Although I was more into X-Men: Evolution when I was growing up, I saw enough episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series that I still feel a sense of nostalgia when thinking back on it, particularly when it comes to that banger of a theme song. So I was intrigued to learn a few years back that X-Men: The Animated Series was being revived for Disney+, and my excitement has kicked up a notch thanks to the X-Men ’97 trailer dropping today. The preview is packed with cool moments, including Gambit charging Wolverine’s claws with kinetic energy, but there’s a specific shot that has me wondering if this upcoming Marvel TV show also teased the return of the ‘90s Spider-Man.
To be clear, I’m not talking about the Spider-Man from the comics who was taking part in events like Maximum Carnage and The Clone Saga, but rather the lead of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which, like X-Men: The Animated Series, ran on the Fox Kids programming block for five seasons. Both shows shared the same continuity, and as you’ll see below, there’s a fun nod to the Web-Slinging hero in the X-Men ’97 trailer. Let’s rewatch it first.
Did you catch it? Pause at the 31-second mark and look at the front page of the Daily Bugle newspaper that flies across the screen.
The paper itself would have been an effective Spider-Man Easter egg, but at the top, there are two direct Spidey nods. On the left side, there’s a headline about if “Spiderman” is a mutant, I’d like to think the hyphen being left out of his name is J. Jonah Jameson being passive aggressive. On the right side, there’s a mention of the Hellfire Gala, referencing the same-named 2021 comics storyline. Along with Peter Parker taking photos for the article, Eddie Brock wrote it, which hopefully means Venom has put his villainous days behind him by this point.
While it’d be ridiculous to say that this Daily Bugle Easter egg confirms Spider-Man will appear in X-Men ’97, it’s not outside the realm of possibility. As mentioned, Spider-Man: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series have shared history, with the mutant heroes appearing in Spider-Man Season 2’s 17th and 18th episode. Also, although the Spider-Man film and live-action TV rights are still tied up at Sony, there’s nothing to prevent Disney from using Spidey in animated television. After all, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is also being made for Disney+ subscribers, although that show will star an alternate version of the MCU’s Peter Parker.
The odds of Spider-Man: The Animated Series being revived seem extremely slim at this point, especially considering that John Semper, the main writer from the show, told me back in 2022 that he’d only be interested in reviving Spider-Man if he had the same amount of creative control, which he doubts will happen. However, thanks to this Easter egg in X-Men ’97, it’s not farfetched to imagine that Spider-Man could be squeezed into an episode to reunite with Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm and the rest of the gang. Granted, Season 1 only consists of 10 episodes, so I wouldn’t want Spider-Man to feel like he’s being crammed into the larger story. But since Season 2 has also been greenlit, I’d feel better about him being thrown in for a guest appearance, and it’d be even more welcome if X-Men ’97 keeps going into Season 3 and beyond.
If the ‘90s Spider-Man does pay a visit to X-Men ’97, which premieres March 20, we’ll let you know about it. Until then, take a look at the best Disney+ TV shows that can be streamed now.
