Every Member of Cyclops and Jean Grey’s Family in the X-Men ‘97 Universe

A key part of the X-Men's appeal is that the mutant superhero team essentially live out one long, never-ending super-powered soap opera, and that's certainly something X-Men '97 has embraced wholeheartedly. In what most fans agree is the most authentic screen adaptation of X-Men comics to date, the more mature continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series builds on the epic five-season saga from 30 years ago to dig even deeper into the fabulously convoluted tangle of characters that is X-Men canon.

Take the family tree of Cyclops and Jean Grey, for example, which has sprouted another couple of branches across X-Men '97's two seasons so far. Thanks to a whole heap of time travel and the occasional dash of genetic manipulation for good measure, the House of Summers has been the source of many shocking twists and revelations in X-Men '97, as new relatives for Scott and Jean keep coming out of the woodwork. Before Apocalypse is revealed to be Scott's long-lost second-cousin or Mojo announces he is Jean's estranged step-uncle, here's every member of the Summers-Grey clan introduced in the X-Men '97 universe to date.

6 Madelyne Pryor Is Jean Grey's Secret Clone

X-Men '97 Season 1 eked out as much drama as it could from Nathan Summers' birth, with it ultimately being revealed that Scott had fathered a child not with his wife, Jean, but with her clone. Old enemy Mister Sinister, long obsessed with the Summers and Grey family line's genetic potential, had kidnapped the real Jean and replaced her, all with the goal of getting his hands on Scott and Jean's uber-powerful progeny. Eventually, Jean's clone broke free from Sinister's influence and became her own person, rechristening herself as Madelyne Pryor.

X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has confirmed that Mister Sinister kidnapped Jean at the end of X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4, which means that Jean was actually Madelyne throughout the show's fifth and final season.

X-Men fans will know that Madelyne has an infamously dense history in the comics, so X-Men '97 should be commended for streamlining her story in a punchy, impactful way. The unfortunate side effect of that streamlining, however, is that Madelyne is more of a device to engineer relationship troubles for Scott and Jean than a character in her own right. It's also frustrating that she was killed off so soon after her introduction, in Episode 5's attack on Genosha, which seemingly curtails any further exploration of Jean's dynamic with her genetic twin. Not to mention wiping out the chance for a return to Madelyne's Goblin Queen persona, which proved an immediate hit with fans. That said, if fellow Genoshan victim Gambit can be resurrected, then maybe Madelyne can, too.

5 Cable Is Scott and Jean's Son All Grown-Up

Cable became an instant icon when he debuted in Marvel Comics during the 1990s, so it's no surprise that he immediately got adapted into X-Men: The Animated Series, appearing in eight episodes across Seasons 1 to 4. However, because the show was running while Cable's backstory was being fleshed out in the comics, the shocking reveal of his parentage was never explicitly stated on screen. Thankfully, that was one of the first things X-Men '97 fixed in its debut season, as Cyclops and Jean discovered that the grizzled anti-hero they have known for years has been their son all along.

With Scott and Jean busy elsewhere in Season 2, X-Men '97's second run has instead righted another wrong from The Animated Series and finally depicted Cable forming his X-Force team. The unlikely pairing of a hardened soldier like Cable with the perky, kind-hearted Jubilee has been a particular highlight that hopefully won't be going anywhere. Given Cable's enduring popularity with fans, and how much the writers clearly enjoy writing him, expect Cable to continue to play a major role when the series returns for Season 3.

4 Nathan Summers Met His Parents in a Dystopian Future

Cyclops and Jean faced the hardest decision of their superhero careers when they were forced to send their baby boy, Nathan, to the future to save his life in X-Men '97 Season 1. In Season 2, they are finally able to connect with their son after half of the X-Men team is transported to the year 3960. Here, the couple discovers the now pre-teen Nathan has become a kind of messianic figure for the survivors of this Apocalypse-controlled dystopia, thanks to the awesome powers he has inherited from his parents (well, mostly his mom).

