- Primary Subject: X-Men '97 Season 2
- Key Update: Episode 5, "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs," introduces a major Easter egg teasing 11 Marvel characters, including X-23, through classified files.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: July 17, 2026
- Quick Answer: Season 2, Episode 5 teases eleven iconic Marvel characters, including X-23 and Winter Soldier, via the secret Weapon XVIII program files.
Team X has reassembled in X-Men '97 Season 2, Episode 5, "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs," and they're not the only characters making their debut in the hit animated series.
The previous episode delved deeper into X-Men lore as Wolverine returned to the Weapon X Project in search of his adamantium after his battle with Magneto in the Season 1 finale.
Now that the real Wolverine is back, Episode 5 also delivers a major reveal by setting up several new mutants, villains, and supersoldiers who could play important roles in the series' future.
Who Are the 11 New Characters X-Men '97 Just Teased?
While many expected Wolverine to discover he was "Weapon X" as part of a much larger Weapon Plus program just like in the comics, X-Men '97 stopped short of revealing the full truth.
However, one brief scene offered a major clue.
As Team X sifted through a collection of DVDs documenting previous Weapon X test subjects, several familiar names appeared, including Wolverine, Silver Fox, Garrison Kane, Sabretooth, and Agent Zero (Maverick’s old codename).
More importantly, the episode revealed another experiment known as Weapon XVIII, which appears to involve the alien Brood.
The file lists 11 Marvel characters: Ajaz, Ant, Aurora, Fantomex, Kimura, Mastodon, Psi-Borg, Winter Soldier, Weapon VI, Worm, and X-23, along with one unidentified name.
The blink-and-you'll-miss-it reveal could be laying the groundwork for several new mutants, villains, and super-soldiers to appear in future episodes of X-Men '97. So, what exactly does the Weapon XVIII tease mean for the series?
What is Weapon XVIII?
Weapon XVIII is a secret government project within Marvel Comics' larger Weapon Plus program.
But rather than focusing on a single subject, it consists of a series of biological experiments designed to create living weapons by combining human test subjects, often criminals, with the alien species known as the Brood.
The concept makes its animated debut in X-Men '97 Season 2, Episode 5 during a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene featuring classified Weapon Plus files.
One of the files references Weapon XVIII and its Brood-related experiments while listing several Marvel characters connected to the project.
While it remains to be seen whether all 11 characters teased in the file will appear in X-Men '97, the inclusion of X-23 alongside her longtime handler and nemesis Kimura strongly suggests the animated series is laying the groundwork for Laura Kinney's debut.
In Marvel Comics, X-23 was created through an offshoot of the Weapon X Project and raised from childhood to be a deadly assassin, killing through a trigger scent.
She is later revealed to be Wolverine's clone and daughter, eventually becoming his protégé and ultimately taking up the mantle of Wolverine after Logan's death.
Based on this tease, the Weapon XVIII reveal appears to be more than just an Easter egg. With X-Men '97 placing a heavy focus on Wolverine this season, the series could be setting up a much larger Weapon Plus storyline, with these characters potentially playing important roles in future episodes or even later seasons.
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