Nightmares for the X-Men, but amazing TV for us.

Episode 3 of X-Men ’97 played out one of the best storylines the X-Men have (in my opinion). We have finally gotten the Goblin Queen, the clone of Jean Grey, and while it probably did deserve a two-part episode event, this might just be one of the most amazing episodes of TV ever put out by Marvel. Before getting into the details, take a minute to explore our full reactions podcast episode, using the button below to find your podcast platform of choice or listen live with the link provided.

Battle of the Clones

In the final few moments of Episode 2, a second Jean Grey showed up at the door, confusing both the X-Men and the audience. For fans of the X-Men or just those who are doing their research, everyone knew at that moment that Marvel was finally doing the Madelyne Pryor/Jean Grey clone storyline. By the start of Episode 3, I think many of us were going in already assuming that Madelyne had been the Jean we saw give birth to Nathan, but I commend the show for giving us a few moments where they hinted at the possibility of that not being true. Yet confusion and peace didn’t last long, as we saw how quickly we devolved into chaos once Beast confirmed that Madelyne wasn’t the actual Jean.

I have to say I was shocked at how much truly happened in this episode, with Madelyne becoming the Goblin Queen after it was revealed that Mister Sinister was behind her creation (called it). Not only do we see her become, well, sinister, but she and Jean battle it out within each other’s minds, a visually amazing scene. So much was jam-packed into this episode, that it left me with partial whiplash at the end when I realized they had played out the Goblin Queen storyline already. As mentioned above, the fact this didn’t make a two-part story in the show was shocking but it only means we will likely see Madelyne again. She still has Jean’s powers and abilities, meaning she can easily be a strong ally or a dangerous foe once again down the road.

Unanswered Questions

Bringing Mister Sinister in as the mad scientist who created Madelyne was a great call, as we already know Mister Sinister has been named the main villain of the season. But his involvement and the details of the switch have left various unanswered questions that I hope will be answered as we go about the season. I think I speak for many when I say the largest question still unanswered is: when did he switch them? However, I’d like to second that one with: why?

My initial theory regarding the first question was that the clones were switched somewhere during the time of the Phoenix storyline, as Jean is actually supposed to die during that. There was a time in the OG show in which she disappeared, so it seemed possible that was the setup for switching her and Madelyne. While I won’t throw that theory out, one thing sticks out like a sore thumb and I’m not sure it gives us answers more than it gives us additional questions. If Sinister had the real Jean since halfway through Season 3 of the OG series, why did he continue to kidnap Madelyne later on? He had the original that he wanted, so why kidnap the clone? To keep up appearances? This all wraps into my why question, as again, he had what he wanted, he had the original Jean. Obviously, we saw that Madelyne, unknowingly, was there as an inside agent for Sinister and when he needed her, turned quickly to his side with her child. The real Jean would have never, so it does work out why Sinister would want Madelyne in general, but I think the long-term plan is still very much unclear.

Where Nathan Goes from Here

Another loose end that somewhat remains is Nathan, the baby of Scott and Madelyne. Separated now from his parents, we know he grows up to become Cable. Yet before I get to Cable, I want to keep the focus on the present, where Bishop took baby Nathan to the future to help cure him of the disease Mister Sinister gave him. Will this be the last time we ever see Nathan as a child? From an action-show perspective, I can see how it would be easiest to write the baby out at this point. With Madelyne going on her own and Scott remaining with the X-Men with a returned Jean, I’m not sure there’s room to try and throw a newborn in there. Yet from a storyline view, it’s hard to imagine them bringing Nathan in just for us to never see him really be with his parents, or at least Scott. We’ve always known his future but I think it’s important for us to know his past/our present too.

