The three-part finale of X-Men ’97 featured many surprise cameos including heroes outside of the X-Men. The show presented how other Marvel heroes around the world were responding to the impending apocalypse carried out by Bastion while the X-Men try to prevent it from happening.
Quick glimpses of Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man are seen in the three-part finale, with the latter appearing twice. The Peter Parker cameo in the last episode was a game changer as it resolved a long-standing cliffhanger from the 90s animated Spider-Man show about MJ’s fate. X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo wanted to provide a happy resolution with the scene.
Beau DeMayo Wanted to Provide Closure To an Infamous Spider-Man Cliffhanger with X-Men ’97
The final episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series showed Peter Parker/ Spider-Man hopping through the multiverse with the help of Madame Web to search for the real MJ after it was revealed that the MJ he married was a clone (via Polygon). The series infamously ended abruptly with a cliffhanger and fans never got to know the fate of MJ and whether they reunite happily or not.
Fans got a glimpse of Spider-Man in the first part of Tolerance is Extinction in X-Men ’97 as he witnesses Magneto’s electromagnetic pulse that he unleashes to stop Bastion. The character appears yet again in the finale of X-Men ’97 but as Peter Parker, and standing right next to him is none other than MJ and Flash Thompson.
The director of X-Men ’97 Jake Castorena told Comicbook.com that this was Beau DeMayo‘s way of giving a happy closure to the frustrating cliffhanger of Spider-Man: The Animated Series by reuniting the two lovebirds (claiming its 99.9% the real MJ). DeMayo chimed in and confirmed that he was behind the game-changing moment that had fans going gaga over the internet.
On X, DeMayo stated that he was disappointed like many fans about the cliffhanger of the animated Spider-Man series and the unknown fate of MJ. With this cameo which is more or less a fan service, he wanted to provide some resolution, and a happy one at that. DeMayo said,
Jake is correct. I was very bugged that we never found out what happened to MJ and I wanted to offer fellow Spidey fans a happy answer (even if an asteroid was hurtling toward the Earth at that moment) #xmen97.
Fans were ecstatic when they saw the scene and the fact that Peter got to reunite with the real MJ feels earned and wholesome. DeMayo knows what the audiences want and he delivered big time with the cameos without sacrificing the intensity and stakes of the story at hand.
Brad Winderbaum Claims X-Men ’97‘s Success Is Daunting Yet Exciting at The Same Time
X-Men ’97 was a huge hit for Marvel Animation and the show is set to continue with a second and third season already in development. The unprecedented success of the show has pressured the studio to deliver a second season that lives up to the greatness of the first. Marvel Animation head Brad Winderbaum stated how the studio is working hard for its second season.
The Marvel exec claimed that there is a lot of excitement as well as a lot of responsibility with future seasons of the show. The success of the first season has taught the studio a great lesson on how to move forward with the franchise. Winderbaum told Entertainment Weekly,
It feels like a lot of pressure on all of us at the studio as we’re cutting season 2, as we’re figuring out our plans in the future. It is exciting and has taught us a lot of great lessons for the franchise.
Winderbaum also told Comicbook.com that the second season is in the animatic phase and they will take their time to perfect the look of the show. The next animated Marvel show is Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and fans expect that it will also deliver the goods just like X-Men ’97.
Fans can watch the entire first season of X-Men ’97 on Disney+.
