Agatha All Along Episode 3 Reactions

The third episode of Agatha All Along brought poison, hallucinations, and death to our coven, setting the standard for what to expect as they continue down the Witch’s Road. With the first trial out of the way and passed relatively successfully, the coven is ready to continue to the second trial with the learned knowledge that you can’t get away with cheating the Road. As for Teen, his strange excitement for being on the Witch’s Road has seemingly ruffled more than a few feathers and has sent red flags off around the fanbase.

The First Trial

As implied by the Witch’s Road’s needs (aka the different types of witches), each trial the coven will face will be tied to a member of the coven itself. The first trial was Jennifer Hales, the potion witch of the group. There are two parts of the trial that need to be broken down, the first being the impact and test it had on Jen herself. As the group enters the trial/home without any way of escaping, they each unknowingly drink poison that gives them 30 minutes to make an antidote. Clearly, this task is made for Jennifer to form the antidote, forcing her to own up to her own mistakes and giving a hint as to why/who bound her. The audience learned in the previous episode that Jen’s business was suffering from various legal issues and calls back the fact Jennifer was defending her products but then during the trial, was forced to admit her ‘all natural’ products were not quite as natural as she said. This moment was meant to symbolize a growth moment for her and her character, admitting to her own mistakes. On top of all this, she does make the antidote in time and saves the coven, successfully making it through her task to help along the Road.

The other half of the trial is the hallucinations that the witches were all experiencing during the time they were poisoned. Holding off on Agatha’s for now, probably the creepiest hallucination was Lilia’s, who followed a girl to find what appeared to be dead witches. Then we saw Alice, whose hallucination dealt with her mother who kept screaming that someone was coming for Alice. Lastly, Jen’s hallucination is what gives a nod to how she ended up bound, as a man attempts to drown her in the kitchen sink. She later then makes reference to that hallucination and it being traumatic because it’s part of how she ended up without her power. The witches were tested in different ways, even though the trial itself was for Jennifer, and in doing so, the audience could capture small hints about the members of the coven. While it is unclear if the hallucinations were based on their nightmares, feelings of guilt, or memories, each of the coven members has skeletons in their closet that it appears each trial will provide another puzzle piece for figuring them out.

Agatha and the Darkhold

The main reason it was critical to hold off on Agatha’s hallucination is because hers has a lot more depth within it to explore. In our last reactions episode, we briefly mentioned wanting to understand Agatha’s past, including how and when she became in possession of the Darkhold. Between Jennifer sharing some gossip and Agatha’s hallucination, some answers are starting to pop up. Beginning with the little story Jen shared with Teen, it appears rumor has it in the witch world that Agatha actually traded her child for the Darkhold and while no one has seen him, some think he could be an agent of Mephisto. There it is folks, Mephisto has officially been mentioned after 3.5 years of fans from WandaVision throwing the name around constantly.

Then this gets deeper as the episode loosely confirms at least the first part of the tea, which is that Agatha did have a child and the hallucination she experiences does imply she traded him for the Darkhold. In an eery vision, instead of a baby in the bassinet, the Darkhold was tucked in. This also helps check off why Agatha had a child’s room in her home while trapped under Wanda’s spell. The theories behind the details of this are still very unclear but it does seem we might have a couple of pieces that go together. Agatha had a child she gave up at some point, she received the Darkhold, she has walked the Witch’s Road once before in search of something, and Mephisto may be involved. The order of events here is still unknown but I think we’re all hoping Agatha isn’t pure evil and instead, was maybe manipulated into exchanging her child. Everyone saw Wanda’s downfall to the Darkhold, so for a siphon witch without any of her own power, dangling something so powerful in front of her when she is already morally gray might have been all it took. Hopefully, next episode more details are exposed on the order of events regarding Agatha’s past and child.

Nicholas Scratch

It would be remiss if we didn’t discuss Agatha’s child in all this. While we know nothing about them, we do have a name, which we sort of have had since WandaVision. Nicholas Scratch (also referred to as Scratchy the bunny in WandaVision) is accurately Agatha’s son in the comics. His father is unknown, although it is speculated there is a demonic origin, dare I say possibly Mephisto? Yet before going further, now is an important time to remember that MCU Agatha and comic Agatha are quite different. In the comics, Nicholas is raised in New Salem, a town created by those fleeing from Salem during the witch trials and is populated by primarily magical beings. Agatha eventually leaves the town, which begins his resentment towards her. He turned the entire town of New Salem against his mother and attempted to put her on trial for betrayal until the town turned against him and banished him to the Dark Dimension. A whole lot happens with the Fantastic Four and Dr. Strange/Kamar-Taj but an important topic to note is that Nicholas is the father of the Salem Seven, which should sound pretty familiar.

All this being said, the show might be on the path to becoming a family affair. If Nicholas is indeed a factor, he may end up being the main antagonist of the show, filling the void that is currently there. On top of that, he would make a solid villain, as he would fit into the category of one that the protagonist of the show created themselves. With the Salem Seven showing up in the first episode and Agatha’s clear fear of them, it makes a strong case that she knows they’re technically her grandchildren and that her son is coming for her to make her pay for abandoning him. The puzzle pieces are all there, but it will be interesting as we go throughout the show to see how new pieces will fill in the bigger picture.

Death on the Witch’s Road

Episode 3 also gave us the first death on the Witch’s Road. Everyone’s favorite character, Mrs. Hart, has seemingly not made it through the first trial. As many eagle-eyed fans noticed, the coven failed to put a piece of Mrs. Hart’s hair into the antidote, so although she drank it, the properties did not save her as her DNA was not in it. While fans mourn her death, as with any of these types of shows, it also has to be theorized she may not actually be gone. Starting with the simple fact that Debra Jo Rupp has hinted in an interview that she will make it past Episode 4 (although she already seemingly hasn’t made it past Episode 3), there are also the two prevailing theories from the last episode that could still apply.

The first theory is the possibility that Mrs. Hart is in some ways magical herself or in general, is a witch. Now, how that may save her at this point is unclear, considering whether she is a witch or not, the coven still would have failed to save her. The next theory is that Mrs. Hart is actually Rio Vidal in disguise. While this one feels more possible due to the knowledge that Rio is joining the coven in Episode 4, it would still fail to explain how she passed the first trial without being saved. If Mrs. Hart is to live, it’s more believable that it is due to magical means either from the other witches or from the Road itself, maybe to trick the coven later on. It also can’t be forgotten that there is a clear horror element to this show, so raising someone from the dead may not be far out of the realm of possibility. Otherwise, it will take an interesting explanation to show how she didn’t actually die.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 3”, Katie Campione, Deadline

Agatha All Along Episodes 1 & 2 Reactions

Agatha All Along

Everyone’s favorite purple witch has returned in the highly anticipated first two episodes of Agatha All Along. Picking back up 3 years after Wanda trapped her in a spell at the end of WandaVision, fans returned to Westview for the first time since 2021, and let’s just say, it did not disappoint. The narrative seamlessly moves between Agatha being trapped in the spell through the current day, then right to the Witch’s Road, setting watchers directly onto the main plot of the series, as shown in the trailers. Agatha All Along has already proven that it can capture fan’s attention with a beloved anti-hero as a main character and the interesting dynamics that are forming already among the Coven, leaving fans wanting more as they wait for a new episode each week.

