A major mutant gets introduced in the third episode of X-Men ’97, undoing the representation issues riddling X-Men: The Animated Series.

X-Men ‘97 isn’t just bringing X-Men: The Animated Series to the modern Marvel canon, but also revamping fan-favorite characters with more fleshed-out arcs and new challenges. The show revival is still set in 1997, but has made some major changes to the original 90s-era ensemble, with Morph, Bishop, and even Magneto joining the X-Men as full-time members. Meanwhile, Cable gets a new origin story and Storm has currently lost her Omega-level status. X-Men ‘97’s third episode makes this final plot more interesting by showing Storm meeting a mutant at the end – one who promises to restore her weather-manipulating powers.

As is evident from the diverse X-Men ‘97 cast and character lineup, the series continues its predecessor and literary source material’s tendency to highlight characters from different cultural backgrounds. Storm herself has been at the forefront with her ethnic roots in Kenya, while the newly-introduced character Sunspot is revealed to hail from Brazil. This goes in tandem with Charles Xavier’s dream of a united mutant front, assembling people from all different backgrounds. One such mutant is revealed to be an old friend of Xavier, whose presence can help in another positive representation trend for the X-Men animated canon.

Forge Is More Important To X-Men ’97’s Story

Forge’s Comic Book Origins Subverted Native American Stereotypes

The mutant who talks to Storm at the end of X-Men ‘97 episode 3 reveals himself to be Forge. X-Menfans may remember Forge as the tech expert of the team with a natural knack for building gadgets. An alternate future version of Forge was introduced in X-Men: The Animated Series, as an X-Force member who sent Cable back in time. More than two decades later, Forge returns in X-Men ‘97, but in the show’s original timeline. There’s a lot more to be revealed about Forge’s unexpected appearance, as in the comics, Forge and Storm also date for some time.

If Forge fulfills his promise of helping Storm regain her mutant powers, Forge will definitely have a bigger role to play in X-Men ‘97. While not much is known about the character’s skillset, the comics might provide an answer, as one of Forge’s major inventions has been the Neutralizer gun that could suppress mutant abilities – a weapon that he destroyed later. Forge’s inclusion in X-Men ‘97 also adds to the show’s Indigenous representation, an aspect that the 90s series couldn’t deliver on.

Even the comics have had relatively few Native American heroes throughout its history, with the Apache-origin mutant Thunderbird being a notable exception. However, this made it more notable that Thunderbird was also killed off on his very first mission. X-Men’s problematic legacy for Indigenous heroes would be addressed decades later with a one-shot that offered more context behind Thunderbird’s Apache roots. This makes it even worse that X-Men: The Animated Series relegated Thunderbird to a non-speaking appearance as one of Magneto’s henchmen.

Forge’s appearance in X-Men ’97 is a good sign in this context. Forge is a significant Indigenous-heritage hero who also has an affinity for science as opposed to stereotypical shamanism associated with previous Marvel heroes like Shaman and Apache Chief.

Why 2024 Is A Good Year For Indigenous Representation Is Marvel

Echo Was A Gamechanger And Now Gil Birmingham Is Marvel Canon

Indigenous superheroes have often been subjected to dated tropes in Marvel Comics, resulting in most of them being in need a modern makeover. As of late, the comics have begun to revamp some origins for characters like the biker vigilante American Eagle and a Wild West sheriff take on Red Wolf. Beyond the comic pages, Marvel’s live-action properties also offer promise with Echo, the debut 2024 project under the Marvel Spotlight banner. The miniseries starred Alaqua Cox as the titular antiheroine as she wages her own personal crusade against Kingpin while also revisiting her Choctaw roots and family in Oklahoma.

While Echo divided critics, there was universal praise for Cox’s performance and the avenues of Indigenous representation it opened up with the show’s ensemble cast. With Marvel Comics having other Indigenous heroes perfect to join the MCU, Forge’s reintroduction proves promising. Gil Birmingham voices the character in the series, whose previous film and TV roles have also helped in representing Indigenous people on screen in various non-stereotypical capacities (as Jacob’s father Billy Black in Twilight and Detective Bill Taba in Under the Banner of Heaven). Forge’s casting and importance in X-Men ’97 imply that Marvel is learning from its past.