And so it ends…
After what can only be described as a complete whirlwind of excitement, emotion, and adventure, the first season of animated comic book show, X-Men ’97 draws to an end. The series – a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series – has concluded with Episode Ten, aka ‘Tolerance is Extinction – Part Three‘.
Have you seen it yet? If not, you must!
Following suit with the previous nine episodes, Episode Ten doesn’t disappoint. If you loved what came before, then you’ll certainly love the finale.
But were you paying attention throughout the whole episode? As with the previous episodes, Episode Ten was loaded with various in-jokes, references, nods, winks, and Easter eggs to X-Men: The Animated Series, the comics, the wider Marvel Universe and beyond.
Not sure what you should have been looking out for, or what you might have missed? Don’t worry, you can find all the details below.
And don’t forget, all the in-jokes and references for Episodes One to Nine have already been covered on this blog. If you wish to catch up, just check out the individual posts for the following: ‘To Me, My X-Men‘ (E1), ‘Mutant Liberation Begins‘ (E2), ‘Fire Made Flesh‘ (E3), ‘Motendo/Lifedeath: Part One‘ (4), ‘Remember It‘ (E5), ‘Lifedeath: Part Two‘ (E6), ‘Bright Eyes’ (E7), ‘Tolerance is Extinction – Part One‘ (E8), and ‘Tolerance is Extinction – Part Two‘.
OK, onto the episode…
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Credit roll
As has become customary, the first place to look for anything fun is in the opening credits, which are usually filled with little Easter eggs. The credits for Episode Ten are largely the same as previous weeks, but they do contain a couple of little changes.
The main change is the insertion of a new scene featuring Charles Xavier and Magneto, as they fight armed adversaries during their youth. This scene – which highlights their friendship – is a reference to a flashback sequence from the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, ‘Enter: Magneto’.
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The coming onslaught
Onto the episode now, and ‘Tolerance is Extinction: Part Three’ begins with a sequence set in Magneto’s mind. Xavier is using his abilities to enter Magneto’s psyche, in an attempt to convince him to undo all the damage he has caused the world.
During this sequence, Magneto informs Xavier that hijacking his mind risks causing mental damage to both of them. This may seem like a simple warning, but there is more in play here.
In the comics, after Magneto causes widespread death and destruction to the world in the storyline Fatal Attractions, Xavier enters Magneto’s mind and wipes it. The result of his action gives birth to a new foe who is a combination of parts of Xavier and parts of Magneto.
This new foe is known as Onslaught. During the mid ‘90s era of the X-Men comics, Onslaught posed a huge threat to the Marvel Universe.
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Cameos
As Xavier hijacks Magneto’s mind and attempts to undo the damage he has caused, a number of heroes and villains appear in brief cameos. These cameos include Silver Samurai, Captain America, Iron Man, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Cloak and Dagger, Omega Red, Crimson Dynamo, Darkstar, Psylocke, Northstar, Aurora, Cipher, and Puck.
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Time-and-time again
As previously noted in ‘Tolerance is Extinction: Part One’, Cable went back in time on multiple occasions in an attempt to avert the mutant massacre on Genosha. However, all of his attempts proved futile, as the tragedy on Genosha always happened despite his actions.
In this episode it is finally revealed that he made 200 attempts to change the past. Audiences only saw one of these attempts, meaning there are 199 we were not privy to.
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Moon with a view
As the episode continues, Bastion powers up, resulting in a battle between him and Rogue. This battle takes place on the moon, which appears to have structures on it.
These structures aren’t new, they have previously appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, when the X-Men fought the Shi’ar during the episode, ‘The Dark Phoenix Saga – Part IV: The Fate of the Phoenix’.
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Thunderclap
During the fight sequence between Rogue and Bastion, Rogue claps her hands together which creates a huge force, powerful enough to knock Bastion about. This move is known as a thunderclap and has been used in the comics before.
If you’re a fan of 2008’s MCU movie, The Incredible Hulk, you’ll be aware the Hulk used a similar move during his battle with Abomination.