Returning to Westview

It should come as only a small shock that the series, a sequel to WandaVision, takes fans back to Westview. Returning to exactly where Agatha’s character had last been left, under Wanda’s spell, not only allowed fans to easily get right back into the WandaVision story but also continued the strange TV-inspired story that Wanda created. The first episode starts off as a nod to a different, real-life TV show, showing Agatha is trapped similarly to how Wanda was in her own spell. While Wanda was stuck in sitcoms, Agatha appeared stuck in a crime show, symbolizing that Agatha knows she’s searching for something (aka a way out), represented even within the spell. Turns out, she really is searching for a way out of her own mind, which she has been trapped in all these years.

Another smart move by the production team was bringing back several returning characters from WandaVision, just to help fill gaps in the story, which again helped to make it a seamless transition from one show to the second. Even within the spell, we saw Herb, Dottie, Phil, and Mrs. Hart all make appearances playing a part just as they had done before. The big difference that is shown later is that, unlike Wanda’s Hex, residents of Westview aren’t stuck inside the spell with Agatha and instead are only playing these roles within her own mind. Herb is actually the one to later explain this to Agatha, in simpler terms, as he tells her she’s been a fine neighbor, albeit a little off, especially the last few days as the spell she was kept in was slowly coming apart. It’s also interesting as this return to Westview through Agatha’s eyes allows us to see how the townspeople have recovered from Wanda’s Hex and the animosity they all hold toward her, with seemingly zero knowledge of who Agatha herself truly is. With the story taking Agatha on the Witch’s Road, it’s unclear whether characters like Herb will once again make a return later in the show or if this is the last fans will see of them in Agatha All Along.

Teen All Along?

The title of the show clearly states who the main character is, yet another character introduced in the first episode might just steal the show. Teen, who many already suspect to be Billy Kaplan/Maximoff, aka Wiccan when he becomes a Young Avenger, has been a topic of conversation from the very beginning. The only character nameless in IMDB, along with the magic that is clearly blocking him from saying both his name and anything about his past, puts the spotlight on who he really is, especially if he is, in fact, one of Wanda’s sons we met in WandaVision. Yet beyond who he is believed to be and the theories with that, Teen has already proven himself to be the driving force behind the plot of the show, which is Agatha and her assembled coven walking the Witch’s Road. He helps Agatha break out of the Scarlet Witch’s spell, which is no small feat and then is the person who convinces her to walk the Road with him, as he wants to walk it himself for more power. These facts quickly point to Teen being arguably the most important character in the show.

Let’s focus on the critical aspect of Teen’s motivation for walking the Road, which is that he wants to gain more power. A simple enough request, it could be easily overlooked if Teen wasn’t the assumed son of the Scarlet Witch and wasn’t requesting the help of Agatha Harkness, who we can’t forget kidnapped Billy and Tommy in WandaVision. It’s clear Teen has no idea who he might actually be and doesn’t recognize Agatha either, which will likely be the driving force behind the outcome of the series. He wants power he should arguably already have and it’s very possible that instead of power, the spell that is holding him back from revealing his true identity/remembering who he is will fall at the end of the series, revealing to him and Agatha the truth behind his identity. The revelation of who he is may mean he is the one responsible for stopping Agatha from regaining power or halting her in her attempt to leave the Road after reaching the end. Agatha herself may not fully make it out of her own series, as the only character that a clear path is laid out for them after this show is Teen if he is Wiccan, as the Young Avengers are forming.

Introduction to the Witches and the Missing Green Witch

Before Agatha All Along’s premiere, we covered who each of the new witches is. Now, we have officially met each of the witches and have had some light shown on why they each are so important for traveling the Witch’s Road. Beyond Agatha, the first magical being we interact with is Teen, whose assumed identity was already addressed. However, the important thing to address with Teen is that his nickname, aka Wiccan, may come from Wicca, known as a modern pagan religion that’s part of a nature-based spirituality movement. That being said, he may be seen as a Green Witch due to their tie to nature, although the possibility is also that he is a Blood Witch, as his assumed mother is the Scarlet Witch herself. Either is possible, but it is important to note that the Witch’s Road door did not open until Teen entered the basement and the witch they were apparently missing was a Green Witch.

The second episode introduces fans to Lilia, Jennifer, and Alice. Agatha and Teen go to recruit each of them and in the process, two important pieces of information are provided. The first is how/why they decide to join the coven and the second is the type of witch they are, which is critical to the needs of the Witch’s Road. Lilia is introduced as a Divination witch, Jennfier a Potion witch, and Alice as a Blood witch. The titles provided mix with something else the show has started to use: color to describe witches. The most obvious is the Scarlet Witch, but we also have a Green Witch, and then Agatha refers to her magic as purple, making her a Purple Witch. This is the first time in the realm of magic that real titles are being provided and it will be critical to understanding why some witches are described by power or area of study, while others are described using the color of their magic.

The final concept that has been getting danced around here is the issue of our missing Green Witch on the Witch’s Road. The theory was thrown out above that Teen may have the abilities of a Green Witch. Another important point is that Rio has been referred to as a Green Witch, although the issue here is she is not currently on the Road and was not with Agatha or the rest of the coven when they were opening the door, or was she? Could Rio be disguising herself as Mrs. Hart, who has joined the witches on their adventure? Or is Mrs. Hart just good old Mrs. Hart, along for the ride until Rio shows up to truly fulfill the role of the Green Witch? All eyes will be on Episode 3 to see if we get an answer to these questions.

The Salem Seven and Agatha’s History

Lastly, the horror element came in strong when the Salem Seven showed up to kill Agatha. The running theory with this group is that they may actually be the witches that Agatha siphoned the power from hundreds of years ago when she still lived in Salem. It is assumed that a witch’s lifeline is tied to one’s power, with Agatha being an outlier since she does not inherently have power unless she has stolen it from another witch. Either way, Agatha killed several witches when she stole their power and the Salem Seven may now be returning to life in their demonic state to take her life.

Beyond the Salem Seven clearly trying to kill Agatha, Rio and Agatha share an interaction that makes it obvious the two share a past. Whether their shared past is platonic or not, Rio just as much wants to see Agatha seemingly perish, although the key word here is seemingly. While she does attack Agatha, the altercation proves she can’t kill her, likely due to a witch guidebook that frowns upon the taking of another witch’s life or the fact she cares about her enough to spare her. She also warns her of the Salem Seven coming, which may have shown her soft spot for Agatha, in whatever capacity that still exists.

Lastly, Rio is not the only witch to bring up Agatha’s connection to the Darkhold. Something that we’re hoping the show explores further is Agatha’s history both before and with the Darkhold. WandaVision confirmed that she had it when she was first introduced but it appears she had relationships with some of these characters, including Rio, before discovering the Darkhold and succumbing to its power. Hopefully, with the Darkhold gone, it opens up the doors to seeing how Agatha fell under the spell and maybe if she will be a different/better version of herself without it.

Image: “Agatha All Along Episode 1 and 2”, Kevin Erdmann, Screenrant

Why Spider-Man 4 Going Multiversal Might Be the Sequel No One Asked For

Spider-Man: No Way Home

It has been a long road of rumors and supposed behind-the-scenes scuffles between studios when it comes down to the next Spider-Man movie being created. As one of the few remaining characters that is shared between two studios, Spider-Man’s second trilogy has seemingly been set off with a rocky start, as Sony and Marvel had two different visions for the movie. Marvel supposedly wanted to take Spider-Man back to his roots, returning him to more of the friendly neighborhood kind of superhero, while Sony wanted to once again go Multiversal with him after the success of No Way Home. Yet up until this point, fans seemingly made it quite clear they wanted their favorite web-slinger to be grounded and the new news that the movie is rumored to now be going Multiversal once again is sparking conversations among fans, who aren’t looking for yet another one of these types of movies.

