Since X-Men ‘97 began, the animated series revival has continuously taken fans to new heights with its big revelations. As it recently released Episode 3, Fire Made Flesh, it made a big reveal about Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) and her clone that lived in X-Mansion. The episode introduced Madelyne Pryor, aka Goblin Queen, going deep into the comic book history to tell viewers more about the X-Men’s most dangerous clone.
Warning: The following content contains major X-Men ‘97 Episode 3 spoilers. Read at your own risk.
X-Men ‘97 Episode 3 explored the case of the series having two Jeans Greys. Beast determined that the newly-arrived Jean was the real one, while the other Jean they had been living with was a clone. Mr. Sinister even confirmed this when he activated the crystal he placed in the clone Jean’s head, causing her to destroy the X-Men portraits nearby and reveal her true self as the Goblin Queen. As a fight erupted, the trouble ended when the Goblin Queen remembered her son, Nathan, and decided to leave the mansion and named herself Madelyne Pryor.
Who is Madelyne Pryor in X-Men?
After Jean died in the Dark Phoenix Saga, Mr. Sinister took advantage of the situation and introduced Cyclops to her clone to create an ultimate mutant. Madelyne debuted in the 1983 Uncanny X-Men #168, created by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith. She was a pilot working for North Star Airways, a company Cyclops’ grandparents owned. She first met Cyclops when he visited his grandparents in Alaska and was immediately captivated by her uncanny resemblance to Jean.
A romance started to bloom between the two, despite Cyclops’ doubts that she might be a resurrected Jean or Phoenix. The villain Mastermind later exploited Cyclops’ fears about Madelyne, making the latter end his suspicions about her and accept her as a non-mutant woman. The two had a kid, Nathaniel Summers/Cable.
How did Madelyne Pryor become the Goblin Queen in X-Men?
Madelyne received superpowers from Loki and later confronted Mr. Sinister at his lab. There, she learned she was Jean’s clone after the Phoenix Force entered her and Mr. Sinister orchestrated her meeting with Cyclops to fulfill his evil plans. After Jean was resurrected, Mr. Sinister tried to kill Madelyne to hide his plan continuously but failed to do so.
The revelations broke Madelyne, making her work with the demons of Limbo and become the Goblin Queen. She also started an affair with Alex, who became the Goblin Prince, after she and Cyclops broke up as the latter left to form the X-Factor. In the end, Jean managed to best Madelyne, making the Goblin Queen die of self-inflicted wounds after the Phoenix Force left her.
New episodes of X-Men ’97 air every Wednesday on Disney+. As the animated series continuously delves into the X-Men lore, fans may see more characters from the comic book making a leap on the small screen.
