X-Men '97: director Jake Castorena teases Marvel cameos

The X-Wing has landed with some spicy insider intel straight from the horse's mouth - or should I say, the mutant's mouth? Jake Castorena, the mastermind steering the ship of X-Men '97, had a little chat with The Direct and it's got our mutant senses tingling more than Spider-Man on a bad day in New York.

First off, let's give it up for the vibe Castorena and his crew are aiming for: "fresh but familiar." It nails it in the head. We are definitely getting our classic '90s X-Men cereal but with almond milk for the modern palate - they're straddling the line between nostalgia and the new frontier like Nightcrawler bamfing between dimensions when it comes to just how faithful X-Men '97 is to its predecessor, X-Men: The Animated Series.

"(...) if we're going to be a spiritual successor or revival, we got to follow in the footsteps of what was ingrained in their DNA… The OG 'X-Men' show was the MCU before the MCU became the MCU. And that's just the key fundamental in that show, so for us to be a true success or a true revival, we got to adhere to that. I highly encourage fans to keep a look out to see who they spot."

- Jake Castorena

We are all here for one thing: cameos have been teased. Adding cameos to X-Men '97 wouldn't just be a throwback - it'd be a full-blown mutant party, and everyone's invited. As Castorena put himself, the OG X-Men animated series was basically the blueprint for the MCU before we even knew what an MCU was. With that in mind, who are we hoping to crash this mutant bash?

Here's the wishlist. Of course I have a wishlist:

1. Spider-Man: Come on, who doesn't want to see our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swinging by? Given the history of Spider-Man and the X-Men crossing paths, this cameo would be like finding an extra fry at the bottom of your fast-food bag.

2. The Avengers: Imagine Captain America walking through Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, giving combat tips to Cyclops. Or Thor and Storm having a weather-off if and when she gets her powers back, of course. Who knows, maybe he can even help with getting them back since he is a god after all. It's the kind of crossover event that fanfic writers dream of.

3. Fantastic Four: Because let's face it, Reed Richards geeking out with Beast over some quantum anomaly is the content we live for. Plus, who wouldn't want to see The Thing arm-wrestling Wolverine?

4. Blade: With vampires getting more spotlight these days, having Blade show up to give the X-Men the 411 on supernatural threats could set the stage for some darker, edgier episodes.

5. Cameos from across the X-Verse: Let's get wild with it. How about appearances from lesser-known mutants or nods to other eras of X-Men glory? The possibilities are as endless as Deadpool's chatter.

Castorena's teasing has us pacing the floor like Beast in his lab, eager for every detail. And with the promise that they're not just throwing this cake in the oven but making sure it's chef's kiss perfect? Chef's kiss, indeed. It sounds like they're kneading the dough of X-Men '97 with care, ensuring every sprinkle of mutant magic is just right. This only makes me happy as a big Marvel fan who has been slightly let down by the movies and shows recently put out by the studio.

And shoutout to the unsung heroes behind the scenes, the artists and visionaries making sure every frame is as epic as it should be. The dedication to getting it right, to resonate with both new fans and us old-timers who still have our action figures (not mint and not in the box, sorry), is what's been making X-Men '97 such a joy and hit.

Remember to expect the unexpected. After all, in the world of mutants, the unexpected is just another day at the office.