X-Men ’97 made its debut on Disney Plus, immediately winning over fans and critics alike. Two episodes in, and the show has already set up enormous stakes for its characters. From the introduction of Jean’s clone to Magneto’s trial at the United Nations, the show has come out swinging, and it seems like it’s not looking to pull any punches.
Out of all the shocking moments of the 2 episodes, Storm losing her powers was the highlight of the show, that led to her walking out of the X-Mansion, leaving the team behind. While there are a myriad of places the character could go, one wild theory suggests that the show might bring in another superhero that has a close connection to mutants and is directly involved in Storm’s story: Black Panther.
X-Men ’97 could adapt T’Challa and Ororo’s relationship
The theory suggests that Ororo might have a lot of traveling to do, given that she has lost her powers. With being a part of the X-Men no longer her day job, Ororo could find it important to return to her home, where she could encounter and be with T’Challa, her future husband.
The animated space in the Marvel universe is a little more malleable as compared to their films and television counterparts. This allows for seamless crossovers with each other, allowing primarily Avengers characters to appear in the X-Men show and vice-versa.
After all, if the show holds everything that happened in X-Men: The Animated Series canon, we know for a fact that Spider-Man exists in this universe as well. Similarly, it would not be a huge risk for the show to introduce a variant of T’Challa into the X-Men ’97 Universe, who could have his comics accurate relationship with Ororo.
Storm and Black Panther’s relationship could introduce another character in X-Men ’97
If the theory holds true, and Ororo does end up having a relationship with T’Challa, their marriage, and subsequent child could be introduced in X-Men ’97. Azari is the son of Black Panther and Storm, possessing all of his father’s abilities as a super solder, while also having a certain degree of control over electricity, an offshoot of the power that his mother has as her mutant abilities.
The character has made an appearance in the comics, but is best known by his iteration in Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow, a direct-to-video animated film, that followed the children of the Avengers in the wake of their defeat at the hands of Ultron.
If Azari does make an appearance in X-Men ’97, it would mark the character’s second appearance in a medium outside of comics. However, given that the X-Men ’97 has already established itself as a fanservice juggernaut that balances appeal and story well, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that a toddler Azari could make his appearance in the show down the line. Avengers: Secret Wars could feature a version of the character, given how he and his team defeated Immortus in thier timeline.
