33 Years Later, X-Men ’97 is Officially Fixing the Animated Series’ Biggest Plot Hole

by

Season 2 of X-Men ’97 is addressing a significant plot inconsistency from the original animated series. While X-Men: The Animated Series is considered one of the greatest superhero cartoons ever made, it wasn’t without flaws. A change in animation studios mid-series led to a drop in quality in later seasons. Additionally, the show accumulated some continuity errors and plot holes over its run, largely because no one anticipated how popular and enduring it would become.

Interestingly, one of the issues with the show’s timeline is that X-Men: The Animated Series drew from well-known comic book storylines, but didn’t present them in chronological order. The first season also suggested the X-Men hadn’t been a team for very long. Later episodes changed this, even adding Iceman to the original five members and presenting X-Factor as a brand new team. This created a significant inconsistency in the show’s overall history.

Was Archangel Part of the Original X-Men?

Archangel first appeared in Season 1 of X-Men: The Animated Series, where the show told the story of how Warren Worthington III (originally known as Angel) became one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen. In this version, Angel was a rich mutant looking for a way to remove his powers at a research facility on Muir Isle, and importantly, there was no connection shown to his future with the X-Men. The show intentionally presented all characters as if they were new, assuming viewers weren’t already familiar with the history of mutants.

The initial concept was solid, but the show later seemed to forget it. For example, Season 3 of X-Men: The Animated Series introduced the idea of the first five X-Men, and subsequent seasons reinforced this, establishing Angel as one of the original members. While it’s a small inconsistency, it’s still noticeable and disappointing, especially because it concerns a key character and the overall history of the X-Men.

X-Men ’97 Season 2 Features the Return of Archangel & Apocalypse

The new trailer for X-Men ’97 Season 2 officially shows Archangel coming back, which many fans expected. Since the season focuses on Apocalypse, and Archangel is so connected to his storyline, his return made sense. While some thought the season would follow the famous “Age of Apocalypse” comic book arc, it now seems more likely to be a time travel story based on “The Twelve,” a complex X-Men adventure where Apocalypse hunts for mutants lost throughout time and space.

The trailer also includes a clear reference to Archangel’s past with the X-Men. In a key moment, Polaris looks at pictures of the first five X-Men, including her former partner Iceman, and remembers their shared history. This confirms the show is focusing on a later version of the story, establishing Angel as one of the original X-Men who eventually became a Horseman of Apocalypse. This version of events now aligns the show’s timeline with the comic books much more closely than it did before, mirroring the storyline from X-Men: The Animated Series.

The big question is whether the show will address this directly. Because it’s a time travel story, history could be changed. It’s possible the X-Men will make small changes to the past, altering their own timeline and unintentionally creating the continuity error seen in the original series. If so, Season 1 of The Animated Series might have taken place in one version of history, while later seasons occurred in a different timeline where Angel was always one of the original five X-Men.

Look, the dust has settled, and Marvel’s made a clear choice with X-Men ’97: Angel is officially one of the original X-Men. They’ve cemented his backstory, and any previous continuity issues are either gone or will be addressed. Honestly, it’s a really clever move. It brings the comic book history and the show together seamlessly, and I think it’s the best way forward.

Read More

2026-06-07 22:27