The first significant change in X-Men 97 is that Professor Xavier, the founder and leader of the X-Men, is no more. Reports indicate that he is dead. He was allegedly killed by anti-mutant activist Henry Peter Gyrich. Professor Xavier, however, is not dead. He has relinquished his role as leader and bestowed that responsibility not to Cyclops, the natural successor, but to his one-time great adversary: Magneto.
Some of the early episodes focus on Magneto’s entry into the X-Men as a team member and group leader. This was a nice and interesting touch. It showed that the writers while working to remain faithful to the source material, were not afraid to take risks and explore new avenues. And this, to the show’s advantage, continues.
‘X-Men 97’: Old Foes, New Relationships
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Regarding the bad guys, the old foes are back, albeit with a different worldview and complex overlapping motivations. Without getting too much into spoilers, the Sentinels, the great adversary of all mutants, are back. But the true nature of their origins and goals remains a mystery.
Into this mix, old enemies, like Mr. Sinister, enter the fold. And it is done reasonably well. While not as menacing as during the original seasons, Sinister comes with a nefarious plan to exploit the child born to Scott Summers and Jean Grey. The dynamics give rise to this, notably with the entry of Jean’s clone, an adversary of the X-Men at one time.
Underlying these conflicts is the far greater threat: the rise of Master Mold. The Sentinel-producing factory/super robot hellbent on destroying mutants makes its return—or two. This is where the story, at times, seems to suffer.
The producers were trying to pack as much content as possible into 10 episodes and were rushed to jam as much content as possible. While this is achieved with a relative degree of success, at times, the episodes seem rushed, which affects the flow of the series.
New Enemies, Old Conflicts
Nothing beats X-Men when it comes to marrying the personal relationships and conflicts that emerge within and their connection to the wider calamities that await humans and mutants alike. The complex friend-or-foe dance between Professor X and Magnus remains a center of the later part of the season.
The “Tolerance is Extinction” storyline, which takes up the final three episodes of the season, sees Magneto return to his old, genocidal self. The team battles with a new enemy, Bastion, to stop dual threats. One is to convince Magneto to reverse the effects of the global electromagnetic pulse attack and alert him to the danger of Bastion, who is turning ordinary humans into cyborg slaves.
The climatic battles take place in the physical world and the recesses of the mind as Xavier struggles to win over Magneto and works to bring the conflict to an end. The introduction of Bastion as the main villain was an interesting choice. While many would have expected Marvel to go with a tried-and-tested villain, this new direction with a complex storyline that deals with his origins, motivations, and aims is interesting. The ending, without giving too much away, was bittersweet.
A Time For Romance
One of the standout features of the 10-episode show was the focus on character relationships. Rather than shying away from it, the producers truly embraced the romantic dimension. The complex web of relationships involving Jean, Scott, and her clone and the painful love triangle involving Rogue, Gambit, and Magneto (yes, you heard that right) are dealt with maturely.
However, timing is once again the problem. Storylines that would tend to take 3 – 4 episodes to develop and complete are managed in a shorter time, which for fans of the original series may seem a bit rushed. However, the effort is praiseworthy. Just like the whole series. X–Men 97 is filled with powerful moments of joy, heartache, and tragedy. It is a worthy success of the 1992 classic.
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