X-Men 97 fans who fretted over Professor X’s absence in the animated series’ official character artwork will find comfort in the new rumor claiming the X-Men founder is alive and well – enough to cast away his iconic hoverchair all thanks to Empress Lilandra. Marvel Studios shared an exclusive clip at SDCC 2023 teasing some additions to the mutant team led by Magneto such as Archangel and Bishop.
Charles Xavier’s relationship with the leader of the Shi’Ar empire may come with perks of its own. The classic X-Men series which concluded in 1997 with the fifth season showed Charles leaving Earth with Lilandra. The final episode titled ‘Graduation day’ addressed Professor X requiring Shi’ar’s care for his survival.
Earlier last weekend during SDCC 2023 – the Comic-con preview only showed glimpses of the existing X-Men such as a Pregnant Jean Grey, Cyclops uttering his iconic line “to me, my X-Men.” and the team interrogating Dr. Trask with Jean’s help using Cerebro. A second clip showed Cyclops and the remaining mutants falling from the air and Scott Summers uses his laser beam to slow the landing.
Charles Xavier was once again left out of the conversation begging the question if X-Men 97 would exclude him, especially since Magneto is the leader of the team. Although there is no word yet of the professor coming to Earth – sequences may show him alongside Empress Lilandra.
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According to credible scooper CWGST, Charles Xavier will appear in X-Men 97 in a fully healed state. Moreover, Charles will also find a love interest in Empress Lilandra – the two will be in a relationship when they return.
While it is unclear how Charles managed to heal his debilitating paralysis – CWGST also states “he will also be given Shi’Ar battle armor.” Perhaps, it is the mechanical suit that keeps him from requiring the hoverchair. From the looks of it, the Disney Plus show may introduce Charles in an alien planet, possibly Aerie or most likely, Chandilar, the throneworld of the Shi’ar Empire.
It will be interesting to see if Charles’ return to Earth or the X-Men visiting the professor on an alien planet may have something to do with Mister Sinister, the main villain of the series. In any case, it appears the Shi’ar empire has found a permanent cure to Professor X so fans may never see the hoverchair (though never say never).
X-Men 97 was initially slated for late 2023 release on Disney Plus but was later revealed to be delayed for January 2024. Though Marvel Studios has yet to announce its calendar schedule with no official promo released yet. the SDCC clips were event exclusive and no scenes were leaked except for written descriptions.
UPDATE #2: The clip showcased the X-Men interrogating one of the antagonists of the show, Dr. Trask. Cyclops utters a variation of the iconic line: “To Me, My X-Men.”
Jean Grey was shown using Cerebro to enter Trask’s mind during the interrogation. https://t.co/dRDKnlAOTv
— The Cosmic Circus (@MyCosmicCircus) July 21, 2023
Another clip featured the X-Men falling out of the air and Cyclops using his laser beams to slow down the landing. pic.twitter.com/NV3PKCILGS
— The Cosmic Circus (@MyCosmicCircus) July 21, 2023
Currently, X-Men 97 is one of the only few anticipated entries for 2024 considering the SAG & WGA strike has forced studios to halt production on any potential projects set for next year. The show will feature Cyclops and Jean Grey as the main leads and fan-favorite characters like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are also set to return.
