Spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of X-Men '97 "The Dead Man's Hand"
Nostalgia is a powerful force in the entertainment industry, with plenty of millennial fans looking to return to a simpler time with titles from their childhood. Case in point: X-Men '97 (streaming with a Disney+ subscription), which is a direct sequel to the beloved 1990s animated series. The second season has been a fun ride so far, and while I loved the recent Gambit episode, I noticed a mistake with Jean Grey. Hear me out.
Critics raved about X-Men '97's first season, and fans were hyped about Season 2 ahead of its release. The most recent episode featured a corrupted Gambit attacking our heroes, following his tragic death in Season 1. When his forces in the air attack the X-Force's jet, the flying heroes immediately exit and take to the air. That includes Archangel, Sunspot, and Jean Grey.
But just moments later, the latter mutant is seen inside the ship when Bella Donna and the Thieves Guild board the ship and fight those within it. You can see Jean in the background of one such shot below:
Since Jean was already shown flying outside of the X-Force jet, this seems like a clear continuity error to me. It's easy to not clock this, but as a Jean fan I was paying extra attention to where she was and how she used her telekinetic powers in this fight scene. Although after Sadie Sink debuted as Jean in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, I might not be the only one who was giving the beloved character extra attention.
Errors happen on both TV and film all the time, so this isn't a huge deal. There's been a learning curve for the folks making X-Men '97, and I assume that someone noticed the Jean mistake before it was released. But perhaps it was just too late to go in and fix it, especially in an expensive action sequence that features lots of mutant power animation. I'm still a big fan of the animated series, but I had to go rewind and make sure I wasn't losing it when Jean was two places at once. You can see the shot of her in the flying battle below (which happens right BEFORE the above image).
There is just one episode left of X-Men '97 Season 2, and it should be interesting to see how the ambitious narrative comes to an end. In addition to the battle with Apocalypse across the timelines, this season we saw three different teams of mutants: the X-Men, the X-Force, and X-Factor. And now that Gambit has been revived, there's no telling what's going to happen in the finale.
New episodes of X-Men '97 air Wednesdays on Disney+ as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Luckily for fans like me, Seasons 3 and 4 are already in development. Mutants forever!
