X-Men ‘97 is set to continue from when the series left off, with Magneto leading the group for Professor Xavier. However, it seems that the revival is set to do something the original should have done: including LGBT representation straight out of the comics .
The X-Men have always been an allegory for persecuted minorities making it perfect for LGBT representation. Now that Marvel has a good amount of queer comic heroes, it will be interesting to see who shows up.
X-Men ‘97 embraces LGBT
According to DanielRPK on Patreon (via The Marvel Focus), fans can expect LGBT comic characters to appear in X-Men ‘97. While not perfect in its representation, the X-Men franchise has included a number of popular queer characters.
Unfortunately, no actual characters were named for the show. However, there are a number of characters that we expect to make an appearance.
Disney and Marvel and have yet to make an announcement regarding this. But with Disney’s love of announcing queer characters in minor roles — we’re looking at you, Zootopia — we expect a reveal ahead of release.
Considering the current lack of queer characters in X-Men media outside of the comics, this should have happened much sooner. Sure, Deadpool 2 had a lesbian couple and played up Deadpool’s omnisexuality but they can still do better, given the whole mutant/minority allegory.
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Which LGBT characters should appear?
Thankfully, there are a good number of LGBT mutants from Marvel Comics that can make appearances in X-Men ‘97. Some of these characters have also previously appeared in the show, which would be nice nods to the show’s continuity.
Mystique and Destiny should definitely appear. For those unaware, Mystique is bisexual in the comics, having been seen with both men and women, though Destiny seems to be her true lover.
Northstar was the first ever gay Marvel character and it would make sense to bring him into the animated series. Iceman was also revealed as gay during the All-New X-Men comics, making him another popular choice.
X-Men ‘97 is expected to hit Disney+ sometime in the Fall of 2023.
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