X-Men ’97 Season 2: Over 30 Easter Eggs, Marvel References, & Cameos In Episodes 1-3

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 season 2, episodes 1-3

X-Men ’97 is back with an all-new season, featuring Marvel’s iconic team of mutants displaced throughout time. Premiering on Disney+ with its first three episodes, X-Men ’97 season 2 already has a wide collection of awesome Easter eggs, Marvel references, and more fun connections and cameos.

In the aftermath of X-Men 97’s season 1 finale, the X-Men were divided, with some being sent to the ancient past and others to the distant future. Finding themselves at significant moments of Apocalypse’s life, the X-Men’s new mission features some truly great callbacks to the original comics, most notably the “Age of Apocalypse” run of the mid-nineties, while also offering some exciting new mysteries as well.

Like the first season, X-Men ’97 season continues to reward longtime viewers who watched the original X-Men animated series as well as readers of the original comics (while still remaining accessible to newcomers). Keeping that in mind, here are more than 30 Easter eggs, Marvel references, comic ties, and cameos you may have missed in X-Men ’97 season 2’s opening three episodes.

The Biggest Easter Eggs, References, Cameos, and Comic Connections In X-Men ’97 Season 2 Episodes 1-3

Image courtesy of Marvel

Days of Past Future — The very first episode of X-Men ’97 season 2 is titled “Days of Past Future”, a fitting inversion of Days of Future Past, the X-Men’s most famous storyline involving time travel.

Cyber Hounds — Traveling to the future in the year 3960 AD (the height of Apocalypse’s power) Forge is attacked by Cyber Hounds, robotic enforcers clearly inspired by similar robotic warriors in the comics.

Logan’s Bone Claws — Wolverine arrives to back up Forge, wielding bone claws instead of adamantium, the result of Magneto brutally ripping out the metal from Logan’s body at the end of X-Men ’97 season 2, “Fatal Attractions” style.

“Oh My Stars And Garters!” — Forge quotes Beast’s classic exclamation from the X-Men animated series and original comics.

The Final Horsemen — The X-Men in the future face the Final Horsemen, Apocalypse’s contingency mutant servants in the comics. The Final Horsemen include: Pestilence (Ichisumi), a Japanese mutant from the Edo period who can control insects, War (Decimus Furius), a mutant from Ancient Rome who was worshiped as a Minotaur, Famine (Jeb Lee), an American Confederate soldier whose mutant power is the ability to transmit cancer through sound, hence his drum playing, and Death (Sanjar Javeed), a mutant from ancient Persia with the power to induce terminal diseases.

Ozymandias — Ozymandias is also featured, Apocalypse’s first servant and advisor, who’s been with En Sabah Nur since the dawn of his conquest.

Mother Askani (Rachel Summers) — Mother Askani is secretly Rachel Summers, daughter of Scott and Jean from an alternate reality, sister to Nathan Summers, and a host of the Phoenix Force (hence the brief shot of the Phoenix in her eyes). Likewise, her upside-down flaming meditation is a callback to Jean, something Rachel’s mother did during the comics back in the 90s.

“Thanks For Today, Please For Tomorrow” — The quote from Mother Askani comes directly from the comics as one of Clan Askani’s most frequently heard prayers.

Storm Commanding Solar Winds — Ororo Munroe taking command of a cosmic solar storm is an epic reminder of just how powerful Storm is in the comics as an Omega-level mutant. Her powers have never been locked to weather alone, as her true power is complete and total energy manipulation. It just tends to manifest most often by controlling the weather.

Inhibitor Collars — The inhibitor collars used on the Summers family are the same as the ones featured in the original X-Men animated series.

“Propulsion Beam!” — While he did it in the first season of X-Men ’97 and has done it before in the comics, Cyclops using his optic blasts to propel himself around the battlefield never gets old, especially now that it’s become a part of the character’s move list with Scott being the most recent addition to Marvel Rivals’ roster of playable characters.

Nathan’s Big Gun — Having been trained by Jean, Nathan uses the T-O virus to control and wield a large cannon from one of the Cyber Hounds, a clear shot of foreshadowing to his future as Cable (and his preference for big firepower).

Thor, God of Thunder — Morph transforms into none other than Thor, giving us a brief “cameo” from the God of Thunder himself during the battle with Apocalypse’s enforcers.

Cable’s Files — The ending of X-Men ’97 season 2’s first episode and the beginning of the second episode see Cable working with Archangel and Psylocke on their next moves in the present. Opening a file featuring Jubilee and Sunspot as potential recruits, the file also features several notes on Apocalypse, the Lazarus Chambers he uses to regenerate himself, “Ship”, his former host Fabian Cortez from the original animated series, Plague (Pestilence), Abraham Kireos (War), Caliban (Death), and Autumn Rolfson (Famine).

