X-Men '97 director Jake Castorena discusses Captain America's future appearance in the series and the Marvel war that the X-Men may soon find themselves embroiled in.

A promotional video for X-Men '97 was released teasing what's to come for the mutants and their personal drama. The promo shocked viewers by showing Captain America's shield striking the ground. Castorena confirmed that the fallen shield in the episode 5 teaser does indeed belong to Steve Rogers/Captain America. Castorena warned fans expecting a portrayal similar to the MCU's might be in for a surprise, as Captain America's feelings towards mutants in the '90s were complex and this may influence his characterization in X-Men '97.

Nightcrawler in X-Men '97
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Castrorena stated, "I mean, call space spade. We saw Cap's shield. You know what, a lot of people tend to forget that Cap of the nineties wasn't the same as our Steve Rogers. Steve Rogers in the 90s had a little bit of a bias against the mutants… But, yeah, what I will say is, the reason why I love the X-Men so much, and why I value them over a lot of the other Marvel teams that we have, because there's a lot of great ones at the end of the day, is they've got the danger room. Man, the X-Men trained for this stuff. They have a danger room, and everybody else just wings that stuff."

Another possible cameo came in the form of eagle-eyed fans spotting the silhouette of The Watcher in the latest episode of the animated series. The character is known for his role in What If...?, an animated series that delves into the multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While Captain America has made an appearance in a previous episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, it's unclear whether this iteration of the hero will be consistent with that version or if the X-Men will encounter a Captain America from a different universe.

Cyclops and his team in X-Men '97
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X-Men '97 carries on the legacy of X-Men: The Animated Series, introducing new storylines featuring beloved characters like Cyclops, Wolverine and Jean Grey. The team has recently faced significant challenges, discovering that Mr. Sinister had cloned Jean Grey in an attempt to manipulate the child she would eventually have with Scott Summers/Cyclops. Additionally, it was revealed that Professor Xavier ( had entrusted Magneto with leading the team, much to the dismay of the X-Men who remained skeptical of his intentions.

X-Men '97 is currently streaming on Disney+

Source: Variety