X-Men ’97 has been praised for how it built on the original X-Men animated series from 1992. More, it has tried to develop a shared universe between all the animated series Marvel produced in the 1990s. Unfortunately, the series’ use of Captain America complicates that.
X-Men and Spider-Man Shared an Animated Universe
While it is debatable how well Marvel’s animated series fit together, the only two that can be definitively said to have crossed over were Spider-Man and X-Men. The Mutant heroes teamed with Peter Parker during Spider-Man Season 2. Later, Storm was among the heroes who fought with Spider-Man during that series’ adaptation of Secret Wars. All these episodes featured the same voice actors and character designs as the X-Men animated series.
X-Men ’97 also alluded to the continuity of Spider-Man. A Daily Bugle shown in the first episode made mention of Spider-Man, and featured a photo by Peter Parker. Spider-Man himself had a quick cameo later in the season. Finally, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were depicted in the X-Men ’97 Season 1 finale, with character designs identical to the 1990s Spider-Man series.
Spider-Man Series Altered Captain America’s History
Like the X-Men, Captain America had several extended cameos in Spider-Man Season 5. The Six Forgotten Warriors Saga presented a new origin for how Steve Rogers came to exist in the modern day. Instead of being frozen in an iceberg, Captain America sacrificed himself to stop the Red Skull, trapping them both in stasis through an energy vortex. He repeated this feat once again, after he and his archenemy were freed from the vortex.
Later, during the Spider-Man series’ adaptation of Secret Wars, Red Skull was freed by the Beyonder to serve on the Evil side, in his ultimate battle of Good and Evil. Charged with organizing the Good team, Peter Parker likewise freed Captain America to fight alongside him. Once the battle was settled, the Beyonder sent everyone except Spider-Man back to where they had been, with no memory of the Secret Wars event.
X-Men ’97 Takes Place During Spider-Man Season 5
The problem here is that X-Men ’97 treats every season of the original X-Men cartoon as having taken place over the course of one year. Logically, the same time scale should apply to the Spider-Man cartoon. However, the final season of Spider-Man started in the fall of 1997, around the same time the original X-Men series came to a close.
This presents a problem, as X-Men ’97 had Captain America make several prominent cameos. He tried to talk Rogue down during her rampage, failing to persuade her to bring Bolivar Trask in peacefully. He also appeared in the Season 1 finale, guarding President Kelly, and advising him against using the Magneto Protocols. However, based on the timeline of Spider-Man Season 5, Captain America should have been still been in stasis.
How to Explain The X-Men ’97 Continuity Clash
The easiest solution is that one season in the Spider-Man animated series did not equal one year of time. The fact that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are shown together in X-Men ’97 suggests this, as the Spider-Man series ended with Mary Jane lost in time. The fact that they are reunited in X-Men ’97 suggests it takes place after the end of the Spider-Man series. There is also a fair chance the Beyonder sent Captain America back to Earth, or that someone else saved him from the vortex. This would account for Steve Rogers’ presence in the show.
All ten episodes of X-Men ’97 Season 1 are now streaming on Disney+.
