Warning: this article contains full spoilers for X-Men '97: Episode 3! If you haven't already, be sure to check out IGN's review for "Fire Made Flesh".
X-Men ‘97 is now three episodes into its first season, and already the mutant drama is boiling over. We’ve seen the team deal with the return of old foes like Mister Sinister, the Sentinels and the Friends of Humanity. Storm has lost her powers, Jean Grey turned out to be a clone and baby Nathan Summers is now a time-traveling refugee. It’s a lot for any one superhero team to handle.
As the dust of Episode 3 settles, let’s explore the biggest burning questions surrounding the series right now. From the lingering Jean Grey/Madelyne Pryor mystery to the show’s latest love triangle, these are the questions we can’t wait to see answered in Season 1.
When Was Jean Grey Replaced?
X-Men ‘97’s second episode ends on a big cliffhanger, as no sooner does Jean Grey return to the X-Mansion with her infant son than another Jean Grey shows up out of the blue. In Episode 3, we learn the newcomer Jean is actually the real deal, and the Jean who just gave birth is her clone. Clone Jean now goes by the name Madelyne Pryor.
While the two Jeans have mostly buried the hatchet following their brief psychic battle, one important question still remains: When exactly did Mister Sinister kidnap and replace the original Jean? How long was Madelyne a member of the team? Did this switch-up happen at some point in the unseen months between X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ‘97? Or did the change happen during the original series? Even the two Jeans seem to have no idea.
There are certainly plenty of points during X-Men: The Animated Series where Sinister could have made the switch. For all we know, it may have happened as early as Season 2, when Cyclops and Jean were first kidnapped by Sinister’s Nasty Boys on their honeymoon. Does that mean they have to redo their wedding yet again?
It’s also interesting to wonder how this reveal could impact the events of “The Phoenix Saga” and “The Dark Phoenix Saga” from Season 3. Was it the real Jean who was possessed by the Phoenix or Madelyne? Is Sinister to blame for Jean’s descent into madness?
The show could take yet another cue from the comics here. In the original version of The Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean sacrifices her life at the end, seeking penance for having annihilated an entire planet and wishing to spare the universe more harm. When Jean was brought back to life years later, Marvel revealed that she had been hibernating in a pod in the Hudson River while the Phoenix impersonated her. That reveal was intended to absolve Jean of massacring the D’Bari people.
Jean didn’t wipe out an entire civilization in the animated series, but there may still be a desire to distance the character from her time as the Phoenix. If so, we may eventually learn Sinister had hatched his scheme before the events of The Phoenix Saga. Marvel has an X-Men ‘97 comic lined up that’s intended to bridge the gap between the two animated series. Perhaps that book will make things more clear?
Will Mister Sinister Return?
Cloning Jean Grey and sneaking a double agent into the X-Men’s ranks was only part of Mister Sinister’s evil plan. In Episode 3 we learn his end goal was to orchestrate the birth of Cyclops and Jean Grey’s son. He’s been obsessed with the Summers/Grey family genetics since his first appearance, and a baby combining the two bloodlines is his ultimate prize.
Unfortunately, Sinister doesn’t have a lot of screen time in Episode 3, with the focus remaining mainly on Jean and the brainwashed Madelyne Pryor. Sinister beats a hasty retreat once it becomes clear his plans for baby Nathan aren’t going to come to fruition. So that leaves one obvious question - will we see Mister Sinister again in Season 1?
The hope is that his appearance in Episode 3 is merely a prelude of things to come. There’s plenty of room for Sionister to return and play an overarching role as one of the main villains of the new series. With Magneto firmly on the side of right and Apocalypse having been decisively dealt with back in Season 4 of the original series, Sinister is pretty much the biggest major villain X-Men ‘97 has available. It would be a shame not to take advantage of that fact, especially given how much the team has suffered at his hands lately.
How Will Nathan Summers Become Cable?
Episode 3 ends on a tragic note where baby Nathan Summers is concerned. Thanks to Sinister’s genetic tampering — and the X-Men interrupting him mid-experiment — Nathan is now infected with a techno-organic virus. The only way to save his life is for Bishop to escort him to the future, where his condition can be stabilized.
X-Men comic fans know where this is heading. This is the origin story for Cable, a character who was eventually revealed to be the adult version of Nathan, years after originally debuting in 1990’s The New Mutants #87. There’s no reason to assume that X-Men ‘97 is diverging from the source material here. The original animated series never dealt with the question of Cable’s parentage, but it would seem X-Men ‘97 is diving headlong into that convoluted thicket. In fact, Cable has already been confirmed to appear in Season 1, now voiced by Chris Potter.
