By Chris Snellgrove | Published
From the beginning, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has conditioned fans to keep their butts in their seats until the movie's inevitable post-credits scene. Often, these scenes make major changes to this fictional world, such as introducing Tony Stark to the Avengers or simply introducing Thanos to the audience. However, outside of the MCU, post-credits scenes aren't always guaranteed. Case in point: when X-Men '97 Season 2 dropped on Disney+, none of the first three episodes have such a status. For that reason, many viewers didn't sit through episode four, bailing as soon as the credits rolled.
If you did that for the most recent episode (“Rise of the Apocalypse, Part II”), however, you missed a great post-credits scene with cameos from two fan-favorite Avengers. We see Logan meet up with Captain America and Black Widow, and they bring him a file folder labeled “Weapon X.” Cap expresses concern that the X-Mans are tackling this area alone, but Logan says he's assembled a team. This sets up one of the most important plot points of Season 2: Wolverine gets his adamantium back. Also, if his team includes previous studies of Weapon X testing, we might get a X-Men '97 a cameo from everyone's favorite Merc with a mouth: Deadpool!
Logan And Cap'n Make It Happen
Most of “Rise of Apocalypse, Part II” takes place in ancient Egypt, where some of the biggest events go down. Apocalypse makes his inevitable heel turn, taking command of a high-tech spaceship to aid him in his plans for world conquest. Thanks to Bishop, most of the X-Men are sent back to the '90s, but Magneto stays behind to stop Apocalypse, the mutant threat he accidentally unleashed. This leads to a big fight between Apocalypse and the master of magnetism that might leave you speechless. After the credits, we find Wolverine's location in the present day, meeting Captain America and Black Widow.
There is a bit of humor in this X-Men '97 scene: Wolverine mentions how he can smell Cap “from a mile away” before being startled by Black Widow, who successfully sneaks up on him. Because he's the only one wearing incognito (he looks like a bank robber on his lunch break), Wolverine also teases Cap about wearing his well-known uniform. Getting down to business, Cap (who says he last saw Wolverine 50 years ago) gives the X-Man a file folder labeled “Weapon X.” The Avenger warns Wolverine not to fight these guys alone, to which the mutant replies that he's got “a team” and that he's “getting the old team together.”
Let's Talk About X, Baby
So, what does this X-Men '97 scene mean? While we can't predict the future (you'll need to talk to Mystique's girlfriend about that), an educated guess is possible. Last season, Wolverine had all the adamantium removed from his bones by Magneto. The weapon was originally attached to him by Weapon X, a shadowy organization that also implanted him with false memories. It's a reasonable idea that Wolverine's job would make him have adamantium bones and claws as well. It's possible that Apocalypse will be involved, as he was the one who restored Wolverine's adamantium in the comics so that the violent mutant could serve as one of his Horsemen.
Who is the “team” that Wolverine has put together to attack Weapon X? This could refer to Team X (a CIA-backed secret force) or other members of the Weapon X program. Either way, that means we're likely to see Sabretooth, Wolverine's hated enemy (although they're doing some sort of back-up IX-Men: The Animated Series). We will also see Maverick, who was teased in the game X-Men '97 Season 2 of the comic prequel. While it may be those two who join Wolverine on his secret mission, there is an unlikely possibility that the team will include Deadpool, who was also a Weapon X test subject.
Elderly (Like REALLY Elderly) Friends
Either way, there's a lot to like about this X-Men '97 post-credits scene. We get a fun interaction between Cap and Wolverine, confirming that they haven't worked together in over a century; this is a reference to an old X-Men issue where they (and Black Widow) teamed up back during World War II. Also, seeing the Avengers on screen has revived fans' hopes for a connected Marvel Animated Universe (hey, it's got to be better than the current MCU!). All of this combined to make the post-credits scene just one episode of another amazing episode in the biggest Marvel show in television history.