Let’s start by hitting the most important reason why fans don’t want another Multiversal film: there are already so many of them. While yes, Marvel is amid their Multiverse Saga, it seems Marvel themselves aren’t always able to keep the laws of the Multiverse straight, driving fans crazy as different writers and directors make stories with their own takes on how this large plot point should work. Additionally, using the Multiverse as a common plot device, while using it differently in almost all recent projects and not having clear rules is leading to audience fatigue over the Multiverse itself. As for the news regarding Spider-Man 4, it’s not entirely shocking this news is coming as one of the largest Multiverse projects, Deadpool and Wolverine, just smashed the box offices, yet recency bias in play, other Multiverse projects have not hit that same mark (I’m looking at you, MoM). Just because one movie has been successful by using the Multiverse, doesn’t mean other projects have seen this happen and fans are struggling to keep up, even as this Saga barrels towards the largest Multiversal event: Secret Wars.

And while Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the movies that performed quite well while using the Multiverse to drive the plot, it’s already been done and fans seem to agree that you don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken, and to leave NWH and the Multiverse alone. The nostalgia of NWH, which played primarily off of bringing in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Mans from the past, worked for that movie specifically, it made sense. The fans loved it and had been begging for it for a long time. Deadpool and Wolverine also successfully played off the nostalgia and cameos, but it isn’t what fans always want, and only works in certain circumstances. In this case, would another Multiversal plot that may or may not include the other Spider-Men again really add anything to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man story? The answer is that it’s quite unlikely, as the stakes couldn’t be higher than they were in NWH and the outcome showed Peter moving in a new life direction because of it.

Lastly, let’s not forget that while we as fans have gotten wrapped into the Multiverse and crossovers that go beyond Earth, Spider-Man himself is still a ground-level hero. Sure, he has crazy adventures in the comics and the current MCU Peter has been to space, but at the end of the day, he is most well-known for protecting the city of New York. The ending of NWH perfectly sets up this version of Spider-Man to do that, with him moving to Manhattan and being forced to leave his whole life behind. The rest of Tom Holland’s trilogy worked because it was fairly grounded and he was a kid learning to be a superhero. Now, as an adult, he could face bigger and more iconic foes, while also being independent, instead of connected so heavily to Iron Man. The fear of another Multiversal plot is that the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man many know and love will be lost completely if the hero is not set back to his roots and what genuinely drives him, which the fans are craving to have (aka fans want to see him take on Kingpin already, like come on).

Of course, it can’t be completely written off that a Multiversal project here could still work. While it may not be ideal for this character to face another round of Multiversal foes, Sony has created a web of villains in their Sonyverse independent movies, such as Venom, Kraven the Hunter, and Morbius. They also created another Spider-people team with Madame Web and her Spider-Women. This being said the only logical way to connect everything here to Tom’s Spider-Man would be a Multiversal film that brings them all together. It would finally give purpose to the Sonyverse live-action movies that have been coming out since 2018 while answering if/how they would ever connect to Spider-Man. Additionally, it could expand Spider-Man’s future stories in this way, for instance having Venom and the symbiote possibly playing a role in a future appearance.

While there is still hope a Multiversal story for Spider-Man could work, fans have seemingly already made it quite clear why they don’t think it will. Now, it comes down to whether they will listen to fans and pivot away from this idea or follow what looks to be a more money-grabbing perspective with yet another Multiversal film for Spider-Man 4. It’s time for the studios to ask: Is a Multiverse plot truly what we need in the next Spider-Man film, or is it time for something different?

Image: “Spider-Man”, Michael Patterson, Bam Smack Pow

Deadpool and Wolverine Came to Play

Deadpool, X-Men

What. A. Movie. Ryan Reynolds once again proves why Deadpool is the character for Marvel and the MCU. With the third installment of the franchise here, let’s waste no time and get right into what was one of the best movies Marvel has ever put out there.

Crafting the Storyline and Keeping it Deadpool

The strongest part of the entire movie was actually the plot itself and the fact it stayed perfectly true to a Deadpool movie, even with the stakes higher than they’ve ever been. The movie never strayed far from the main problem put forth from the beginning: Deadpool’s universe was going to die. So while we go in and out of the TVA, into the Void, and then back to his timeline once again, all things led to the final mission of saving his universe from first the timeline destroyer and then Cassandra. Even with various new Multiversal topics being thrown our way, the plot and the main problem remained clear inside of the movie itself.

Of course, this was still a Deadpool movie, so while it did include various emotional moments both for Deadpool and Wolverine, there were still plenty of comedic plot moments. From starting with an N*SYNC dance break during the opening TVA massacre, to a sequence of scenes with Deadpool meeting Wolverine variants and bringing it all together to continue to poke fun at himself, Logan and the FOX films throughout the whole movie, it stayed very much on brand for what we know of Deadpool movies. It even had quite a few returning cast members, even if they did only make a small appearance at the beginning and end. Ryan made one thing clear with this movie: Deadpool might be joining the MCU but nothing about him is changing.

Cameos Everywhere

Probably the best part of the movie was the ongoing search for who would show up next from past or never-completed projects. While expectations about who might appear were high, the movie never once disappointed in who did actually appear. From the very first one being Mr. Happy Hogan himself from 616, you knew that you were going to be in for a treat. The cameos were also interesting because there were two different types: the first being those who were confirmed in trailers, the other being reprised roles in general or random actor cameos, so let’s list them.

List one is many of the characters we saw in trailers, pre-confirmed in the movie before anyone even sat down in the theater. That includes characters like Pyro, Sabretooth, Toad, and Lady Deathstrike, all being played by their original actors and actresses. Then there were also other characters such as Juggernaut, Azazel, and Psylocke who also made appearances, although some not played by the original. Lastly, a late addition to the list was X-23 played by Dafne Keene and B-15 from the Loki series.

The fun group of characters were the ones no one fully expected or knew about. Starting with my personal favorite two, you had Henry Cavill as a Wolverine variant (looking amazing, I might add) and Channing Tatum finally getting to play the role of Gambit. Sharing the scene with Gambit were Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Wesley Snipes’ Blade. Happy was already mentioned, but another crazy cameo and the first in the Void was Chris Evans making his MCU comeback not as Captain America, but instead as Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch. Additionally, two actual Avengers made the cameo list, the first being Ant-Man’s corpse and the second being Mark Ruffulo’s Hulk. And lastly, one remaining big cameo that was there but never unmasked was Blake Lively stepping into the role of Lady Deadpool or Ladypool, of course, the perfect casting to play the female version of her husband’s alter ego.

Cassandra Nova, the Villain you are

The menacing villain of Deadpool and Wolverine is none other than Cassandra Nova, Xavier’s incredibly powerful sister. Possessing abilities similar to her brother, she stands out due to being cast into the Void before experiencing much of life. It remains unclear which universe’s Xavier she could be related to, but what is certain is that her existence was a secret to her brother. Her threat was so significant that the TVA removed her from her timeline. However, Deadpool and Wolverine’s actions disrupted the system she had established in the Void, leading to her escape.

