All 6 Marvel Cameos In X-Men ’97 Episode 8

Warning! This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 8.

X-Men ’97 episode 8 featured several cameos from characters linked to the Marvel universe. While much of X-Men ’97‘s story has been self-contained, there have been some connections to the wider Marvel multiverse. This continued via X-Men ’97 episode 8’s Marvel Easter eggs, from mentions of the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj to nods towards Stark Industries and the Stark Expo. These Easter eggs and references will undoubtedly continue in X-Men ’97 season 2’s story, but not before the last two parts of “Tolerance is Extinction” round off season 1.

When concerning X-Men ’97 episode 8’s ending, the show adequately teed up the final two installments of the season. Bastion’s sinister plans continued, dealing more with the Prime Sentinels and their threat to the X-Men. Through this, X-Men ’97 claimed that Magneto was right, linking back to a classic story point from Marvel Comics as the master of magnetism unleashes his abilities on the world. Through Mangeto’s powers and Bastion’s plans, X-Men ’97 episode 8 contained several cameos from Marvel characters due to the story’s worldwide ramifications.

6 Spider-Man From The Animated Series Appeared In X-Men ’97 Episode 8

Christopher Daniel Barnes’ Spider-Man returned in X-Men ’97.

Unquestionably, the biggest cameo from X-Men ’97 episode 8 was Christopher Daniel Barnes’ Spider-Man from Spider-Man: The Animated Series. This scene was featured toward the end of X-Men ’97 episode 8 just after Magneto unleashed his powers across Earth. Magneto’s magnetic waves were shown emanating from the North Pole, with a shot of Manhattan appearing. Swinging through Manhattan was none other than Peter Parker himself before stopping as he sensed Magneto’s pulses of power.

The character then did a backflip to become more visible to the audience, revealing himself to look identical to the version of the Web-Slinger shown in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. This show ran from 1994 to 1998, around the same time as X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97‘s prequel. While it could have just been left to speculation whether the Spider-Man shown was the same one from the 90s show, X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMay confirmed via Twitter/X that it is the very same variant.

Naturally, this cameo excited Marvel fans. Although the cameo still works for those unfamiliar with Spider-Man: The Animated Series due to the character’s iconicity, it especially resonated with those who have seen the 90s show. This naturally led to calls for Marvel Animation to revive Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the same way the studio did with X-Men ’97. Despite it being unclear whether this will happen, the cameo from Spider-Man in X-Men ’97 episode 8 is exciting enough on its own merit.

5 Doctor Doom Was Part Of Bastion’s Plans In X-Men ’97 Episode 8

Marvel’s Monarch of Latveria was present as part of Bastion’s briefing in X-Men ’97.

Another major Marvel Comics character involved in X-Men ’97 was Doctor Doom. The infamous villain of The Fantastic Four is set to be part of the MCU in upcoming movies, though X-Men ’97 and Marvel Animation have beaten Marvel Studios to the punch. Victor von Doom appeared as part of Bastion’s Operation: Zero Tolerance meeting. This confirmed Doom as part of Bastion’s plans, especially with the monarch himself stating his collusion with Bastion’s Prime Sentinel program.

That said, Doctor Doom showcased how morally gray he can be during his brief cameo in X-Men ’97 episode 8. Despite admitting to being part of Bastion’s plans, Doom is clearly keeping his involvement hidden from the rest of the world. As the leader of the country of Latveria, Doom is shown to be thrown off by Bastion’s war crimes against Genosha. This is likely why Doom’s participation in Bastion’s X-Men ’97 master plan is left in the shadows, as the Marvel supervillain would likely face geopolitical repercussions should his scheming be unveiled to the world.

4 A Comic Accurate Baron Zemo Was In X-Men ’97 Episode 8

Bastion’s villainous X-Men ’97 Zoom call was attended by another Marvel villain: Baron Zemo.

Interestingly, Victor von Doom was not the only villain in attendance during Bastion’s briefing in X-Men ’97 episode 8. Also shown to speak out in support of the X-Men villain was Baron Zemo. Daniel Brühl’s version of Helmut Zemo in the MCU is not a comic-accurate character, meaning X-Men ’97 episode 8’s version reverts to formula. Zemo was shown to be much more outspoken in his support for Bastion, unlike Doom, who criticized the villain’s flagrant war crimes against Genosha.

