Full spoilers follow for X-Men episodes five, seven and eight.
X-Men 97 episode eight is out now on Disney Plus – and, if you thought episode seven of the Marvel animated series' surprise cameo was a big deal, you haven't seen anything yet.
Why do I say that? Because this week's installment, officially titled 'Tolerance Is Extinction Part 1', goes big on the shock character appearance front. Indeed, the Marvel Phase 5 TV show is leaving no stone unturned in its pursuit of fan service. And, judging by the reactions I've seen online in the wake of episode eight's release, it seems viewers are absolutely delighted with the sheer number of fan favorite and left-field cameos that it contains.
I'm about to get into major spoiler territory for X-Men 97's. So, as always, if you haven't seen it yet and don't want any surprises ruined, do not scroll past this point!
X-Men 97 episode seven wasn't just a big deal because it introduced a major Marvel villain who puts Mr. Sinister to shame. No, it also gave us one of the animated show's most notable cameos yet in the form of Captain America. Steve Rogers' appearance wasn't unexpected to those who watched X-Men 97's mid-season trailer three weeks ago, but it was to everyone else.
Regardless, it was a crowd-pleasing cameo that saw 'Cap' share a tense scene with Rogue, who ended said sequence by humorously throwing away (or yeeting, as the kids of today say) Cap's shield as far away as she could. Rogue did this so the Star Spangled Man couldn't thwart her attempts to seek revenge on those who killed Gambit in episode 5's harrowing and climactic Genosha-based showdown between the X-Men and Master Mold and its Sentinel army.
Cap's cameo, though, pales in comparison to those who shockingly show up – albeit in blink and you'll miss it moments – in X-Men 97's eighth episode. Indeed, there are five superpowered individuals who appear that have fervently got fans talking online. Here's who they are and where they show up in 'Tolerance Is Extinction Part 1', just in case you missed them.
1. Doctor Doom
The legendary Fantastic Four adversary appears on a TV screen during the sequence where Bastion recounts his origins story and why he's turning humans into Super Sentinels.
You can't miss the iconic supervillain, thanks to him donning his famous mask-hood combo. But, if you somehow overlooked his brief cameo, he's the one who utters the lines "do not mistake Doom's collusion as indifference to flagrant war crimes" to Bastion during this lengthy scene.
2. Baron Zemo
Another famous supervillain who needs no introduction to Marvel fanatics. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans will, though, recognize him from Captain America: Civil War, plus Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where he was played by Daniel Brühl.
In episode eight, Baron Zemo is also spotted on one of the screens during the aforementioned scene. He's wearing his iconic costume from Marvel comics, which includes his immediately recognizable purple mask-crown combo, too.
3. Spider-Man
It says a lot about the unexpected cameos in the show's eighth episode that a shock appearance from none other than Spider-Man isn't the biggest and/or most deep-cut one (we'll get to those shortly). Nonetheless, seeing the legendary webslinger make a brief appearance in 'Tolerance Is Extinction Part 1' caused me to smile uncontrollably – and, based on fan reactions I've seen on Reddit and X/Twitter, it seems plenty of other Marvel fans were delighted to see Peter Parker, too.
It seems this might not be the last we've seen of the wallcrawler, either. Beau DeMayo, X-Men 97's creator/showrunner who was mysteriously fired by Marvel just days before the show first aired, has seemingly teased (on X/Twitter) that Spider-Man might turn up again. Is he hinting at another cameo in this series or – whisper it quietly – is Marvel planning a long overdue sequel to Spider-Man: The Animated Series? Don't give me hope, DeMayo. Don't. Give. Me. Hope.
Anyway, while we wait to see if Spidey will show up once more, find out how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order, and then see if you agree with our ranking of the best Spider-Man movies.
4. Silver Samurai
Now we're really getting into surprise cameo territory. Mere moments after fans lost their minds over Spider-Man's shock appearance, another deep-cut character is briefly glimpsed on the screen: Silver Samurai.
For the uninitiated, Silver Samurai is the supervillain alias of two Marvel characters – Kenuichio Harada and Shingen Harada – who occasionally lock horns with Wolverine. One of the adamantium clawed hero's many antagonists, Silver Samurai was the primary villain of 2013's The Wolverine movie, but I wouldn't blame you if you haven't seen that X-Men spin-off film (while you're here, find out how to watch the X-Men movies in order).
But I digress. A master samurai and martial artists, Silver Samurai is also known for possessing the abilities to teleport (albeit by using a high-tech ring-based piece of equipment) and create a tachyon field; the latter of which allows Silver Samurai to infuse his weapons with lethal, energy particles. How will he factor into X-Men 97 season one's final two episodes or in-development second season? We'll find out soon enough, hopefully.
5. Omega Red
Lastly, we catch a glimpse at another villain (one with ties to the wider X-Men team) who's reawakened when Magneto unleashes a potent wave of electromagnetism across the globe in episode eight's final few minutes.
The villain in question? Omega Red, an extremely powerful mutant born out of the Soviet Union's attempts to replicate the US' super soldier program that created Captain America. Real name Arkady Gregorivich Rossovich, he possesses your typical superhuman abilities – super strength, endurance, accelerated healing factor, stamina, and reflexes – but what sets him apart are his unique powers that are dangerous as they sound. He has retractable tentacles made of carbonadium (a cheaper, more malleable metal compared to adamantium), the ability to release poisonous pheromones, and can absorb a lesser being's lifeforce. In short: he's one bad dude.
Incidentally, this isn't the first time that Omega Red has appeared in an animated X-Men TV show. Indeed, he was one of the super team's adversaries in X-Men: The Animated Series (X:TAS), aka the 1990s predecessor to X-Men 97. The last we saw of Omega Red, he was defeated by Rogue in 'A Deal With The Devil' (X:TAS season three episode 20), and left unconscious in a submarine beneath the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, it seems Magneto has accidentally woken him from his slumber. Expect to see Omega Red again very soon.
