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Marvel Just Paid Off a 31-Year-Old Storyline With the Perfect James Cameron Sci-Fi Homage
X-Men '97 Season 2's latest episode, "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs," has finally given the Brood – one of the X-Men's most notorious alien enemies – a full on-screen appearance after 31 years, having previously only cameoed as a virtual simulation in the original 1994 animated series. The episode also doubles as an affectionate homage to James Cameron's sci-fi classic *Aliens*, delighting long-time fans who had waited decades to see the parasitic villains properly realised.
The episode serves as a companion piece to two earlier instalments: the original series episode "Weapon X, Lies, and Videotape" and the Season 3 episode "Love in Vain," which was originally titled "A Time to Brood" before the Brood were swapped out for a similar alien race called the Colony. Executive producer Larry Houston explained the change was partly due to the Brood's earlier brief appearance and partly a desire to redesign them to be more distinctive and easier to animate for the Fox Kids Saturday-morning audience. In the new episode, Wolverine references the past alien threat, hinting the Brood and Colony may be linked, while the instalment weaves in multiple nods to Cameron's *Aliens*.
In short
- X-Men '97 gives the Brood their first full appearance after 31 years
- Episode pays homage to James Cameron's Aliens
- Ties back to a scrapped 1990s storyline originally meant to feature them
Explained simply
The Brood are an alien enemy species in Marvel's X-Men universe, originating from the comics but mostly absent from animation over the past three decades. They were meant to feature in the original X-Men animated series in 1994, but the episode was altered and they appeared only as a computer simulation instead. This absence has been a notable point for fans who remember the original series.
X-Men '97 is the current animated series revival of that 1994 show, bringing back its characters and stories for contemporary audiences. An episode in the series' second season now features the Brood as actual villains rather than simulations, whilst also incorporating references to James Cameron's film Aliens.
For viewers familiar with the original series, this development resolves a storyline that was disrupted three decades ago. The pairing with Aliens references connects X-Men to broader science fiction cinema that has influenced the franchise.
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