Highlights
- X-Men ’97, the upcoming animated series, will introduce a classic Marvel Comics character, Madelyne Pryor, also known as The Goblin Queen.
- Madelyne Pryor has a complex story that involves being a clone created by X-Men villain Mister Sinister and her relationship with Scott, resulting in the birth of Cable.
- The introduction of Madelyne Pryor in the animated series provides an opportunity to explore a storyline that has not been covered in live-action films and potentially opens doors for the future of X-Men in live-action.
X-Men ’97 will introduce a classic Marvel Comics character to the Marvel television sphere for the first time.
True to its name, the new animated series will pick up where X-Men: The Animated Series left off when it ended in 1997. Intent on bringing the X-Men to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney Plus will release new seasons of content, including one character who has yet to appear in narrative television. Funko released a new look at an upcoming figure long-standing in the comics.
According to @xmentrove on Twitter, Funko has revealed that Madelyne Pryor will appear in the series. Also referred to by her moniker, The Goblin Queen, the new figure is pictured holding a baby wrapped in an X-Men blanket. For those aware of her comic persona, this suggests many interesting storylines will be upcoming in the new show.
Madelyne has a history that spans back to the Dark Phoenix Saga. After Jean Grey dies on the moon due to her connection to the Phoenix Force, it isn’t long before Madelyne shows up. Looking strikingly like Jean, Scott can’t help but fall for her. Not Jean reincarnated, Madelyne is a clone created by X-Men villain Mister Sinister, who hoped she and Scott would birth a genetically superior mutant child. For the most part, this works out, as the two do consummate their union. Madelyne and Scott sire Nathan, also known as the time-traveling mutant Cable. However, Madelyne takes a terrible turn when Jean returns from the dead. Abandoned by Scott for his former love, Madelyne becomes The Goblin Queen.
As X-Men: The Animated Series has already traversed the overexposed Dark Phoenix arc, this is the perfect time to introduce Madelyne Pryor. The live-action films have never gotten far enough in the comics to represent this story, and animation is the ideal medium to debut it. This also allows Cable into the mix. Though Josh Brolin portrayed the iconic character in Deadpool 2, the separation between Fox and the MCU made telling his full story complex. Cable was slightly retooled for the film, not delving into the origin of his family.
This could also give rise to comics that feature the character, like Messiah Complex. X-Men ’97 is a tiny step for the mutants to enter the Marvel Studios universe, but it needs to be made. If this series rises as high as many hope, it could mean good news for the future of X-Men in live action.
X-Men ’97 will premiere on Disney Plus in early 2024.
Source: @xmentrove/Twitter