Are you following along with Season Two of X-Men ’97 on Disney+? Well, you should be!
The cartoon show – a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series – remains must-see TV and has so far served up some top entertainment with its opening episodes. As a reminder, Disney+ unveiled the first three instalments of Season Two last week, which included: ‘Days of Past Future‘, ‘A Force to Be Reckoned With‘, and ‘Rise of Apocalypse – Part One‘.
This week X-Men ’97: Season Two continued with Episode Four: ‘Rise of Apocalypse – Part Two‘. As with previous episodes of X-Men ’97, ‘Rise of Apocalypse – Part Two‘ was jam-packed with references and in-jokes related to X-Men: The Animated Series, as well as the wider X-Men universe.
And as with previous weeks, I will now be taking a look at those references with a run-through of what you might have missed. So, if you were too busy getting caught up in all the action, here’s what you need to know!
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Credit roll
First off let’s begin with the credits which change from episode to episode. This week, only a selection of X-Men are credited, including Magneto, Rogue, Beast, Bishop, Professor Xavier, and Nightcrawler.
This is always a guide to which mutants you’ll see in the episode. So, if the team is limited, then these are the main players of the story.
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Onslaught is coming?
Sticking with the credits and various clips from past episodes appear, offering a hint of what this episode is likely to focus on. Amongst the clips are scenes involving Gambit, as well as Xavier and Magneto.
One of these clips shows Xavier using his telepathic abilities on Magneto. Could this be a hint of a larger plot point to come?
In the comics, Xavier used his powers on Magneto and inadvertently created a new villain known as Onslaught. Onslaught was essentially a sentient entity born from the subconsciousness of Xavier and Magneto and became a significant threat to the X-Men as well as the Marvel Universe.
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Psychic probe
Shortly into the episode, Xavier probes the mind of En Sabah Nur, and witnesses how he has been shunned by humanity, or used for hard labour. This brief little window into the mind of Nur goes someway to explain why Apocalypse has little regard for the human race and why he would happily kill or enslave anyone and anything.
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What’s in a name?
As the story progresses, Rama-Tut enters Xavier’s mind. During their opening conversation, Rama-Tut mentions he goes by many names including Nathaniel, Victor, Kang.
These are Rama-Tut’s aliases from across various timelines and alternate timelines. The names in full are Nathaniel Richards, Victor von Doom (Doctor Doom), and Kang the Conqueror.
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Apocalypse is inevitable
During their conversation, Rama-Tut tells Xavier that neither he nor Magneto will ever be able to alter the path En Sabah Nur is on. He said: “You cannot stop him, you never stop him.”
As someone who can access endless points in time, Tut is telling Xavier that En Sabah Nur’s transformation into Apocalypse is inevitable. He is something which is part of the fabric of everything, and like evil, he will always exist in some form.
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Celestial
Away from Xavier and Tut’s conversation, the X-Men come face to face with a Celestial. Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be familiar with Celestial beings, as they appeared heavily in 2021’s Eternals.
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Been there, done that
After coming across the Celestial, the X-Men meet an earlier version of Ship. Beast previously met Ship (in the future) in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, Obsession.
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The eternal shore
As En Sabah Nur transforms into Apocalypse he swears an oath and says: “I am the rocks of the eternal shore, crash against me and be broken!” He previously said this line in X-Men: The Animated Series, in the episode, Obsession.
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X-Ternally Yours
As the X-Men are sent back to the future, and Magneto and Xavier remain in the past to face Apocalypse, Rama-Tut transforms into Kang and prepares to leave this time period. He leaves behind his second in command.
If this character looks familiar it is because she previously appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, via the episode, X-Ternally Yours. She is known as the X-Ternal.
In X-Ternally Yours, it is stated that the X-Ternal supposedly guides the Thieves and Assassins Guilds of New Orleans for over 300 years.
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The death of a friend
Towards the end of the episode, Apocalypse kills Magneto. But is the Master of Magnetism truly dead or could he be resurrected as one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen?
Apocalypse has some slots to fill. In A Force to Be Reckoned With, former Horseman, War, was killed off by X-Force. Could new blood be about to emerge?
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Old Soldiers
As the sombre credits roll they quickly cut to a mid-credit scene featuring Logan, Captain America, and Black Widow. Cap mentions it has been a while since they have seen each other.
This is a reference to the X-Men: The Animated Series episode, Old Soldiers. This episode was set during World War II and saw Logan and Captain America join forces.
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Weapon X
And finally, during the credit scene, Cap hands Logan a file titled ‘Weapon X’. This file is in reference to the Weapon X programme, which has previously been discussed in the X-Men: The Animated Series episodes Repo Man and Weapon X, Lies, and Video Tape.
This credit scene also acts as a tease for the next episode of X-Men ‘97, titled Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.
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