The first season of X-Men `97 concludes with the future set for the X-Men and the danger to the Earth! Bastion collides with the base of Asteroid M! Alarms sound and the gravity core crackles with energy. Bastion, in his upgraded form, reaches for the gravity core. Then, he hears, “His name was Gambit.” Rogue flies towards him with her fist and screams, “Remember it!” Her fist connects with Bastion’s face and he is tossed to the floor. Shoryuken! Rogue flies with Bastion crushed against the station floor! He is thrown out of Asteroid M and Rogue continues to bash him in space! Bastion is knocked to the Blue Area of the Moon, an ancient city which was the battleground with the Phoenix.
Rogue lifts up his head and then hits him with Incredible Hulk slap, Sonic Boom! She lands and sees Bastion plowed through the surface. He lifts himself up, Round 2, and Rogue flies towards him. Bastion teleports away, coward, and then back to get Rogue in a choke hold. He flies upward as Rogue to tries to punch his arm. She starts to choke when Bastion is hit by a blast. Bastion turns to Roberto whom he calls the “disowned heir.” Roberto is blazing with power and says, “The name’s Sunspot!” Great that finally he comes into his code name! He gathers up his power and the explosion is seen from a Tokyo street! Reports come in about the conflict. This is relayed to President Kelly. Black Panther, T’Chaka (Isaac Robinson-Smith), says that history will not forget his decision!
Captain America, unmasked, agrees with King T’Chaka. The change from T’Challa might be because of the MCU. The president eyes the file of Magneto as an Omega level mutant. His stats reminds me of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, games, and trading cards. Then, thecloss the file for the Magneto Protocol. This was satellites designed to stop Magneto’s powers, which would help in this situation, it was in Uncanny X-Men #304 (1993). Cap turns away looking remorseful. The storm rages against the bar window of Magnus’ mind. Magnus says the water is cold looking at his reflection and Xavier says that it is the “dark pain” he carries with him. We see the boat tossed in the sea. Xavier says he also has that pain. He says that the pain can carry them to others who also fight their darkness.
We see on the boat Rogue, on the side are Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver and on the other side, Polaris, Magnus’ children in shadow. Magnus mentions Rogue. The narratives of the X-Men trying to save the world paralleling the more pivotal, quieter confrontation of Xavier and Magnus is brilliant. The walls of the bar are leaking water, the level is at calf height. Magnus says she left him, referring to his wife, Magda, the mother of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Then, also says Xavier left him. He feels betrayed and Xavier says Magnus has done the same to him, “countless times.” Xavier says they are brothers, yes, as mutants. Magnus goes to his knees realizing that he can’t see the faces of his parents! The waters build outside the window.
The waters begins to cover them to the shoulders, Magnus says he is cold, and Xavier puts his arm around him. Magnus starts to hear the marching of Nazi boots, the ones who took his family, the window shatters and the tide sweeps in! In the X-Jet, Magnus and Xavier’s faces read the struggle. Outside, the battle continues, round 3!, Bastion forms energy that begins to draw in Rogue and Sunspot!, then he projects a blast that tosses them away! Bastion flies towards Asteroid M and then is teleported by Nightcrawler. He is struck by the blasts of Cyclops and Jubilee! Then, Bastion is struck by Nightcrawler’s bamf attack, teleporting in and out!
This turns into a fight between Cyclops and Bastion. Their beams lock and Cyclops screams, “You’ll never hurt my family again!” Cyclops unleashes his optic blast that knocks back Bastion. Still, Bastion sends out four cable-like blasters to pummel Cyclops. Jubilee’s pyrokinetics hit him. She means business and blasts his face, this hits Bastion back, and a Sentinel’s head falls on him. The trio of X-Men stand against him. Bastion re-forms Terminator-style with bulging eye like an anime villain and mocks their family. He announces his family, a Sentinel that lands, its chest hatch opens revealing Beast at the controls with Jean, Morph, and Storm! Jean hugs Cyclops, Storms says Forge is looking after Cable, and Morph drops down as the pterandon villain, Sauron!
Bastion struggles to left the Sentinel boot, the power drains from Beast’s controls, and Rogue wipes away the blood from her mouth! Round 5, fight! Then, Cyclops tells the team to stand down. He says they should stop trying to fight the future - and Storm adds,”embrace it.” This is the difference with anime villains and really most superhero shows and films, instead of a fight, a discussion. Cyclops tells Bastion that his mother lied to him about Xavier. Bastion says it was to protect him. Cyke continues that parents mess up and tells him he isn’t alone. Bastion laughs at the attempt to appeal to his humanity. He says humanity is going extinct. Jean steps forward saying that humanity is still having children and more of them are mutants.
Then, Bastion gets their attention to the missiles launched at Asteroid M! The missiles hit the station, Beast leaps from the Sentinel, and Jean throws a telekinetic shield around them! The missiles destroy the gravity core and the Sentinel is sucked in. Cyclops offers his hand to save Bastion. He reaches out, but explosions ripple across Asteroid M and it starts to fall to Earth! A breach is about to suck the X-Men into space, Morph holds on as Mister Fantastic!, Jubilee is thrown out, but Sunspot catches her, yes, he’s a hero! Cyclops tells him to get to Forge. Storm and Beast work out how to stop the fall. Cyclops orders the team to leave in the X-Jet while he blasts the asteroid.
