X-Men '97 Episode 1 Continues A Huge Series Mistake - But Marvel Fans Fixed It
"X-Men '97" continues the story of "X-Men: The Animated Series," as well as the classic show's legacy as one of the more faithful "X-Men" adaptations out there. Unfortunately, this also means that "X-Men '97" comes pre-equipped with the same highly convoluted backstory from the comics — and makes some of the same mistakes, such as the continuity error with Warren Worthington III, aka Angel (Stephen Ouimette), that keeps stubbornly popping up.
On "The Animated Series," the character debuts as one of the Four Horsemen of the villainous Apocalypse (John Colicos) and appears to be a completely new acquaintance to the mutant heroes. In the comics, however, he's a founding member of the X-Men — and later flashbacks confirm this to be true for the series as well, although why no one seems to recognize him is never addressed. It's a mistake that pops up again in "X-Men '97" Episode 1, when we see an image of the original team that features Angel.
Fortunately, fans on Reddit have rushed to the show's rescue, putting forward assorted potential explanations for the X-Men's apparent Angel-themed amnesia. "Tbh, could just be classic Professor X taking it upon himself to edit memories if they're mildly inconvenient for him!" u/ghosthost88 suggested. "My head canon was that Warren had joined the X-Men temporarily, but had a huge falling out and left. Hence why Scott and Warren immediately start arguing with each other when they meet up later," u/Manofwood wrote.
The X-Men stories are complex even without continuity errors
One particularly entertaining fan theory about the X-Men not knowing — or rather, acknowledging — Angel is about pettiness and romantic triangles, something they're known for thanks to Cyclops (Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), and Wolverine (Cal Dodd). "Perhaps in this version, the original X-Men love triangle (Scott-Jean-Warren) was resolved in a far more messy manner than in the comics, leading to extremely hard feelings all around, to the point where Scott won't even call Warren by his first name anymore," u/Unhappy_Attention41 wrote.
Whether you prefer the Angel situation to be due to mind control, personal grudges, or simply a production error, there's no denying that it's extremely confusing — even if you did watch "X-Men: The Animated Series" before "X-Men '97." On the one hand, the fact that the new show continues the story so faithfully is a good thing, especially since "X-Men: The Animated Series" paved the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its crossovers, guest stars, and ambitious story arcs.
On the other hand, its apparent adherence to the original's errors — at least when it comes to Angel — could lead to confusion in a show that already boasts an extremely convoluted storyline. Even in the live-action movies, the entire "X-Men" timeline is a handful. Consider how a second Jean Grey arrives in "X-Men '97" Episode 2, potentially changing everything, and it's easy to see how the animated version may be even tougher to keep tabs on — with or without accidental continuity errors.