What makes her time in the Void particularly interesting is that she seemed entirely content there, as she owned a sling ring that would have allowed her out. Using it to free Deadpool and Wolverine, she then also used it to follow them into Deadpool’s universe after learning Paradox had attempted to have her killed. Their relationship seemed based on keeping each other mutually happy on both sides ‘of the fence’ as Cassandra says and when Paradox broke his part of that deal, she felt she no longer needed to play nice.

The shift from Paradox trying to speed up a dying timeline to Cassandra wanting to take out every timeline, starting with Deadpool’s, in the Multiverse was a little bumpy as a whole. As formidable of a foe she was in the Void and in general, it felt that her abilities and who she was could have allowed her to aim for a different target, rather than also trying to destroy Deadpool’s universe. As it was Deadpool’s movie, keeping the main threat of his universe going extinct on the table made sense, but for Cassandra’s villain arc, it came across as probably the weakest part of the plot. Either way, her attempt to destroy the universe and absorb the power ended up killing her, thanks to Deadpool and Wolverine. It’s unclear if we will ever see another version of her pop up, although it would be cool to explore the character in more than one film.

Bringing Back Wolverine

Before the movie came out, Ryan had made clear that the legacy of Logan the movie would be untouched in Deadpool and Wolverine. That being said, many still were unsure how exactly they were going to bring Hugh Jackman back for the part when Logan had been such a solid and emotional send off for him. About 5 minutes into the movie proved quickly that Logan quite literally was not going untouched, as his skeleton was used rather impressively as a weapon for Deadpool. Then it was shown how easy in today’s current MCU it is to just sort of generate another one without technically bringing anyone back from the dead at all.

The new version of Wolverine was a new direction for Hugh and it worked perfectly for the movie. A depressed, down-on-his-luck Wolverine is taken by Deadpool on an adventure he never asked for under the guise that they could maybe undo his mistakes made in his universe. In the end, he found a new purpose and a new home universe, even if how that works is a little unclear regarding the rules of Multiverse travel. Regardless, it was the perfect way to bring the character back while telling a new story, opening the door for Hugh Grant to play Wolverine for as long as he just about wants to and is asked to. Will he? That seems pretty unclear, although the likelihood remains that Marvel will probably want to have their own X-Men cast, meaning that even if we never see Hugh as Wolverine after this, we can walk away knowing we saw him finally wear the iconic suit and received the happy ending he deserved.

Image: “Deadpool and Wolverine”, Joseph Jenkinson, Screenrant

Deadpool and Wolverine: The Ultimate MCU Power Play

Deadpool, X-Men

The third installment in the Deadpool franchise, appropriately named Deadpool and Wolverine after featuring Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, has officially been named as the beginning of the mutants story in the MCU by Kevin Feige himself. Beyond the obvious things like a huge projected box office performance and a boost in fan reception that Marvel desperately needs, this movie is Marvel’s power play for the MCU. Those mutant breadcrumbs that we’ve gotten through characters like Kamala and Namor will be nothing compared to what this movie does both for the mutants’ introduction into the MCU and the MCU as a whole. While the mutants future is rumored to be clear after watching the movie, let’s get into the expansion of the MCU Deadpool and Wolverine could bring and why it is Marvel’s power play.

First and foremost, it could and already is looking to bridge multiple storylines. The trailers have already made it clear that there is overlap with other properties, specifically Loki with the appearance of TVA agents and cameos from both the original and rebooted Fox X-Men series. Yet, beyond that, the Multiverse is what is going to allow Deadpool and Wolverine to hopefully make their official migration into the 616 timeline, making them fair game for crossovers with all of the heroes already established in that timeline. The crossover could explore several other universes, allowing for new storylines and characters to appear. Additionally, new villains and heroes can emerge, unseen before in the MCU, specifically the X-Men characters and some of their more interesting villains, such as Mister Sinister or a new attempt at Apocalypse.

Additionally, the movie gives Marvel the opportunity to paint a new thematic depth for themselves. While movies such as Infinity War and Endgame strongly went a different direction in some respects, and newer properties like Moon Knight and MoM also attempted new genres, characters like Deadpool and Wolverine naturally open the door to exploring darker themes. Both characters offer more mature themes through their background and Deadpool already has two R-rated movies out there, while Wolverine has one. This more mature theme can help to push the MCU to explore more series storylines, helping to balance some of the usual, more lighthearted tone.

Likely the best reason that this movie is the MCU’s power play is because it is increasing market and fan engagement. The movie hasn’t even come out yet, but all anyone can talk about is Deadpool and Wolverine. Wolverine, being one of the most famous mutant characters and storylines, helps to bring fourth a renewed interest in the mutant storylines, which fell off quite a bit, especially after the release of Dark Phoenix in 2019. With X-Men ’97 also coming out earlier this year, the mutants have been running conversations across various fan platforms since February. Yet the film also is engaging to diverse audiences, as for a long time, mutant fans were left with the Fox franchises take on the famous comic book characters. Those who prefer the X-Men now have a reason to see this specific Marvel movie, along with fans of Deadpool, who many fell in love with through his first movie, superhero fan or not. The broad appeal of the mutants and Deadpool helps to boost the appeal to not just this movie outside of the MCU but the MCU as a whole to those who may not have heavily followed it before.

The upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine movie crossover has the potential to expand the MCU beyond anything viewers have seen before through the bridging of multiple storylines, offering deeper themes to explore and expanding the viewership pool. While so much rides on the future of the MCU through this movie, Deadpool and Wolverine for MCU fans also means many doors are being opened dealing with the Multiverse that many fans have been waiting for since the beginning of Phase 4. At this point, there is nothing left to do as we all are left waiting and counting down the final days until Deadpool and Wolverine makes it’s official big screen debut, this Friday.

Image: “Deadpool and Wolverine”, Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly

The Humor and the Claws: Deadpool and Wolverine’s Clashing Personalities and How They Just Work

Deadpool, X-Men

With Deadpool and Wolverine closing in on us in about a month, our two main characters couldn’t be sporting two different personalities and you didn’t need to see the trailers to know that. One is a wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking mercenary, and the other is a brooding, gruff mutant with a heart of gold hidden beneath layers of adamantium. So what makes these two work when they just shouldn’t and how did they become a fan-favorite duo like no other?

Taking everything back to their roots, Deadpool, also known as Wade Wilson, made his first appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine when he made his iconic mouthless appearance that has gone down in history as one of the comics to big screen iterations biggest joke. With Reynold’s first appearance being as far away as possible from the Merc with the Mouth mentality of the character, his ‘reboot’ gifted him the personality that Deadpool is known and loved for in the comics. That is to say, a self-deprecating, one-liner goofball who takes just about nothing seriously yet finds himself fighting crime for the good guys. However, all this humor is a coping mechanism for his tragic past and the physical and emotional pain he endures due to his accelerated healing factor and disfigured appearance. This, plus his ability to be a wildcard in every situation he is in, has worked well for the character, as he has accumulated many comic book and movie fans.

As for Wolverine, or Logan, everyone knows Wolverine to have a temper and he is typically seen to be more of the loner type, even though his comic history puts him time and time again as a member of the X-Men. While he is seen to be a lot more serious, it can’t be forgotten that he shares a sense of extremely dry humor, with one-liners that work only because they’re being delivered in the most non-joking manner. However, his tough exterior and gruff demeanor hides a deeply compassionate and loyal heart, making him a reluctant hero who often finds himself doing the right thing, even if it’s against his better judgment.

