In the 1990s, Spider-Man: The Animated Series began an interdimensional quest to save all reality, but after abruptly ending on a cliffhanger, Disney+’s X-Men ‘97 can finally resolve it. The original X-Men: The Animated Series ran from 1992 to 1997 and began Marvel’s shared animated universe with aplomb, garnering critical acclaim and seeing commercial success by reaching over 23 million households at its peak. Now, Marvel will return to its ‘90s Saturday morning serials via X-Men's Disney+ reboot, giving the revived series a prime opportunity to finally give Peter Parker his happily-ever-after.
Originally aired in 1994, Spider-Man: The Animated Series was Marvel’s second longest-running show next to its sister series X-Men. Written to be a more faithful adaptation of the comic books, Spider-Man’s feature cartoon was one of many to establish a shared universe long before the MCU movies helped popularize the concept. After five seasons of adventures, the show ended suddenly in 1998, but not before hinting that a supposedly deceased Mary Jane is still alive and waiting for Peter somewhere in the multiverse.
For a show that was supposed to end close to three decades ago, Disney+ pushing to revisit X-Men hints there’s unfinished business in the animated world of ‘90s Marvel. While it’s unlikely that Spider-Man: The Animated Series will get a revival like X-Men has, it would make sense for X-Men ‘97 to help bring closure to its sister series. Considering Spider-Man’s intertwined history with Xavier’s team of mutants and the unproduced last season of Spider-Man: The Animated Series, acknowledging X-Men’s past by reuniting the two shows for one last adventure seems a safe bet considering the rampant success of the MCU's multiverse narrative in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Marvel cartoon crossovers were common across the 1990s, and different series used other Marvel heroes to further progress their stories. However, Spider-Man was the only one who had the X-Men as guest stars in his series after originally being a spin-off from it in 1994. Spider-Man: The Animated Series season 2 contains a story arc where Peter Parker, seeking a cure for his condition from Professor Xavier and the X-Men, joined forces with them to stop an anti-mutant conspiracy. Additionally, the final episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series saw Storm return for the Beyonder’s intergalactic battle. Considering there is precedent for crossovers, and both shows are available on Disney+, not only would X-Men ‘97 make sense for Spider-Man’s conclusion, it’d be poetic that it would end it as part of the show that began his universe.
The final episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series do exist as an unproduced treatment from show writer John Semper Jr. that became a reward for backers of his War of the Rocket Men project. Titled Peter Finds Mary Jane, the plot of these final episodes sees Peter Parker arrive in Victorian England to find Mary Jane Watson and battle Carnage, who has become Jack the Ripper in this alternate universe. Peter Finds Mary Jane’s bizarre premise being set in Victorian London oddly mirrors X-Men, Season 5, Episode 12, “Descent,” which explored Mr. Sinister and a Jack the Ripper tale. In this way, John Semper Jr.’s story wouldn’t exactly be out of place in X-Men's current continuity, and it may even make a good way to revisit Mr. Sinister’s past.
As a result, X-Men ‘97 could encompass the revival of one beloved show and the end of another. Spider-Man: The Animated Series represented some of the best that ‘90s Marvel had to offer, and it may never have a better opportunity to reach a natural conclusion than as part of X-Men '97's revival. As Disney+’s new X-Men show reportedly picks up exactly where it left off in 1997, there remains a tangible sense of hope that the 90's version of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will also return to resolve one of Marvel's biggest cliffhangers.