Marvel fans are buzzing over this week’s episode of X-Men ‘97 on Disney+ for a lot of different reasons. The new installment packs a huge emotional punch and features a lot of very exciting story beats that lay out the future of the show. However, it also included a very exciting character cameo that could mean some very big things for the future of Marvel Animation as a whole, and perhaps even beyond.
X-Men ‘97 spoilers ahead!
There’s a lot to be excited about from today’s episode. The incredibly emotional moments for both Magneto and Gambit, the appearance of Cable and what that means for the story and even the brief appearances for a number of other mutants are all very exciting. But it was another character who appeared in a very brief moment that will have fans wondering what his presence means for the series.
After the emotional discussion between Rogue and Gambit about the future of their relationship, we get a look at the night sky before the start of the gala. There, in the stars, fans get a brief glimpse of a familiar silhouette…
Yes, that would be the outline of Uatu the Watcher! The cosmic entity has been the subject of two seasons of Marvel’s What If…? on Disney+. And long before that, the character has appeared in countless Marvel Comics stories. Tasked with watching events across the multiverse, but cursed to never interfere, you know when the Watcher shows up, something big is about to happen.
The Watcher appears during Marvel's "Civil War #1"
And clearly that was the case in this episode, as Genosha was eventually wiped out by a massive new Sentinel. Cable, the mutant time-traveler, even arrived to try and stop it. He made it clear that this was not the first time he made an attempt to do so, which means this moment is likely going to play a role in the stor going forward.
But what does the arrival of the Watcher mean for the X-Men in the larger Marvel multiverse? The Watcher making the jump from another animated series, one not set in the ‘90s, marks the first time we’ve seen that happen for the Mutant-focused series. And, perhaps more importantly, the tangential connections between What If…? and the MCU as a whole, mean there is now a link from X-Men ‘97 to the cinematic universe. Could we be seeing this version of the X-Men in the MCU? What if the Wolverine we see in Deadpool & Wolverine in that ionic blue and yellow costume is, in fact, the one we know from this series? We’re just going to have to wait and… watch.
X-Men ‘97 is now streaming on Disney+.