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Long live the king
As the action moves back to Earth, Black Panther and Captain America reappear for another brief cameo sequence, only this time they appear unmasked. It is here we see the identity of Black Panther is King T’Chaka, rather than his son, T’Challa.
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The children of Magneto
More cameos now, although shown only in shadow in Magneto’s mind. This episode features brief appearances from Magneto’s children: Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris.
Rogue also appears in this sequence alongside Magneto’s children, as she is currently an important person in Magneto’s life. However, it should be noted there could be a hidden significance to Rogue’s inclusion.
In the comics, during the Age of Apocalypse storyline, Magneto and Rogue had a son named Charles. As such, Rogue’s appearance alongside Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris in this sequence could be a hint that she may be pregnant or may fall pregnant in a future storyline.
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It’s Morphin’ time
As with previous weeks, Morph gets the opportunity to transform into a few familiar faces, which in this episode includes the green-skinned Sauron. Sauron is a super villain who previously appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, traditionally in stories connected to the Savage Land.
During the course of this episode, Morph also transforms into a withered version of Mister Sinister, as well as the Fantastic Four’s leader, Mr. Fantastic.
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Friendly neighbourhood cameos
As the episode heads towards its final act, with a damaged Asteroid M hurtling towards the Earth, we get to see the frightened reactions from civilians. It is here that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson pop up for a brief cameo.
This version of Pete and MJ are based on how they look in hit ‘90s show, Spider-Man: The Animated Series. As a reminder, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, X-Men: The Animated Series, and X-Men ‘97share the same universe and continuity.
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The fate of the X-Men
With Asteroid M destroyed and the X-Men seemingly dead, a poster appears in Forge’s laboratory, with images of 24 mutants. The poster includes updates on the mutants’ supposed status, detailing if they are alive or presumed dead.
The mutants include: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Beast, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Jubilee, Sunspot, Charles Xavier, Scarlet Witch, Colossus, Morph, Rogue, Dust, Archangel, Magik, Wolverine, Iceman, Havok, Cable, Exodus, Quicksilver, Shadowcat, and Emma Frost.
This poster is a nod to a similar image used on the front cover of The Uncanny X-Men issue #141 from 1980. A similar image was referenced in the episode ‘Motendo/Lifedeath: Part One’.
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Graydon Creed returns
During the same sequence with Forge, a radio report plays in the background. This report mentions a political update regarding President Kelly and his rival Graydon Creed.
For those who can’t quite recall, Graydon Creed previously appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series as a member of the Friends of Humanity. Creed has a particular hatred for mutants… and is also the son of Sabretooth.
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Bishop returns
As the scene with Forge draws to a close, Bishop reappears. He speaks to Forge and reveals important information regarding the disappearance of the X-Men. The team are not dead, but have instead been lost in time.
Bishop proposes a team-up to locate the X-Men. Although this is the first time Bishop and Forge have met in X-Men ‘97, the two mutants previously worked together multiple times in X-Men: The Animated Series.
So, why doesn’t Forge seem to know this? Because their previous team-ups took place in the future, so in the current timeline none of the team-ups have happened yet.
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Come the Apocalypse
As the episode concludes, the X-Men are shown lost in time, with Rogue, Beast, Magneto, Xavier, and Nightcrawler sent to the past, and Cyclops and Jean Grey sent to the future. The whereabouts of Wolverine, Storm, and Morph are unclear.
In the future sequence, Cyclops and Jean meet a younger version of Nathan Summers (aka Cable), while in the past Beast and Co. meet En Sabah Nur. For those who are not familiar with this name, En Sabah Nur is the real name of the villainous Apocalypse.
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Gambit resurrected?
And finally, as the credits roll there’s just time for a brief mid-credit scene set on present day Genosha. This scene includes an appearance from Apocalypse who comments about the pain and ‘death’ on the island.
The implication here is Apocalypse has plans for Genosha. These plans could involve some kind of resurrection, hinting that maybe some of the seemingly deceased mutants may return as Horsemen of Apocalypse, including the fallen X-Man, Gambit.
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