These two very different types of personalities are meant to clash, and they have. More often than not, Deadpool completely aggravates Wolverine, who sometimes struggles with his childish antics or inability to take situations seriously. Not to mention, Deadpool is known to overcomplicate things due to his lack of seriousness. On the other hand, Deadpool often finds Wolverine far too serious and gruff, and he often pokes fun at Wolverine’s seriousness, calling him out on his brooding nature and lack of a sense of humor.

Yet, all the things that make Deadpool and Wolverine so different don’t outdo the fact that these two still have so much in common. Let’s not forget that these two are both results of the Weapon X program, though one was a lot more willing to take part in it than the other. For Deadpool, the Weapon X program gave him healing abilities similar to that of Wolverine’s natural mutant abilities, meaning both have the power to heal themselves. This is something few people can relate to, which allows the two to have a unique understanding of each other’s pain and resilience, leading to a strange bond. The two also work well to balance one another, as Wolverine provides a sense of stability and reality amid chaos for Deadpool and Deadpool brings a lightheartedness that often diffuses Wolverine’s tension. This balance between the two makes the pairing unique in that it brings out different parts of both characters that help draw the audience into them further.

All this being said Deadpool and Wolverine’s clashing personalities may seem like a recipe for disaster, but it’s this contrast that makes their dynamic so compelling. With Deadpool and Wolverine right around the corner, you know these two very different personalities are going to be on display and bring entertainment the whole time. Make sure you catch these two in theaters on July 26!

Image: “Deadpool and Wolverine”, Maggie Dela Paz, CBR

15 LGBTQ+ Characters in the MCU or Coming Soon – Pride Month

Miscellaneous

Happy Pride Month! In doing our part to spread the message of love is love, it felt right to talk about all the amazing LGBTQ+ characters who have either already graced our screens or are rumored to be coming soon. While there aren’t too many yet, more and more are appearing, meaning the MCU is moving in the right direction of inclusivity, especially considering the vast amounts of LGBTQ+ characters written in the comics.

1. Wiccan – Billy Maximoff

One of Wanda and Vision’s twin sons, Billy was introduced in WandaVision and was around 10-12 when the Hex was pulled down. A version of Billy, whether it is the WandaVision version grown up or not, is said to make an appearance in the upcoming Agatha All Along show. Billy is openly gay in the comics and has a long-term relationship with Hulkling, a fellow Young Avenger. With the Young Avengers also being hinted at during the final moments of The Marvels, there’s a good chance that we will be seeing Billy and Hulkling, along with their relationship, in the near future.

2. Speed – Tommy Maximoff

Wanda and Vision’s other son, Tommy, also introduced in WandaVision is known in the comics as bisexual. While we also have only ever seen him around the age of 10-12, Tommy is not yet set to be in anything other than likely the Young Avengers. Whether Marvel will explore his bisexuality in this or in the future is still unknown, however, he has dated big names such as fellow teammate Kate Bishop and David Alleyne, also known as Prodigy.

3. Hulkling

Hulkling, the son of a Skrull and Kree, with no actual relation to the Hulk, is best known, as mentioned before for his relationship with Billy. He is also a prominent member of the Young Avengers, so it is hoped that he will soon come to the MCU when that team fully forms.

4. Negasonic Teenage Warhead

Negasonic Teenage Warhead made her first in the first Deadpool, reprising her role in Deadpool 2, and is heavily believed to be returning for Deadpool and Wolverine. In the second Deadpool film, Negasonic Teenage Warhead does have a girlfriend, confirming that she is lesbian in that universe.

5. Mystique

Mystique has been one of the first queer characters in Marvel Comics. It is said that she is bisexual, although many argue her time with men was a means to an end. She and her partner, Destiny, were recently married in the comics. Interestingly, Mystique and Destiny actually acted as Rogue’s foster parents, raising her together until she was old enough to live on her own with her powers. Mystique has already made several film appearances in the Fox universe, although with the mutants set to enter the MCU soon, we expect Mystique and hopefully Destiny to return to the big screen.

6. Loki Laufeyson

This one should be no surprise to anyone who has kept up with the Loki show. Loki was confirmed to be bisexual and his statement in the first season of Loki made him the first explicitly clear queer person in the MCU. In the comics, Loki is also identified as gender-fluid. While the Loki show went a completely different direction by having Loki have a relationship with a variant of himself, he has dated both men and women in the comics.

7. Deadpool

Deadpool, who is preparing for his third movie with Wolverine, is known as pansexual. While the movies so far haven’t made this explicitly clear, as he has had an ongoing relationship with Vanessa, it doesn’t seem that seeing a pansexual Deadpool on the big screen is without hope. During the time of the second Deadpool film, Ryan Reynolds made quite a few statements that indicated he would be into exploring more of Deadpool’s sexuality, so we will have to wait and see if this held up during the filming of the third movie.

8. Starlord

Fairly recent comics have confirmed that Starlord is bisexual and polyamorous after he had a relationship with two humanoids named Aradia and Mors. Currently, in the MCU, Starlord has not followed the same sexuality, at least yet. He has been typically tied to Gamora in the Guardians trilogy, although with him returning to Earth at the end of the final installment, it’s possible writers may explore his sexuality more in whatever he appears in next.

9. Korg

Believe it or not, our favorite rock person also identifies as gay in both the comics and MCU. Korg, best known for his debut appearance in Thor: Ragnorak and his follow-up appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, settles down with a fellow Kronan named Dwayne, and the two share a son together.

10. Morph

Morph has most recently been named non-binary before their appearance in X-Men ’97. While this has been disputed, their ability to shift into just about anyone or anything, along with Morph’s voice actor also identifying as non-binary, is what appears to have allowed the writers of the show to make the call. Additionally, Morph in the comics is gay, making their character one of the most disputed characters due to their sheer existence angering many.

11. Phastos

Arguably one of the most clear LGBTQ+ members in the MCU right now, Phastos made his first and so far only appearance in Eternals as a member of the 10-person team. He was revealed to be gay when other members of the Eternals team joined him at the home that he shared with his husband and child. His relationship, along with the affection the two share actually contributed to the Eternals film being blocked from theaters in several countries.

12. Phyla-Vell

Phyla-Vell was introduced in the most recent Guardians of the Galaxy and while she is only a child currently, many believe she will play a prominent role in the future of both the Guardians and the space-related world in the future. In the comics, Phyla-Vell identifies as lesbian. With her character being so young right now, it’s difficult to tell if Marvel will bring this LGBTQ+ character to the big screen or not, but time will only tell.

13. Valkyrie

It’s possible no one is pushing more for Valkyrie to have a female partner than Tessa Thompson, the actress who portrays Valkyrie. First making an appearance in Thor: Ragnorak, where she became a fan-favorite, Valkyrie returned in Thor: Love and Thunder, where we see her dawn the title of king. Thompson has openly stated Valkrie is bisexual and is looking for her queen, and seemingly has her eyes set on Captain Marvel played by Brie Larson. While there might have been a small nod to this in The Marvels during their shared scene, so far, Valkyrie has not shared a male or female love interest in her time in the MCU.

14. America Chavez

America is the first Latin-LGBTQ+ character in Marvel comics and identifies as lesbian. With her introduction into the MCU during Multiverse of Madness, it’s possible we will see it take place on the big screen as well. While her current character has had little reference to her comic book counterpart’s sexuality, America does share two moms in the MCU, which may be a nod to it. This is another character which time will have to tell, with hopefully future appearances in things like Young Avengers giving more time to explore her character and relationships.

