We only have two episodes of X-Men ’97 left in season one, and speculation about what might happen is running wild. Magneto is clearly back to his old ways, and Charles Xavier is finally back on Earth. This is going to lead to one hell of a confrontation. So far, the series has been remixing tons of lore from the comics, creating its own unique take on the X-Men. Former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has been active on social media lately, dropping hints as to what takes place in the last few episodes, and what classic episodes fans should revisit. Here’s what he’s shared so far:
So what could these references to classic X-Men: The Animated Series episodes mean? We have some ideas.
“One Man’s Worth, Pt. I and II” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4, Episodes 9-10
We know what one of these was hinting at already. The episode “One Man’s Worth” showed an alternate Wolverine and Storm heading to 1959 to prevent the assassination of a young Charles Xavier. In that episode we met a racist bully in the past, one we now know was infected by a future Nimrod Sentinel, and fathered Bastion. His mother appeared in that episode as well.
“Sanctuary Pt. I and II” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 4, Episodes 3 -4
“Sanctuary Pt. I and II” featured Magneto attempting to create a mutant-only nation in orbit around the world with Asteroid M. Might he attempt such a thing again? That was also a part of the comics, in the storyline “Fatal Attractions.” (More on that story in a moment). That story ended when Magneto ripped the adamantium off Logan’s bones.
“Descent” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 5, Episode 9
“Descent” focused on the backstory of Mister Sinister, focusing on his days as a 19th-century scientist named Nathaniel Essex. This suggests we’ll see more flashbacks to Sinister’s younger days before the season is over. Maybe the show will finally explain what Sinister’s ultimate goals are in working with Bastion, besides just doing experiments on more mutant DNA. Mister Sinister always has plans within plans.
“The Final Decision” X-Men: The Animated Series Season 1 Episode 13
“The Final Decision” was the season one finale of X-Men: The Animated Series. That episode featured the X-Men teaming up with Magneto to stop the Sentinel Master Mold from replacing the minds of world leaders with Sentinel-controlled brains. We could see a repeat of those events in X-Men ’97, only now with the threat of Bastion’s human-looking Prime Sentinels.
Uncanny X-Men #304, “…For What I Have Done”
We also have a comic book-related bit of homework. DeMayo shared the cover of 1993’s Uncanny X-Men #304, part of the “Fatal Attractions” storyline. In this issue, all of the X-Men and their adjacent teams gathered at the X-Mansion grounds for Illyana Rasputin’s funeral. Magneto crashed the funeral, declaring himself the new mutant savior. And he convinced Colossus, Illyana’s grieving brother, to abandon Xavier’s dream and join him. Colossus isn’t a regular member of the team in X-Men ’97, but this sure indicates that at least one stalwart X-Men is defecting to Magneto’s side before the season is over. Maybe even more than one.
We’ll discover what it all means when the last two episodes of X-Men ’97 season one, “Tolerance is Extinction” parts 2-3, drop on Disney+ on May 8 and May 15.