Generation X (And More Mutant Cameos) — Several mutants and members of Generation X are featured in the background in cells after they were apprehended by X-Factor. Named mutants from the comics include Nature Girl, Quentin Quire, Eye Boy, Synch, Artie, Dust, M, Stepford Sisters (Cuckoos), Chamber, Glob, Pixie, Anole, Hollow, and Wing. As such, it will be interesting to see how much X-Men ’97 dives into Generation X in future episodes/seasons.

X-Factor — X-Factor returns, a government-sanctioned team of mutants first seen in the original X-Men animated series. Members include Havok (Alex Summers), Polaris, Multiple Man, Strong Guy, and Wolfsbane.

Trish Tilby’s Scars — Reporting on X-Factor and their capture of various young mutants for the government to “relocate them for their own safety”, newscaster Trish Tilby is shown with visible scars on her face, the result of Bastion’s attack with the T-O Virus at the end of X-Men ’97 season 1.

X-Force ‘97 — The X-Men’ 97 opening credits in episode 2 get a full rework as X-Force ’97, featuring Cable, Psylocke, Archangel, Jubilee, and Sunspot, as well as shots from both X-Men ’97 season 1 and the original animated series.

Hounds — Apocalypse’s allies in the X-Force ’97 credits were shown wearing Hound outfits, mutants who were forced to become mutant-hunters in the comics (Rachel Summers was once a Hound).

Helicarrier — X-Factor is revealed to be keeping several detained mutants onboard a Helicarrier (though there’s not a SHIELD logo in sight).

Maggie (Marvels) — Beyond all the aforementioned Generation X mutant cameos, one of the detainees is a young girl with big eyes. This is Maggie, whose first appearance was in 1993’s iconic Marvels series by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross.

Sandstormers — X-Men ’97 episode 3 reveals what’s happening with the other half of the X-Men who were sent to the past in 3000 BCE. Having been taken in by En Sabah Nur (before he became Apocalypse), the X-Men are shown living with the Sandstormers, the force of desert warriors from the comics who took in En Sabah Nur as an outcast slave, having been ostracized for his looks as the world’s first mutant.

General Logos — Hailing from the original comics, Logos was a key advisor to Pharaoh Rama-Tut, much like he is in X-Men ’97 season 2. In this animated depiction, he appears to be less of a scientific advisor/vizier and more of a general leading Rama-Tut’s forces. Likewise, Logo saved En Sabah Nur in the comics, believing he could become a key rival to Rama-Tut as Logos was secretly working against his pharaoh. However, X-Men ’97 reveals that Logos was En Sabah Nur’s first cruel master, explaining the future Apocalypse’s desire to kill him.

Rama-Tut (Kang) — Pharaoh Rama-Tut himself rules over a technologically advanced kingdom and has an army of robot soldiers. This is because Rama-Tut is actually Kang the Conqueror, having traveled to the past to rule while seeking the power connected to En Sabah Nur’s rise (as established in the original comics).

“Survival of the Fittest” — Despite Magneto’s attempts to redeem En Sabah Nur and prevent his future as Apocalypse, it seems as though he’s already internalized the core tenet of the Sandstormers: “Survival of the Fittest”, the key rule of law during the “Age of Apocalypse” storyline in the comics.

Baal — The leader of the Sandstormers, Baal was the one who originally named Kang “Rama-Tut” in the original comics. He’s also the one who found and cared for En Sabah Nur as a boy after he was left for dead as an infant due to his appearance, helping him embrace his destiny as Apocalypse and believing he was destined to defeat Kang. As such, it’s no surprise that Baal is suspicious and distrusts the time-displaced X-Men and their attempts to redeem En Sabah Nur away from the Sandstormers’ “survival of the fittest” mindset.

The Sphinx — Reaching into Logos’ mind, Charles Xavier sees the mighty Sphinx, which is actually Kang’s time-traveling ship in the Marvel Universe that would become Apocalypse’s after he drives Rama-Tut out of Ancient Egypt.

“Rama-Tut’s Favorite Slave” — Logos teases the dark history between En Sabah Nur and Rama-Tut back when the first mutant was still a slave serving the pharaoh.

“The Conqueror” — X-Men ’97 season 2, episode 3 ends with Rama-Tut asking who is more fit to survive: “The slave or the conqueror?” This is Rama-Tut naturally teasing his true self as Kang the Conqueror.

New episodes of X-Men ’97 season 2 release Wednesdays on Disney+ from Marvel Studios.