The latest episode of the ongoing X-Men ‘97 animated series sees a very angry Rogue doing a very powerful kick that references everything from the Marvel vs. Capcom video games to Kamen Rider.
Warning! Spoilers for X-Men ‘97 Episode 7 follow.
In episode seven, called Bright Eyes, we see Rogue on a mission to avenge the death of Gambit. Along the way, the super powerful X-Man attacks a base guarded by soldiers and tanks, pretty much destroying the entire operation in just a minute. In one moment, which you can watch in the video below, Rogue performs a number of mid-air rolls before unleashing a powerful downward kick that knocks a tank for six.
It’s this kick that fans have compared to similar kicks from across anime, including Kamen Rider, the Japanese superhero media franchise that saw enormous success in the 70s.
Rider kick* pic.twitter.com/sFHg3ejZc0
— taokami (@taokami3) April 24, 2024
based on the kamen rider rider kick pic.twitter.com/j8KDLLoMBF
— bigger (@BiggerWright) April 24, 2024
Rogue’s X-Men ’97 kick also closely resembles her divekick from the Marvel vs. Capcom games, from 1996’s X-Men vs. Street Fighter to 2000’s Marvel vs. Capcom 2 – and storyboard artist Matthew B confirmed on X/Twitter that the kick is indeed a reference.
— Free MvC2 (@MatthewB64) April 23, 2024
🚨EASTER EGG🚨 In the GREATEST easter egg of all, we get a callback to Rogue’s entrance and downward kick from X-Men vs. Street Fighter/Marvel vs. Capcom 2!
Episode 7 of X-Men ‘97 entitled BRIGHT EYES drops tomorrow on Disney Plus! #XMen97 #xmen #rogue #gambit #capcom pic.twitter.com/uVaHzmrEy9
— Power of X-Men (@powerofxmen) April 23, 2024
I really do appreciate the MvC head on the X-Men 97 team. They animated Rogue’s Rider kick (from the games), with the close-up like she was activating a super. She basically did her “power dive punch” in the beginning. Round start super is wild af.
Got her out here shining. pic.twitter.com/MOPp71YM4t
— WanderingPastries 🏳️⚧️ (@NomadPastries) April 24, 2024
Of course, X-Men ‘97 references the X-Men arcade games in a recent episode, so a link from the world of animation to the world of video games has been established in the show.
Whatever the case, Rogue is not messing about in Episode 7, which leaves the X-Men struggling in the face of the threat of Bastion. Check out IGN’s article, X-Men ’97’s Bastion Explained: What You Need to Know About This Deadly Super-Sentinel, to find out more about the series’ antagonist.
For more on X-Men ’97, learn about why Vulcan’s debut is such a big deal and why it’s great that the series remembered the melodrama.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
