X-Men ’97 producers reveal original character death plans

The production team behind the animated series ‘X-Men ’97’ revealed that original plot plans for the first season were significantly different from what was ultimately aired. Supervising producer and director Jake Castorena stated that the character Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) was initially intended to die in Season 1 instead of Gambit.

In the final version of the show, Gambit’s death served as a major narrative pivot in the first season, with repercussions continuing into the second. In the Season 2 finale, Nightcrawler ultimately sacrifices himself to save Rogue, allowing her to reunite with a reformed Gambit. Marvel Animation has greenlit multiple additional seasons of the series and has not ruled out the possibility of resurrecting Nightcrawler.