X-Men ’97’s Jean Grey twist raises even more questions with episode 3’s reveal, especially regarding the original animated series’ timeline.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 3.

Jean Grey’s whole life has changed in X-Men ’97 episode 3, “Fire Made Flesh”, and the details of this tragic event might only make it worse for the Marvel hero. X-Men ’97 episode 2’s ending introduced a second Jean Grey, leaving the X-Men with a huge mystery in their hands. After Professor X’s death in X-Men: The Animated Series, Magneto’s apparent redemption, and Storm’s depowerment, the X-Men are stretched thin. Things only seem to get worse with the birth of a new villain and the return of another, but answers might begin to appear when subtle clues come to light.

X-Men ’97 episode 3 features the birth of the Goblin Queen — the moniker Jean Grey’s clone adopts when she realizes that all her memories before her baby, Cyclops’ mutant son Nathan Summers, are false. It also brings back a long-time X-Men villain, Mister Sinister, who not only encourages Jean Grey’s clone to give in to her dark impulses but also torments the X-Men with nightmarish illusions. It’s clear that Mister Sinister is behind Jean Grey and her clone’s identity problems, but the question of how and when he created the clone is left open.

When Was Jean Grey Replaced By Her Clone?

X-Men ’97 episode 3 doesn’t state when exactly Mister Sinister replaced the real Jean Grey with a clone, setting up a frustrating mystery for both Jean Greys, Cyclops, and the rest of the X-Men, as none of them will know who they have been interacting with and for how long unless Mister Sinister himself reveals the truth. However, what’s for certain is that the clone, who names herself Madelyne Pryor after coming to terms with her cloned nature, is the person who gave birth to Nathan Summers.

Taking Nathan Summers’ birth into account, Madelyne Pryor must have replaced Jean Grey at least a little before Nathan’s conception nine months before the events of X-Men ’97 episode 3. This tidbit may suggest that X-Men: The Animated Series‘ first two episodes hold the answer. In X-Men: The Animated Series season 2, episode 2 “Till Death Do Us Part – Part 2”, Mister Sinister kidnaps Cyclops and Jean Grey as they head to their honeymoon, but the X-Men arrive just in time to stop the villain from stealing the couple’s genetic material.

Cyclops and Jean Grey seemingly return safe and sound with the X-Men, but Mister Sinister may have had enough time to swap Jean Grey with a clone. However, X-Men: The Animated Series season 4’s four-part finale, “Beyond Good and Evil”, is key, as Cyclops and Jean’s second attempt to have time for themselves is even more likely to have resulted in Jean’s replacement. In the 1995 finale’s first episode, Mister Sinister’s henchmen “The Nasty Boys” kidnap Jean, leaving Cyclops wondering why they didn’t take him also. This part of the timeline leaves more room for Nathan Summers to be conceived.

Marvel Comics Answers The Jean Grey Mystery

Madelyne Pryor’s comic book origin supports the possibility that one of Jean Grey’s kidnappings led to Madelyne ‘s creation in X-Men ’97. In Marvel Comics, Mister Sinister already holds genetic material from the X-Men long before Jean Grey is replaced. The villain creates a clone of Jean in order to make Nathan Summers’ birth possible, but he abandons his project when the clone doesn’t match Jean’s power. It’s only until Jean Grey dies after becoming the Dark Phoenix that Mister Sinister reawakens Madelyne Pryor, as the Phoenix Force chooses her as its new host.

In the comics, Cyclops marries Madelyne Pryor knowing she’s Jean Grey’s clone, as Jean Grey is still dead when Cyclops meets her.

X-Men: The Animated Series season 3 adapted Marvel Comics’ Dark Phoenix saga, which included Jean Grey’s death and resurrection. If X-Men ’97 follows the source material to the letter, then it’s possible that Mister Sinister began creating Madelyne Pryor after kidnapping Jean Grey for the first time, and then finished her project after Jean Grey’s brief death freed up the Phoenix Force. However, X-Men ’97 could take some creative liberties and reveal that Mister Sinister simply kidnapped Jean a second time after finding out how powerful the Phoenix Force made her.

The more important detail here, and the likely solution to Jean Grey’s cloen mystery is that Marvel Comics are releasing an X-Men ’97 prelude, whose first issue (released March 27th) ends with Mr Sinister revealing his plan to clone Jean. The shocking suggestion in that issue is that Jean was already pregnant when Sinister replaced her, potentially setting up a second Grey/Summers child (who could well go on to become Cable’s clone Stryfe in X-Men ’97‘s coming episodes.

X-Men ’97 (2024) #1 is written by Steve Foxe, penciled by Salva Espin with the cover art by Todd Nauck

The MCU Has The Same Issue As X-Men ’97

A similar mystery to Jean Grey’s clone mystery has been the subject of debate in the MCU’s Earth-616. Secret Invasion revealed that War Machine was replaced by a Skrull at some point between Captain America: Civil War and the present day, with various points in the timeline seeming equally probable. Like X-Men ’97, the MCU’s main timeline could explain that the impostor Rhodey began appearing after the real one was incapacitated by Vision, before fighting Thanos in Wakanda, or after the Blip, but every possibility still sounds like a forced retcon due to how suddenly Secret Invasion revealed its twist.

Madelyne Pryor’s comic book precedent makes her X-Men ’97 introduction less egregious, but it still implies that the Jean Grey that appeared in at least a full season of X-Men: The Animated Series wan’t the original one. To reduce this negative implication, the best scenario for both “impostor” storylines would be to choose the most recent option for the moment the characters are replaced. The real Jean Grey could have been replaced the second time Mister Sinister’s henchmen kidnapped her, and the real Rhodey could have participated in the Avengers’ battles until a Skrull replaced him right after Avengers: Endgame.