As the first season of X-Men 97 pushes forward to its final moments, the Disney+ series has almost grown a mind of its own vis-a-vis melding a balance between its nostalgic punches and contemporary modernity. Each episode manifests a fictional reality that is more profoundly distinct yet emotionally driven to bring fans to tears for whatever reason necessary.

The previous few weeks were dedicated to fans mourning the loss of some major characters. The mood eventually lightened up when Captain America unprecedentedly dropped by for a cameo appearance in Episode 7. With X-Men 97 Episode 8, “Tolerance is Extinction Part 1,” even more Marvel cameos have swung into action. Regardless of how fleeting they may be, their awe-inspiring presence and influence in the superhero-verse thoroughly entertained fans, leaving them wanting more.

X-Men 97 Episode 8 recap: Spider-Man swings by the mutant world

Tired of playing by Xavier's rules and bending to humanity's deceptive operations, Magneto lets loose in his fight against Bastion. Setting off his definitive powers, Magento unleashes waves of magnetic energy, compelling the entire world to stand still and take note.

In this scenario, the massive energy was boundless to the extent that even characters from beyond the usual X-Men line-up had no choice but to pay attention. In that sea of crossover references, one of Marvel's most-loved characters of all time - Spider-Man - was also included.

Spider-Man's cameo in X-Men 97 has been a long-teased easter egg. The web-slinger is almost always a point of heavy speculation. This time, too, viewers put their guesses to work to narrow down which variant of the beloved web crawler had made it into the animated series.

Earlier today, a major hunch was confirmed by X-Men 97 creator Beau DeMayo on X/Twitter. Taking to his social media platform, the writer expressed his love for the latest issue of the X-Men, to which a fan instantly replied with a much-asked question.

"Is the Spidey here Christopher Daniel Barnes' Spidey from the 94 series? Or would answering that be a spoiler?" wrote an X user. DeMayo tweeted back a concise confirmation: "It is indeed that Spider-Man."

Much like how the original X-Men: The Animated Series ran through the '90s, Spider-Man: The Animated Series was also a regular feature of the late 20th century. Back then, Christopher Daniel Barnes voiced the character, but his character's feature as an X-Men 97 cameo was more of a visually-driven easter egg.

This same persona of the web-slinger has previously crossed paths with the X-Men squad in his own series, helping fans connect the dots with his potential return in the 2024 X-Men series.

Hopes for a Spider-Man 98 series renewed

The X-Men 97 showrunner had previously even teased the possibility in his talks with ScreenRant: "X-Men '97 fits directly into the continuity of the '90s animated shows, and as you know, there were some awesome crossovers, most notably with Spider Man[: The Animated Series.]"

The much-sought-after comeback of the OG-friendly neighbourhood superhero has reignited hopes for the revival of a "Spider-Man '98 show." Fans are desperately clinging to the hope that the vision will fall in line, seeking inspiration from the animated X-Men revived continuation in the ‘97 saga.

A Spidey fan wrote on X: "TAS SPIDER-MAN HAS OFFICIALLY RETURNED! I don't care if it's just a few seconds cameo, i'm just so happy they showed us the Goat! WE NEED A SPIDER-MAN '98 SHOW, NOW!"

Soon after that, many chimed in with endless threads of replies, all foregrounding the same sentiment with mind-boggling expressions: "My GOAT returns. Spider-Man TAS and Tobey will always be my Spider-Man."

Other X-Men 97 cameos in Episode 8

Tapping a wholistic vision of the Marvel world, director Jake Castorena had also informed The Direct earlier how "cameos [are] in the DNA" of the new X-Men series. As mentioned, Captain America has already shown in attendance, with What If…?'s The Watcher also joining the chaos.

May 1 has merely brought in the first part of the "Tolerance is Extinction" episodes. The three-part finale saga will continue in the upcoming Wednesday episodes, with expectations for even more cameos shooting through the roof.

As for the brief X-Men cameos included in Episode 8, fans also caught a glimpse of iconic supervillains Doctor Doom, Baron Zemo, Silver Samurai and Omega Red, with the ultimate comeback of the one and the only - Professor Xavier.

X-Men 97 Episode 9, "Tolerance Is Extinction, Pt. 2," will premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

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