X-Men '97 Season 2 has started streaming on Disney+, and the three-part premiere features a familiar face from Marvel Studios' Multiverse Saga.
In the third episode, we spend time with a young En Sabah Nur in 3000 B.C.E., long before he becomes the near-unstoppable Apocalypse. The self-emancipated slave is rebelling against the cruelty of ruler Rama-Tut, the first version of Kang the Conqueror, who debuted in 1963's Fantastic Four #19.
The character made his live-action debut as one of He Who Remains' Variants in 2023's Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Played by Jonathan Major in the movie's post-credits scene, he was part of the Council of Kangs, but is this animated version the same version? No, but he might have been once upon a time.
Kang previously appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, where, as Immortus, he disguised himself as a mutant called "Bender" who secretly helped the X-Men bring an end to Apocalypse's plan to take control of time.
This version of Rama-Tut rules over Egypt with futuristic technology and even refers to himself as the "conqueror." The third episode ends with him standing tall and laughing after seemingly destroying En Sabah Nur, with the war between him and the future Apocalypse yet to come.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star John de Lancie voices Rama-Tut in X-Men '97, but had Majors not been ousted from his MCU role, chances are he'd have lent his voice to the villain here (similar to how Mahershala Ali was expected to play Marvel Zombies' Blade Knight before the Blade movie ran into trouble).
Some fans are convinced that a Pharaoh statue featured in the episode boasts Majors' likeness, and if you look closely in the clip below, you'll notice his device that is nearly identical to the Time Sphere featured in Marvel Studios' Ant-Man threequel.
Remember, there was a time when Kang and his Variants were set to be littered throughout the MCU in the build-up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. That included plans to tie Ms. Marvel's bangles and Shang-Chi's Ten Rings to the villain.
X-Men '97 Season 2 continues with the heroic mutant team of X-Men, divided and thrown across different eras in time as they struggle to navigate their return home. Meanwhile, back in the 1990s, suspicious foes and new strains of mutant intolerance are on the rise in the wake of the X-Men’s absence.
The second season of the original animated series features 9 episodes, and the voice cast includes Ross Marquand as Professor X, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, and George Buza as Beast.
As noted, X-Men '97 Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on July 1.