Who voices that shocking Avenger cameo in ‘X-Men ’97?’

Warning: Spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 7 in 3, 2, 1…

Captain America just turned up in X-Men ’97, and we are shocked! Shocked! Well, not that shocked. In all honesty, we’ve been expecting this ever since the mid-season trailer featured a shot of Steve Rogers’ shield being thrown at Rogue’s feet. You didn’t exactly need to be Professor X to work out what that was trying to tease.

The exciting thing about X-Men ’97 is that, as it’s a sequel to the golden days of Marvel animation in the ’90s, it exists in a fully-populated universe — X-Men: The Animated Series shared continuity with shows about Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and more as well, don’t forget. Although Cap never had his own animated series that decade, he and his Avengers flitted through the canon, so it’s entirely in keeping for him to make a cameo in this legacy revival.

But how does Cap factor into X-Men ’97 episode 7 and why does his voice sound so familiar?

Who voices Captain America in X-Men ’97?

Following the death of Gambit in episode 5, Rogue goes on the warpath in episode 7 as she hunts down Henry Gyrich, the mutant-hating politician she knows to be behind the devastating Sentinel attack on Genosha. This leads her first to Rikers Island, run by none other than General Thaddeus Ross, and then to another military base where she encounters Captain America.

Steve is naturally sympathetic to Rogue’s cause and is haunted by the massacre on Genosha, so he tells Rogue that he and his “team” have tracked Gyrich to Mexico and are waiting on official clearance. Rogue, meanwhile, wants to attack now, but Cap its that “this uniform” can’t be seen aiding a mutant out for blood on an unsanctioned mission. “My hands are tied,” he tells her. A furious Rogue then swipes Cap’s shield and throws it miles and miles away. “If your hands are tied, you won’t be needing this,” she quips.

If you’re wondering why Cap’s voice sounds so familiar that’s because the Avenger is voiced in this appearance by Josh Keaton. Keaton has become Marvel’s go-to Chris Evans stand-in after previously playing a Steve variant who never got his powers in What If…?. This is his first time getting to voice the classic super-soldier version of the character, however. It’s his second surprise cameo in a superhero animated show of the month, though, as he just played Spider-Man Agent Spider on Invincible.

With director Jake Castrorena continues Wednesdays on Disney Plus.