Most superhero or comic book fans know about Marvel’s X-Men. Professor X, Magneto, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Jean Gray, Mystique. Chances are you’ve heard these names or at least seen one of the films in the popular X-Men movie franchise.
But there’s also a TV show that branches out from the traditional X-Men universe: The Gifted. This show is based in a universe where the X-Men have basically disappeared, eerily similar to the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past.
While The Gifted doesn’t exactly show off the mainstream, well-known X-Men heroes, there are plenty of cameos and Easter eggs for hardcore Marvel fans. Here are some of the best cameos and Easter eggs from The Gifted so far.
Stan Lee
Stan Lee, the mastermind behind most of Marvel’s popular superheroes, is known to make appearances in the film adaptations. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to most Marvel fans that Lee made a cameo in the series premiere of The Gifted.
In this appearance, Lee simply walks out of a bar without saying a single word. He’s certainly had longer (and funnier) cameos in some of Marvel’s movies, but just his presence on The Gifted is enough to get comic fans excited.
Magneto’s daughter, Polaris
Magneto is one of the most well-known characters in the X-Men universe. Although he hasn’t actually made an appearance on The Gifted, he still has an impact on the show as the father of one of the main characters.
Similar to Magneto, Polaris has the mutant ability to manipulate magnetism. So even though Magneto hasn’t been in the show (yet, at least), some hardcore X-Men fans can get a similar feeling by watching Polaris utilize her powers.
Fenris
The name Strucker should be familiar to Marvel fans, especially those who have kept up with the mainstream Avengers film franchise. Baron Strucker appears at the beginning of Avengers: Age of Ultron as one of the leaders of the villainous organization, HYDRA. And in the comics, Strucker’s twin children, Andrea von Strucker and Andreas von Strucker, are also known as Fenris. When the twins make contact with one another, they can create large energy blasts.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, Fenris makes an appearance in The Gifted. Andrea and Andreas show up in a flashback to the 1950s when the villainous mutants are terrorizing Europe.
Additionally, two of The Gifted’s main characters, Lauren Strucker and Andy Strucker, exhibit mutant abilities that are similar to Fenris. This isn’t a coincidence, though—Andreas is Lauren and Andy’s great-grandfather.
The Frost Sisters
Some Marvel fans might remember Emma Frost from X-Men: First Class. Well, her cloned daughters make an appearance in The Gifted—even though they aren’t exactly represented the same way in the comics.
In the comics, Frost’s “daughters” are called the Stepford Cuckoos. They’re psychically-linked quintuplets named Celeste, Esme, Mindee, Phoebe, and Sophie. They originally called themselves the Five-in-One, but after the deaths of Esme and Sophie, the sisters go by Three-in-One.
In The Gifted, Esme, Sophie, and Phoebe Frost are identical triplets with similar telepathic powers. While they may be missing Celeste and Mindee from the comics, the Frost Sisters do make a reference to themselves as Three-in-One on the show.
Blink
Blink is another character who’s already been seen on the big screen in X-Men: Days of Future Past. She has the mutant ability to distribute portals that have the power of teleportation.
She plays a major role in Days of Future Past as one of the mutants fighting against Sentinels, which are robots programmed to hunt and eradicate all mutants. Although she’s portrayed by a different actress in The Gifted, her powers and appearance remain the same.
In the TV show, Blink is one of the main characters who’s a part of the Mutant Underground, a resistance group that provides refuge for mutants while also fighting against any anti-mutant agendas. This sounds pretty similar to her role in Days of Future Past.
Wolverine and Weapon X
Wolverine is a fan-favorite character in the X-Men universe—so it really wouldn’t be right if The Gifted didn’t at least make references to the popular mutant. Similar to Magneto, it doesn’t seem like Wolverine will be appearing in the show, but that doesn’t mean X-Men fans can’t make connections to their favorite mutant with metal claws.
In the comics and movies, Wolverine’s skeleton and claws become fused with a strong metal alloy called adamantium. And in The Gifted, the Strucker siblings end up being taken to a room made of adamantium. The metal was apparently found at an abandoned military base in British Columbia.
While this might not be a direct reference to Wolverine, the Weapon X Program operated out of Alberta, Canada in the comics. In the X-Men movie franchise, though, the program that gave Wolverine his metal claws took place at Alkali Lake, which is located in British Columbia. This is a simple Easter egg that somewhat pays tribute to Wolverine’s origin story—and it could set the stage for more Wolverine Easter eggs in future episodes of The Gifted.
The New Mutants
Some Marvel fans are excited for upcoming additions to the popular movie franchise. One of the films that’s set to hit theaters in 2019 is called The New Mutants. And in the first episode of The Gifted’s second season, one of the characters may have casually referenced the upcoming film.
In this episode, Reeva Payge puts extra emphasis on the words “new mutants” while talking to a group of mutants known as the Inner Circle. This could be a stretch, but it likely isn’t a coincidence considering the title of the movie that’s set to be released next year.
Season 1 of Marvel’s new TV Show The Gifted is out now on DVD.
Published: Oct 9, 2018 08:59 pm