X-Men ’97 could bring Captain America and Spider-Man into the show, but one X-Men character was off-limits for the series.

Beau DeMayo’s X-Men ’97 is a treat for fans who grew up with X-Men: The Animated Series. When the children’s content turned into an adult animated show for Disney+, fans were in for an anxiety-inducing brilliantly written series. The creators also managed to cater to the Marvel fans and bring in a few cameos like Captain America and Spider-Man. But DeMayo revealed that one superhero was strictly off-limits for them to bring into the series.

X-Men ’97 featured cameos from several Marvel superheroes, but one character couldn’t be included in the series

X-Men ’97 could not feature a cameo from Deadpool, despite the X-Men character making appearances in the 90s animated series. It could probably be due to the upcoming multiversal film in the MCU featuring the character, Deadpool & Wolverine.

Beau DeMayo Reveals Deadpool Was Off-Limits For X-Men ’97

Beau DeMayo revealed that Deadpool was off-limits for X-Men ’97, probably due to the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine film

It is not uncommon for Marvel to prevent certain characters from getting featured in their different projects. Most of the time, this could be due to the rights of the character. But sometimes it could be due to another creative reason. Earlier, Marvel prevented What If…? from featuring the cosmic heroes, Fantastic Four, in the episodes, since Marvel wanted to introduce them in live-action first.

Interestingly, the same could be the case for Deadpool’s appearance in X-Men ’97. Marvel’s new sensational show featured a multitude of cameos, some of them very familiar to the audiences while others were only recognizable to hardcore fans. Captain America and Thunderbolt Ross appeared in the seventh episode of the series. Spider-Man had a brief, non-speaking cameo that threw fans completely off.

The series also featured a few X-Men characters who have their own backstories in the comics. Only ardent X-Men fans recognized Gabriel Summers and Callisto in the series. However, the series was not allowed to feature one of the X-Men in the show. When one fan on X asked showrunner Beau DeMayo about Deadpool’s appearance in the show, he responded that the series was not allowed to feature the character. According to X:

@BeauDemayo: “Yeah, he was off-limits.”

Fans may not be entirely on board with the idea of Marvel putting such a restriction on the show. However, it could be because the studio has an upcoming film with the character as its protagonist. The studio may want to feature Deadpool first in its live-action movie before allowing X-Men ’97 to have some creative control over the character.

Interestingly, X-Men ’97 takes place in a different universe from that of the MCU. In any other case, it shouldn’t have affected the storyline of the live-action film. But Ryan Reynolds‘ Deadpool & Wolverine being a multiversal film makes matters more complicated and hence the restriction.

Deadpool & Fantastic Four Were Not The Only Characters Restricted By The Studio

Kraven the Hunter was supposed to make an appearance in the MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, Sony didn’t want the character to feature in a shared film first before he could feature in a Sony live-action film (via ScreenRant). Another major character that was restricted in a project was the Guardians of the Galaxy character, Adam Warlock (via The Direct).

The character played by Will Poulter was supposed to make an appearance in The Marvels. The Brie Larson film would have featured him as a pure villain, but that would’ve come in conflict with what James Gunn had planned for the character. Interestingly, Adam Warlock joins Rocket’s Guardians team at the end of the third film from Gunn.

All nine episodes of X-Men ’97 are now available for streaming on Disney+. The tenth episode will drop on the platform on May 15, 2024.