The second episode of X-Men `97 focuses on Magneto and the changes for the X-Men! Re:cap - “To Me, My X-Men”; The new mutant, Roberto da Costa, has been found by the FOH (Friends of Humanity) group. The X-Men arrive to rescue Roberto and find that the FOH are armed with Sentinel weaponry! Cyclops unleashes his optic blast and the team is able to return to the X-Mansion with Roberto. He is angry at Rogue and Gambit for staying behind. Cyclops and Jean Grey, very much pregnant, are trying to keep the X-Men going with the absence of Professor Xavier. Roberto is tested in the Danger Room simulation facing Magneto. Later, Cyclops contacts Val Cooper for intelligence on the Sentinels. Wolverine has scared off Roberto and sends Jubliee and other team members to find him. At a nightclub, Jubliee finds Roberto.
Cyclops and Storm question Henry Gyrich (Todd Haberkorn) in prison for shooting Xavier. At the X-Mansion, Jean uses Cerebro to enter Gyrich’s mind! She finds Gyrich contacts Bolivar Trask (Gavin Hammon) about a back up Master Mold to build Sentinels! Suddenly, Jean is thrown into a dark vision of her baby, and a skull-like Master Mold (Eric Bauza)! The X-Men fly in the Blackbird to the Sahara Desert. It is destroyed by a Sentinel! They make it with flying team members assisting others and Cyclops slowing his descent by optic blast! Trask activates Master Mold and the Sentinels, but the X-Men are able to destroy them with Storm, an Omega level mutant, finishing off the last of them! Back at the X-Mansion, Roberto activates his Sunspot powers for a moment, but leaves Jubliee and the X-Men.
The team is about to play their usual game of basketball when they get an alarm at Professor Xavier’s office! They find Magneto who shows them the will of Xavier who has turned over everything to him! He helped save Xavier and now has become the leader of the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #200 (1985)! The second episode begins with FC News reporting on the ferris wheel at Coney Island about to fall along with the riders! It is set back into place by the figure Magneto now in his purple uniform with M symbol! Also first seen in that pivotal issue of X-Men. Cyclops and Jean Grey watch the reports at the X-Mansion. The report continues with the saving of humans and mutants. Then, we get to a military conference room right out of Dr. Strangelove (1964)! It is watched by Val Cooper.
FOH has captured Callisto (Courtenay Taylor), the leader of the underground mutants, Morlocks. This includes the young, green-skinned Leech (David Errigo, Jr.). The female FOH leader (Donna Jay Fulks) is bound along with the others by Magneto! The X-Mansion, night, at their conference table, the X-Men discuss Magneto, Rogue wants to give him a chance. Magneto enters and explains that he is sending the Morlocks to the mutant island nation of Genosha. This was introduced in Uncanny X-Men #235 (1988). He makes a valid point that the X-Men and Xavier never thought of moving the Morlocks to safety. At her room, Jean reflects to Storm on last wearing her uniform when she was possessed by the Phoenix Force. She says that she is worried about her son growing up as a mutant.
Storm reassures her and Jean says she has a feeling of doom since reading Gyrich’s mind. I love quiet, character moments which is missing from superhero or blockbuster films. Rogue walks into the office of Magneto and sees him contemplating his helmet that blocked out Xavier’s telepathy. Erik says when he was friends with Xavier he would always sense him in his mind. Rogue realizes that he would wear the helmet to block out Xavier’s friendship so he wouldn’t continue his mutant crusade! Something new and interesting about the duo! Erik says he will fulfill Xavier’s wish as we see the photo of the original X-Men. Rogue tells him that she had a past, but was accepted by the X-Men by aning their trust. They hear helicopters outside that land on the lawn of the X-Mansion! The X-Men assemble as Magneto tells them to be ready!
UN soldiers with rifles scramble out of the helicopters. Val Cooper walks out and says their weapons are esistant to his powers. He smiles and uses his magnetic power on the helicopters! The helicopter blades close in on Val and her soldiers. She orders his arrest by the UN Commission of Superhuman Activities, a fictional organization from Uncanny X-Men #199 (1985). Magneto lowers the helicopters and has handcuffs and an inhibitor collar placed on himself! The trial of Magneto is televised with Val saying that Magneto would continue his war on humans after the trial. It seems biased to have the arresting agent offering the case against the defendant. Wolverine notes to Jean that there is a large protest outside of UN headquarters. Also, that Cyclops is with the X-Men to watch Magneto. Outside of the protest in a van, Denti pulls down the helmet of X-Cutioner, I didn’t realize that Denti was the villain from Uncanny X-Men Annual #17 (1993).
He holds up his rifle saying he will only have one shot! Magneto is given the chance to speak in front of the judge panel. Chained with the inhibitor collar does not offer the defendant dignity in his trial. Magneto brings up being a child losing his home and then hunted as a mutant. The X-Men watch in the audience, I like Beast contemplating his words, and this is seen by the Morlocks in Genosha. A judge (Jeff Bennett) angrily says that his words does nothing for his victims. Magneto counters that the Sentinels were built to hunt mutants. Extermination in revenge for mutant attacks. Another judge (Courtenay Taylor) asks him if he will act now like Charles Xavier. Gambit says to Rogue that it wouldn’t be bad if Magneto were punished, she shrugs away his comment. Then, there are reports of the violence outside. Officers spead out to protect the judges.
Magneto notes that the crowd thinks the judges are traitors to humanity. Cyclops has Storm stay with Magneto as the rest go to reinforce the guards. Wolverine is about to leave, but Jean tells him, “He’s here!” He pops his claws readying for Apocalypse, funny!, and Jean tells him she is having the baby! Wolverine drives Jean wildly in a jeep though streets to reach a hospital. Jean uses her telekinetic powers to save some bystanders, but becomes overcome with birth pains, she shreds the roof off of the jeep! Protestors breach the doors of the building and Cyclops blasts the floor into a barrier. It is shattered by X-Cutioner!
Beast scans him and is unable to determine information on the rifle, but he is armored. FOH enters the battle and X-Cutioner places an inhibitor collar on Bishop before shooting him! Cyclops’ blast is blocked by X-Cutioner’s staff and he throws it, shattering Cyclops’ visor. X-Cutione repeatedly hits Cyclops. A very bloody battle putting most of the show and themes outside of network animated shows. He is saved by Lady Deathstryke, then Colossus, and Psylocke; Morph’s shapeshifting. Cyclops puts on his visor and gets a telepathic message from Jean.
He contacts Storm about the baby. Storm tells Rogue to fly Cyclops to Jean. She will defend the judges with Magneto. Storm orders the judges to send officers to back up the X-Men and Magneto to be freed. The first judge tries to question Storm, but Ororo shows the authority of a leader! Wolverine threatens a doctor who refuses to treat a mutant. I think this goes against the Hippocratic Oath. Plus the X-Men seems unprepared for the delivery. They have human allies who could help them. Cyclops arrives and tells Rogue to use her powers to absorb the doctor’s skills. The threat of X-Cutioner and the protestors, the tension of Magneto's trial, contrasts with drama of Jean delivering her baby makes for a powerful episode of X-Men `97!
Five Sentinel Blasters out of Five!
#XMen97, #MatthewWaterson, #RayChase, #JenniferHale, #AlisonSealySmith, #CalDodd, #LenoreZann, #AJLoCascio, #GeorgeBuza, #JPKarliak, #IsaacRobinsonSmith, #CatherineDisher, #CourtneyTaylor, #DavidErrigoJr, #DonnaJayFulks, #LawrenceBayne, #ToddHaberkorn, #GavinHammon, #EricBauza
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