'X-Men '97' Just Quietly Resolved One Of The Biggest Cartoon Cliffhangers Of The 90s

WARNING! SPOILERS for X-Men '97, 'Tolerance Is Extinction', parts one through three.

The 90s were a golden era for superhero cartoons, with shows like Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man: The Animated series, the iconic original X-Men animated series, and many more aired during this time frame. While many episodes of such shows were self-contained, some featured two-part stories, and a few were even serialized in nature. Unfortunately, cartoon series at the time were often cancelled with little warning, and as a result, some left unresolved cliffhangers.

X-Men was a rare exception, with the episode 'Graduation Day' serving as a passable, if slightly rushed, conclusion to the series. However, Disney Plus's sequel series, X-Men '97, has proved that the animated X-Men have plenty of life left in them. What's more, on top of their own new stories, the show's season one finale, 'Tolerance Is Extinction, part 3' uses one of many cameos in the episode to resolve a massive cliffhanger left by another beloved animated series from the 90s.

Before we discuss the big reveal, let's take a look at the history behind it.

The Marvel Animated Universe

Before there was the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the 90s gave us what fans affectionately refer to as the Marvel Animated Universe. X-Men: The Animated Series, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and the Ir0n Man, Incredible Hulk, and Fantastic Four series that aired during the 90s, are all believed to take place in a shared continuity.

Characters from one series would occasionally crossover into another, such as the X-Men appearing to help Spider-Man with his rapidly mutating genes in the 'Neogenic Nightmare' arc of Spider-Man's second season, or Bruce Banner visiting Tony Stark in search of a cure in an episode of Incredible Hulk. The largest such crossover is the three-part 'Secret Wars' arc in Spider-Man's final season, in which Spider-Man, in a secret test of character set by Madame Web and The Beyonder, summons the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America and Storm to help him free a distant planet that has been taken over by a large chunk of his Rogue's Gallery, plus Doctor Doom.

Spidey's Big Cliffhanger

In the season three finale of Spider-Man: The Animated series, Mary-Jane Watson falls and disappears into a portal created by the Green Goblin. She apparently returns during season four, after which Peter Parker reveals to her that he is Spider-Man, and proposes, with the pair married in the season five premiere. However, this Mary-Jane is eventually revealed to be a cellularly unstable clone created via the DNA of Hydro-Man, and perishes before a devastated Peter's eyes.

Soon after the clone's demise Spidey is visited by Madame Web, who promises to help him find the real Mary-Jane, should he fulfil his destined role in coming events. Following the 'Secret Wars' and 'Spiderverse' story arcs, Madame Web arrives to fulfil her promise, taking Peter through a portal.. and the series ends. Viewers never found out whether or not Peter found the real Mary-Jane.

For nearly two and a half decades, fans have begged for a resolution, and for some, hopes were raised when X-Men '97 was greenlit, seeing it as a chance for a Spider-Man continuation. However, Marvel Animation already has a Spidey animated series, Spider-Man: Freshman Year, in development, and it seems unlikely that they would make and air two entirely unrelated Spider-Man shows at once.

Thankfully, X-Men '97's shared universe with Spider-Man: The Animated series has resulted in an unexpected, but very welcome gift for fans of the latter show.

Cliffhanger resolved!

Fans were delighted when, in 'Tolerance Is Extinction', part one', the first part of X-Men '97's season finale, the Spider-Man of the 90s animated series appears in a brief cameo. Spidey is seen swinging through New York, before appearing to be alerted by his spider-sense, stopping to bear witness as Magneto manipulates the Earth's electromagnetic field to cause a worldwide blackout.

He reappears with a second cameo in part three, this time out of costume as Peter Parker, watching the X-Men's efforts to keep Asteroid M from crashing to on a store window television. But most importantly, who is watching with him?

Mary Jane!

After all these years, Spider-Man: The Animated Series fans can finally rest easy knowing that Peter found his MJ. While some fans still hope for a future reboot or crossover to reveal exactly how he found her, for now, at least, knowing that he did find her is enough.

We have X-Men '97 to thank. Long live the Marvel Animated Universe!