Marvel Studios has experienced numerous changes behind the scenes in recent years for their various films and TV shows.

While Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, the former Iron Man star will take on a brand new role in the franchise. Starting in Avengers: Doomsday, the veteran will portray Doctor Doom, following the shift from Kang the Conqueror.

However, the Marvel villain made a surprise return in 2026, appearing as a variant in animation in <em>X-Men '97</em> season 2. In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant’s Andy Behbakht, supervising producer and director Jake Castreona was asked if it was always the plan to use Kang in any capacity in season 2, despite changes on the feature side. He clarified that “he was there from the very early drafts. As far as I remember, that was always in script phase.”

However, Castreona emphasized that “as far as like the conversations that may or may not have been had when Beau [DeMayo, former showrunner] was writing it at the time, or between everyone in the writers’ room, of, ‘Are we including this because of what we’re doing now and our plans for the future?’ That is unbeknownst to me.” He elaborated how “those were different meetings that I didn’t need to be involved in, so I wasn’t there. I can neither confirm nor deny if that was truly the plan, but there is always some level of synergy amongst the studios. But at the end of the day, we are definitely our own universe, and we get to act accordingly.”

In X-Men ’97 season 2, audience members met the Rama-Tut version of Kang, voiced by John de Lancie. This is the first actor to have played any incarnation of the foe since Jonathan Majors was let go by Marvel Studios.

While his appearance in the animated series was brief, it was still surprising to see the character make his way into the X-Men ’97 continuity, especially since Kang was originally intended to be a major antagonist in The Multiverse Saga for the MCU. The last time viewers saw him in live-action was during Loki season 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Whether or not Kang will be addressed in Avengers: Doomsday remains uncertain, but it seems highly unlikely. With attention now fully on Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, Majors’ villain may at least be alluded to.

Given that X-Men ’97 is set in its own universe, there are already different versions of characters featured in the show that also appear in the MCU. This gives audiences of both properties a chance to experience unique takes on various famous Marvel heroes and villains simultaneously.

This will likely continue even in X-Men ’97 season 3, as the Disney+ property has already been renewed for more episodes. After season 2 concludes next week, the series is set to return sometime in 2027 on the streaming platform.

The X-Men ’97 season 2 finale is scheduled for release on Wednesday, August 12, on Disney+.