The question isn’t whether baby Nathan is destined to become Cable. That much seems assured. The question is how exactly he becomes a time-traveling freedom fighter. How much will we see of Nathan’s formative years? How did his rivalry with Apocalypse begin, and how did he eventually wind up in the far-flung era of 3999?
The comics have covered this ground, establishing that Nathan was raised by a group known as Clan Askani. The limited series The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix even allowed the two to psychically travel into the future and experience raising their son for a time. Will X-Men ‘97 adapt that material? How different will this story play out now that Bishop has seemingly become Nathan’s caretaker? As much as Cable and Bishop butted heads in the original series, it would be ironic to find out Bishop was actually a father figure to the younger Cable.
It’s also interesting to see Bishop of all characters become Nathan’s protector when he played a much different role in the comics. Following the events of 2007’s Messiah Complex crossover, Cable became the caretaker of a mutant baby called Hope, with Bishop (in full heel turn mode) pursuing them across time. Will X-Men ‘97 draw any inspiration from those stories? Only time will tell, no pun intended.
What’s Next for Storm?
Cyclops and Jean Grey aren’t the only two X-Men to have suffered profound losses in these first three episodes. In Episode 2, Storm loses her powers when she intercepts a shot intended for Magneto. Clearly, her bad luck with lasers has carried over from the original series.
Now depowered and disillusioned, Storm has hit the road in order to find herself. We briefly see her again at the end of Episode 3, where she’s approached in a Texas bar by Forge.
It’s obvious the series is drawing heavily from the ‘80s-era Uncanny X-Men comics with this storyline. The comics also featured an ongoing subplot where Storm became depowered and had to come to terms with no longer being a weather goddess. That led to the critically acclaimed “Lifedeath,” a story where she and Forge bond over their shared trauma.
We know from the episode titles for Season 1 that X-Men ‘97 is adapting Lifedeath. The question is just how much the series will borrow from the source material. Will Storm’s power loss be a long-term problem? Will we see her return to the X-Mansion and battle Cyclops for the right to lead the X-Men, as also happened in the comics? Whatever happens, we expect the series to firmly establish that Storm is a force to be reckoned with, whether or not she can command the elements.
Are Rogue and Magneto a Couple Now?
The Cyclops/Jean Grey/Wolverine love triangle is easily one of the most iconic elements from the original X-Men: The Animated Series, to the point that the comics renewed their focus on that love triangle in response. But at this point, with Scott and Jean married and becoming parents, there isn’t a whole lot of gas left in that storytelling tank. The time has come for a new love triangle.
All signs point to a Magneto/Rogue/Gambit love triangle rising up to replace the old one. The series has established that Magneto, thanks to his poorly defined control over electromagnetism, can touch Rogue without falling victim to her energy-draining power. For Rogue, Magneto represents a desperately needed source of intimacy and physical contact. And already, the series has implied that the two were an item once upon a time, much to Gambit’s chagrin.
Will Rogue and Magneto officially become a couple in X-Men ‘97? If so, how will the rest of the team react? They seem ready to tolerate the idea of Magneto running the Xavier Institute, but is a Magneto/Rogue relationship a bridge too far? And is it possible this relationship could progress to the point where Rogue becomes pregnant? It happened in 1995’s Age of Apocalypse crossover, where the Magneto and Rogue of an alternate timeline become parents to a son named Charles.
All of this may hinge on just how genuine Magneto is in his desire to reform. If he sticks around the X-Mansion for the long haul, a relationship with Rogue may be inevitable. But if he’s driven back into villainy, Rogue may find herself torn between her team and her lover. Things could get very awkward.
When Is Professor X Coming Back?
X-Men ‘97 is in a bit of an odd place where Professor X is concerned. The series has been treating Chuck as if he died in the series finale of the original show, when in actuality he simply left with Lilandra to recover among the Shi’ar. He’s not dead, but the X-Men seem content to let the world believe he is and move on.
That being said, we assume it’s only a matter of time until Xavier returns. The comics also explored a subplot where Xavier travels away from Earth with Lilandra to recuperate, only for him to eventually return and resume leading the X-Men. Should we assume Magneto’s tenure as headmaster is similarly short-lived? Are the X-Men destined to be led by their original founder again?
What happens when Xavier returns to Earth? Does Magneto simply hand the reins of the school back to his old friend, or does he insist on remaining on as leader of the X-Men? Will Xavier approve of how his old friend has been handling things in his absence? There’s plenty of room for drama and conflict, even with these two men now on the same side of the ideological divide. A lot depends on whether Magneto manages to hold the team together through the events of Season 1.
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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
