This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 Episode 5.
X-Men ’97 delivered one of its most devastating episodes with Episode 5, which saw the brutal deaths of multiple mutants in the nation of Genosha, while also depicting the tragic fates of Magneto and Gambit. With the estimated number of mutants that were killed still under wraps, the event, as put forth by the writer of the show, was meant to emulate real-world tragedies like 9/11 and the Tulsa Massacre.
However, as the audiences reel from the tragedies of this episode, Marvel has also put forward the means for the attack on Genosha to be undone. Just before the attack began, we saw Cable rushing to find Madelyne Pryor, and trying to save the mutants. This could mean that the time-traveling mutant is looking to undo the events of Episode 5, which could prompt him to go back in time to prevent the deaths that happened in ‘Remember It‘.
Cable could be the focus of the episode to come, which will probably feature Forge and Storm
Cable was seen in the episode jumping across the timeline to prevent the massacre at Genosha before his device ran out of juice and pulled him back to his time. Given that it is such a significant event that Cable decided to go back in time, it is possible that there will be successive attempts to undo the tragedy as well.
Curiously, the next episode will pick up where Episode 4 left off, following up with Forge and Storm. Forge is also a mutant that we have seen in the future, allied with Cable and Bishop. It is possible, that Storm gets her powers back with the help of Forge, and Cable asks for his assistance to fix the timeline.
While Storm prepares for war, Cable leaps across the timeline to try and save his mother, who was on Genosha at the time of the attack. This could happen as the world inches closer to war with mutant kind, sort of like X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Cyclops might find himself radicalized in the wake of the attack
Given that Cyclops’ story has taken two trajectories in the show the attack on Genosha could finally push the mutant leader over the edge, causing him to follow in on the footsteps of Magneto rather than Charles Xavier.
There have been times in the comics when Cyclops has walked a more radical path, and the death of Madelyne Pryor could have that effect on him. Further, if Cable, Scott’s son, is running around the timeline to prevent the death of his mother and the cataclysm at Genosha, the narrative will have a lot of dramatic juice to create a story film for X-Men ’97.
Cyclops’ storylines, therefore, could come to an end with a dramatic third act, where his ambitions could be undone by Cable, or he could see Cable fail and the mutants create a House of M-type situation, where Mutants reign over a human population.
X-Men ’97 can be streamed on Disney+.
