A new X-Men ’97 theory suggests the overdue recruitment of a classic hero following Storm’s new look and Nightcrawler becoming an official X-Man.

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 episode 6

An exciting X-Men ’97 theory suggests the titular mutant team will finally be recruiting a long-overdue hero. Following the Fall of Genosha and key teases in X-Men ’97 episode 6, it seems as though the X-Men are poised for some exciting additions to their current roster. As such, the time has potentially come for none other than Piotr Rasputin’s Colossus to finally become an official X-Man in this animated Marvel universe.

In the aftermath of the massacre on Genosha seen in X-Men ’97 episode 5, both Magneto and Gambit are believed to have fallen in battle at the hands of the massive “Wild Sentinel” that brutally attacked the island mutant nation. As such, it stands to reason that the X-Men will need some fresh blood, seeing how they just lost two of their own. To that end, the events of X-Men ’97 are potentially teasing that Colossus might finally join the team in future issues.

X-Men ’97 Is Teasing A Giant-Sized Roster

Storm’s Black Costume And Nightcrawler’s Offical Name Card

X-Men ’97 episode 6 notably features Storm regaining her powers with help from Forge. Facing her inner demons while simultaneously taking on a literal one, Ororo is reborn with the restoration of her powers, a transformation signified by Storm’s classic black costume from the original comics. Additionally, while the opening credits for this episode removed both Magneto and Gambit’s name cards, they did feature the exciting addition of Kurt Wagner’s Nightcrawler, essentially confirming that he’s finally becoming an official X-Man. After all, Nightcrawler only appeared in a handful of the original series’ episodes.

X-Men ’97’s recent Storm and Nightcrawler reveals point to the X-Men roster getting a “Giant-Sized” shake-up. In 1975’s Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, a new team of X-Men was introduced on the page for the first time. Aside from Cyclops as the sole original member, the team also featured Sunfire, Banshee, and Wolverine who had all been featured in previous Marvel Comics. However, Giant-Size X-Men #1 served as the first appearance for Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Thunderbird. As such, it certainly looks like X-Men ’97 may be taking some key inspirations from this roster.

Colossus Finally Joining The Team Would Correct A Major OG X-Men Mistake

Colossus Only Made Guest Appearances In The Original Series

While Thunderbird joining X-Men ’97’s team would also be very exciting, the potential recruitment of Colossus to the X-Men’s roster on-screen is long overdue. As seen in the original X-Men animated series, Colossus only showed up in two episodes. The first saw Colossus initially being blamed for the chaos of the Juggernaut in the show’s first season. However, Piotr Rasputin would eventually gain the X-Men’s trust before helping bring the foe down.

Colossus would then make another appearance in X-Men’s second season, seeking the X-Men’s help in Russia with the villain Omega Red. While Colossus and his mutant allies save the day, he declines their offer to join them. However, he did concede that one day he would visit. At any rate, Colossus never got to put on his classic red and yellow X-Men uniform from the comics, and the series left his whereabouts unclear. With that in mind, getting to see Colossus in full hero mode as an official X-Man would certainly make up for the mistake the OG series made by primarily keeping him on the sidelines.

Why The Time Is Right For Colossus’ Official X-Men Status

Supporting The X-Men After Genosha’s Fall

Having already been teased in X-Men ’97 episode 2 thanks to a well-timed transformation from Morph, it’s hopefully only a matter of time before Colossus returns to finally join the X-Men’s ranks. He’d certainly offer some major muscle to the team, not to mention the potential for animated Fastball Special maneuvers with Wolverine. Likewise, perhaps the Fall of Genosha will motivate Colossus to seek out the remaining X-Men, wanting to offer his help and power in the name of protecting mutantkind.

Remixing and honoring the “Giant-Size” team would certainly be very exciting for future episodes of X-Men ’97. Even if viewers have to wait for X-Men ’97 season 2, Colossus would be a very exciting addition to the team and a long time coming ever since the original series. He’s a total powerhouse, great for power synergies, and the team definitely could use the help after the horrible tragedy that took place on Genosha.

New episodes of X-Men ’97 release Wednesdays on Disney+.