‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2, Episode 4’s After-Credits Scene Is A Marvel Comics Deep Cut
Nicholas Brooks
Updated onJuly 12, 2026
X-Men ‘97 (2024) Season 2 has given more than a few nods to the decades of history tied to the X-Men. While the series is set in the ‘90s, every decade is on the table, and the after-credits scene of Episode 4 proved this with a fun cameo between Wolverine and two other heroes.
As Wolverine reunites with Black Widow and Captain America, it teases a history between them that we haven’t seen on screen. While we’ve seen Wolverine and Cap meet in X-Men: The Animated Series (1992), this nod is more inspired by a fun comic story that could inspire the future of the series
‘X-Men ‘97’s’ Cameo Provides Major Context To The Show’s Past
We originally saw Wolverine and Captain America team up in a flashback in X-Men: The Animated Series. But one appearance doesn’t mean that Wolverine didn’t meet anyone else. If anything, it proves that while the X-Men were only shown interacting with one another, that didn’t mean there weren’t other characters in the Marvel Universe they met
This has been proven in the past. Rogue got her strength and flight from Ms. Marvel after a battle in the original animated series. The Marvel universe exists just outside the windows of the X-Mansion, and even characters like Spider-Man have met the X-Men before
Knowing Wolverine and Black Widow have also met Captain America shows just how much we haven’t seen as fans that makes this world feel so full. But rather than looking to the past, this brief cameo also allows us to get excited for what the future holds. We may not see them in the following episode, but it proves that it’s not the end of Marvel characters appearing
What Happened In The ‘X-Men’ Team-Up Issue?
The Uncanny X-Men #268 by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee is most famous for its cover of Wolverine looking over a ledge with Captain America and Black Widow by his side. But surprisingly, the cover only lightly implied what would happen in the issue
The plot takes place both in the present day and in 1941 as Captain America and Logan work together in the past to rescue a young Black Widow from The Hand. But the present plotline follows Wolverine, Psylocke, and Jubilee as they rescue Black Widow and work together to stop another Hand and Hydra scheme
It’s a brief glimpse into just how connected Wolverine is to the Marvel Universe and its heroes, but it doesn’t exist to move beyond the one issue. It’s a simple one-shot story about friendship and loyalty, and it ironically lends itself well to the themes of X-Men ‘97 in the process
What makes the issue pop is Jim Lee’s iconic artwork, as well as how Claremont can explore the personalities and thoughts of its characters so well. What we get is a template for a perfect team-up issue with the hope that it could lead to something more exciting in X-Men ‘97
What ‘X-Men ‘97’s’ Captain America & Black Widow Cameos Tease For The Show’s Future
With Captain America returning to the series and the debut of Black Widow, the one thing that stands out is how much this sets up the hope of more team-ups outside of the X-Men. For two seasons, we have seen various mutants return and take larger roles, and while the show is meant to focus on that, it’s also helped expand its universe
We know there are other heroes out there and that they’ve teamed up in the past, but so far it’s the one thing we haven’t seen in X-Men ‘97. With confirmation that Spider-Man exists in this universe, one of the best examples is the return of the ‘90s Web-Head that so many grew up with. What X-Men ’97 needs more than anything is a continuous growth of its world with more team-ups with other heroes.
Cameos are great, but it’s only just a taste of what could be. As fun as it is to see the X-Men in action, it would be even more fun to see Wolverine and Spider-Man team up while Captain America and Cyclops strategize against a larger threat. One brief moment could easily set up an even larger animated world in the Marvel Universe
X-Men ’97
2024
8.7
The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
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