most ‘90s way possible, shouting, “I surrender…NOT!” at his captors in a nod to the original X-Men: The Animated Series pilot.
- The newspaper has a headline asking if Spider-Man is a mutant. Spidey’s a friend to the X-Men in the comics, but his powers came from the spider bite, not the X-Gene, so he’s officially a mutate, not a mutant.
The existence of the Hellfire Gala is teased in a newspaper clipping.
- Morph shapeshifts into a walking Xavier, which no one really bats an eye at. In the comics, Xavier often regains the ability to walk, though he does find himself back in the wheelchair in most cases.
- Rogue’s more casual attire is a nod to her ‘80s uniform.
- The paper also references the Hellfire Gala, an annual ball where the X-Men elect their new Krakoa representatives. It also advertises a mutant fashion show, which appears to feature Banshee, Dust, and Maggott, among others.
- Jubilee asks Sunspot if he can “shoot gold balls from your body.” This is a nod to Gold Balls, a member of Cyclops’ Uncanny X-Men following Avengers vs. X-Men. In the modern era, he’s taken on the name Egg, as his gold balls are used to create the eggs for mutant rebirth.
- There’s a portrait of the original five X-Men in their training uniforms hanging up in Xavier’s office. The timeline is a little different for X-Men ‘97, with Cyclops and Jean being the first two X-Men, followed by Beast, Iceman, and Angel. In the comics, Jean was the last addition to the team.
A portrait in Xavier’s office shows the original X-Men in their first uniforms.
- In the bar, Morph shapeshifts into his original form. For X-Men ‘97, Morph’s appearance was redesigned to match his comic version.
- Morph shapeshifts into Archangel. Angel was an original member of the X-Men, but Apocalypse corrupted him into his Horsemen of Death, which gave him blue skin and razor-sharp wings.
- “To me, my X-Men!” is presented as a de facto X-Men call to action, but it’s a fairly recent attempt to give the team a catchphrase. While it’s existed in some form since the original X-Men #1, the specific phrasing didn’t come into prominence until the ‘90s.
- Morph shapeshifts into the Blob, a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who is resistant to physical forces and cannot be moved.
- Cyclops attempts to retire from the X-Men to raise his son with Jean Grey. In the comics, Cyclops has left the X-Men on a few occasions but did specifically leave at one point to raise his son, Nathan, with then-wife Madelyne Pryor. He returned to the fold as a member of X-Factor when Jean was found alive.
- The concept of the Last Will & Testament of Charles Xavier causing havoc for the X-Men stems from a story of the same name. In that story, the school is left to Scott, who, at this point, was an outcast after being responsible for Xavier’s death in Avengers vs. X-Men.
Episode 2: Mutant Liberation Begins
- Setting a standard for the series, the title sequence is updated to reflect the roster. Professor Xavier’s card is removed, and Magneto is positioned as the leader. New scenes of Magneto on Asteroid M and Storm fighting Callisto are added.
- We see the Morlocks, specifically Callisto and Leech. They’re recurring characters from both the comics and X-Men: The Animated Series, a race of mutants who live in the sewers. Storm is occasionally considered their leader because she beat Callisto in a duel, but Callisto leads them in her absence.
- We see Magneto’s new costume, a sleeveless purple number with a giant M emblazoned on it. He wears a similar get-up in the ‘80s when he reforms and becomes the X-Men’s leader.
- Magneto has reformed Genosha into a mutant safe haven. In the comics, it is often a mutant refuge, at one point being given to Magneto by the UN to form a nation of mutants. In the modern era, Genosha is all but a desolate ruin, having been destroyed by Sentinels by order of Cassandra Nova.
- While Jean and Storm are packing, Jean is seen holding her classic Marvel Girl costume. She’s returned to this look on more than a few occasions, such as when she fought for her life against the Shi’ar in The Dark Phoenix Saga and the early Krakoan Age stories.
Jean is shown packing her classic Marvel Girl costume.
- Magneto reveals his helmet is designed to block Charles’ telepathy. This is a retcon in line with the comics, which introduced a similar function after the success of the first X-Men film. Originally, Magneto’s helmet did allow him some control over human minds, but it didn’t block telepathy until the movies did it.
- Rogue and Magneto’s relationship is hinted at here. The two have a controversial pairing that only lasts a few months but does result in Magneto proposing marriage. Rogue eventually marries Gambit in the Krakoan Age.
- The bulk of this episode is based on Uncanny X-Men #200‘s The Trial of Magneto. The comic also sees Magneto on trial for his crimes against humanity, where he single-handedly saves both the Judge and Xavier from an attack during the trial. Much like in The Animated Series, Xavier is taken away by Lilandra for medical treatment, with Magneto taking charge of the X-Men.
Storm losing her powers was the basis of an important years-long arc for the character.
