Epic Reinvention: X-Men ’97 Cast Transcends in Mesmerizing Fan-Made Artwork

X-Men ’97’s female mutants shine in a striking piece of Marvel fan art full of easter eggs that reference characters outside the animated series.

Four X-Men ’97 characters get reimagined as slightly more realistic versions of the Marvel show’s mutants in a beautiful piece of fan art. While Fox’s 13 live-action X-Men movies introduced many mutant characters, some of the mutants in X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97‘s packed cast of characters continue to be more carefully developed than their live-action counterparts. Among them, Jubilee, Rogue, Storm, and Emma Frost were sidelined in the X-Men movies, but have made a bigger impact in the animated series.

Artist Jhony Caballero highlights these four mutants in his own style, adding lots of detail to their iconic clothes. In the artist’s images, Jubilee, Rogue, Storm, and Emma Frost are all wearing X-Men shirts, as well as pins and scribbles that reference their close allies and their activities outside the X-Men. For instance, Rogue wears a card pin as a nod to Gambit, and “Avengers Annual #10” is written on her jacket, referencing her first comic book appearance. Similarly, Storm sports a Black Panther pin, Emma Frost wears a Cerebro pin, and Jubilee sports an anti-Sentinel pin. See the artwork below:

What The MCU Can Learn From X-Men ’97’s Female Mutants

The MCU has a lot to learn from how X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97 depict their female characters. Fox’s X-Men franchise put most of its focus on Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, overlooking important mutants like Cyclops and Nightcrawler. Female characters were overshadowed even more, with Storm being relegated to a minor character with simple lightning powers, Rogue being forgotten after X-Men: The Last Stand, Emma Frost having a one-off appearance in X-Men: First Class, and Jubilee barely appearing on-screen in X-Men: Apocalypse. X-Men ’97, even with its restricted runtime, gives their female characters much more to do.

In just two episodes, X-Men ’97 does more character work for Storm than all live-action movies ever did. X-Men ’97‘s Storm showcases her godlike powers and commanding presence against humans and mutants alike, and the pain she feels when she loses her abilities pushes her character arc forward effectively in record time. Likewise, Jean Grey’s themes of superhero responsibility and motherhood are fresh in comparison to her repetitive movie arc, and both Jubilee and Rogue establish clear foundations for their stories going forward: Rogue’s feelings for Magneto, and Jubilee’s desire for bigger adventures.

Both X-Men: Days Of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse cut the scenes that focused on Rogue and Jubilee, respectively. Rogue’s scenes were later added to a special edition of X-Men: Days Of Future Past , titled “The Rogue Cut” .

Each of X-Men ’97‘s female heroes develop their own individual journey parallel to their work with the X-Men — something that none of the X-Men movies leaned on. Given that every adapted or original storyline that X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97 follows is part of one single series, all members of the X-Men are able to build upon their previous experiences smoothly. Similarly, the MCU’s X-Men movies and shows will eventually be part of a more consistent continuity than Fox’s X-Men franchise, which could allow them to follow the same narrative pattern as the animated shows.