This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97
Beau DeMayo included a lot of cameos in X-Men ’97, all of which were welcomed by fans with a lot of fanfare. Be it Captain America, who got the most screentime on the show among the non-X-Men related cast, or Peter Parker, and Mary Jane, which neatly wrapped up the cliffhanger from Spider-Man: The Animated Series, the show did a tremendous job of showing us how the world was populated bu heroes other than the X-Men, who were out on their missions, presenting a living and breathing superhero universe.
Cameos included heavy hitters like Iron Man and Captain America, and street-level fighters like Cloak and Dagger, Daredevil, and Spider-Man. The Silver Samurai and Omega Red also made appearances in the show.
However, there were some characters that certain fans believe were oddly absent from the show, given the scale of things that were unfolding as a part of Magneto’s assault on mankind. Taking to Twitter, the lack of these cameos was explained by Beau DeMayo, who explained why certain characters, despite being high-profile mutants, were absent from the show.
Beau DeMayo explained why Namor was nowhere to be seen in X-Men ’97
When asked on Twitter about the whereabouts of Marvel’s first mutant, Beau DeMayo mentioned why Namor was nowhere to be seen in X-Men ’97. Given that the character was one of Marvel’s most popular characters (along with Captain America and the first Human Torch) at one point, the question asked why the underwater monarch was nowhere to be seen, given how important a figure the character is for mutants and Marvel as a whole.
https://twitter.com/BeauDemayo/status/1791189640369799572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Given that there was a scarcity of the running time that the show had, it was important that every cameo counted. However, it was odd that Black Panther as a character got a cameo in the show, despite being slightly more removed from mutants than Namor, and not the Atlantean monarch himself.
It must be noted that Beau DeMayo’s work has been widely praised by fans and critics alike, which makes Namor’s omission more of a wishlist entry than actually making the narrative better. However, his motives being similar to that of Magneto would have made him a valuable ally and perhaps could be the reason for his appearance in the show in the future.
Namor has been an important part of Marvel’s history
Namor the Sub-Mariner is an important character for Marvel. Being an important character since his time with Captain America and the original Human Torch, the character has a connection with every major IP that Marvel has to offer. The character has served as a part of the Illuminati and has served on the Avengers, while also having a direct connection to the X-Men as a mutant.
The character also has a connection with the Fantastic Four. While the character has at several points served as an ally and an enemy to Marvel’s first family, Namor has also had a deep infatuation for Sue Storm, something that the character has looked to pursue time and time again.
Namor making an appearance in X-Men ’97 would probably have to be more than a mere cameo, given that Marvel’s first mutant has a lot of fingers in a lot of pies when it comes to the Marvel universe. While Marvel has made it clear that there probably will never be a Namor solo project, the character will definitely enjoy some screen in unison with other heroes and villains, as he did in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
All episodes of X-Men ’97 can be streamed on Disney+
