X-Men ’97 Episode 5 Has a Hidden Marvel Cameo You Missed
Blink and you'll miss a surprise cameo at the start of the latest X-Men '97 episode.
This X-Men ’97 article contains spoilers.
The fifth episode of X-Men ’97 presents a major change in the status quo for mutankind, climaxing with an attack on the nation of Genosha and the deaths of several major characters. But the most consequential event may be what happens just before the attack begins.
The first half of “Remember It” plays like a reprieve for the X-Men, as they visit a radically different Genosha from the one they previously saw on X-Men: The Animated Series. Once an apartheid nation built on mutant oppression, Genosha has become a haven for mutants, allowing them to celebrate their culture. The climax of the celebration occurs in the Hellfire Gala, a ball designed to inaugurate Magneto and Rogue as the new leaders.
The party ends on a horrible note when the Master Mold arrives to wreak havoc. But just before his arrival, obscured by the fireworks in the sky, viewers can see the face of Uatu, the inter-dimensional being better known as the Watcher.
The Watcher has a long history in Marvel Comics, making his first appearance in 1963’s Fantastic Four #13 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Uatu and his fellow Watchers have vowed to observe major events in history but to never interfere. Of course, that claim is hard to believe in his first appearance, when he reveals himself to prevent Red Mist and his Super-Apes from invading, and the Watcher also plays a key role in The Galactus Saga, Infinity Gauntlet, and other defining Marvel events.
“Remember It” and its devastating conclusion could certainly be described as a defining Marvel event, but an even bigger event just took place in the real world, thanks to this cameo. Ever since Disney purchased Fox years ago, fans have long awaited the integration of the X-Men into the MCU. Occasional nods have been made, including alternate universe versions of Professor X and Beast in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels. And we know that Deadpool will drag Wolverine toward the mainline MCU with this summer’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
The starting of “Remember It” continues this trend, as the Watcher is an MCU character. The MCU Watcher debuted in the anthology series What If…, in which Uatu (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) serves as narrator, introducing viewers to the various alternate realities in each story.
The Watcher’s arrival in X-Men ’97 not only inches the mutant heroes closer to the MCU but could also be hinting at their arrival in What If? season 3. It would make sense since the MCU has only dealt with alternate universe versions of the mutants thus far, so why not in a What If? scenario? Perhaps a version of the events of “Remember It” that play out differently for the mutants who met their end on X-Men ’97?
Whatever the purpose of The Watcher cameo may be, it’s a reminder that Marvel is finally entering its full form outside of comics, a shared universe in which characters from different sectors regularly interact. And that’s an event worth observing.
X-Men ’97 is streaming now on Disney+.
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Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!