Voiced by Obsession's Michael Johnston, young Nathan is a fascinating and sympathetic character who couldn't be further from his action-hero adult self. Although not strictly an adaptation of that character, young Nathan has much in common with Nate Grey from the comics, a multiversal variant of Cable who was never infected with the techno-virus and so achieved the full potential of his telepathic abilities, likewise becoming a mutant messiah in the process. Here's hoping more of Nathan's evolution into Cable is explored in X-Men '97 Season 3.

3 Havok Is Scott's Estranged Brother

Those familiar with the X-Men movies will know that Havok, AKA Alex Summers, is Cyclops' brother. In the film universe (where he is played by Magyver star Lucas Till), he is Scott's older sibling, although in the comics he is traditionally younger. Prior knowledge of the connection between Scott and Alex is helpful when going into X-Men '97, as the show surprisingly makes no attempt to draw on the dynamic.

In X-Men '97 Season 2, Havok is voiced by actor Teddy Sears, most known for playing Hunter Zolomon/Zoom on The CW's The Flash.

Havok was previously introduced in X-Men: The Animated Series, but his appearance on that show focused on his membership with X-Factor and romance with Polaris. Subsequently, his return in X-Men '97 Season 2 picks up on those threads. Although the series doesn't dig into it all that much, it's clear that Havok's relationship with Polaris has soured, as she leaves X-Factor to join the X-Men — and then strikes up a flirtation with Bishop. All this would surely leave Alex with a lot of resentment towards his brother's team, but that is sadly yet to be examined. As the show has done such a wonderful job expanding on the Rogue/Nightcrawler sibling dynamic that was ignored in The Animated Series, it's a shame that it hasn't done the same for Scott and Alex. Let's hope this is fixed in Season 3.

2 Corsair Is Scott's Space-Faring Father

Something X-Men fans who are only familiar with the movies won't know is Cyclops' dad's surprising occupation. Specifically, Scott and Alex's father is a space pirate known as the Corsair. In X-Men: The Animated Series' continuity, pilot Christopher Summers was abducted by the alien Shi'ar Empire and went on to become the leader of the Starjammers, a group of interplanetary outlaws. Corsair appeared in three episodes of The Animated Series, which saw him reunite with his now-adult son, Scott.

Given how much screentime the Shi'ar got in Season 1, it's a little shocking that Corsair hasn't returned in X-Men '97 yet. Mining the complicated emotions of the strained relationship between father and son is something the show would excel at, especially as Scott's complicated past with his dad would create a neat parallel with his estrangement from his own son. What's more, due to Havok's diminished role in The Animated Series, Christopher Summer never reunited with his second son, Alex, in the original series, so that must be corrected if and when the Corsair makes a return trip to Earth.

1 Mother Askani Has A Hidden Family Connection To The Summers

The most mysterious character in X-Men '97 Season 2 is Mother Askani, the elderly wise woman and leader of the Askani tribe of survivors from Apocalypse's brutal reign over the planet. Mother Askani's powers are currently undefined, but they are clearly vast, as she admits in the season's first episode that she sent half the X-Men to the future and the other half to the distant past for them to defeat Apocalypse at both ends of his timestream. Whoever she is, Askani (voiced by Star Trek legend Gates McFadden) exhibits an uncanny knowledge of both the X-Men and the flow of time.

This makes sense considering her true identity. As fans of the comics will know, Mother Askani is really Rachel Summers, Scott and Jean's other child from another dimension. First introduced in the alternate future of the "Days of Future Past" storyline, Rachel — almost the equal of her mother in terms of telepathic ability — proved popular enough to be hiked over to the main universe. She previously cameoed in X-Men: The Animated Series' fourth season finale, "Beyond Good and Evil, Part 4," as one of the psychic mutants brainwashed by Apocalypse. This is likely what led her to combat En Sabah Nur throughout time in the first place. The tragic truth is that the whole Summers-Grey family, both parents and both children, were united for an all-too-brief period in X-Men '97 Season 2.