While this would have slipped past theatregoers, Disney+ dropped a subtle Easter egg for the upcoming series X-Men ’97 during a pivotal scene in Doctor Strange 2.
We’ve long understood that Marvel and Disney plan out new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe years in advance and as news about those plans trickle out to the public, we’re treated to our share of exciting surprises .
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But fans have been speculating about one of the most anticipated projects for the entertainment juggernaut ever since 2019 when it was clear that the X-Men would join the MCU with Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
And that news sparked a major rumor about the latest Doctor Strange sequel that has since been confirmed for those who watched it, but it looks like there was an even subtler hint of what’s to come lurking in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness all along.
Be advised that this article contains spoilers for Dr. Strange In The Multiverse of Madness
During one universe-hopping scene in the Doctor Strange sequel, Strange and his companion America Chavez find themselves on Earth-838
As The Direct summarized, this planet is controlled by a group of superheroes called the Illuminati that include Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four, Captain Britain, and the overwhelmingly powerful Black Bolt from the Inhumans.
Strange and Chavez are captured by this group out of an apparent concern for the destruction they could wage on the planet.
Most relevant to the Easter egg I’m about to go over, however, is a member of the superhero secret society whom I haven’t mentioned yet: Professor Charles Xavier.
As we can see, the X-Men leader is played by Patrick Stewart as in most other movie adaptations of the popular comics.
The only difference, however, is that he’s more explicitly styled after the version of the character we saw in the ’90s animated series.
But this character’s introduction to the MCU didn’t use his futuristic hover chair as the only reference point to make that clear.
In what was sure to be a crowd-pleasing moment, Professor X’s entrance was scored by a brief and updated rendition of the iconic theme song to the animated series.
But while this moment appeared to herald an prospective MCU debut for the X-Men, it also contained a subtler Easter egg for a different project that has already been confirmed.
And unless you watch the movie on Disney+, there’s almost no way to catch that hint.
That’s because the streaming service described this brief fanfare as the “X-Men ’97 Theme” in the closed captions.
According to Entertainment Weekly , this refers to an upcoming animated series that’s expected to premiere in 2023 and will see our mutant heroes pick up right where they left off when the first series ended in 1997.
That’s likely why it’s called X-Men ’97 and while there isn’t much else that we know about the cartoon at this point, I suppose viewers of the Doctor Strange sequel now know what its theme song will sound like.
h/t: The Direct