15. Black Cat

Last but not least, a rumored future addition to the MCU, Black Cat in the comics is considered bisexual. This is a relatively recent development in the source material, with Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 confirming her queer identity as well. Most well-known for her flirtationship with Spider-Man, Black Cat has recently shared a kiss with another woman in the comics. So while this character still has some time before making an MCU appearance, we may be gaining another queer hero whenever she does make her official debut.

Image: “Marvel LGBTQ+ Characters”, Brett White, Decider

X-Men ’97 Episode 10 Reactions

X-Men

What a way to end an incredible season of TV.

The final battle did not disappoint, as the stakes couldn’t be higher with the fate of the entire Earth in the hands of the X-Men. In the final moments, the X-Men came together to do what they do best: save the world. With Bastian solidifying himself as an amazing villain throughout the season and Magneto returning for the comeback tour, Marvel TV has done something it almost has never done before, which is going 10 for 10. Every episode of this season kept us wanting more and wishing it would never end, with the finale setting up the next season perfectly, leaving us all frustrated that we will have to endure the wait.

The Battle to Save Earth

The possible destruction of the final battle doubled the second it no longer was just Bastian and his Prime Sentinels but also his plan to bring an asteroid down on Earth. The first half of the episode was more devoted to Bastian, as he goes through different morphing phases to become stronger and more of a machine. Once Xavier uses Magneto to turn the world back on, the Prime Sentinels continue their attacks and between them and their maker, it looks as if the X-Men could be fighting a losing battle. That is, before the Phoenix returns, as we theorized last week. Jean returns as the Phoenix to put the power neutralizer on Bastian, making his Prime Sentinels fall from his control. Unfortunately, the episode didn’t have much time to explore the consequences of those turned into Prime Sentinels and then back, but it appeared they ended up being fine. By the end, it’s actually the humans and their Magneto Protocol that finish off Bastian, surprisingly, although the X-Men, especially Rogue, and Cyclops, put up quite an impressive fight against him.

The second half of the battle came in trying to stop Asteroid M from falling to Earth and essentially doing to humans what happened to the dinosaurs. The end of the world was imminent and the real hero of the day, proving once again that he has had impeccable character growth all season, was Magneto himself. Without Magneto’s help, it appeared the X-Men couldn’t stop the Asteroid and would perish with it as it made an impact on Earth. However, don’t let the irony of the whole situation be lost. The Asteroid began to really go down once the Magneto Protocol was initiated, aka they shot a bunch of missiles at it. Yet, the only person who could truly stop the Asteroid’s descent was Magneto. Funny how that works out. Is it possible Magneto has solidified himself as a hero now?

Xavier and Magneto Talk it out

Talk should be used lightly, as the two of them actually have their entire heart-to-heart while inside Magneto’s mind. Yet, we said it last episode, this was Magneto’s season. We learned to love him and saw him really try and be the bigger person Xavier wanted. We saw his small slimmer of faith in humanity completely deteriorate during Genosha and sided with him when he was ready to let all chaos break loose in the name of those who lost their lives. We followed his story all season and it all culminated in this beautiful moment between him and Xavier and as Xavier worked to reason and level set with him.

Now, Xavier was for sure playing an interesting game inside of Magneto’s mind, one that was borderline manipulative as he attempted to calm him. It definitely raises some questions about Xavier and the therapy he provides his students. However, the big takeaway should be that Xavier truly was able to reason with Magneto and bring him to the X-Men’s side. As said before, without Magneto, the X-Men would not have been able to stop the asteroid from hitting Earth. The question now arises regarding how long this moment of truce or the possibility of family with the X-Men sticks around. At the moment, Magneto is with Xavier and most of the X-Men at a different time, but when they return, will the real test begin? How long will this really last? All questions will hopefully be answered in Season Two.

Friendly Faces Join the Fight

It would be remiss to not mention some of the interesting cameos that took place during this episode. While there have been several throughout the season, this episode jam-packed quite a few into only a few short seconds. Yet it was powerful to see the amount of heroes part of this fight, showing the Prime Sentinels are bigger than just the X-Men and mutants. On the ‘Avengers’ side (this is being used loosely), there was Captain America once again, Iron Man, Black Panther (T’Chaka), Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Cloak and Dagger, and Peter Parker with MJ and Flash. Then on the mutant side, there were quite a few but of the most notable names we saw Omega Red and Psylocke. In Magneto’s mind, all three of his children were on the boat, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Polaris. Lastly, Morph turned into Sauron and Mr. Fantastic.

The only other person to mention is Silver Samarui, as this is now their second appearance in X-Men ’97. Silver Samarui is known as a large Wolverine antagonist who did make an appearance in the OG series. With him being featured twice during this show, it’s possible they might be gearing up to have him make another appearance in a future season. Knowing Wolverine has a pretty blurry future ahead of him, the show may be going towards having a few episodes of Logan trying to put himself back together, which could feature Silver Samarui once again.

Season Two: The Age of Apocalypse

I’ve been waiting for this one. The ending, along with the mid-credit scene of Episode 10 told us everything we need to know about what to expect in Season Two. Where Magneto, Rogue, and the rest of the team, for the most part, ended up was no accident. The man at the end, named En Sabah Nur might have looked a little familiar, even if the name was not recognized immediately. This man is actually Apocalypse at his origin, which means his beginning is going to be critical to the next season, so let’s get into a little summary.

En Sabar Nur was abandoned as an infant due to his appearance and was instead raised in a tribe led by the Baal of Crimson Sands. Nur grew stronger and more intelligent, outperforming all the other tribe members, which left him ostracized by everyone but Baal. During this time, Egypt was ruled by Rama-Tut, which should sound familiar as this is one of the Kang variants seen at the end of Quantumania. Baal and Nur went looking for Rama-Tut’s origins and found his timeship, however, Baal died in the process, leaving Nur with the determination to take down Rama-Tut himself. Tut had planned to find Apocalypse and raise him as his own because, in the future, he knew him to be one of the most powerful mutants to live. This clearly didn’t happen and Tut instead tried to kill him, leading to his mutant abilities starting to emerge. Skipping forward, Tut fled back into the future and Nur became emperor, but not for long. This is likely the most important part to note in regards to the time period in which some of the X-Men landed, as Apocalypse continues to appear throughout history in various ways.

On the other side of time, in the present, the mid-credit scene confirms a theory that our show has been discussing since Episode 5. The final moments left us with a presumed Apocalypse uttering words about so much death, which is insanely important when he picks up one of Gambit’s playing cards. In the comics, Gambit becomes one of Apocalypse’s Four Horsemen, and more importantly, is the Horseman of Death. It would have been shocking to see the show completely do away with Gambit in Episode 5, and these final moments confirm the theory that he will be returned to the living by Apocalypse as one of his followers. Gambit struggles with maintaining part of himself while being a Horseman and eventually tries to kill Rogue to prove loyalty to Apocalypse. By the time the X-Men defeat Apocalypse, Sunfire (another mutant) leaves with Gambit to try and help him get the Apocalypse programming out of his head, before Gambit falls into the hands of Mister Sinister, becoming a Marauder. We will have to see what happens with this final bit, as Episode 10 left Mister Sinister in a questionable state.

Image: “X-Men ’97 Episode 10”, Colin Leggett, Gamerant

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/En_Sabah_Nur_(Earth-616)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambit_(Marvel_Comics)

X-Men ’97 Episode 9 Reactions

X-Men

We’re Team Magneto over here.

