X-Men '97 Episode 5 Has A Secret 'What If' Cameo That Could Change Everything
Contains spoilers for "X-Men '97" Season 1, Episode 5 – "Remember It?"
So far, the animated return to the world of mutants has been an incredible one. In addition to "X-Men '97" officially confirming Marvel's coolest mutant (hint: it's not Wolverine), Season 1, Episode 5 – "Remember It?" proved that Disney's not holding back on the kill count. Following the attack on Genosha in the series' latest chapter, the mutants suffered severe losses, with Magneto (Matthew Waterson) and Gambit (A.J. LoCascio) chief among them. It definitely came as a shock to be hit with such a tragedy, but audiences may have already anticipated something terrible was on the horizon given that The Watcher was, well, watching the carnage unfold along with them.
Around the 20-minute mark, right before the Hellfire Gala kicks off, a starlit sky is shown, with a subtle outline of Uatu (Jeffrey Wright) barely visible on the left of the screen. The Watcher, who observes pivotal moments in the billions of realities he has access to, is monitoring the attack on Genosha. It's a cosmic-sized cameo that, in addition to bringing a great touch to the best episode of the show so far, may also solidify "X-Men '97" as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Uatu's presence is the first "X-Men '97" connection to an MCU show or film outside of the sequel series's continuity, and, if rumors are to be believed, may even tee up a mutant appearing in the next season of "What If...?"
Uatu's arrival hints at Marvel Animation expanding deeper into the MCU
While The Watcher's appearance in this week's episode of "X-Men '97" might be a surprise, it may also mark the first hint at a crossover that will reportedly happen the next time audiences are reacquainted with Uatu. She might struggle at bringing the thunder at the moment, but a report states, "What If...?" Season 3 features Marvel's most powerful X-Men leader, Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), who will, rumor has it, be giving Mjolnir a swing.
In addition to spilling this secret involving mutants and multiple realities, established Marvel leaker @CanWeGetSomeToast has also revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that the Watcher will enter the world of "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man," the long-anticipated animated series that is designed to work as the prelude to Peter Parker's MCU arrival in "Captain America: Civil War."
As one whose reach stretches across worlds, the Watcher's appearance in "X-Men '97" might mark the beginning of some major moves that could change the future of the mutants in the MCU. The question is, will Uatu show us a different outcome to the attack on Genosha in the next episode of this series, or perhaps in upcoming installments of "What If...?" Besides Storm wielding Thor's iconic hammer, might we also see stories like "What If.... Nathan Summers Never Went Back To The Future?" or "What If... Jean Chose Logan Over Scott?" The possibilities are endless, but for now, we'll have to tune into "X-Men '97" next week to watch "What If... Gambit Is Okay So We Can Feel Something Again?"