Beast says it can be stopped if they work together. Storm reports to Forge at Bastion’s base with Val Cooper about the plan. Cable is resting in the diner when Cyclops contacts him in astral form with Jean. Cyclops said he didn’t want to repeat his father’s mistake, not saying goodbye. Excellent dramatic moment! I don’t recall this time ever happening in the comics, the writing is top notch. Cable says there were stories about the X-Men told by the rebel leaders of the future, this made him angry that he wasn’t part of them. Jean touches his hand says he is a part of them. Cyclops says when Nathan was born, Madelyne said he had Scott’s eyes, he takes off his visor. Jean holds back his optic blast. Scott says, “I love you, son.” This is such a human moment that stands out from the superhero action. They fade away.
Cyclops tears off his visor, screams, and then sends out a powerful optic blast! Rogue goes all Superman Returns using her power on the asteroid’s base. We hear an operatic rendition of the X-Men theme. Storm and Jean’s powers combined send a force to strike Asteroid M! Around the world, at the UN building, the report comes in about the failure of the missiles. We see Peter Parker and Mary Jane watching seeing the report though a broken window while a street is on fire, Spider-Man should be working overtime. Beast watches the fall through a control window. The wounded Wolverine is just able to clutch sheets, Morph is there and shifts into Jean Grey to say he loves him, conveying the message from Jean or his own feelings?
Sunspot and Jubilee join Forge who says the gravity will pull them in. Beast is working furiously at the controls. Nightcrawler prays next to the unconscious Magneto and Xavier. In Magnus’ mind, Xavier emerges with Magnus on a chessboard. He says Magnus was only a boy so that is why he can’t remember his parents’ faces. Xavier says he could see himself in another person. Magnus says there is no one like himself. Xavier counters saying that the X-Men are all different, but family. Then, Magnus recognizes Professor Charles Xavier. In turn, Xavier says he is Erik Magnus Lehnsherr. There is so many changes of names, Logan with James Howlett, Magnus with Max Eisenhadti, I’m good with this name.
He says he has another name. Magnus is suddenly struck with power! He rises from the X-Jet and shouts, “Magneto lives!” Magnetic waves pulse past the X-Men. Rogue releases her hold on the asteroid and smiles. She flies with Jean and Storm to Asteroid M. The asteroid encased in a blue field ascends from the New York street. The UN chamber cheers. Asteroid M breaks orbit and then bursts in some energy! The stunned faces of Jubilee, Forge who sees no signal on his device, darkness. I love a bittersweet victory. Morning, the chains on the X-Mansion gate, a report says it is “six months after E-Day.” We see Forge on a board with the missing X-Men like the famous Days of Future Past poster.
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are “Off World.” The report goes on to say Graydon Creed is rising in the polls, he is the son of Sabretooth and Mystique!, introduced in Uncanny X-Men #299 (1993). Forge is greeted and draws his gun! It is Bishop! He says they will be friends. Forge tells Bishop that he searched for months for the X-Men and the asteroid. Bishop says it isn’t where, but when! Lost in time. He says something took them though time and they are the rescue team! This was similiar to Hiro Nakamura at the end of the first season of Heroes. Fade to white, Rogue revives finding herself surrounded by sand dunes, it is Egypt, 3000 B.C.!
She hears the sounds of battle, snake-helmeted soldiers out of Stargate (1994), they could be working for Rama-Tut. He was a villain who first appeared in Fantastic Four #19 (1963). On of the forms of Kang the Conqueror! Rogue starts to take the soldiers down and Nightcrawler bamfs down on one! Cyclops calls out for Jean, he is the snowy plains of The Future, 3960 A.D.! This is the future of the comic limited series, Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (1994). He finds Jean who says they are not alone with soldiers ringed around them! Egypt, Beast carries Xavier to the others, they see a warrior cornered by the soldiers. He has red eyes, pale skin, and a red mask. The soldiers are yanked away by Magneto! Xavier uses his telepathy on the warrior.
A robed woman (Gates McFadden) introduces herself as Mother Askani. A young boy walks out, Mother Askani calls him Nathan! Magneto asks the name of the warrior who pulls down his mask and says he is En Sabah Nur (Adetokumboh M'Cormack), the man who will become Apocalypse! They look at a golden dome, and Beast remarks, "Oh dear." Funny cap to the show! Mid Credit scene, “Present Day Genosha”, night in the ruins, Apocalype picks up a handful of dirt, and says, “So much pain my childen.” The dirt is wept away the wind. Apocalypse says “So much pain my childen” revealing a Queen of Hearts card and he says, “So much death”! Gambit will return, but not in the way will like, be careful what you wish for! X-Men `97 is the best dramatization and adaptation of the comics so why is there a need for a live action film?
Five Sentinel Blasters out of Five!
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