As for Cable, the OG show never has him explicitly say Scott and Jean are his parents, but there are a few times it’s heavily implied they are, during one of the various time-traveling episodes. But I’m left wondering if Cable is aware that Jean isn’t actually his mother but Madelyne is. Obviously, with where the OG show ended, there was no storyline revolving around the clones, so they may have never anticipated telling that story. Now that we are, though, it’s interesting to look back and see that it doesn’t appear that Cable is truly aware he isn’t Jean’s real son. I suppose biologically he is, but we all now know Madelyne is the one who conceived and gave birth to him. I believe this question wraps right into the one above of whether Nathan will ever return to our present time and be exposed to his parents, or at least his dad and perceived mother Jean, or stay with Bishop in the future where he is only being told who his parents are. Regardless, Bishop knows the truth about who his real mother is, which means Bishop will have to either lie to Nathan or Nathan will come back later either this season or in future seasons, and learn the truth himself.

Storm’s B-Plot Return

Episode 2 also left us with the cliffhanger regarding Storm losing her mutant abilities. While we know Storm won’t forever be off the board, it appears we have gotten a hint at how she might make her powerful return. In what could be considered an end-credit scene, Rogue is found in Texas by our good friend Forge. Forge, who has been featured in the OG series, is best known for his mutant abilities that allow him enhanced technological prowess and inventiveness. That being said, if anyone can find a technological cure for Storm’s issue, it would be him, as it appears from the second episode that Beast is unsure how to solve the problem biologically.

As mentioned in the reactions episode, it would also be interesting if Storm, in her journey to restore her powers, also is found by our good friend Madelyne. Keep in mind that Storm is still unaware of the Jean/Madelyne debacle, meaning if Madelyne wanted to, she could continue to act as Jean with Storm. As Storm continues her journey through being human and maybe finding her mutant self again, she shares a similar storyline to Madelyne who is now trying to find who she is outside of being ‘Jean Grey’. It’s possible Forge could also aid Madelyne in figuring out her memories, so she and Storm could make a solid pair for a B-plot story as we continue to follow our other X-Men through the fallout of Episode 3.

Image: “X-Men ’97 Episode 3”, Colin Leggett, GameRant

The X-Men are back!

We are so excited to have the iconic X-Men animated show return and it came back with a vengeance. Between Magneto’s new leadership and ‘turning over a new leaf’ and the crazy storyline they may be introducing already, Episodes 1 and 2 have already been wild. It makes us even more excited to know we get 8 more weeks of this! Before I get into breaking down the most prominent pieces of Episodes 1 and 2, take a second to listen to our podcast reactions episode, whether on your listening platform of choice or live in the blog.

Magneto and his X-Men

As the trailer told u before the debut of Episodes 1 and 2 of X-Men ’97, Xavier made the interesting call to put Magneto in charge of just about everything he owned, including his X-Men. While Cyclops clearly thought he would take on that leadership role, the ending of Episode 1 left us instead with not only an unlikely hero but an unlikely villain. Episode 2 then had us watching Magento closely as he worked to gain the trust of the X-Men and really the entire world, considering he is notoriously a pro-mutant extremist. Yet all of this leaves us with the largest question, will it stick?

At this point, Magneto’s future has three paths. The first is that he actually does continue to honor Xavier by leading his X-Men in the noble cause of mutants and humans co-existing peacefully. The second is something gets in his way of redemption and Magneto reverts to his usual way of thinking. The final option goes to something we discussed in the predictions episode, which is the possibility of Xavier’s return. The original series ended with Xavier being taken by Lilandra to her home planet for treatment, where he would have to stay. However, that doesn’t necessarily have to be as permanent as it was originally, now that the series has returned. It’s possible that Xavier could make a comeback and in doing so, Magneto would revert to his role as Xavier’s equal but perfect antithesis. Quite frankly, all three of these are highly possible, so it’s hard to choose which one is more likely, but I would put my money on the last one, as it seems unlikely that Professor X will never make a return.

Storm’s Future

So far, Episodes 1 and 2 told us Storm is arguably one of the most powerful mutants to exist while then simultaneously stripping her completely of her powers. It was a whiplash of emotions, as we saw Storm completely lose her abilities to control the atmospheric weather and for lack of words, become human. On top of this upsetting moment, she also leaves the X-Men, adventuring out on her own for the first time possibly since she was a teenager.

