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Professor X has been a fan-favourite character in all iterations of the X-Men, but his absence in the promotional material of X-Men'97 has led fans to wonder about his whereabouts. With Marvel reviving the series that was so formative in developing older fans' love for the team of mutants, Professor X's absence may be traced to the conclusion of its preceding series.
That being said, the answer to the powerful telepath's absence might be a little contradictory and controversial if we consider the timeline of the story. X-Men'97 reveals that Xavier has died.
The truth, however, is that the series serves as a sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series. The latter's end showed the professor going to an alien planet to receive treatment for his wounds.
Professor X is not canonically dead in X-Men'97, just absent
In the final episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, Professor X and his team attended an anti-mutant summit. During the same, the anti-mutant activist Henry Gyrich attacked Xavier with a sonic gun and mortally wounding him. While it seemed like Xavier was about to die, he was rescued by his alien lover Lillandra.
However, Lillandra had offered an ultimatum as the alien technology she was using to restore his health had a caveat - Xavier needed to leave Earth forever. As such, The Animated Series concluded with the X-Men seeing their leader depart into the stars. X-Men'97, and its current reboot are set to take the story on from there.
X-Men'97 does not forget the team's founding member
Despite Xavier's departure, the current sequence of events in X-Men'97 makes passing references to his death as mutants both new and old are set to take his legacy forward. This could mean many things.
Firstly, that the X-Men might be lying about Xavier's death so they can access his monetary resources to ensure the continuation of the School for Gifted Youngsters. They might have other unverifiable reasons to hide his departure from the mutant-hating populace.
Secondly, it is possible that Xavier has perished between the events of The Animated Series and X-Men'97. Such an instance is of course unlikely, as Xavier still features in the title track of this animated show. While this is enough to hint at his return, fans don't know when that might be.
Thirdly, it is also possible that Xavier's seeming "death" would be a topical issue in a future episode that would be addressed. It might be part of a major plotline as well, as comic book fans know.
According to Marvel's X-Men comics, Xavier had been trapped in space. While this is a significantly different storyline from what the ending of The Animated Series suggested, it could also set up a major canonical event in the Marvel-verse to take place.
This event, namely, would be to make Magneto the headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters. Last but not least, comic book stories are infamous for killing off and resurrecting characters several times over. Professor X is no stranger to such forms of death, so it is possible that even if he had died for some unexplained reason, X-Men'97 might resurrect him soon after.
The first season of the series was released on March 22, 2024. Fans can watch new episodes weekly on Disney+ Hotstar.