- Storm losing her powers to a gun designed to neutralize mutants comes from Uncanny X-Men #185. In the comic, Henry Peter Gyrich tries to neutralize a rampaging Rogue’s powers, but Storm is accidentally shot instead.
- X-Cutioner is used here as a figurehead for the Friends of Humanity. In the comics, he works independently of any team, though his goal of mutant eradication is the same.
- Scott and Jean name their son Nathan Charles Summers after the late Xavier. In the comics, he’s Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, having also been named after Cyclops’ father, Christopher Summers/Corsair.
- Morph shapeshifts into Sabretooth in an attempt to cheer up Wolverine.
Episode 3: Fire Made Flesh
- Following the trend of changing the intro, the de-powered Storm is no longer present. Additional scenes of Magneto fighting the X-Men and Jean as the Dark Phoenix have been added.
- There’s also a shot of Sunspot running into a fence while being chased by Sentinels. A similar scene happens in the original series’ intro, but with Jubilee.
- In the comics, Scott was not tricked into having a child with a clone of Jean. Instead, he married Madelyne Pryor, a woman who looked remarkably like Jean and started a family with her. He left Madelyne after Jean was resurrected.
- There are a lot of flashbacks to The Animated Series seen here in Jean’s memories, including Jean and Scott being saved from the Morlocks and Jean becoming The Dark Phoenix.
- Morph shapeshifts into Spyral, a six-armed mutant who lives in Mojoverse.
Cyclops and Jean Grey’s wedding photo is a recreation of a classic comic book cover.
- Scott and Jean’s wedding photo is a direct reference to the cover of X-Men #30, the issue in which they were finally married.
- The clone of Jean references her actions as “an inferno” and takes on the name Goblin Queen. This is a nod to the 1989 storyline Inferno, where Madelyne bargains with demons from Limbo to find Nathan. In the process, she learns that she is a clone of Jean, then allies with Limbo and becomes the Goblin Queen.
- In the visions, Bishop sees his sister, Shard. Shard is a mutant in the future who can turn light into concussive force blasts.
- When Gambit spies Magneto and Rogue, it resembles the cover of Uncanny X-Men #274. The story saw Magneto and Rogue stranded in the Savage Land and nearly forming a romantic relationship, but Rogue left after witnessing Magneto kill again.
- When talking about Sinister, Morph shifts into a more dour face with bags under its eyes. This is the look Morph had after Sinister revived him and brainwashed him.
Morph briefly reverts to his evil face from Season 2
- Sinister’s hint at Nathan’s destiny may be an allusion to his fate as one of The Twelve. Nathan is destined to fight Apocalypse in one possible future.
- Morph shifts into Illyana Rasputin/Magik, the sister of Colossus, as well as her Darkchylde form. Illyana is a half-demon and bearer of the Soulsword who factored heavily in the original Inferno. Today, she’s often considered the ruler of Limbo and serves as Cyclops’ war general on the X-Men.
- Jean’s retcon origin is referenced. Originally Jean only had low-level telekinesis, but a retcon established her as a powerful telepath, with Xavier making mental safeguards so her power wouldn’t overwhelm her.
- Nathan is ravaged by a techno-organic virus and sent into the future for help. In the comics, Nathan is raised in the future and trained to use his telekinesis to keep the virus in check. He becomes Cable, a soldier from the future who is sent back in time to help fight Apocalypse, eventually forming the mutant paramilitary team X-Force.
- Scott stresses he won’t abandon his son like his father did him. He’s referring to the space pirate Corsair. In Cyclops’ origin, he’s thrown by his parents from a crashing plane to save him. In fact, Scott’s parents are abducted, with his mother being killed shortly after and his father becoming a spacefaring pirate.
The image of Scott cradling Dark Phoenix is one of the most referenced covers in comics.
- The image of Scott holding a dead Phoenix from Uncanny X-Men #136 is featured in Jean’s visions. It’s become an incredibly iconic comic book image and is considered one of the most referenced covers in comics.
- Jean’s clone takes on the name Madelyne Pryor, the name she believed was her real name in the comics. Madelyne being a clone of Jean in the comics is actually a massive retcon. The original plan was for Jean to stay dead, with Cyclops marrying Madelyne and retiring from superheroics. The decision to create X-Factor, a new title that started the original X-Men, changed this. Madelyne was later retconned into being a clone of Jean designed to manipulate him.
- Storm is wearing her black leather outfit at the episode’s end. Storm first rocks the look, along with her mohawk, in Uncanny X-Men #173, changing up her appearance after spending a night on the run with the thief Yukio in Japan. These days, it’s more commonly associated with her time in Dracula’s thrall thanks to the character Bloodstorm.
- Storm meets Forge, who promises to help her get her powers back. Forge has the mutant ability to build anything. In the comics, he designed the gun that took away Storm’s powers but regretted its use.
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