With only hours left to possibly save the entire world, our X-Men are scattered, bruised and wounded. Bastian and Sinister are still at large and the odds are looking worse and worse. Is it possible that we might not actually get a resolution to Season One in the final episode? Could we have to wait until Season Two to see whatever happens here? The stakes have never been higher and unless Episode 10 is longer than the 25-minute format of the rest, there’s very little time for our heroes to win.

The Team Reunites, Then Divides

The first half of the episode was based primarily around the team reuniting after different characters have been scattered throughout the season. Storm and Forge find Jubilee and Roberto cornered and save them, bringing them home to the mansion and Storm returning herself for the first time since Episode 2. Xavier has made his official return, even though that technically took place last episode. It was clear that the team was all there as they all sat in the war room, trying to figure out the best plan of action to stop both Bastian and Magneto. Yet the peace doesn’t last long as Magneto invites himself over.

The thing with Magneto that’s so important to all of this is that he not only is right, but he has shown the X-Men with his time with them that there are choices. Professor X, while we will always love him, is a leader through telling direction, while Magneto could recognize that not only did he have many different personalities to deal with on the team, but that not everyone responded well to not having a choice. In his return to the mansion, he gives the X-Men the option to join him, and much to no one’s surprise, Rogue does. To slightly more of a shock, Roberto also joins Magneto, after his mother willingly handed over him and Jubilee to the Prime Sentinels. While these two were the only two at the moment to join, after the final events of this episode, it wouldn’t be too shocking if we saw some other X-Men follow suit. It was always easy to pick Xavier’s side when it was believed that he would always make the right and just choice and Magneto wouldn’t. Clearly, that line and definition are becoming blurred.

Xavier Crosses the Line

Elaborating on the fact that the line that used to seem so obvious between Magneto and Xavier is becoming blurred, it has to be addressed that Magneto isn’t the only reason that is happening. Xavier has been calling interesting shots since he made his return but by far his most questionable has been entering and essentially jacking Magneto’s mind. Magneto purposefully wears his helmet to help keep Xavier out of his mind and upon his deathbed in the OG series, mentions that it will be strange not feeling him there. Since the return of the show, he hasn’t worn his helmet once, as he no longer had a need for it. In Episode 9, during a moment in which he doesn’t have the helmet on, Xavier makes a terrifying decision to jump into his mind and force him to use his powers.

From Magneto’s reaction, it’s clear that this was an invasion of privacy like no other. While he and Xavier have a checkered relationship to begin with, it’s still one built of love and respect. They stand on opposite sides of the same debate, yet it doesn’t change that they still admire each other. However, that admiration included the understanding and respect that Xavier would never violate Magneto and his mind like that. It was also likely incredibly painful to have someone who is entering your brain essentially force you to use a large surge of your power. From Magneto’s reaction, it’s clear that he feels extremely betrayed and it only angers him more, setting off the last few horrible events of the episode.

There is one more person whose reaction is important to flag. Cyclops seemingly had quite an adverse reaction to what Xavier was doing for two possible reasons. One, Xavier was crossing a line unlike any other, invading Magneto’s mind and essentially taking control of him in a painful manner. Though part of the second plan, the craziness of that is still unlike something Xavier normally does. The other reason is that Xavier was putting their entire mission, and the entire mutant race, at risk for going after Magneto before Storm’s team was able to get to Bastian. The ground team had to take down Bastian prior to them getting Magneto to put the world back to normal, or all the Prime Sentinels would return to power and continue their attack on mutants. At this moment, Xavier was being insanely reckless, which clearly struck a nerve with his star pupil.

Jean and Nathan Go Toe-To-Toe

Perhaps a more shocking turncoat moment of the show so far has been the reveal of Cable to be under Sinister’s control. It was clear the Madelyne/Goblin Queen/baby Nathan storyline had to pay out somewhere and it appears it finally has, as Nathan turns against Jean and (possibly) disintegrates her. During Sinister’s fight with Jean, he plays mind games with her, trying to egg her on and out of her complacency with what he did to her. When he saw that didn’t work, he pulled his ace card, revealing Cable to be under his influence, just as his mother had been. The Cable who seemed to be accepting of Jean as his stepmother quickly turned his hatred back on. Yet this moment left a few questions that need to be explored further.

The first big question is how long has Cable essentially been a sleeper cell for Sinister. As in the case of his mother, Madelyne, she was unaware that Sinister held a place in her brain until he wanted to be known. Is the same true for Cable? He also makes a comment about the power he inherited from his mother, which does finally pay out the fact that he’s supposed to be the first mutant/mutant offspring and theoretically the next generation of mutation. This is what Sinister was always after, yet Cable never appeared to exhibit much power, until now. Is it possible some of the power he inherited was the mind control that Sinister put in place? Has he really been ‘under his control’ since birth, or did Sinister intercept him at another time?

Whatever the case, Jean might have just been obliterated, with Scott forced to watch his son be the one to do the bidding. A lot of rumors are flying that Jean could now rise again so the Phoenix entity once again, considering the team likely needs some more help to take down Magneto and Bastian. As for Cable, they were able to help Madelyne escape the control from Sinister, so it’s very possible they can do it again, although likely not before more havoc. If no one but Scott saw what happened, the entire ground team still at large might be in danger, as Sinister is playing a very different game than Bastian.

The Final Seconds

The final few seconds of Episode 9 might have been the most mind-blowing moments of MCU content that has ever existed. They brought a literal comic book panel to life in a shocking way and there needs to be a huge shoutout to the writers’ room of this show. Their ability to not just take so directly from the source material but also keep shocking us again and again, episode after episode is amazing. But let’s get into the moment Logan learns why he should never mess with Magneto.

After Xavier entered Magneto’s mind, it was clear that that was the final straw for him, shoving his helmet on Xavier’s head to force him to stop going into other’s minds. The fight around continues until we see Logan’s three claws come out the other side of Magneto, shocking everyone and pausing the fight. Logan, known for being rash, made one of the craziest decisions, as without Magneto to turn back his magnetic pulse that shut everything off, the world really would end. Yet it also was just plain shocking, as up until this point with Xavier and Magneto, it was clear everyone to some level was pulling their punches. Xavier crossed the line entering his head and trying to take control and now Logan crossed the line by dealing a possibly lethal blow.

Yet no one could have seen what would happen next as Magneto, still alive but struggling, makes the final play of the fight and proves he really could have done a lot worse, so much sooner. In a crazy turn of events, Magneto uses his magnetic abilities to start to rip Logan’s adamantium skeleton right out of his body. Now before anyone panics, Logan isn’t dead. It’s important to remember his actual mutant ability is his healing factor and the adamantium that was laced into his skeleton (no his skeleton isn’t metal, he still had normal bones), was added during his time in the Weapon X program. Wolverine will live, although it will likely take his body some time to heal itself and this means he will be out of the fight in Episode 10. An important few things to note as well is that moving forward from this point in the comics, it’s discovered that Logan’s claws are actually bone and he is able to use them still, although he is much more breakable than he used to be. He eventually devolves into Feral Wolverine, which is similar to a wolf or dog, who lives outside in the woods of Xavier’s mansion. Apocalypse is the one who eventually fixes him, ripping Sabertooth’s adamantium skeleton out and giving it to Logan. The most important thing to take out of this is that our speculation of Apocolypse coming for Season Two seems to keep growing more legs.

Could Onslaught Be Coming?

