X-Men 97 has finally started by dropping two episodes, and the fans are delighted to get their favorite animated series back. The original X-Men: The Animated Series was a massive hit among Marvel fans. It formed an essential part of many people’s childhoods and was also one of the primary reasons behind the popularity of the mutant team among non-comic book readers. However, an interesting take on the latest series may disappoint some fans.
Cyclops is one of the primary characters in the X-Men franchise. He has been one of the most fan-favorite characters in comics, movies, and the animated show. However, Cyclops was not handled well in Fox’s live-action X-Men universe. Countless fans looked forward to seeing Scott Summers return in X-Men 97 to lead the team. But it looks like the show may take a different route and can disappoint the fans once again.
Spoilers ahead for X-Men 97!
Can Cyclops’ possible story arc in X-Men 97 disappoint fans?
One of the primary attractions of X-Men 97 is its continuation of the OG X-Men: The Animated Series rather than being a reboot. The story kicked off one year after Charles Xavier left the Earth. Although the original show left the fate of Charles Xavier open-ended, the latest series seemingly confirmed Professor X’s unfortunate demise.
Further in the episode, it was also revealed that Jean Gray was pregnant with Cyclops’ child. Cyclops and Jean Gray are also shown, considering retirement from the team to keep their son safe from mutant hatred. Cyclops’ retirement is not a new concept for Marvel connoisseurs who have witnessed the hero retiring twice in the comics. The mutant retired once in the 1980s X-Men #138 after the death of Jean Gray and again in X-Men #200 to start a family with Madelyne Pryor.
Several Scott Summers fans were excited for ages to see him leading the team in the show again. However, the thought of retirement lurking in his mind may suggest that the character may go a different route in the show’s future. Moreover, Scott was also shown questioning his life’s purpose after losing Charles Xavier.
It cannot be denied that Cyclops’ character did not get justice in Fox’s X-Men films. It will be interesting to see if the Ray Chase voiced character gets a better storyline in X-Men 97.
How did the X-Men films ruin Cyclops’ character?
There were several things wrong with 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films. Although it started strong, things did not remain consistent for long. Slowly, the franchise moved forward to be a gigantic timeline mess before finally Disney acquired Fox and assured a coherent Mutant storyline set under the MCU umbrella.
One of the primary complaints about the live-action X-Men films was Cyclops’ death in X-Men: The Last Stand. James Marsden’s character’s death was one of the many infamous events that occurred in that film. Even from a story point of view, the death of the mutant in Jean Gray’s hands did not make much sense. Later, it was found that the studio wanted to get revenge on James Marsden as he was filming X3 and Superman Returns at the same time.
Cyclops’ death after 10 minutes of the movie’s start did not sit well among the moviegoers. Rather, it was even worse when the death was undone by Wolverine later in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Tye Sheridan also played a young version of the character when the studio slightly rebooted the franchise with X-Men: First Class. However, this time, the makers could not weave an impressive storyline with an even worse conclusion with Dark Phoenix.
Recently, there were several rumors about James Marsden’s return in the upcoming star-studded Deadpool & Wolverine. When Marsden was asked about the same during an interview with The Playlist, the actor did not say anything concrete. Many fans think that he might be pulling off an Andrew Garfield there as the upcoming film is expected to bring back several X-Men characters.
Deadpool & Wolverine will hit the theaters on July 26, 2024, while X-Men 97 can be streamed on Disney+ with a new episode releasing every Wednesday.
