The trailer kicks off with an establishing shot of what looks to be New York, considering the front page of the Daily Bugle flutters through the frame. Cyclops is heard saying that mutants “have to stay vigilant,” which, when don’t they, Scott? More interesting are the handful of Easter eggs found on the Daily Bugle front page. One headline reads “Is Spiderman a mutant?,” which sounds like known Spider-Man hater and Bugle owner J. Jonah Jameson is up to his usual antics. To the right of that is a headline that reads “Hellfire Gala” with text by Eddie Brock and photos from Peter Parker. X-Men: The Animated Series did crossover with the Spider-Man cartoon, so perhaps we will see more of the webhead in X-Men ‘97.
The Hellfire Gala is most likely a nod to the Hickman age of X-Men comics that is currently coming to an end which includes an annual event called the Hellfire Gala. In the context of X-Men ‘97, it likely means more Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw, but the fashion the event has come to always bring to the comics will still be around. The main story in the newspaper reads “Inside Scoop Mutant Fashion Show” with pictures of mutants dressed in some sick styles. We see Banshee (Sean Cassidy in this case), but most intriguing is the appearance of Dust. Created by Grant Morrison in 2002, Dust signals that X-Men ‘97 will pull characters and plotlines from the 21st century comics. With so much talk of fashion, I also can’t help but hope for an appearance by the most magnificent designer in mutantdom: Jumbo Carnation.
