The X-Men make the ultimate sacrifice… or so it seems.
Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for the X-Men ’97 season finale.
The Big Picture
- The X-Men join forces to save the Earth from a post-apocalyptic threat but are pulled through time.
- The X-Men battle Bastion with the Phoenix Force, and successfully end Magneto’s potential disruption of the planet.
- Season 2 sets up the character of Apocalypse and an Age of Apocalypse adaptation, hinting at new storylines.
The final episode in X-Men ’97‘s three-part season finale “Tolerance is Extinction” ended Season 1 on a high note. Not only did the X-Men have to battle the full might of Operation: Zero Tolerance and the Prime Sentinels, but they also dealt with Magneto (Matthew Waterson) hurling the planet into a technological dark age. Adding fuel to the fire was division in the ranks, both strategically, as the X-Men divided into two teams to handle the twin threats, and emotionally, as Rogue (Lenore Zann) and Sunspot (Gui Agustini) joined Magneto’s side. “Tolerance is Extinction – Part 3” ends with the X-Men making the ultimate sacrifice to save the world… or so it seems.
X-Men ’97
A band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they’re challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
- Release Date
- March 20, 2024
- Cast
- Jennifer Hale , Cal Dodd , Chris Potter , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Lenore Zann
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 2
- Number of Episodes
- 10
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney+
- Franchise(s)
- X-Men
Professor X and Magneto Have a Literal Meeting of the Minds
“Tolerance is Extinction – Part 3” opens with a sequence that recalls the first meeting between Magneto and Charles Xavier (Ross Marquand), as they reveal their mutant powers to each other. But it’s revealed that this is all taking place in Magneto’s mind, as Xavier hijacked his brain to reverse the damage his electromagnetic pulse wrought upon the Earth.
The end result leaves Magneto briefly with amnesia, as he and Xavier are in danger of being drowned by the grief that Magneto has carried with him his entire life. But Xavier consoles his old friend, telling him that he and the X-Men are part of his family. Magneto awakens and uses his powers to halt Asteroid M from crashing into Earth after the United States launches a missile strike against it as part of the “Magneto Protocols.”
The X-Men Beat Bastion With Unorthodox Methods (and a Little Phoenix Force)
The X-Men also take a page from Xavier’s book when battling Bastion (Theo James). Cyclops (Ray Chase) appeals to his inner humanity, saying that it’s time for the X-Men to stop fearing the future and face it no matter what form it might take. Before Bastion can respond, the missile strike cripples Asteroid M and seemingly kills him. Prior to this, Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) manages to strike a decisive blow against Operation: Zero Tolerance, thanks to the remnants of the Phoenix Force within her. Jean not only cuts off Bastion’s access to the Prime Sentinels, but she also ends up stripping Mister Sinister (Christopher Britton) of the mutant gifts he’s stolen over centuries. This ends up freeing Cable (Chris Potter) from Sinister’s control.
The X-Men Are Pulled Through Time, Setting Up Season 2
Despite all the X-Men combining their powers to try and stop Asteroid M from hurtling into the Earth, it seemingly explodes in mid-atmosphere. Only Sunspot, Jubilee (Holly Chou), and Forge (Gil Birmingham) survive, leaving the world to think the X-Men are dead. But that isn’t the case: the mutant heroes have been hurled to two very different points in time. Cyclops and Jean wind up in the year 3960 A.D., where they encounter a mysterious group of mutants known as Clan Askani. Surprisingly, Clan Askani is sheltering a young Nathan Summers, who will grow up to be Cable. To say Cyclops and Jean are shocked is an understatement, as prior to this they had a tearful goodbye with Cable before Asteroid M disappeared. It looks like X-Men ’97 Season 2 will continue to explore the Summers/Grey family dynamic, especially since Clan Askani’s leader is secretly Scott and Jean’s daughter Rachel.
The rest of the X-Men land in 3000 B.C… specifically, Ancient Egypt. They fight off a horde of soldiers who are attacking a mutant warrior; when Magneto and Xavier ask who he is, the warrior reveals himself to be En Sabah Nur, who will eventually grow to be the mutant warlord Apocalypse. The X-Men previously fought Apocalypse in the X-Men: The Animated Series four-parter “Beyond Good And Evil”, where he sought to create a world where only the strong survive. X-Men ’97 looks like it will finally explore the origins of Apocalypse, but that isn’t the only time he appears in the episode. In a mid-credits scene, the future Apocalypse visits the ruins of Genosha and picks up a playing card that belonged to Gambit (AJ LoCascio). This hints at Apocalypse transforming Gambit into one of his four Horsemen, specifically the Horseman of Death.
‘X-Men ’97’ Sets Up Multiple Comic Book Storylines for Season 2
The appearance of Apocalypse all but hints that X-Men ’97 will adapt elements from the Age of Apocalypse storyline. Age of Apocalypse takes place in a world where Charles Xavier was murdered before he could form the X-Men, leading Apocalypse to rise to power. With Apocalypse playing a huge role in the present and past, the stage is set for him to be one of the major villains of X-Men ’97 Season 2, and to put the X-Men through the wringer. Not only will they have to contend with Gambit, but the rest of the Horsemen — which might include Wolverine. The clawed Canadian and Morph (J.P Karliak) are missing in action following Asteroid M’s time-shift, and Logan is still recovering from Magneto tearing the adamantium from his bones. Add in the fact that he became one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen in the comics, and things aren’t looking good for the merry mutants.
X-Men ’97 also looks like it’ll adapt elements from the Fall of the Mutants storyline, where the world believed the X-Men were dead. Forge is shown to be tracking the whereabouts of the remaining mutants on Earth, when Bishop (Issac Robinson-Smith) arrives to tell him that the X-Men are stranded in time. Bishop, Cable and Forge also happen to be members of the mutant paramilitary unit X-Force, which took a harder edge in battling threats to mankind. With tensions between mutantkind and humanity on the rise, the potential formation of a new X-Men team, and time-traveling shenanigans, X-Men ’97 is aiming to return with a bang… whenever that might be.
Season 1 of X-Men ’97 is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com