Like the original series, X-Men ‘97 has been adapting a variety of comic book storylines from the 90s. Thus far, the likes of Inferno, The Trial of Magneto, and Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly’s New X-Men run have been brought to life, with varying levels of time and success. The show has a lot of stories it can tell, and one of them may bring the team in conflict with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
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Speaking to ComicBook, Ross Marquand (who voices Professor X) indicated there was a “real chance” the show gets to adapt Avengers vs. X-Men. Speaking to Captain America’s appearance in the seventh episode “Bright Eyes,” Marquand noted how it could be the first step toward adapting that storyline. “[Rogue] threw [his shield] in the side of a snowy mountain,” he said. “He ain’t gonna find that shield. It’s not like Mjolnir where you can just like pull it back, it’s stuck in that thing. He’s gonna be pissed at Rogue for a while.”
Released in 2012, the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline—from writers and artists like Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, Adam Kubert, and Olivier Coipel—was arguably the last big event before Marvel went into its MCU synergy phase. Like the title implies, the two teams went to war over the returning Phoenix Force, which eventually split itself into five pieces that bond with Colossus, Magik, Emma Frost, Namor, and Cyclops. Things eventually end with the Phoenix Force restoring the then-dwindling mutant population, Cyclops as a mutant revolutionary, and Cap forming the Uncanny Avengers to mend fences with mutants.
What makes a potential adaptation interesting in the context of X-Men ‘97 is that it’d how, by design, the X-Men’s POV would take center stage instead of the Avengers like in the comics. The show’s shown how characters like Rogue and Cyclops are fed up with how mutants are currently treated, and how Cap’s “by the book” approach with violent acts against them is unacceptable. If anything, its version of the storyline would be titled X-Men vs. Avengers, and make whatever the late 90s/early 2000s version of the Avengers out to only stick their neck of mutants if they get to look good.
AvX is a big story, and it’d probably be easier (and more fun) to pull off in animation than the movies. Recent episodes have had no problem showing that characters like Scott and Magneto are right in their anger and actions, and one can imagine that it’d find an interesting way to present those viewpoints (and those who are swayed to their side) when they’re influenced by the ever-corrupting power of the Phoenix Force.
X-Men ‘97’s already got a second season secured, and it may have a third under its belt as well. Let us know in the comments how you think it’d do tackling Avengers vs. X-Men, or if it’s even worth doing in the first place.
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