Warning: this article contains spoilers for X-Men ‘97: Season 1, Episode 9! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our review of “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 2”.
X-Men ‘97 is close to wrapping up its ten-episode first season, but we know Marvel Animation is already deep into development on Season 2. What will the next season be about? What villain can possibly top the living Sentinel Bastion? Thanks to Episode 9, we have some important clues.
Let’s take a closer look at the important teases in “Tolerance Is Extinction - Part 2” and why the series seems to be teasing the all-powerful villain Onslaught and a major Wolverine storyline for Season 2.
The Rise of Onslaught
No sooner does Professor Xavier return to lead his students than he crosses a major moral red line in Episode 9. When faced with the realization that Magneto can’t be reasoned with, Xavier forces his way into his old friend’s mind to try and reverse the damage done to the Earth’s electromagnetic field. This is an act that’s sure to bring with it some serious ramifications.
This episode draws heavily on the 1993 comic book crossover “Fatal Attractions.” That story climaxes with Magneto ripping the adamantium from Wolverine’s bones and a vengeful Xavier lashing out and wiping Magneto’s mind. However, that mindwipe brings with it an unintended consequence. The dark side of Magneto’s psyche travels into Xavier’s mind and begins to fester. Ultimately, a new villain named Onslaught is created as a psychic melding of the worst parts of Xavier and Magneto. Once Onslaught learns how to take physical form, the X-Men are in for the fight of their lives.
Episode 9 seems to be setting up that twist with Xavier entering Magneto’s mind. If that alone wasn’t enough to trigger the creation of Onslaught, we may still see Xavier lose his composure in the finale as he reacts to Wolverine’s injuries. Either way, it seems safe to assume the series is laying the seeds for Onslaught’s arrival.
Onslaught makes sense as a major villain for X-Men ‘97, someone with the power to easily rival that of Bastion. In fact, Onslaught proved such a threat to the Marvel Universe in the original comic book storyline that the X-Men had to ally with the Avengers and Fantastic Four to stop him. X-Men ‘97 has already brought in one Avenger in Captain America. Could the full team be next?
The Onslaught storyline could also pave the way for the series to explore the connection between the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s son Franklin is himself a mutant. He’s arguably the most powerful mutant alive, with the ability to warp reality and create entire pocket universes out of pure imagination. Franklin becomes key to stopping the threat of Onslaught.
Wolverine Loses His Adamantium: What’s Next?
Just as in “Fatal Attractions,” Wolverine learns in Episode 9 what happens when you push Magneto too far. The Master of Magnetism pulls the very metal from Logan’s bones, which begs the question of why they didn’t put Wolverine on the Gold team instead. Fair warning - we’re about to spoil what happens to Wolverine in the comics, so stop reading here if you don’t want potential spoilers for X-Men ‘97.
Again, the immediate result of this act in the comics is that Xavier psychically lashes out and mindwipes Magneto. But for Wolverine, the damage is already done. Losing his adamantium is the start of a long journey for the character, one that we may now see play out in Season 2 of X-Men ‘97.
In the comics, Wolverine’s healing factor shorts out due to the trauma of Magneto’s attack. This is also when he discovers for the first time (post-amnesia) that he has bone claws beneath the adamantium, raising new questions about his past and true mutant nature. Wolverine temporarily leaves the X-Men, coming into conflict with villains like Lady Deathstrike and Cyber and undergoing the same process of healing and self-discovery we saw Storm face in the “Lifedeath” episodes.
Wolverine’s healing factor eventually returns with a vengeance, no longer having to accommodate for all the toxic metal polluting his bloodstream. That eventually causes Logan’s body to mutate, transforming him into a feral, bestial shadow of his former self. Luckily, Logan eventually regains touch with his humanity.
Wolverine does eventually get his adamantium back in the comics. He’s kidnapped by Apocalypse and brainwashed into becoming the new Horseman of Death. To increase his Horseman’s fighting prowess, Apocalypse restores his adamantium skeleton. Logan eventually breaks free from Apocalypse’s control and returns to the X-Men, whole once more.
It’s easy to see X-Men ‘97 adapting some or all of these storylines. The series hasn’t prominently featured Wolverine in Season 1, but that looks to be changing for Season 2. We may see him leave the team to recover from his injuries and get back in touch with himself, paving the way for episodes revolving around his rivalries with Lady Deathstrike, Cyber or Sabretooth and maybe even delving more into the character’s connection to Japan. This could also be a perfect opportunity for X-Men ‘97 to explore Logan’s full origin story, something the comics hadn’t yet established when X-Men: The Animated Series was originally on the air.
We may also see the series explore Logan’s regression into a feral monster and his recruitment into Apocalypse’s Horsemen. That latter storyline may be something that happens further down the road in Season 3, after the show has dealt with Onslaught. Whatever happens, it seems safe to assume we’ll see a lot more of Wolverine in future seasons of X-Men ‘97.
Do you think we'll see Onslaught in Season 2? What X-Men storylines do you most want to see the series adapt? Vote in our poll and let us know your thoughts in the comments below:
For more on X-Men '97, check out our biggest burning questions surrounding the series and learn about Cyclops' long-lost brother Vulcan.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