Zemo is shown giving his advice to Bastion, telling him that the Prime Sentinel program is destined to fail so long as the U.S. President sees the X-Men as allies. This proves how much Zemo aligns with Bastion’s methods, so much so that he wants to devalue the X-Men as American allies. Whether Zemo will continue to play a role in X-Men ’97 remains to be seen, though it is likely he will appear in upcoming MCU TV shows, notably the already-confirmed X-Men ’97 seasons 2 and 3.

3 Magneto’s Powers Were Witnessed By Silver Samurai In X-Men ’97 Episode 8

Silver Samurai, the common Wolverine enemy, was spotted in X-Men ’97.

Aside from Spider-Man, the majority of Marvel cameos in X-Men ’97 episode 8 were from villains. One such villain was Silver Samurai, a foe commonly associated with Wolverine and thus, the X-Men themselves. Silver Samurai has been largely underutilized in superhero cinema and TV shows since their popularity began, with X-Men ’97 only marking his second appearance in such a project after his role as the villain of The Wolverine‘s climactic ending in 2013. Despite only being a brief cameo, this could mean Silver Samurai has a bigger role in the show’s second season.

Unlike Zemo and Doom, Silver Samurai’s appearance was much more brief. In fact, the villain’s appearance was more akin to Spider-Man’s, as Silver Samurai was shown witnessing the fallout of Magneto’s worldwide EMP. Samurai can be seen standing in his home in Japan, witnessing the waves of magnetism that Magneto is unleashing. This inclusion was likely utilized not only to house another exciting Marvel Comics cameo in X-Men ’97 episode 8 but also to showcase just how wide-reaching Magneto’s powers were, stretching from Manhattan to Japan.

2 Magneto’s Powers Affected The Containment Of Omega Red In X-Men ’97 Episode 8

Another common Wolverine foe appears in X-Men ’97: Omega Red.

Although Silver Samurai’s appearance in X-Men ’97 episode 8 did not set up potential battles against the titular team, Omega Red’s cameo may have. In Marvel Comics, Omega Red is a villain created by Soviet Russia, born Arkady Gregorivich Rossovich, in an attempt to recreate a supersoldier like Captain America. However, Omega Red ends up more of an antithesis to Wolverine than Steve Rogers. Omega Red was imbued with carbonadium tentacles, the metal being the Soviet attempt to recreate adamantium. These tentacles, one in each hand, serve as a weapon but also a means of Omega Red’s survival.

Similar to Wolverine and adamantium, the carbonadium slowly poisons Omega Red. The latter does not have the healing powers of the former, meaning these tentacles and their vampiric abilities are integral to his survival. Eventually, Omega Red learns of something that can stop the poisoning that the X-Men possess, leading him to become a common enemy of the mutant team. Omega Red’s unpredictability eventually saw Soviet Russia imprison him in cryogenic suspended animation until it could be figured out how to control him. This latter part of Omega Red’s story is how the character connects to X-Men ’97 episode 8.

In X-Men ’97 episode 8, Magneto’s powerful exhibition of his abilities is shown to affect an undisclosed location. The waves affect what looks like a power plant, including a containment pod holding Omega Red. The character is shown awakening after Magneto’s waves reduce the power of the facility, with his carbonadium tentacles shooting out of his wrists. This sets up Omega Red as a future villain of X-Men ’97 as he was in X-Men: The Animated Series, though potentially with more comic accuracy than the latter held.

1 Morph Took Juggernaut’s Form In X-Men ’97 Episode 8

Morph’s shapeshifting abilities continue to be a vehicle for cameos in X-Men ’97 episode 8 via Juggernaut.

The final villain cameo in X-Men ’97 episode 8 is unlike the appearances of Doom, Zemo, Silver Samurai, and Omega Red. Where these characters were included to set up potential future villains of the show or establish Bastion’s powerful allies, the cameo appearance of Juggernaut was tied to Morph. In X-Men ’97 season 1 thus far, Morph’s abilities have often been used to include other X-Men members from Marvel Comics, without them actually being part of the story. Some mutants Morph has taken the shape of include Quicksilver, Psylocke, and Illyana to name but a few.

In X-Men ’97 episode 8, Morph continued this trend by turning into the mutant Juggernaut. Juggernaut was one of the members of the Brotherhood of Mutants in X-Men: The Animated Series, though he has not appeared at length in X-Men ’97 thus far. Despite being present in the opening credits of X-Men ’97 each episode, Juggernaut’s first proper appearance came in episode 8. Morph transformed into Juggernaut to use the mutant’s incredible strength in the battle against the Prime Sentinels, though he was quickly sidelined to showcase the capabilities of X-Men ’97‘s powerful new enemies.