The original 1992-1997 X-Men animated series still remains one of the most famous superhero cartoons ever made, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only did it expand the possibilities of what superhero cartoons are capable of by directly adapting classic comic storylines like “Days of Future Past” and “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” it also introduced a whole generation of fans to iconic characters like Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Rogue, and Magneto.

However, not all classic X-Men characters were lucky enough to appear in the original series. It was very much a product of his time, so characters who had fallen out of fashion by the 90s were unlikely to make an appearance. However, the upcoming Disney Plus sequel series, X-Men ‘97, is set to introduce some of the characters who were left out of the original show, including Sunspot and Valerie Cooper. Here are a few more fan favorites who should get their time in the spotlight once the X-Men return to animation.

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Kitty Pryde

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Of all the X-Men characters who never made the leap to the 90s animated series, the most important is by far Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat. Throughout the 80s, Kitty was one of the central characters of writer Chris Claremont’s legendary run on Uncanny X-Men, serving as the reader’s POV into the world of mutants. Over the course of nearly 100 issues, she grew from an inexperienced new recruit to a determined, quick-witted hero — a classic coming of age story that served as an emotional throughline across the X-Men’s many adventures.

However, by the time the ‘92 X-Men series began airing, Kitty had left the X-Men behind along with Nightcrawler. The two became founding members of the UK-based hero team Excalibur, led by Captain Britain. They remained in Excalibur for the entirety of the 90s, not returning to the X-Men until the 2000s. This diminished prominence explained why Nightcrawler only appeared in two episodes of the 90s animated series, despite being a central character in the 70s and 80s. But unlike Nightcrawler, Kitty never even made a single appearance in the cartoon, with her starring role in “Days of Future Past” replaced by Bishop. However, she’s still a major figure in X-Men history, and X-Men ‘97 provides a perfect opportunity to bring her into the spotlight.

Magik

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Technically, this character has already been introduced in the original X-Men cartoon, just not in the form she’s best known for. The sword-wielding mutant sorceress Magik is none other than Illyana Rasputin, the younger sister of Colossus. But before she grew up and became a hero in her own right, Illyana was introduced as an ordinary little girl. It’s that version of the character who appears in the Season 2 episode “Red Dawn,” in which Colossus must save her from the villainous Omega Red.

But since her introduction, Illyana has gained notoriety as the X-Men member Magik, whose immense mystical power and boisterous, tough-as-nails personality have endeared her to countless comic fans. These days, Magik has joined the likes of her brother Colossus as one of the most popular X-Men members, so it would be a shame to leave her out of the action in the first X-Men cartoon in over a decade. With any luck, fans will be seeing an older and stronger Illyana take the stage in X-Men ‘97.

Rachel Summers

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One of the supporting characters confirmed to be returning in X-Men ‘97 is the cyborg super-soldier Cable, aka Nathan Summers — Cyclops and Jean Grey’s time-traveling son from the future. But in the comics, Cable wasn’t Scott and Jean’s first kid from the future to fight alongside the X-Men. The original “Days of Future Past” comic introduced Rachel Summers, who later traveled back in time to prevent her dystopian future from coming to pass.

Throughout the 80s, Rachel grew from a broken and vengeful young woman to a trusted ally who saw her teammates as her family. But like Kitty and Nightcrawler, she’d already left the X-Men for Excalibur, leaving her out of the spotlight in the 90s. While she’s not as well-known as the rest of her family, Rachel is still a beloved character who would be a welcome addition to X-Men ‘97.

William Stryker

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While most of the X-Men’s famous enemies are fellow mutants like Magneto, Mystique, Sabretooth, and Apocalypse, their greatest threat of all is undoubtedly the prejudice and oppression mutants face from humanity. The original animated series reflected this, placing plenty of focus on foes like the mutant-hunting Sentinels or Graydon Creed, leader of the Friends of Humanity hate group. And with the ruthless government official Valerie Cooper set to be introduced in X-Men ‘97, the sequel series seems like it will be honoring this tradition.

However, one of the vilest anti-mutant extremists the X-Men have faced is Reverend William Stryker, leader of the Purifiers. Stryker is well-known to comic fans as the main antagonist of the God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel, widely regarded as one of the greatest X-Men stories ever told. God Loves, Man Kills was never adapted in the ‘92 animated series, likely due to its darker subject matter. However, X-Men ‘97 could potentially offer a chance to bring that famous story to life in animated form, along with its infamous villain.

The Marauders

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Another X-Men story too dark to be adapted in a Saturday morning cartoon is 1986’s “Mutant Massacre,” which focused on the bloodthirsty villain team known as the Marauders. The story features the shadowy mastermind Mister Sinister hiring the Marauders to slaughter the underground mutant community known as the Morlocks. Both Sinister and the Morlocks were prominent presences in the ‘92 animated series, and it’s been confirmed that they’ll be returning in X-Men ‘97. As such, it’s plausible that the new series will finally bring a “Mutant Massacre” adaptation to the cartoon universe.

It’s worth noting that Sinister already had his own team of minions in the original cartoon — a group of often-forgotten villains called the Nasty Boys. But since the Marauders are the better-known of Sinister’s villain teams, it’d be nice to see them make an appearance in X-Men ‘97.

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