Marvel’s Highest-Rated TV Series May Never Actually Use Its Best Character

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Marvel has created many popular movies and shows, including the epic conclusion to a ten-year story arc with *Avengers: Infinity War* and *Avengers: Endgame*, which brought together a huge cast of characters and unforgettable scenes. Films like *Captain America: The Winter Soldier* also proved that superhero movies can explore any genre. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t been as strong lately, creating opportunities for new series to shine. Surprisingly, Marvel’s best-reviewed TV show isn’t about Daredevil or Loki, but focuses on a team of heroes dedicated to the fight for equal rights.

The highly praised *X-Men ’97* continues the story of *X-Men: The Animated Series*, which originally aired before the *X-Men* movies were made. Now that Disney owns both Marvel Studios and the film division, they need to be strategic about which mutant characters they feature, considering the different projects happening across both platforms. It’s likely *X-Men ’97* won’t be able to fully utilize its strongest character because of these larger plans.

Deadpool Is Already Part of the X-Men ’97 Universe

The first season of *X-Men ’97* centers on the X-Men team as they face a major threat from villains like Mister Sinister and Bastion, who want to eliminate mutants. With so much at stake, the season doesn’t have a lot of room for individual character stories – a common trait shared with the original *X-Men: The Animated Series* which also took five seasons to explore character backstories. Similar to the live-action films, Wolverine plays a key role, and his past is a major focus. Professor X delves into Sabertooth’s mind to understand his connection with Wolverine, but another character from their history unexpectedly appears: Deadpool.

Unlike the funny, irritating Deadpool most fans know, the original *X-Men: The Animated Series* portrayed him as a truly frightening villain. Twice, enemies disguised themselves as Deadpool to torment Wolverine, who clearly remembers his dangerous side. He never faced consequences for his actions, and currently, there are no plans to include him in *X-Men ’97*. While some might see this as a missed opportunity – Deadpool is becoming a major character in X-Men stories – his future seems to lie elsewhere, and doesn’t include a return to this animated world.

Deadpool’s Future Is on the Big Screen

When the *X-Men* cartoon was popular, Marvel wasn’t sure how to handle the character Deadpool. Although his look was interesting, it took a while to develop his unique personality. His appearance in *X-Men Origins: Wolverine* actually hurt the character’s reputation, but Ryan Reynolds strongly believed he could play the role well. Eventually, fans demanded a Deadpool movie, and it became a major success. *Deadpool* stood out because it was willing to push boundaries that other superhero films avoided. Fox’s risk proved worthwhile, and when Disney’s Marvel Studios acquired the rights, the momentum continued.

While Deadpool’s popularity is great, it also creates a challenge. His fans expect constant jokes, swearing, and violence, and changing that could ruin what’s made him successful. The one possible exception is the upcoming *Avengers: Doomsday* movie, which will reunite the Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes for the first time since *Endgame*. Deadpool has always wanted to team up with the Avengers, and this movie seems like his best opportunity. If he joins them, he’ll likely outgrow an animated series, and even a live-action X-Men team might struggle to get him to commit.

X-Men ’97 is streaming on Disney+.

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2025-10-09 01:10