This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97
X-Men ’97 is gearing up for its big three-part finale, titled Tolerance is Extinction Parts 1, 2, and 3. Beau DeMayo, the creator of the show and also its head writer, took to the internet to point out the particular episode from X-Men: The Animated Series that fans should watch in preparation for the show
As the Mutants head towards an all-out war with humans, spurred on by the diabolical Mister Sinister and the Sentinel-human hybrid Bastion, the X-Men might find themselves in need of Professor X’s teachings once again, as the team as a whole keeps becoming more and more apathetic to human beings and their plight, instead choosing to side with their own kind.
Beau DeMayo wants audiences to watch one particular episode from X-Men: The Animated Series
With Cable thrown in the mix, helping the X-Men fight the Sentinel scourge, it seems that war is inevitable. However, Professor Charles Xavier, who is still presumed dead by the world, is on his way back to Earth from the Shi’ar Empire, where he has married Lilandra to become the emperor of the Shi’ar.
This could bring the X-Men back into the fold of being the heroes that they are, despite the losses that they have faced thanks to human bigotry in the show. Keeping this in mind, Beau DeMayo has revealed on Twitter which exact episode of the original Animated Series should fans watch for some added context for the next episode:
Also may be worth revisiting “One Man’s Worth” before next week’s #XMen97 episode. pic.twitter.com/m2Z3v8UZws
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 25, 2024
The episode sees a race to save Professor Xavier’s life as Bishop, Wolverine, and Storm hop around the timeline to deal with the ramifications of a time-traveling assassin, out to undo everything Professor Charles Xavier has done for the mutant race with his advocacy and the X-Men, which leads to a future quite similar to the opening of X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Bastion’s plans hold a dark future ahead for Mutants
The Sentinels have been a main feature of X-Men ’97 this season and were hinted at being part of a larger conspiracy since the first episode of the season. However, it has been revealed that the man using these war machines is not Trask (as was suspected by a slew of fans) but Bastion, a human-sentinel hybrid who has been pulling the strings of the plot since the beginning, even mobilizing Mister Sinister to cripple the X-Men further.
This, combined with the apathy that the X-Men seem to be developing for mankind, points towards a major cliffhanger that could lead to a darker future for the X-Men and mutants at large, should they go down the path that is being hinted at in the show.
Cyclops’s outburst on live television might have been the first sign of a change of heart for the character, setting him down the path of being a mutant revolutionary, which could incite a stronger response from humans, leading to a conflict that could see every country that holds mutant life in little regard, acquire and mobilize Sentinels against Genosha and other mutant population hubs.
X-Men ’97 can be streamed on Disney+