A scary foe may be on the horizon for a future season. In the comics, Xavier uses his powers to shut down Magneto’s mind, similar to the attempt to use his powers in Episode 9 to force Magneto’s powers out. When Xavier does this in the comics, the darkest parts of Magneto’s mind merge with the darkest parts of Xavier’s mind, eventually creating a whole new being of its own, named Onslaught. A dark entity, Onslaught wreaks havoc multiple different times for the mutants and it seems we are on a crash course right to him.

What is very interesting about the initial Onslaught storyline is that it actually takes quite the star-studded team up to take him down. The X-Men, Avengers and Fantastic Four all come together to try and end him, which is pretty interesting when you consider the amount of cameos we’ve gotten from Avengers throughout this season of X-Men ’97. Could we be setting up for a massive crossover event in the future? It would be unlike what we’ve seen in the OG X-Men show and could be really cool to see it play out. We will just have to wait and see where this possible Easter Egg takes us.

Image: “X-Men ’97 Episode 9”, Alex Zalben, Comic Book Club

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onslaught_(Marvel_Comics)

X-Men ’97 Episode 8 Reactions

X-Men

This episode marks the beginning of the end.

We have started our descent into the three-part season finale of X-Men ’97 and the writers have made it incredibly clear they aren’t playing around. All the puzzle pieces are coming together and the real villain of the season is not pulling his punches as he activates his army and the mutants, still scrambling from Genosha, are trying their best to survive. With two episodes left, the end of Season One is still gray and in the meantime, just about anything can happen.

Genosha – An Absolute Point in Time

Arguably the most critical part of the episode is pretty early on. Beast, when speaking to Cable about Genosha, drops a bomb that Genosha is an Absolute Point in time. This wording and meaning are critical for two reasons. The first is that if it sounded familiar, it’s because we first learned about Absolute Points when watching Season One of What If? In the Dr. Strange episode, Strange is told by the Watcher that his not being with Christian and always losing her is an Absolute Point, and that universe’s Strange all but tears his soul into a million pieces, becoming Supreme Strange, to try and change it. Yet an Absolute Point cannot be changed, it always has to happen, which also explains why the Watcher appeared in the sky during Episode 5.

The second reason this information is critical is because it means there simply is no undoing Genosha. Since Episode 5, we had been theorizing that as Cable had shown up there, there was a good chance it would all get undone. Unfortunately, this conversation confirmed there would be no undoing Genosha, as Cable even says that every time he tried, the time stream pulled him out, as he isn’t supposed to be there and therefore can’t interfere with an Absolute Point. The genocide at Genosha will have to stick and with it, unfortunately for now, the death of our favorite X-Man, Gambit.

One final thing to acknowledge from the statement regarding the Absolute Point is that Beast is aware of it. This may seem like a strange statement, but remember that in What If?, the Watcher had to explain to Strange what it was, and in all the other universes that we’ve visited, it hasn’t seemed that those people were aware of Absolute Points either. It’s interesting that Beast does know, and while that could be tied to the fact they have spent quite a bit of time with characters such as Bishop and Cable who time travel often, it’s still interesting that in this universe, they are aware of such a critical topic in relation to time and time travel.

The Prime Sentinels Activate

The horrifying army of Bastian has fully activated during Episode 8. While Episode 7 gave us a taste of what we were in for, shockingly, Episode 8 gave us the full thing. We have learned the truth behind the X-Men ’97 Prime Sentinels, which is that Bastian is injecting humans with nanotech (Stark Expo Easter Egg if you missed it), that when activated, turns them into mutant killing machines, the Prime Sentinels. In Bastian’s messed up mind, he believes this is the next step in human evolution, to out-evolve if you will, the mutants. Of course, this is forced mutation, which is entirely unnatural if you didn’t pick up on that from the heads spinning 360 degrees and the limbs cracking in unnatural ways, going very Stranger Things over here.

One of the worst traits the Prime Sentinels seem to have is that they are able to stitch themselves back together. This is seen the most during Wolverine and Nightcrawler’s fight with them, as they are torn apart but then are able to completely reattach limbs, heads, etc. until they’re back to new. This poses the obvious question of how exactly they can ever go back to being human. Yet it also makes this new foe seemingly very difficult to defeat, except for one man.

It seems we have gotten part of our answer on why Bastian wanted Magneto tied up and stored away. Magneto may be one of the few people on the planet who can disarm Bastian’s army of Prime Sentinels, as seen towards the end of the episode. Disarming is a good start, yet if Magneto has that type of control over them, it still seems unlikely that the human side of the Sentinels will win out in the end. If someone like Beast is unable to find a cure, hundreds of human lives will have also been lost during this.

Magneto Declares War

The final few minutes of the episode see Dr. Cooper have a change in heart and she takes it upon herself to free Magneto from captivity. Magneto, who has been trying his hardest to play the part of the good guy, finally snaps, as his point has been proven. Humanity will never accept the mutants for who they are and will always be threatened by them, there will never be any peaceful coexistence. As Dr. Cooper even admits, Magneto was right, haunting words to say but those the audience of the show can fully agree with. With his newly found freedom, Magneto does the one thing that you would expect from him: he sends out a magnetic pulse around the entire world, shutting down everything and in doing so, declares war.

At this point, mutants are more than likely to join in on Magneto’s fight. It’s important to point out that one of the OG episodes that were recommended viewing for this episode was one in which a future timeline has the mutants fighting under Magneto against the humans in an all-out war. Now, with Cable continuing to reappear, it’s clear that something is going to have to change, as Cable’s current future puts the mutants as essentially slaves to humanity. Could the changes that are going to come about create instead a future where we see an all-out mutant/human war?

It’s here that we have to recall the true final moments of the episode, in which Professor X makes his return to Earth. In that future from the OG series, Professor X dying early in his life is what caused the future that took place. With his return, a war may still be avoided. However, it can’t be forgotten that he is currently not loved by the humans and there is a good chance many mutants don’t have much love for him either. He is best known for battling against Magneto, so his return may mean we narrowly avoid seeing the war that Magneto is prepared to fight. The other option is that Professor X joins Magneto in the fight, realizing that maybe he was wrong in believing the two groups could coexist. They tried, and even Magneto tried but the humans only fought back harder. It would be somewhat crazy if Professor X returned only to say that he believed Magneto at this point was also right.

Interesting Cameos

The final part of this episode was some of the additional characters that showed up. Starting with the villains, there was Dr. Doom and Zemo, both spotted on TV screens speaking to Bastian. Clearly, Bastian wants an audience of peers, yet it’s also interesting that he has seemingly brought together a group of villains, in the meantime. It’s unlikely that Bastian himself will make it out of Season One, but it would be a waste to see the Prime Sentinels also only be used in one season, while the Sentinels as a whole have been critical to the show since the very first episode. Could Bastian’s little villain club be the next step in Season Two, continuing his work when he’s gone? What villains don’t have a use for something like the Prime Sentinels?

The other end of interesting cameos came in the form of Spider-Man. Now, any time we get another Marvel character in the show is exciting, as we also just saw Captain America last episode as well. However, the exciting thing here is that this is actually the Spider-Man from the animated show that came out also in the 90s, confirmed by not just his look, but the show’s writer. There has been quite a bit of talk and speculation that Marvel might bring all the superhero shows that were running around the same time as the OG X-Men into one timeline together, and it appears this could be at least partially confirming that rumor. For those who are unaware, that Spider-Man show is full of cameos as well, as he works with just about everyone at some point to take down enemies. Seeing him could be a great sign of our own animated universe coming together.

Image: “X-Men ’97 Episode 8”, Colin Leggett. Game Rant