X-Men '97 isn't technically canon but it could crossover with the MCU in the future, teases showrunner

May. 3, 2024

“I think it’s very much dealer’s choice on some levels”

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X-Men ‘97showrunner Beau DeMayo has clarified theDisney Plusshow’s place in the MCU, and it’s… still all a little confusing.

In response to a viewer onTwitterrecently, DeMayo doubled down on the fact that the animated series isn’t a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s canon timeline. Though, perhaps more interestingly, he hinted that it could crossover with the live-action series in the future…

“I think it’s very much dealer’s choice on some levels,” he noted, when the fan said they like to think of the show existing in the same multiverse as the MCU. “I know all my discussions were to view it as its own neighboring tree, not a branch of the multiverse MCU tree. Sure a few leaves from one tree can mingle with another at some point.”

Warning! The rest of this article contains spoilers forLoki season 2. If you’ve yet to tune in, turn back now.

While we might be reading too much into it, DeMayo’s use of the word “tree” and branches seems particularly interesting, given how timelines are referred to in fellowDisneyPlus show Loki. What’s more, inthe season 2 finale ofthatseries, the titular antihero (Tom Hiddleston) sacrificed himself to become the keeper of the timelines. Borrowing from Norse mythology, the episode saw him position himself at the base of Yggdrasil, a tree-like structure that, in its original lore, is said to holds all Nine Realms together and control all life and death.

Whether or not X-Men ‘97, which has been tipped for at least two more chapters, will eventually link into the MCU remains to be seen. If it does, a Reddit user who came up withan intriguing theory regarding the show and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine will be pleased… Before then, at least, fans have the last two installments of its first season’s three-part closer to look forward to.

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I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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