If you thought the eighth episode of X-Men ’97 was cameo heavy? Guess again. The Season 1 finale of the Disney+ series brought on the Marvel Universe cameos in a big way, from a surprise appearance by Peter Parker and Mary Jane to Black Panther (but not the one you think), to Scarlet Witch, and many more.
With that all in mind, let’s break down all the ones we caught. Which, frankly, is a lot of them.
Doctor Strange
The good doctor himself, Stephen Strange, shows up doing mystical surgery in the dark thanks to Magneto’s EMP blast two episodes back. We only briefly check in with him during a montage as the lights come back on.
Daredevil
Matt Murdock, the Man Without Fear, shows up twice in the episode trying to cull the riots happening in New York — again, thanks to Magneto’s EMP.
Silver Samurai
A returning cameo from Episode 8, Silver Samurai shows up during the montage as Magneto’s magnetic shut-down is reversed by Professor X.
Iron Man and Captain America
Captain America returns after popping up in Episode 7, “Bright Eyes.” He’s once again voiced by Josh Keaton, but this time he’s brought a friend with him as they protect President Kelly: Iron Man. And true to form, this seems to be the Iron Man direct from the 1994 animated series that ran 26 episodes.
Omega Red, Crimson Dynamo, and Darkstar
Omega Red also returns after his Episode 8 cameo. Here he’s teamed up with two members of Russian superteam The Winter Guard: Crimson Dynamo, and Darkstar. Also there’s another guy in the back there peeking out his head.
Black Panther And The Dora Milaje
Black Panther shows up as Wakanda is attacked, with the Dora Milaje straight out of the MCU backing him up. Later it’s revealed this is not T’Challa, but his father King T’Chaka, voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith, who also does the voice of Bishop.
Northstar, Psylocke, Cipher, Puck, And Aurora
Over on Genosha as the Prime Sentinels attack, we cut to a very weird assortment of characters who are presumably helping with the relief efforts. You’ve got Northstar, Aurora, and Puck from Alpha Flight. You’ve got Psylocke. And you’ve got one character in the back who I’m going to assume is Cipher based on the leather jacket, but I could be 100% wrong (none of these characters talk, so who knows).
Cloak And Dagger (With Special Guest Daredevil)
Cloak and Dagger also show up in the episode culling the riots in New York and fighting Prime Sentinels — as well as providing a helping hand to Daredevil.
Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Polaris
While inside Magneto’s mindscape, we glimpse a few shadowy figures on a boat with Rogue. They are Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris, aka three of Magneto’s children. They’re not real so technically not a cameo, but cool nonetheless.
Mr. Fantastic (But Really Morph)
During the battle on Asteroid M, Morph, er, morphs into Fantastic Four leader Mr. Fantastic, aka Reed Richards. Not too much of a… Stretch.
Peter Parker And Mary Jane Watson
Towards the end of the episode, we get a surprise appearance by Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, hanging out with Mary Jane Watson. Spider-Man showed up in Episode 8 as well, and afterward it was revealed this was indeed the same Spider-Man from the 1994 animated series. But not only is this a cameo, it’s emotional closure as the final episode of the 1990s series ended on a cliffhanger, with Spider-Man heading off to find the “real” Mary Jane after she died and a bunch of other circumstances too wild to account for here. So, over 25 years later, he found her.
Sauron (But Really Morph)
Doing the absolute most, Morph turns into dinosaur villain Sauron in order to exit the Sentinel Beast has piloted over to Asteroid M.
Forge’s Days Of Future Past Wall Of Mutants
After the X-Men are lost in time, Forge is in the ruins of the X-Mansion trying to figure out where they went. To do that, he has a wall of mutants straight out of the classic cover of Days of Future Past to keep track of them. So, let’s break it down since it’s super tiny and passes by quickly:
Cyclops: Missing, Presumed Dead
Jean Grey: Missing, Presumed Dead
Storm: Missing, Presumed Dead
Beast: Missing, Presumed Dead
Nightcrawler: Missing, Presumed Dead
Jubilee: AWOL
Sunspot: AWOL
Xavier: Missing, Presumed Dead
Scarlet Witch: Off World
Colossus: n/a
Morph: Missing, Presumed Dead
Rogue: Missing, Presumed Dead
Dust: n/a
Archangel: Missing, Presumed Dead
Magik: n/a
Cyclops: Missing, Presumed Dead
Wolverine: Missing, Presumed Dead
Iceman: n/a
Havok: n/a
Cable: AWOL
Exodus: n/a
Quicksilver: Off World
Shadowcat: n/a
Emma Frost: n/a
There you go! The “Off World” by the way is because Wanda and Pietro are fighting in the Kree/Shi’ar War with the Avengers. Probably.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this piece incorrectly identified Crimson Dynamo as Red Guardian but in my defense, they have very similar names.
That is not Red Guardian behind Omega Red it’s Crimson Dynamo.
Er, whoops! In my defense, they have extremely similar names. But thank you!