There’s new chatter about an X-Men vs. Avengers crossover ahead of the former team’s upcoming reboot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Along with longtime favorites from Fox’s X-Men franchise returning at the end of the year for Avengers: Doomsday, new versions of the mutant superheroes will be introduced post-Multiverse Saga in the X-Men reboot movie. Meanwhile, on Disney+, X-Men ’97 is shining a spotlight on this Marvel property in the animated realm. One of the show’s key creative talents is hopeful it can be used as a platform for the X-Men and Avengers to collide.
In an interview with Comicbook, X-Men ’97 director and supervising producer Jake Castorena expressed interest in having an “X-Men versus Avengers” crossover, though he did acknowledge that he seemingly hasn’t run this idea by Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios. When asked if there was another Marvel team he’d like to bring to life in animation, Castorena said:
I would love to do…Brad (Winderbaum) don’t hate me… But I would love if we could ever build an X-Men versus Avengers crossover. I think that would just…I think as fans, we all want that.
Since X-Men ’97 is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, that means it exists in the same continuity as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Iron Man: The Animated Series, and other Marvel shows from the 1990s. As a result, characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, Daredevil, Captain America, and Black Widow have appeared on X-Men ’97, mainly as cameos. The latter two heroes most recently appeared in “Rise of Apocalypse Part 2” to deliver Wolverine a file on Weapon X.
As such, it would be feasible to feature an X-Men vs. Avengers crossover in X-Men ’97, though nothing is officially in the works on that front. What’s unclear is if such a crossover would then pave the way for an Avengers spinoff show. Other animated incarnations of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have been seen in shows like The Avengers: United They Stand, The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and Avengers Assemble.
Currently, X-Men ’97 is the only show covering this corner of the Marvel multiverse, although last year’s comic book limited series Spider-Man ’94 did finally follow up on Spider-Man: The Animated Series’ cliffhanger ending. Other Disney+-exclusive animated Marvel shows include Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Marvel Zombies, which are both still airing, and the concluded What If… ? and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. The platform is also home to many live-action MCU shows, like WandaVision, Loki, Ms. Marvel, and Daredevil: Born Again.
X-Men ’97 season 2 will conclude Wednesday, August 12, and two more seasons are in development. As for the X-Men’s live-action future, Avengers: Doomsday opens on December 18, and the yet-to-be-dated X-Men reboot will be directed by Thunderbolts*’ Jake Schreier, with Joanna Calo and Lee Sung Jin writing a new screenplay draft. Ready or Not’s Samara Weaving has also been cast as Emma Frost.
