The creator of Deadpool and many other notable comic book characters believes Marvel Studios held off on using a certain X-Men team lineup due to financial reasons. It's a good time to be an X-Men fan. For starters, the merry band of mutants will return to the big screen in Avengers: Doomsday, a movie that's enlisting many of Fox's original actors, including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
Insomniac Games' Wolverine is also releasing before the end of 2026, giving PlayStation owners the chance to go into berserker mode as the titular hero. Wolverine and Doomsday are both going to have to wait their turn, though, as the summer belongs to X-Men '97.
The critically acclaimed animated series is back for Season 2, and it's not pulling any punches. Apocalypse is on the prowl, going after the X-Men at three different points in time. With the good guys scattered, new teams are forming to pick up the slack. The first three episodes of X-Men '97's sophomore outing introduced X-Factor, a government-backed group, as well as X-Factor, a covert squad put together by Cable.
X-Force is certainly the more notable of the two teams, as it has appeared in live-action and headlined its fair share of comic books. All the success traces back to one man, writer and artist Rob Liefeld, who conceived of the idea back in the early 1990s.
Like his animated counterpart, Cable built X-Force in the comics, recruiting Boom-Boom, Cannonball, Shatterstar, Feral, and Warpath to accompany him on his black ops missions. Domino, X-23, Deadpool, and other mutants would join up as the years went on. However, Marvel Studios went in a different direction with its version of the team.
Cable, Archangel, and Psylocke got the nod first, with Sunspot and Jubilee following soon after. Fans were quick to notice the creative liberties X-Men '97's creative team took with the team's lineup, so they reached out to Liefeld on social media for his opinion on the subject.
While responding to a comment on X about his original roster being better, Liefeld mentioned that "money" might've played a part in the shift.
"Yes, of course everyone has said that. But it's their pick. I think it's because they would be on the hook to me for even more money if they use more of my creations. My deals are expensive."
Obviously, Liefeld would know better than anyone what the process for using his characters is like. His creations have been around the block a few times, including X-Force, which made a hilarious yet disappointing appearnce in Deadpool 2 that saw nearly every member of the team meet a horrific end.
Maybe the braintrust at Marvel Studios really believed cutting corners with X-Men '97's X-Force was the best way to ensure money was available for other things. After all, animated shows can run up a pretty hefty bill. Regardless, things appear to have worked out for the best, as this fresh take on the team has set up a couple of characters for major arcs.
The New X-Force Fits Perfectly Into X-Men '97's Season 2 Story
Throughout X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men '97 Season 1, Cable was never on the same page as the titular team. Being from a different time meant he didn't understand many present-day customs. But more than that, he didn't think the X-Men were ruthless enough, especially when going up against villains like Apocalypse.
With the first mutant back on the board and Cyclops and Co. not around to rein him in, Cable is taking the gloves off. He's already made tough decisions, such as ordering the killing of the Horsemen War. Jubilee, who has never been a member of X-Force in the comics, pushed back against her boss, hoping to find a different path forward.
The two clearly don't see eye to eye. However, that's what makes their dynamic so interesting. They check each other's worst impulses, like when Cable decided to take Jubilee's advice and rescue all the mutants that X-Factor had captured. Doing the right thing made him feel good and reminisce about the time he spent with his parents in the future, probably the only positive experience he had as a kid.
There's certainly still a place in the MCU for a team made up of nothing but cold-blooded mercenaries. The Merc With a Mouth could easily get another version of X-Force up and running on the big screen that features Wolverine and X-23. But a group of like-minded individuals can only go so far.
The foundation that X-Men '97 is building with X-Force is as strong as anything else it's working on. In fact, if the show plays its cards right, it may have a worthwhile spinoff series concept on its hands. The flagship show has so many mouths to feed, and shipping a few off to a different project could do wonders for everyone.
