Marvel’s Highest-Rated TV Series May Never Actually Use Its Best Character

Marvel has its fair share of standout projects. The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, of course, serve as the conclusion of a decade-long storyline that features dozens of characters and countless memorable moments. There are individual achievements as well, such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which proves that comic book movies can play in any sandbox they set their sights on. However, the MCU has been struggling in recent years, which has opened the door for new faces to emerge from the shadows. While it might be surprising to hear, Marvel’s highest-rated TV series doesn’t feature Daredevil or the God of Mischief. No, it follows a group of heroes who are constantly fighting for equality.

The critically acclaimed X-Men ’97 is a sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series, which started airing long before Fox decided to bring the team to the big screen. Since times are different, Marvel Studios must be careful about which mutants it chooses to use, as there are so many moving parts between the movie and TV divisions. In fact, there’s a good chance that X-Men ’97 never uses its best character because they have bigger fish to fry.

Deadpool Is Already Part of the X-Men ’97 Universe

The focus of the first season of X-Men ’97 is the titular team as a whole. Evil forces, including Mister Sinister and Bastion, threaten to wipe mutants off the map, and it’s up to Cyclops and Co. to stop them. There isn’t much time for characters to get solo stories, which isn’t all that surprising, since all five seasons of X-Men: The Animated Series spend time exploring backstories. Like the live-action movies, Wolverine is at the center of a lot of the action, with his life before joining the X-Men being of particular interest. Professor X probes Sabertooth’s brain at one point to learn more about his relationship with Logan, but another figure from the past rears their head: Deadpool.

Rather than being the wisecracking mercenary that everyone loves to hate, X-Men: The Animated Series presents Deadpool as a menacing figure. On two different occasions, villains transform into Deadpool in an attempt to terrorize Wolverine, who doesn’t have fond memories of the killer. The Merc With a Mouth never gets to answer for his crimes, and as it stands, there don’t appear to be any plans to have him join the fray in X-Men ’97. That might feel like a mistake, as Deadpool is becoming one of the most important figures in X-Men lore, but the next stage of his career is clear, and it doesn’t involve a stop in an animated universe.

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Deadpool’s Future Is on the Big Screen

When X-Men: The Animated Series was airing, Marvel Comics didn’t know what it wanted to do with Deadpool. While the character had a cool design, it took years for his personality to take shape. Appearing in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a hit to Deadpool’s credibility, but Ryan Reynolds was convinced that he was the right man for the job. Eventually, public pressure forced Fox to greenlight a solo movie for the character, and it was a huge hit. The appeal of Deadpool was that it went to places other superhero projects were afraid to. Fox’s gamble paid off, and when Marvel Studios took control of the property, the train didn’t stop moving.

The only downside to Deadpool’s recent success is that it traps him in a box, one filled with profanity-laced tirades and gore. Pulling back and putting the character in an environment where he has to be on his best behavior runs the risk of undoing years of hard work. The only exception appears to be Avengers: Doomsday, which will bring the entire MCU together for the first time since Endgame. It’s Deadpool’s dream to run around with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and there will never be a better chance for him to do it than in the 2006 movie. Once that happens, Deadpool will surely be too big for an animated series. The live-action X-Men might even have trouble getting him on the phone.

X-Men ’97 is streaming on Disney+.

Did you know that Deadpool appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series? Are you upset that he may never show up in X-Men ’97? Let us know in the comments below!