Another character who didn’t have a ton of screen time in season 1 was Bishop, voiced by Isaac-Robinson Smith. Bishop was first introduced in the Days of Future Past storyline in the 1990s series, traveling to the past to assassinate Robert Kelly, a U.S. Senator who runs an anti-mutant campaign. Bishop appeared in X-Men ’97 but left the team early in the season and returned briefly at the end. In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant‘s Joseph Deckelmeier, Smith said he hopes X-Men ’97 season 2 offers an in-depth exploration of Bishop’s character and background.
Isaac Robinson-Smith: Personally, I would love to see more of a background for him because he’s a man out of time, so he doesn’t really have a home, necessarily, anywhere. I would love to see an exploration of where he came from and how he feels about it on a deeper level because he got that in the first series, in the original in ’92.
I’m actually going through reading the comics to get a sense of his story on a bigger level for myself, but I would love to see his past – even though he lives in different pasts. I’d love to see more of him and how he develops and what his feelings are on a deeper level, and hopefully, I’ll get to explore that as the character in season 2.
ScreenRant: Back in the ’90s, there was the X-Men Blue Team and Gold Team. If X-Men ’97 were to spin off into two shows, would you like to see Bishop be a part of the X-Men Gold Team?
Isaac Robinson-Smith: Sure! I’m doing my own exploration of the history of it, so I need to look more into [the teams], but I think just more possibilities with the character would be great in general.
What Isaac Robinson-Smith’s X-Men ’97 Comments Mean For Bishop
Bishop is a character who jumps in and out of the X-Men universe but did help the X-Men a few times in the original animated series to fix his timeline. X-Men ’97 starts with Bishop as an official member of the team, trapped in this era after his time-travel device breaks. He assists the team in saving Nathan Summers from the Goblin Queen and Mr. Sinister and takes Nathan to the future to find a cure for a dangerous virus. He returns in the X-Men ’97 season 1’s ending to tell a young Forge that the X-Men are stranded throughout time.
Bishop doesn’t have much of an arc in season 1, since he isn’t in it for very long. Based on Smith’s comments, he isn’t sure how much Bishop will be involved in X-Men ’97 season 2. However, he’s hopeful his character is explored more, as Bishop is an interesting character who is haunted by his experiences in dystopian futures.
Our Take On Isaac Robinson-Smith’s X-Men ’97 Comments
Bishop has been more of a recurring guest character in the animated series, but Smith could have his wish granted for season 2. The X-Men are trapped in different eras of time, and Bishop could be the key to getting the team back to the late 1990s. He can travel through time, and he may be the only mutant who knows where to find them. While he isn’t usually a main character, X-Men ’97 season 2 is a perfect opportunity to give Bishop the arc he deserves.
