Let’s Talk about X-Men Episode 1-9

We’re about to discuss a challenging episode of television.

The most recent episode of X-Men ’97 raises more questions than it answers.

So, let’s talk about X-Men ’97 episode 1-9, the one where Wolverine and Magneto finally work out their lingering aggression.

My Confession

MarvelBlog didn’t exist back then. So, I’ll go ahead and tell you something that will make you think less of me.

I considered the ending of Avengers: Infinity War a colossal mistake and a painfully predictable ending.

In comics, we often have these teases of world-breaking endings that are often quickly rewritten.

That was what I expected, and I was skeptical that the concept would work well in pop culture.

As far as bad takes go, that’s up there with my opinions on Tom Brady being overrated, something I said for about 15 years of his career. Whoops.

Why am I saying all this? The latest episode of X-Men ’97 ends with a cliffhanger, which isn’t a surprise.

What the story teases has happened strikes me as a bad idea all around, though.

In Tolerance is Extinction – Part 2, we once again explore the concept that Magneto, not Charles Xavier, was right all along.

Xavier immediately has the ability to defend his position, as he has returned to Earth from the Shi’ar Empire.

Part 1 ended with Professor X summoning his X-Men with his memorable catchphrase, “To me, my X-Men.”

The new episode starts with Xavier facing his mortality again, as he cannot walk on Earth as he had in Lilandra’s realm.

While Xavier wearily evaluates the damage at his mansion, the story shows the aftermath of last week’s events.

Humans are chasing Mutants like Storm and Jubilee and their boyfriends, while Bastion mourns the abomination that was his mother.

Magneto is violating the laws of science as he prepares for the battle of a lifetime.

The only bit of happiness occurs when Storm reunites with Jubilee.

Father Figure

At the mansion, the mood isn’t as upbeat. Cyclops sounds like an angry child as he questions Charles’ decisions.

As hinted earlier in the season, the Professor hoped to free Cyclops from a lifetime of responsibility.

Frankly, I find this writing lazy, as Xavier is smart enough to know that Cyclops would never abandon the X-Men.

Professor X holds out his hand, but Cyclops isn’t in a forgiving mood.

On the bright side, Storm and the others return to the mansion where she and Jean celebrate the return of the goddess’ powers.

Forge and Beast are also old buddies, and they immediately start performing science together. It’s gonna be one of those.

Cyclops runs the team through the Bastion update, which is also the Magneto update.

The idea is that Forge and Beast restore the Prime Sentinels’ humanity, which isn’t the greatest plan.

As mentioned, those same humans already hated Mutants. So, a reset to the previous status quo isn’t ideal…but it is better.

During the meeting, Sunspot criticizes Xavier’s decision-making, which is fair. Cyclops defends his father figure. I guess they’re good?

The scientific tests go…poorly. But the hope is that the X-Men working as a unit can stop Bastion and the Prime Sentinels.

As fate would have it, that’s not the biggest threat here. Magneto arrives at the mansion. Correction: HIS mansion.

Xavier and Magneto recount old arguments, but the master of metal is beyond philosophical debates now. It’s a time for war.

Enemies Foreign and Domestic

Eventually, Magneto takes a poll. He asks for Mutants to join him on his crusade.

In a devastating moment 30 years in the making, Rogue leaves her team to join their greatest foe, Magneto. Sunspot follows.

We quickly get a replacement for Rogue on the team, as Cyclops invites his son, Cable, to join.

Once again, Xavier’s belief in Magneto gets everyone in trouble, as the Professor petitions POTUS not to attack the villain.

The X-Men will do the heavy lifting here. Folks, we’re about to get a multi-front battle with the X-Men against Bastion and Magneto.

Bastion has been farming Sentinels – the real ones, not humans – and a bunch of them activate just in time to fight the X-Men Gold Team.

In a chilling moment, Bastion speaks through one of the Sentinels, underscoring that he has networked them all together.

Oh, and just to make things worse, Mister Sinister arrives to torment Jean Grey as well. What a day.

The other team has invaded Magneto’s new complex, where he sits on a – I’m not joking – throne of the carcass of a Sentinel.

What happens next is an X-Men fan’s dream. Wolverine leads the team against Magneto, but it’s primarily the two of them.

Meanwhile, Sunspot tries to apologize to Jubilee while attacking her. She releases an onslaught of fireworks on him.

Their first fight is a literal fight. Isn’t that adorable?

Magneto finally uses metal to clamp Professor X’s mouth, saying, “Shut up!” It’s long overdue, and we all know it.

Who Lives and Who Dies?

Many of the X-Men get big moments of heroism here. My favorite involves Morph, as they pretend to be Mister Sinister.

The goal is to surprise Bastion, but the villain knows that Mister Sinister would never think of anyone but himself.

X-Men are too noble to masquerade as villains. I quite like that motif.

But you can brainwash a Mutant. Mister Sinister takes over Cable’s mind, which makes sense since he’s why the baby exists.

Cable attacks his semi-mother, Jean, but she pleads with him that she’s partially the Goblin Queen as well.

At this point, we learn that Cable is a “world-class telepath” as well because “stuff tends not to skip a generation.”

I’m not saying it’s not in there, but I don’t remember that idea ever being used in the comics…and it’s grrrrreat!

Jean makes a psychic connection with Scott just as Cable attacks her. She thinks (or says?), “Scott, I love you.” Then, she explodes.

I have no idea whether that’s her real death or not, as the camera never cuts back to her.

Instead, we get another confusing death. Wolverine takes off Magneto’s mask for a moment, but it doesn’t matter.

Since Gold Team hasn’t finished its mission yet, Magneto recovers and attempts to kill Charles.

Before that can happen, Wolverine impales Magneto. The Canadian says, “Been in a lot of wars, bub. The brave always die first.”

Magneto isn’t dead, though. He’s just pissed. The villain somehow absorbs the blow, turns around and unleashes a metal assault on Wolverine.

I know that Wolverine’s Mutant ability is healing, but it sure looks like Magneto is in the process of ripping out that Adamantium spine.

The episode ends before we know for sure, but it’d be the latest famous comic book moment recreated this season.

Final Thoughts

This episode’s challenging to judge because it’s only the second act of a three-part story.

Until I know what the final act is, I’m just guessing here, but the Wolverine/Magneto showdown did NOT disappoint.

Wolverine’s comment shows that he respects the villain, even if they hate each other.

Meanwhile, Magneto is proving that he’s willing to do whatever is necessary to save the Mutant race.

If Magneto has to kill every single X-Men member to do it, he just might.

At this point, Rogue and Sunspot seem like the smart ones for switching sides.

 

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