X-Men ’97 may have changed vastly if Marvel Animation had stuck to its plans of killing a popular mutant earlier than expected. Halfway through season one, X-Men ’97 made the bold choice of killing Gambit, breaking Rogue’s heart. The move set the stage for the season’s second half, with its repercussions still being felt in season 2.
In a new interview with Marvel, X-Men ’97’s supervising producer and director Jake Castorena revealed the team’s original plans. He revealed that the team previously planned to kill Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler, in season one. Instead, the team pivoted to killing Gambit. Fans will find the revelation shocking, even more so following the events of season 2.
“Nightcrawler was supposed to die in Season 1 instead of Gambit,” said Castorena. “And then fast-forward to Season 2, we got Gambit back, [but] we lost Kurt.”
How does Nightcrawler die in X-Men ’97 Season 2?
Those who have watched the second season will know that Kurt does die in its finale. If Marvel Animation had stuck with its original plan, the new season would have looked very different.
In the season 2 finale, Rogue finds the Celestial that turned En Sabah Nur into Apocalypse and offers to give her life to gain the power to defeat the villain and save Gambit. Instead, Nightcrawler offers to sacrifice himself so Rogue can live to meet a reformed Gambit. “My memory will be a seed from which new ones will grow,” says Nightcrawler before giving away his life.
While the second season ends with death and destruction, Marvel has no plans to stop making more seasons. The studio has already greenlit multiple new seasons of X-Men ’97 and has kept the possibility open for resurrecting Nightcrawler.
X-Men ’97 is streaming on Disney+. Marvel Studios is developing a live-action reboot of the X-Men film franchise and will bring back several cast members from the original films in Avengers: Doomsday.
