Two weeks ago, X-Men ’97 supervising producer Jake Castorena flatly explained that “Gambit and Magneto are dead.” Which seemed to confirm that indeed the two fan-favorite characters were killed during the Wild Sentinel‘s attack on Genosha in Episode 5 “Remember It.” To paraphrase Tyler the Creator: so, that was a lie. Because — spoilers past this point — Magneto is alive at the end of Episode 7, “Bright Eyes.”
In case you missed the episode or turned it off before the end, we’re introduced to the season’s overall villain, Bastion (voiced by Theo James). He’s a cybernetic being who has tasked Mr. Sinister (Chris Britton) with helping him create Prime Sentinels, the reanimated dead bodies of humans turned into mutant-hunting machines.
And Bastion has an ace up his sleeve… In the final scene of the episode, he heads to an abandoned barbershop where it’s revealed that he’s holding Magneto hostage. The Master of Magnetism is bound to a barber chair, his mouth covered in duct tape, and most importantly a power suppression collar dampening his mutant abilities. Bastion says a few key phrases about how heat softens things and makes them more pliable, implying he’s aiming to break Magneto to his will.
We’ll see how well that works as we head to the three-part finale next week. But how is Magneto alive? And what does Bastion want with him?
How Is Magneto Alive On X-Men ’97?
That’s the big question, isn’t it? How did Magneto survive getting obliterated by the Wild Sentinel Master Mold? And if he survived, did the Morlocks like Leech, whom he was protecting, also survive?
The short answer is we don’t know, but it’s entirely possible some sleight of hand was going on here. Perhaps the Master Mold blasted Magneto and company with a transporter ray instead of an obliterating laser. Or the explosion masked Bastion whisking away Magneto at the last second. However it happened, it did happen, and we’ll definitely see more as the episodes continue.
But what about the why?
Why Is Magneto Still Alive? What Does He Have To Do With OZT, aka Operation: Zero Tolerance?
It certainly seems like Bastion would want Magneto off the board as soon as possible, given that Magneto can control metal, and that’s the whole thing with Sentinels and cybernetic beings. The Prime Sentinel program throws a wrench in that — Magneto is not the master of flesh and bones — but still, there have been plenty of times in the Marvel comics where Magneto has been key to defeating Bastion. So why keep him alive?
The simple answer, and this is pure speculation: Bastion needs a scapegoat to allow him to act in the open for Operation Zero Tolerance. If Magneto responds to the destruction of Genosha by causing an equal amount of destruction on some human city, that would give OZT the impunity to take down mutants in public.
More to the point, though this show is never a one-to-one adaptation, 1997’s comic book crossover Operation: Zero Tolerance kicked off with the public already wary of mutants. Then outspoken mutant hater/presidential candidate Graydon Creed was seemingly assassinated by a mutant. Of course, it was actually Bastion.
But with the reintroduction of President Kelly (Ron Rubin) in this episode talking about this exact sort of thing, it makes sense we might get a riff on that, with Bastion positioning Magneto as the man who pulled the trigger.
If the former mutant terrorist kills the President of the United States — or a presidential candidate — as seeming retaliation for the destruction of Genosha, that’s just what Bastion needs to kick OZT into high gear. Again, a lot of supposition here. But given things have been bouncing off the comics storyline anyway, it’s a fair guess. As for what happens next with Magneto? Probably ripping Bastion to shreds by season’s end. I hope.
Is Gambit Still Dead On X-Men ’97?
Yes, unfortunately. While Magneto has made a surprising return, with Professor Xavier (Ross Marquand) seeing a skeletonized Gambit in his vision last week, and this week opening with burying Gambit’s body, it seems that the Gambit is still very much dead. That doesn’t mean it can’t return in some form in the future — this is X-Men, after all. But his death is serving to push characters like Rogue (Lenore Zann) forward to some dark places, and will seemingly serve as a rallying cry to the surviving X-Men. Basically, as requested by the title of the episode where Gambit was killed: remember it.
X-Men ’97 Season 1 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
X-Men ’97 doesn’t have a one-a-day schedule like What If…? Season 2, or all-at-once like Echo. Instead, the series is getting a more traditional release schedule of two on premiere day, then one a week thereafter.
The release time is also typical. Versus what has now become a run-of-the-mill primetime “early” release for big movies and TV shows, new episodes of X-Men ’97 will be released on Wednesdays at 3 am ET / Midnight PT.
Here’s the full list of episodes in Marvel’s X-Men ’97 Season 1, and when they premiere:
- Wednesday, March 20, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 1 – “To Me, My X-Men”
- Wednesday, March 20, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 2 – “Mutant Liberation Begins”
- Wednesday, March 27, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 3 – “Fire Made Flesh”
- Wednesday, April 3, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 4 – “Motendo / Lifedeath – Part 1”
- Wednesday, April 10, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 5 – “Remember It”
- Wednesday, April 17, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 6 – “Lifedeath – Part 2″
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 7 – “Bright Eyes”
- Wednesday, May 1, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 8 – “Tolerance Is Extinction, Part 1”
- Wednesday, May 8, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 9 – “Tolerance Is Extinction, Part 2”
- Wednesday, May 15, 2024: X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 10 – “Tolerance Is Extinction, Part 3” *Season Finale*
