Recap: The X-Men Fight to Save Gambit in Epic Season 2 Finale of "X-Men '97"
It's finally here. Through twists and turns, and plenty of side quests, we have reached the conclusion of X-Men '97 season two. The threat of Apocalypse still lives inside the consciousness of Gambit and with two mutant teams bearing down on the X-Men, they're going to have to do everything they can to protect their friend.
The episode opens with Cable explaining his destiny to Val Cooper and X-Factor. He is tracking the Celestial energy signature that Apocalypse's power gives off and he tells them that, in order to end Apocalypse, he has to kill Gambit.
Rogue, Beast and Nightcrawler explore the depths of the ocean to find Ship, the former base of Apocalypse and the site where they witnessed En Sabah Nur become their longtime foe. Beast wakes up Ship and Rogue asks it how they can stop Apocalypse. Ship explains that defeating him will require a Celestial power and that they must enter the same shrine that created him. Ship also warns that no one enters the shrine without paying a price and the shrine emerges, letting out a wave of cosmic power. Rogue fights through it and enters the shrine.
Back at X-Corp, alarms sound as Gambit still lies unconscious. X-Factor and X-Force arrive and Charles tries to reason with Cooper. She argues that the threat of Apocalypse must be eliminated, even if it means killing Gambit. Havok objects to them attacking the X-Men but Cooper orders Cable to get them past the X-Men's EMP field. Breaching that field lets Cyclops and Jean know that Cable is working with them, and they prepare to face off with their son.
An army of human-piloted sentinels is unleashed as Polaris and Bishop stand as the last line of defense for Gambit. Charles psychically searches for Rogue but he cannot find her, saying she has gone to a realm beyond Cerebra's reach.
Rogue wakes up surrounded by white light and face to face with the Celestial known as Eson, who takes the gem containing a piece of Apocalypse's power from her. Eson explains that life only advances through Apocalypse and will benefit from the loss of Gambit. Rogue defies Eson and tries to attack him, but she can't even get close to him. Surprised by her willingness to fight, Eson offers her the opportunity to sacrifice her life to save his. Rogue accepts and Eson gives her a cosmic power.
Beast and Nightcrawler wait outside of the shrine before Rogue finally emerges. Now though, she is wearing a new outfit and glowing like stars. It appears the power Eson gave her was a cosmic entity known as the Star Brand. In the comics, this power has been wielded by many characters though Rogue is not one of them. It's possible this is not actually the power at play, with the emblem looking a bit different from the typical Star Brand in the comics, but it is certainly very reminiscent of it. As Rogue leaves, Beast notices Nightcrawler is troubled. When he asks him about it, Nightcrawler points out that Ship warned them that no one leaves the shrine without paying a price.
Back at X-Corp, X-Factor gets inside the tower as Storm, Forge and some of the others deal with the sentinels outside. Cable also gets inside by blasting his way through the roof, eventually reaching Cyclops and Jean. They try to reason with their son, but he refuses and a fight ensues. Elsewhere in the building, Psylocke and Archangel attack Wolverine. When they pin him down though, another Wolverine attacks them and the first is revealed to be Morph, who transforms into Doctor Octopus next.
Gambit remains unconscious as the next fight we see is between Jubilee and Havok as they pilot respective jets. Jubilee eventually get the better of the younger Summers brother, who expresses some respect for the young mutants skills. Back in the tower, Strong Guy, Siryn, Multiple Man and Wolfsbane attack Polaris and Bishop. They eventually overwhelm them and have Polaris pinned down and the glowing playing card lands next to them. Polaris shields herself as the card explodes, turning the tide of the fight. Gambit arrives, seemingly back to his old self, and makes short work of X-Factor.
Cooper gets word that Gambit has joined the fight and demands an update from Cable, who is busy dealign with his parents. Cable eventually gets the upper hand and causes and explosion that causes much of the tower to crumble before Polaris stops it.
When the dust settles, Polaris, Bishop and Gambit turn to find Cable behind them. He takes out Polaris and Bishop quickly before approaching Gambit. Charles arrives and pleads with Cable to stop but Cable shoots Gambit point blank, seemingly killing him. Other members of both teams arrive to see what happened.
Cable tells Cooper it's over, but Gambit's eyes open and a power erupts from him. He takes on the appearance of Apocalypse and stands, towering over his enemies. The voice of Apocalypse tells them this is how it was always meant to happen. Jean tries to find Gambit's mind and informs the team Apocalypse has completely taken over him.
Apocalypse lays waste to everyone but Charles and they rise with glowing red eyes, now under his control. Charles pleads with him to release them but eventually finds a sudden confidence. Meanwhile, we see Rogue in orbit before dropping down to join the fight. She arrives and approaches Apocalypse, placing a hand on his face and absorbing his power out of Gambit. She compresses his immense cosmic power into a gem in her hands. She then hands the gem to Cable, saying he can figure out what to do with it.
Rogue hears Gambit's voice and the two embrace and kiss. Rogue's cosmic power fades and she suddenly looks troubled. When Gambit asks what's wrong, she explains that there needed to be a sacrifice in order to save him. She hears a jet land and turns to find only Beast, but no Nightcrawler. A closer look reveals that Beast is holding Nightcrawler's bible.
Back inside the shrine, we see Nightcrawler approach Eson. The Celestial questions Nightcrawler, who explains that he intends to fulfill Rogue's promise and sacrifice his own life for hers. He also delivers a touching speech that fans of this series are likely going to remember. Eson eventually accepts Nightcrawler's sacrifice and, with a flash of white light, the episode comes to a close.
After this sudden conclusion though, we do get a mid-credits scene. In Washington, we see Cooper watching a news report on Graydon Creed becoming the next President of the United States. She also looks through files and comes across one on Mystique, the longtime X-Men foe and mother of Nightcrawler. The door to her office opens and Val Cooper enters. Confused by seeing herself at her desk, she pauses and questions the imposter before she is shot. The other Cooper of course reveals herself to be Mystique, who points her weapon at Cooper again. She reads from the file on her that she is "determined to attack the United States." Mystique agrees with the sentiment and she transforms back into Cooper and shoots her again.
This was not quite the finale I expected to get from this season of X-Men '97, but it was certainly not lacking in quality on any front. We still got plenty of epic action, some great character moments and even an emotional conclusion.
Looking forward, where this series plans to go with Mystique is certainly a big question. On the heels of Apocalypse, she doesn't quite have the clout to be the next big bad. It seems likely she would be the subject of a subplot instead. The teases of Onslaught remain my leading candidate for the next season of X-Men '97.
X-Men '97 season two is now streaming on Disney+.