X-Men '97 isn't technically canon but it could crossover with the MCU in the future, teases showrunner

X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has clarified the Disney Plus show's place in the MCU, and it's... still all a little confusing.

In response to a viewer on Twitter recently, DeMayo doubled down on the fact that the animated series isn't a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's canon timeline. Though, perhaps more interestingly, he hinted that it could crossover with the live-action series in the future...

"I think it's very much dealer's choice on some levels," he noted, when the fan said they like to think of the show existing in the same multiverse as the MCU. "I know all my discussions were to view it as its own neighboring tree, not a branch of the multiverse MCU tree. Sure a few leaves from one tree can mingle with another at some point."

Warning! The rest of this article contains spoilers for Loki season 2. If you've yet to tune in, turn back now.

While we might be reading too much into it, DeMayo's use of the word "tree" and branches seems particularly interesting, given how timelines are referred to in fellow Disney Plus show Loki. What's more, in the season 2 finale of that series, the titular antihero (Tom Hiddleston) sacrificed himself to become the keeper of the timelines. Borrowing from Norse mythology, the episode saw him position himself at the base of Yggdrasil, a tree-like structure that, in its original lore, is said to holds all Nine Realms together and control all life and death.

Whether or not X-Men '97, which has been tipped for at least two more chapters, will eventually link into the MCU remains to be seen. If it does, a Reddit user who came up with an intriguing theory regarding the show and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine will be pleased... Before then, at least, fans have the last two installments of its first season's three-part closer to look forward to.

X-Men '97 is streaming now on Disney Plus, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday. For more, check out all the X-Men '97 Easter eggs you might have missed, our list of all of 2024's new X-Men comics, and our guide on how to watch the X-Men movies in order.