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Today's episode of X-Men '97 kicked off the three-part "Tolerance Is Extinction" finale, and boy, this series really hasn't wasted any time in establishing itself as the best adaptation of these characters to date, has it?
You can find our full episode recap here, but as Bastion unleashes his Prime Sentinels across the globe, we're treated to some massive cameos.
The villain is shown communicating with several villains, including Doctor Doom and Baron Zemo, two iconic comic book baddies with ties to the Fantastic Four and Avengers. While not necessarily in support of Bastion's action, it seems they wish to be on the "right" side of history and won't stop him from enslaving mutants with his human/robot hybrids.
Later, we see the global impact of what's happening and it's then Spider-Man swings into frame! The wall-crawler is protecting New York City and this definitely appears to be the version from Spider-Man: The Animated Series (he doesn't speak, meaning Christopher Daniel Barnes isn't on hand to reprise the role...yet).
Silver Samurai is also shown, while we then see Omega Red wake up in a Russian facility, likely setting the stage for him to play a role in season 2 of X-Men '97.
It's clear now that the show takes place in a Marvel Universe full of other characters and, should Marvel Studios choose to expand its animated offerings, we could quite easily see more characters like Peter Parker either in his own revival or this one.
It's been confirmed that X-Men '97 is getting at least three seasons, but following the critical reaction to this first batch of episodes, we'd be shocked if they don't want more (it's getting increasingly difficult to figure out why showrunner Beau DeMayo was let go before the premiere dropped).
Regardless, if "Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 1" is any indication, Marvel Studios will have a tough time topping X-Men '97 with its upcoming live-action reboot and would be wise to enlist this show's creative team to help bring these mutants back to theaters.
X-Men '97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
Eight episodes of X-Men '97 are now streaming on Disney+ with new instalments following weekly. You can take a closer look at some of those cameos below...