Now, to level-set, the show didn’t just completely take Storm away forever, and if they did, they’d be making a huge mistake. The likelihood of her never regaining her powers seems nearly impossible, especially when she has been compared to a goddess several times already in the new series. The strike of energy that stole her power from her either will have to learn to be reversed or the mutant gene will turn out to be stronger than it, allowing the powers to be taken completely for longer periods, but not gone permanently. It does still raise the question of Storm’s future, specifically for this season, as it looks like the X-Men have their hands full with two Jean Greys. However, don’t be shocked if Storm makes a grand entrance towards the back end of this season, powerful as ever. If there’s one thing this show has always done very well, it creates pivotal storylines that while sometimes lost for a while, are always seen to the end, eventually.

Gambit x Rogue x Magneto?

One of the more strange parts of the first two episodes is the possible love triangle that Marvel has chosen to create in the show. Fully comic-accurate, Rogue and Magneto do actually have a brief relationship in the comics, resulting in the birth of a child. Considering we just saw the birth of Jean and Scott’s son (well maybe Jean), I don’t think we’re going to be seeing another child popping up anytime soon but it is crucial to understand the relationship Rogue and Magneto share. To first answer how he can touch her, he uses a thin magnetic shield to layer around his body, technically being fully protected by her at all times as his skin never actually touches hers. To Rogue, whether she’s aware of it or not, she can’t feel the shield, which allows her to think this one and only person in the world can actually touch her. It makes sense for her to then feel attraction to him, as to her, he’s her only option if she wants to have ‘skin-on-skin’ contact.

Let’s not ignore my man Gambit over here though, the third member of this possibly messy love triangle. For those who are comic readers, he and Rogue also share a relationship and more than that. They struggle with an again off-again type of thing but are currently married, Rogue even taking his last name of LeBeau. These two don’t quite get the same peace of mind regarding Rogue’s power, and instead, she either wears a power inhibitor to be with him physically or, later in the comics, she learns to better control her power by facing her fears and anxiety about it. While we are clearly nowhere near that yet, as these two are both in the OG series and also the beginning of this one still seems to have them in their flirty will they, won’t they stage, it seems Rogue very quickly has allowed another suitor into this story. Gambit already clearly has his suspicions, as seen towards the end of the episode, so Magento’s whole trust crusade will likely be in danger as Gambit is not always known to stay calm and collected. This could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Magneto’s new hero lifestyle as mentioned before.

Jean Grey vs Madelyne Pryor

The final scene of Episode 2 is the beginning of one of the most crazy storylines ever, or at least to me, since the comics are a little wild. If you haven’t listened to our predictions episode for X-Men ’97 that gave the summary already, here it is. After Dark Phoenix takes place, Jean actually dies. She is replaced by a clone named Madelyne Pryor, who takes Jean’s place on the X-Men team without anyone knowing the difference, including herself. Madelyne has no clue she isn’t actually Jean Grey and she and Scott have a child together, as we see in Episode 2 of X-Men ’97, who grows up to become Cable. Upon finding out that she isn’t who she thinks she is, Madelyne sort of loses it, which concludes in her becoming the villain known as the Goblin Queen.

With this knowledge, it’s clear this is the direction X-Men ’97 is going right off the bat, but I think everyone’s question since the episode premiered is: who is the real Jean Grey? For the most dramatic storytelling, it most likely is the one who showed up at the end of the show, rather than the one who had the baby. However, I have a more important question, which is: when were they switched? My working theory is all of this connects to Mr. Sinister in some way, who also has been named the prime villain of Season One of X-Men ’97. Whether he found Jean after Dark Phoenix or one of the nine million times he kidnapped her, I have a hunch that he’s behind the clone creation. As for why, I think that’s a little too far out of my ballpark for now with the information at hand, but I can’t wait until we can watch Episode 3 to see the drama unfold around this.

Image: “X-Men 97”, Colin Leggett, GameRant