A couple of years after getting their hands on the X-Men, Disney and Marvel Studios are finally ready to put those mutants to work with the one caveat, that it’ll be done by reviving the beloved X-Men animated series from the 90s.

Nevertheless, the word revival means that a lot if not most of what made the X-Men Saturday morning cartoons so great will be making a comeback into the 21st century, even if Disney’s announcement didn’t make it quite clear how much of that it will be. With that in mind, and without counting the series’ core cast, here are some of the characters primed for an X-Men 97 return:

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Professor X

Professor X deathbed in X-Men animated

Though it may sound like cheating at first, how X-Men 97 handles Professor X could very well dictate the course the series takes as a whole because those with a good memory will recall the show's finale involving Charles Xavier’s body being taken away by the Shi’ar. This all results in a reformed and wiser Magneto being left off to oversee the X-Men house after so many near-world-ending events taken straight from the comics.

Whether or not X-Men 97 can exist without Professor X warrants a debate of its own, but it's arguable that if Marvel Studios wants to bank on nostalgia his return is almost a necessity. In that context, it’s worth reminding that the X-Men animated series ended in a somewhat rushed manner due to Marvel’s bankruptcy and Saban Entertainment taking over most of the show’s last season with a clear drop in animation and production quality.

With the series officially ending in 1997, maybe X-Men 97 will want to retcon the series’ tail end into something that delivers a different fate for Professor X and allows its continuation the way it deserved back in the day.

Omega Red

Omega Red in X-Men animated series 90s

Somewhat of a late addition to the X-Men’s rogues’ gallery, Omega Red was created in 1992 as the quintessential Soviet villain to follow up the Cold War’s aftermath. In the X-Men animated series, he’s featured a total of four times and on every occasion he crosses paths with the X-Men he proves to be a mighty opponent who can’t quite be killed but instead only frozen to incapacitate him.

What makes Omega Red so cool is his unique look and blend of powers that include superhuman abilities, life-leeching tendrils, and death spores, all nicely wrapped in a flashy Soviet carbonadium armor, aka Russian adamantium. With Marvel Studios reviving the Red Guardian for Black Widow, defrosting another relic from the cold war isn’t too far-fetched of an idea.

Psylocke

Psylocke in X-Men animted series 90s

Outside of the more popular X-Men, the telepathic and telekinetic ninja is a notable fan favorite, however, most of Betsy Braddock’s appearances outside of the comics have led to disappointment. Naturally, it doesn’t help that most recent iterations of the character came in two of the worst X-Men movies produced by Fox, The Last Stand and Apocalypse.

The Psylocke from Last Stand barely resembles the original character in anything other than name, and while the version from Apocalypse does a far better job, she lacks any type of backstory. Originally Psylocke was appealing enough to be playable in some of the best X-Men games out there and with Marvel looking into using her brother Captain Britain, the studio could easily get two characters for the price of one.

Deadpool

Deadpool in X-Men animated series 90s

Now this comes with a technicality because Deadpool never really did appear in the 90s X-Men, or at least not in any shape or form that resembles the beloved loud-mouthed mercenary Ryan Reynolds plays nowadays. See, though Deadpool's fourth wall antics were always somewhat intrinsic to the character, his signature sense of humor wasn’t written in at the time so in X-Men he’s more of an easter egg.

These Deadpool flashbacks are still far better than the harrowing mouthless thing that shows up in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but an animated version of the character could certainly spice things up in X-Men 97. Ryan Reynolds does love playing Wade Wilson and his inclusion would definitely bring something new to the series.

Apocalypse

Apocalypse in X-Men animated series 90s

The oldest and one of the most powerful mutants ever in the entire Marvel universe got a bit of an odd treatment in X-Men: Apocalypse. Played by the fantastic Oscar Isaac, Apocalypse is now remembered as a perfect example of how not to do CGI, as the actor went over a lengthy makeup process that involved the use of prosthetics to give him a rather human look, instead of the godlike towering presence he’s supposed to have in X-Men.

Even if he was already used in 90s animated series, it’s hard to imagine the X-Men without the looming threat of Apocalypse trying to destroy the world. His moments in the series make for some of the best storylines X-Men had to offer, plus animation can truly exploit the endless potential his powers bring while also bringing his four horsemen along for the ride. In any case, even Mr. Sinister would be a perfect addition to the show.

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