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X-Men 97's season finale delivers a packed episode full of Marvel lore, shocking reveals, and setup for an even bigger second season. The episode pulls heavily from classic X-Men comics while introducing new directions that honour the source material while charting fresh territory.
Magneto, Xavier, and the Birth of Onslaught
The episode opens with a psychic journey between Magneto and Professor X, drawing from the original series episode "Enter Magneto" which explored their backstory in Vietnam. Xavier ventures into Magneto's mind, threatening to force him to restore Earth's power if he refuses. This sequence plants the seeds for Onslaught's creation.
In the comics, Onslaught emerged years after the "Fatal Attractions" storyline when Xavier absorbed all the pain and misery from Magneto's mind. Xavier's subconscious evil persona lay dormant until it broke free, becoming one of the most powerful entities in the Marvel Universe. A fusion of both Xavier and Magneto, Onslaught is a psychic being capable of creating a hive mind consciousness across the planet. This appears to be a major threat for season two.
Global Chaos and Worldwide Cameos
The psychic blast created by this confrontation reverberates across the planet, triggering Prime Sentinel attacks worldwide. The episode delivers an astonishing parade of cameos and character appearances: Black Panther in his classic 1990s look with his cape, Doctor Strange operating by candlelight at a hospital, Daredevil defending Hell's Kitchen, Cloak and Dagger using their light and dark force powers, and numerous other heroes fighting Bastion's forces across multiple locations including Wakanda and Genosha.
The scope of destruction is genuinely global, with cameos extending to Iron Man, Captain America, and even Fantastic Four characters visible in the chaos, hinting at future Marvel projects in this continuity.
Bastion's Nature and Endgame
Bastion reveals he is a fusion of Master Mold's consciousness with Nimrod, a sentient robot designed to hunt mutants. His deep-rooted hatred for mutantkind stems from his programming. His ultimate goal mirrors the extinction of the dinosaurs: launching asteroid M into Earth to create an extinction-level event.
The episode explores the tragic irony of Bastion's character. He torments Cable but Sinister insists the young man is needed alive, as the techno-organic virus in Cable's body is the only weapon capable of killing Apocalypse. Phoenix, rising from the water, strips Sinister of the DNA keeping him young, rapidly aging him into decrepitude before he flees.
The Scattered Ending
After Magneto stabilizes the falling asteroid, the X-Men are scattered across time. The finale reveals their fates six months later through news reports. Most main members are presumed dead, though some like Scarlet Witch and Cable are confirmed offworld. Wolverine's claws are revealed to be bone, not adamantium as previously believed.
The scattered timeline shows Cyclops and Jean encountering Mother Askani, revealed to be Rachel Summers from the Days of Future Past storyline. She appears in an apocalyptic future where Apocalypse rules. In the comics, Mother Askani leads the Clan Askani, dedicated to stopping Apocalypse and protecting Nathan Summers, who carries the techno-organic virus that could defeat their tyrannical ruler.
Post-Credits and Season Two Setup
The post-credits scene shows Apocalypse discovering Gambit's Queen of Hearts cards in Genosha. This strongly teases Gambit's resurrection as one of Apocalypse's Horsemen, specifically Death, which would explain how the creative team can honour the character's death while bringing him back.
The setup clearly points toward multiple storylines for season two: Messiah Complex and the arrival of Hope Summers, battles across past, present, and future timelines, and an escalating conflict with Apocalypse himself. The X-Men face threats on multiple fronts, scattered through time but united in their mission to protect mutantkind and humanity alike.
