So Is ‘X-Men ’97’ Part of the MCU Canon or Not?

The more you think about the X-Men and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the more confusing it gets. With very few members of the team actually making their MCU debut and even fewer of those characters saying “mutant and proud,” it’s hard to figure out their canon status. 

X-Men: The Animated Series came out in the ’90s, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took over the world. So originally, no, this version of the team was not canon in the MCU. But now the lines are a little more murky and so while we do not have a live-action version of the X-Men (yet) in the MCU, we do have some connections between the animated world and the MCU we know and love. 

Series creator Beau DeMayo had said previously that X-Men ‘97 is a direct sequel to the ’90s cartoon and completely separate from the MCU canon. On Instagram, before deleting his account and leaving Disney, DeMayo answered a fan asking about the series and said that X-Men ’97 was “completely our own thing.”

That makes sense, but recent cameos in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe make that a little harder to unpack. Is it actually completely separate or is that the easier way of explaining it now, to keep the secrets hidden? Especially with cameos that have already happened?

The line may be drawn in the sand for the animated series, but what do Charles Xavier and Beast in live-action mean for that connection? Could this just be a “for now” situation?

So what were Charles and Hank up to?

In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we saw Charles Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart) appear in an alternate universe. He was in a yellow chair and fans instantly clocked that this Charles was connected to The Animated Series. So if X-Men ’97 is completely its own thing, what does that version of Charles heading to the live-action MCU mean?

I would give a one-off appearance a break. Maybe they didn’t know the show was happening when the cameo in Multiverse of Madness happened. BUT THEN the animated version of Hank McCoy (a.k.a. Beast) showed up in The Marvels. They were both designed to look like their animated selves, so if X-Men ’97 is completely its own thing, how do you explain this?

I do understand that this could just be for the fanfare of it all, the theories we’d all come up with for our beloved heroes. But saying that The Animated Series and subsequently ’97 are completely separate from the MCU just doesn’t sit right with me. Beast doesn’t have this Wolverine-like haircut for nothing.

(featured image: Disney+)