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X-Men'97 has featured the appearance of several characters from the overarching Marvel universe, including Captain America and Spider-Man, albeit in small roles. However, fans were quick to notice that the Avengers as a team were notably absent as the war between human beings and mutants raged on.
Now that X-Men'97 season finale is about to be released, the creator/showrunner Beau DeMayo has finally answered long answered questions regarding the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. According to DeMayo, the Avengers are busy dealing with an extraterrestrial threat that has been hinted at in the course of the ten episodes.
DeMayo suggests that The Avengers remain absent from X-Men'97 because they are involved in a galactic war
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According to DeMayo, the absence of The Avengers can be explained by the fact that The Earth's Mightiest Heroes are embroiled in conflict elsewhere, namely, in the galactic war between the Shi'ar and the Kree alien races. This conflict also follows the Professor's return to Earth after his engagement to the Shi'ar Queen, and in the comics is known as Operation Galactic Storm.
Fans of the Marvel Universe have been familiar with the Kree in all the forms in which they have appeared, ranging from comic storylines and animated shows to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the Shi'ar, while less familiar to most viewers are an important part of the X-Men storyline. At the end of The Animated Series, the Shi'ar rescued Professor X from a near-death situation and nursed him back to health.
The absence of the Avengers also makes sense from a storytelling perspective, as X-Men'97 has already been tackling a host of heavy themes within the scope of a few episodes. Adding the Avengers would have only added additional complications and voice actors, not to mention have resolved the issue with Bastion a lot more quickly if the heavy hitters among the Earth's Mightiest got involved.
The Avengers were not the only characters absent
Fans did not notice the absence of only the Avengers but also other important Marvel characters. Some of them were even mutants! The most significant in this list was Deadpool. The fourth-wall-breaking anti-hero is already being hyped up for his big-screen team-up with Logan, but fans could not help wishing he had appeared in X-Men'97 as well.
However, Deadpool's R-rated characteristics might have created a problem for an animated show, causing him to be "off-limits" in the words of showrunner DeMayo. Additionally, in the context of the grim reality of the world portrayed in the show, Deadpool's humour might be a little off-brand too. However, Deadpool's long-time frenemy and partner in bickering Wolverine did play a major role in the storyline.
The absence of another character, Sabertooth was also notable, but DeMayo justified his lack of screen time in X-Men'97 by saying that ten episodes were too little time to account for all the mutants in the world. However, DeMayo also justified the absence of this character by saying that he was lying low after the events of Genosha, possibly waiting to eke out a profit from the events.
Episodes of X-Men'97 can be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, with the finale having dropped on May 15, 2024. As such, fans can finally look forward to getting a resolution to the conflict between humans and mutants, and see whose philosophy prevails, Charles Xavier or Magneto.
