X-Men '97: Which Marvel hero made a surprise cameo in episode 8? Details explored

X-Men '97 episode 8 was another major one that set the show's upcoming season finale in motion. Focusing on the titular team as they battle Bastion's Prime Sentinels, this week's outing was filled with all the drama, action, and excitement fans have come to expect from the Marvel series. It also packed in a couple of surprises that fans might not have seen coming.

One of the biggest surprises in X-Men '97 episode 8 was the cameo by Spider-Man. The iconic Wallcrawler showed up during the conclusion of the episode for a few seconds and reacted to Magneto's latest strength of feat in this universe. While Spider-Man didn't have a talking role here, this was the first time this version of the character had appeared on-screen since 1998.

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Spider-Man had a surprise cameo in X-Men '97 episode 8

At the end of X-Men '97 episode 8, the viewers saw Magneto be freed from Bastion's chains with the help of Val Cooper, and he flew up into the sky to send out an electromagnetic pulse throughout the entire planet that made every Prime Sentinel defunct. However, in doing so, Magneto also caused great damage to Earth's infrastructure.

When sounding out the pulse, the viewers saw Spider-Man swing across the sky and land on a rooftop as he reacted to what was happening around him. While it was only a short cameo, this was the first time since 1998 that this version of the character had appeared on the small screen.

X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo originally teased the cameo earlier on X when he was asked by a fan about a potential Spider-Man appearance. He had replied:

"Just have to wait."

In the vein of X-Men: The Animated Series, the iconic Wallcrawler also had a solo show of his own called Spider-Man that took place in the same universe. Spider-Man also had a crossover with the X-Men in season 2 of his show where Peter Parker sought out the help of Charles Xavier when he was mutating into a monstrous spider.

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X-Men '97 episode 8 featured a bunch of other Marvel cameos as well

It wasn't just Spider-Man who had a cameo in episode 8, this week's outing featured a bunch of other Marvel characters too. During a scene with Bastion, the supervillains Baron Zemo and Doctor Doom made a cameo as well when they appeared on a television screen. Other characters like Silver Samurai and Omega Red appeared too, reacting to Magneto's electromagnetic pulse.

X-Men '97 has been teasing many other Marvel characters for a while now. In episode 7, Captain America made a cameo appearance too, and had a brief interaction with Rogue where he helped her locate the whereabouts of Boliver Trask and Henry Gyrich.

But the two ended their interaction on a sour note as he refused to help Rogue.

Captain America interacting with Rogue (Image via @MarvelStudios on X)

While it's unclear whether these characters will show up again, one thing is clear - the show is building up a wider Marvel Universe. There are some possible Marvel Cinematic Universe connections to be explored here as well with the appearance of The Watcher in episode 5, but so far the conflict between mutants and Bastion seems to be at the center of everything.

X-Men '97 is streaming right now on Disney+ Hotstar.