WARNING: DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN X-MEN ’97 YET AND WISH TO DO SO. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
The follow-up series to the original X-Men: The Animated Series from 1992, X-Men ’97 is gaining and rebuilding all the hearts that were broken when the original series got canceled after five seasons, and more. However, even while winning all of those hearts, this series by Beau DeMayo didn’t hesitate to break a whole lot more with its emotional plotlines that had fans sobbing.
That being said, one particular decision from the former showrunner DeMayo, who pretty much created this latest masterpiece before getting fired for reasons unknown, had the entire team sleepless at nights out of anxiety. This was because this decision included the brutal death of a fan-favorite mutant, and they weren’t sure how fans would take it after their initial reaction to the series.
Beau Demayo’s Crucial X-Men ’97 Plotline Had Even the Team Sleepless at Nights
Even before the release of this latest gem from Marvel Studios Animation, there was tremendous hype surrounding it and all the characters and memories it would bring back from the original The Animated Series from 1992.
And the excitement was rightly so because the series perfectly delivered to fans’ expectations.
During a recent interview with Variety, executive producer Brad Winderbaum, who is also notably in charge of overseeing all of Marvel Animation, shared the same, saying:
When we dropped the first trailer. People knew about it, but we really crafted that piece of the marketing to bring us back into the ’90s, and the reaction was a huge sigh of relief that what the fans were seeing was the same thing that we were trying to make.
But as much as the fan reaction was a major milestone, it was also something to worry about because of one particular plotline in the story: Gambit’s death.
As those who have already seen this latest show already know, Remy LeBeau dies a heart-wrenching death during the war that the army of robot Sentinels wages on them by attacking and slaughtering thousands of mutants on their island nation of Genosha.
However, his death seems to have set up a major storyline for season 2: As seen in the post-credits scene of the final episode, Tolerance Is Extinction—Part 3, Apocalypse, who will be the main villain in the second season, is seen standing in the rubble of Genosha.
This scene further shows him picking up one of Gambit’s burnt cards and saying: “So much pain, my children. So much death.” Unarguably enough, this hints that LeBeau will make his fateful return in the next season, presumably as none other than one of Apocalypse’s own Horsemen, Death.
This twist was developed by Beau DeMayo, and it was delivered with the utmost efficiency, bringing out just the effect from fans that it deserved. But it didn’t reach the viewers before the team spent multiple nights tossing and turning sleepless in their beds worried about fans’ reaction to it.
As Winderbaum confessed during the same interview:
Yeah, the death of Gambit was something that kept us all up at night. Once we made the decision to do it, we knew it would be devastating. We knew it was on us to have to earn it, in the writing, in the directing, in the long setup of four episodes before it aired.
What’s more, is that the audience’s initial reaction to the series wasn’t the only thing that had the cast and crew anxious about the beloved mutant’s death.
If anything, even Brad Winderbaum was aware of just how much of a tear-jerking scene it was, so it was only natural for them to worry about the audience’s reaction to it. As he continued to confess:
You know, I don’t think there was a screening of that episode that didn’t bring me to tears watching it. So we were waiting with bated breath about what would happen when we when unleashed it on the culture.
However, thankfully, the scene made it to the screens as perfectly as it should have, and garnered the exact reviews from fans that were intended for it.
Fans Reception of Gambit’s Death was Exactly How it Should Have Been
Yes, Remy LeBeau’s death scene had everyone sobbing in despair, especially when Rogue cries while cradling his body in her arms: “Sugar. I can’t feel you.” But it was helmed exactly how it should have been, and even through the heartbreak, fans were glad to know they didn’t mess it up.
Take a look at fans’ reactions on X regarding the same for yourself:
I’m still crying. pic.twitter.com/HoeWuWdCOh
— Alexander Nevermind (@AlexNever347) May 18, 2024
I screamed when Rougue said “I can’t feel you” idk why my neighbors didn’t call the cops
— Mr. Big (@mrbignextdoor) May 18, 2024
Only reading that already tears me up a little, it was earned, 💯 it was earned 😢
— ❌hibiti⭕️n (@Richard__Prins) May 18, 2024
He died doing what he loved, protecting others
— LepsLair is making content (@lepslair) May 18, 2024
Everything that led to it was so emotional and his death was the final gut punch. Episode 5 will go down as one of the best episodes in an animated show.
— Jay Liggins (@JayMX_09) May 18, 2024
It was painful but necessary, loss like this is so essential in retaining an audience so the stakes feel more real than ever before. This show is excellence incarnate.
— Jake 😈☘️ (@SchwabJ_101) May 18, 2024
What worked isn’t just the complicated love triangle that paralleled Scott’s dilemma, it was how it capped off one of the most powerful and shocking moments in the series. It didn’t feel like there was any acts of traditional upbeat heroism, it was about saving whatever was left.
— TheRavingTimes (@TheRavingTimes) May 18, 2024
Gambit is by far my favorite character ever and I was devastated but the story was so well done I can't complain. Episode 5 was so damn good
— Leo (@UltimoLeo) May 18, 2024
It. Was. So. Epic 💯😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/AkTI7gOekJ
— Zac Patella (@YozoraAelphaba) May 18, 2024
Needless to say, all of these fan reactions are more than enough to prove that the creators and showrunners very well earned the very thing they were super anxious about. In fact, if anything, episode 5 of the series will undoubtedly go down as one of the best ones in the history of Marvel Animation projects.
You can stream X-Men ’97 on Disney+.
