After the first episode left us on the cliffhanger of Magneto potentially taking over control of the X-Men, the second episode of X-Men ‘97 seeks to answer the question of whether or not we can trust the iconic villain.
Interestingly, the second episode’s title sequence features some changes from the first. I begins with Magneto ahead of Cyclops and later gives us some different clips, including Storm fighting the Morlocks and the Dark Phoenix in action. We also see Bishop spinning in some kind of colorful cyclone and Magneot on Asteroid M.
The episode opens once again with a news report. This time, we see an incident involving a ferris wheel starting to fall before it is lifted and put back in place by Magneto. The onlookers, including the new reporters, are shocked to see Magneto saving humans.
We then see Scott and Jean watching the report. They question Xavier’s motives for putting Magneto in charge before we hear from the news that Magneto had gone missing after failing to lead a mutant rebellion following the Professor’s assassination. We also see Dr. Cooper watching the same report with a determined look on her face. The same FOH leader we saw in the first episode also watches the report while tinkering with some tech.
In the sewers, some of the FOH threaten Callisto and Leech of the Morlocks before Magneto comes to their rescue. Magneto later explains to the team that he arranged for the Morlocks to travel to Genosha, a mutant nation. Magneto assures the team he did not kill the FOH goons in the sewer as he tries to prove he intends to keep Xavier’s dream alive. He also explains he thought Scott and Jean would be leaving the team but Scott refuses to do so while he is in charge.
Later, Jean confides in Storm, sharing her concerns for being a mother. She feels guilty for wishing her baby will be born human and not a mutant. Storm reminds her that their mutant gifts brought them to the school and to their found family.
Rogue greets Magneto in his office, against his will. The two share an interesting moment that hints at a past romantic relationship between the two of them. Rogue pulls away though and urges Magneto to forget about their history.
Helicopters land outside the mansion and the team rushes outside to greet them. Dr. Cooper and the UN surround them and point weapons at them but Magneto aims their own helicopters against them. Cooper offers Magneto a fair trial and Magneto agrees to e taken into custody if given the opportunity to earn their trust.
The trial of Magneto is met with protests from humans who feel he doesn’t deserve one. The FOH leader puts on a mask and readies some new weapons in a van outside the trial. As it begins, Magneto references his history in the Holocaust and likens it to the treatment of mutants. The judges argue back that he can’t be truest to walk Xavier’s path.
The protesters breach the building, interrupting the trial as the X-Men leap into action to stop them. Meanwhile, at the mansion, Jean lets Logan know the baby is coming and they rush to the hospital. At the trial, the FOH leader enters the fight and calls himself Executioner. His tech actually gives him a chance in a fight against the X-Men and he gets the better of Cyclops. Suddenly, Lady Deathstrike leaps into to help.It’s a shocking arrival that only lasts for a moment before she transforms into Colossus and then Psylocke. It seems Morph is going to be constantly taking the form of other characters throughout this series.
Jean telepathically lets Scott know the baby is coming. He relays the message to Storm and Rogue flies him off to the hospital. Storm orders the soldiers in the court to uncollar Magneto so that he can help in the fight. Meanwhile, at the hospital, the doctor refuses to deliver the baby because Jean is a mutant. Cyclops asks Rogue to use her powers to siphon the doctor’s medical knowledge and she obliges.
The protestors breach the court room and Magneto surrounds them by giant pillars of metal. Storm then uses lightning to create a cage of electricity around them. Executioner enters and takes aim at Magneto but Storm leaps into to save him and takes a blast that seemingly removes her powers. This is a reference to a classic comic story called “Lifedeath,” in which Storm does the same but for Rogue. We know that story will be coming in this series thanks to the revealed episode titles.
Magneto captures Executioner, pinning him to a giant crest. He then lifts a chunk of the ground up with the judges and Dr. Cooper on it and lifts them and Executioner up to the limits of Earth’s atmosphere. He threatens to kill Executioner but explains that he has been entrusted to Xavier’s dream and that he intends to keep it alive. Meanwhile, Jean gives birth to her son. With Scott by her side, she decides to name him Nathan. If that name rings a bell, it’s because Nathan Summers is none other than Cable, the time-traveling mutant who has played a huge role in countless X-Men stories. I’m sure we’ll be discussing him more in the future.
Another news report tells us Magneto has been pardoned and that Genosha has been admitted into the UN. Scott and Magneto share a brief moment that shows there is a level of trust between the two of them now, but Magneto reminds him that this victory didn’t come without loss.
Beast explains that his findings from his tests on the weapon that Storm was blasted with are that her loss of powers seems to be permanent. Storm returns to her room to pick up her iconic costume but is startled by thunder, a moment showing her unusual disconnect from the weather. Jean then finds a letter from Storm explaining that she has left. As we hear Strom’s voice reading the letter we see Scott looking over Nathan, Rogue and Magneto sharing contact, Wolverine and Morph bonding outside and Gambit watching Rogue leave Magneto’s office. Finally, we see Storm getting on a bus to leave.
Jean reads the final words of the letter to the whole team. Morph explains that he thinks Storm will be back soon but is interrupted by the doorbell. He excitedly opens the door, expecting to find Storm but instead is greeted by Jean. She faints into his arms, only managing to say “I need the X-Men.” From inside, Scott and the Jean we’ve known for the past two episodes look on in horror as the episode comes to a close.
Oh boy is this show getting good? The ongoing story of Magneto trying to gain the trust of not only the X-Men but also the general public, the hint to the “Lifedeath” and now another epis cliffhanger that has you itching for the next episode. There is so much going on in just the first hour of this series and it’s only going to get better.
The first two episodes of Marvel Animation’s X-Men ‘97 are streaming now on Disney+, with new episodes coming every Wednesday.