After the 10/10 perfect first three episodes of Season 2, X-Men ’97 keeps rolling with another awesome episode.
Episode 4 delivers across the board. The writing is top-notch. The action is awesome. Best of all, the agenda messaging that dragged down parts of Season 1 is nowhere to be found.
This is what X-Men should be. Not a lecture. Not a narrow allegory aimed at one small group of people. The X-Men were always strongest when they were about things everyone could understand: doing the right thing, good vs. evil, growing up, making hard choices, and standing up when it matters.
X-Men ’97 Season 2 Episode 4 Goes Big With Apocalypse
Episode 4 continues the story set in the past and follows En Sabah Nur’s rise into Apocalypse. As revealed last episode, Kang the Conqueror is involved, and the all-powerful cosmic entities known as the Celestials also play a major role.
The episode builds toward the X-Men facing En Sabah Nur and Apocalypse, and they are completely outmatched. They are no match for the Eternal One.
It gives the episode real weight. This is not filler. This is not just another animated Marvel episode moving pieces around the board. This feels like a major chapter in the story.
Spoilers: Apocalypse Kills Magneto
Spoilers follow.
Pay close attention, and the episode sets up the death before it happens. Last season, Gambit was killed off. In this episode, Rogue talks to En Sabah Nur about that loss, and it clearly hangs over everything.
Then the episode goes even bigger. En Sabah Nur, now turned into Apocalypse, kills Magneto.
Wow.
It hits hard because the show earns it. Magneto’s death does not feel cheap. It does not feel random. It feels like the kind of shocking moment Marvel used to know how to deliver.
En Sabah Nur Was One Of The Episode’s Best Parts
I will say I am going to miss the En Sabah Nur character, assuming he is gone and Apocalypse is what we get for the rest of the season.
En Sabah Nur had an anti-hero vibe, and the show handled his conflict really well. You found yourself rooting for him at times, even knowing where the story had to go.
But once Apocalypse fully arrives, that is over. Apocalypse is a SOB, and the episode makes that clear.
Could The Timeline Save Gambit And Magneto?
The episode also hints that the timeline could be altered to save Gambit. Now Magneto can be added to that list, too.
I am torn on that. The deaths were done well and they hit hard, so undoing them could weaken the impact. At the same time, I want both characters back.
And that’s a good problem for a show to have. It means the characters matter. It means the story matters. It means the audience is actually invested.
The Post-Credit Scene Brings In Captain America, Black Widow, And Wolverine
Episode 4 also features a cool post-credit scene, and it is good to see the real Captain America again. Black Widow, too.
Wolverine is also part of the tease. I still prefer Wolverine with adamantium claws and never liked when Marvel took them away in the comics, but it is still good to see him involved.
The scene does exactly what a post-credit scene should do. It gets you excited for what comes next. Snikkt!
X-Men ’97 Is Must-Watch Marvel
X-Men ’97 continues to cater to the original fans, now adults. It shows. And it is good.
This is must-watch Marvel. It is the best thing Marvel has done in years, including the MCU, the other Disney+ shows, and the comics.
I want to watch more. I want to go read the comics that inspired the series. I want to buy action figures and statues of these characters. I want to play video games featuring them.
That is a huge win, and it is the kind of win Marvel has desperately needed.
Rating: 10/10
