The third episode of X-Men ‘97 is now available to stream on Disney+, and as with the previous episodes, ‘To Me, My X-Men’ and ‘Mutant Liberation Begins’, this third instalment is superb. The episode, titled ‘Fire Made Flesh’, picks up directly after the cliff-hanger ending of episode two, and explores why there are now two versions of Jean Grey in the X-Mansion.
If you’ve not had chance to watch ‘Fire Made Flesh‘ yet, then jump on it as soon as you can. Episode Three is an action-packed helping of X-Men ’97, not to be missed!
And as with the previous episodes, ‘Fire Made Flesh’ is loaded with in-jokes and references to X-Men: The Animated Series, as well as the wider world of the X-Men. If you want to know what all these references are, then keep reading, because below I’ve got 16 of them for your X-rated pleasure!
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Credit x-change
First up, and as is becoming customary with X-Men ‘97, the opening credits have been tweaked for ‘Fire Made Flesh’. This third episode has a few new scenes inserted into the opening titles, which were not in Episodes One or Two, and they begin with a shot of a formerly villainous Magneto battling Storm, Cyclops, and Wolverine.
This scene in the credits is a reference to the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, ‘Enter Magneto’. In this episode, from the show’s first season, the Master of Magnetism fought the X-Men after attacking a military facility.
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X-change two
The second change to the credits is a scene in which Roberto da Costa is shown running from a mob and directly into a chain-link fence. This scene is a reworking of a similar scene from the X-Men: The Animated Series credits, only it was Jubilee in the original version.
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X-change three
The third new scene in the credits features Lilandra of the Shi’ar activating a weapon which fires at Jean Grey/Dark Phoenix. This scene is a nod to the icon Dark Phoenix Saga, specifically the episode ‘The Fate of the Phoenix’, which took place during the fourth season of X-Men: The Animated Series.
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X-change four
The fourth and final new addition to the credits features Gambit and Rogue. This scene is here to highlight the romance between the two characters, which formed a significant part of their shared journey through X-Men: The Animated Series, and is a nod to a comic book panel taken from X-Men vol 2 issue #4 (from 1992).
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Visions
Onto the episode now, and ‘Fire Made Flesh’ opens with Jean Grey probing the mind of a stranger who also appears to be Jean Grey. This alternate version of Jean arrived at the mansion at the conclusion of the previous episode, ‘Mutant Liberation Begins’.
As Jean probes the mind of Jean II, various shots flash on screen, which are all references to X-Men: The Animated Series, including Jean’s transformation into Dark Phoenix, as well as Scott and Jean’s wedding(s) as seen in ‘Till Death Do Us Part – Part One’ and ‘Beyond Good and Evil – Part One‘.
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Morphin’ time
During the course of ‘Flesh Made Fire’, Morph transforms into two different mutants: Spiral and Magik. Both characters previously appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, although Magik only appeared in her younger days, as Colossus’s little sister, Illyana Rasputin.
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A sinister situation
The ‘big bad’ of this episode is revealed to be Mr. Sinister – a classic villain who has a long history with the X-Men. Sinister appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series multiple times throughout its five-season run, making his debut during the final moments of the season one episode, ‘The Final Decision’ by way of a voice cameo.
His first full appearance on the show was in ‘Till Death Do Us Part – Part One’, where he orchestrated the kidnapping of Cyclops and Jean Grey on their wedding day. During Cyclops and Jean’s abduction, Sinister stole a sample of their DNA, for (at the time) an unknown purpose. This purpose is what led to Jean being cloned in X-Men ’97.
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A smashing day
Once Sinister has revealed the truth to Jean about the cloning, the clone version of Jean gets angry and begins to smash up her bedroom. This fit of anger includes breaking a photo frame containing a picture of Jean and Cyclops on their wedding day.
The image used for the photograph is a reworking of the front cover to X-Men vol 2. issue #30 (from 1994). In this issue of the comic, Cyclops and Jean get married.
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Group destruction
Another photo that gets destroyed in this same scene features a group shot of the team. This group shot is also an image lifted from the comics, and originally appeared in X-Men vol 2. issue #11 (from 1992).
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Inferno
As the clone version of Jean concludes her destructive outburst, her appearance/outfit transforms and she makes a reference to an “inferno”. This line of dialogue is a nod to the comic book storyline, Inferno, which featured the clone version of Jean, aka Madelyne Pryor, aka the Goblin Queen as a key antagonist.
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Sibling reminder
As the Jean clone begins an attack on the X-Men, she starts turning their fears against them as she transforms the X-Mansion into a Hellscape. During this scene, she conjures up some familiar faces, including Bishop’s sister Shard, who previously appeared (very briefly) in X-Men: The Animated Series.
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A sinister past
After the clone version of Jean halts her attack, renames herself the Goblin Queen, and leaves the X-Mansion, the X-Men regroup and recover. It is during this moment that Morph mentions Mr. Sinister’s past as a scientist in the 1800s.
This comment is a reference to the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, ‘Descent’. This episode looks at Sinister’s origin as a scientist named Nathaniel Essex.
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Morph’s dark days
During the same scene with Morph, the shapeshifting mutant alters his face to a more depressed version of himself, complete with dark circles under his eyes. This is how Morph looked in X-Men: The Animated Series, when he was under the mind control of Mr. Sinister.
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Jean’s journey
After the X-Men confront the Goblin Queen, Jean Grey enters into a psychic battle with her cloned counterpart. During this battle, there is a flashback to Jean’s past in which Professor Xavier meets Jean for the first time.
During this scene, Jean is seen holding onto a one-eyed stuffed toy (a cyclops). This same stuffed toy appeared in Jean’s room in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode ‘The Dark Phoenix’.
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Techno trouble
After Cyclops and the Goblin Queen join forces to rescue their son, Nathan, from the clutches of Mr. Sinister, the baby contracts a techno-organic virus. This virus appeared in the original comics, but it is also similar in appearance to the mutant-infecting plague seen in the X-Men: The Animated Series episodes ‘Time Fugitives – Part One and Two’.
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Forging ahead
And finally, in order to save Nathan from the virus, Bishop takes the baby to the future, where he believes an old friend can cure him. That friend is the mutant known as Forge, who appeared multiple times in X-Men: The Animated Series, beginning with the episode ‘Days of Future Past – Part One.’
Forge mostly appeared in the show in scenes set during the future with Bishop, however, he also appeared as a younger version of himself during the present day, as seen in the episodes ‘Cold Comfort’ and ‘The Phalanx Covenant – Part One and Two’. This younger version of Forge is who appears alongside Storm at the conclusion of ‘Fire Made Flesh’.
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