‘Tolerance is Extinction—Half 3’ introduced the primary season of Disney’s X-Males ’97 to a finale that was as emotional because it was epic. Whereas our titular heroes ship Bastion and his military of Prime Sentinels to the scrap heap, the remainder of the world assumes that Charles Xavier and his college students sacrificed themselves to avoid wasting them.

After all, it is a Marvel sequence, and the ultimate moments of X-Males 97‘s finale reveal that the X-Males are alive. The episode additionally hints at the place the present’s already-confirmed second season could also be heading. There’s lots to debate, so let’s break down the ultimate episode of X-Males ’97 and what its many revelations and cameos imply for the sequence’ future.

X-Males ’97’s finale ends one story and begins a number of extra

To say that issues don’t look good for the X-Males at first of ‘Tolerance is Extinction—Half 3’ is kind of an understatement. By the tip of the earlier episode, a Bastion-possessed Cable had dealt a seemingly deadly blow to Jean Gray, and Xavier was locked in a psychic duel with Magneto, who was attempting to ship Asteroid M crashing right down to Earth.

Fortunately, the tides of battle quickly flip within the X-Males’s favor. Xavier convinces Magneto to let go of his ache and struggle for a greater future. On the identical time, a Phoenix-Drive-empowered Jean slaps a power-dampening collar onto Bastion, reducing the Prime Sentinel menace off at its supply. Refusing to just accept defeat, Bastion forces Asteroid M to proceed its collision course, driving the U.N. to provoke the “Magneto Protocols” and ship a wave of warheads towards the meteor.

Pulling collectively as a staff, the X-Males struggle as one and produce Bastion to his knees, permitting Magneto to cease Asteroid M’s descent together with his magnetic powers. Sadly, Asteroid M explodes, and the X-Males and Magneto are caught within the blast, leaving Juibille, Sunspot, and Forge as the one obvious heirs of Xavier’s dream. Nonetheless, six months later, a despondent Forge is approached by the X-Males’s time-traveling ally, Bishop, who reveals that the staff is alive however scattered throughout time.

The previous and way forward for the X-Males is apocalyptic

One group of time-displaced X-Males, consisting of Beast, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Magneto, and Xavier, finds itself in historical Egypt. They rapidly run to the help of a chalky-skinned mutant menaced by troopers. After Xavier smooths issues over together with his telepathy, the mutant reveals his title is En Sabah Nur, which X-Males followers will acknowledge as the unique nom-de-plume of the long-lasting X-Males villain Apocalypse.

As this occurs, Cyclops and Jean awaken in a distant, barren future, the place they encounter a clan of robed, tattooed warriors generally known as Clan Askani, one other Apocalypse-related title that comedian followers might need clocked. The clan’s chief, Mom Askani, arrives to query the pair, accompanied by a preteen model of their son Nathan Summers. Nathan, born within the sequence’ second episode, needed to be despatched to the long run after the Techno-Natural Virus contaminated him, and it seems like that is the place he ended up.

On high of all this, a post-credits scene confirms nearly past a doubt that Apocalypse would be the huge unhealthy of X-Males 97‘s second season. Surveying the ruins of Genosha, the mutant nation that went up in smoke in X-Males 97‘s fifth episode, the present-incarnation model of Apocalypse muses on the sorry-state mutantkind is at present in, scooping certainly one of Gambit’s charred taking part in playing cards out from the ashes earlier than smiling ominously.

The X-Males could also be about to enter the age of apocalypse

If the hints are something to go on, X-Males 97‘s second season will probably be a mash-up of a number of X-Males storylines centered round Apocalypse. Whereas Apocalypse was one of many important villains of X-Males: The Animated Sequence, the sequence by no means explored the origins of the primary mutant. With members of the X-Males face-to-face with the person who will turn out to be Apocalypse, X-Males ’97‘s second season is completely positioned to adapt 1996’s “The Rise of Apocalypse,” which adopted En Sabah Nur’s rise from rebellious slave to tyrannical villain.

On the alternative finish of the spectrum, Cyclops and Jean’s bleak future shares various parts with the one featured within the notorious “Age of Apocalypse” storyline. This crossover occasion depicts an alternate timeline created when Xavier’s time-traveling son, Legion, unintentionally kills his father earlier than he kinds the X-Males, permitting Apocalypse to overcome the world. For the reason that first season of X-Males ’97 targeted on villains who needed to exterminate mutants, it will make sense for the second season to pit the staff in opposition to a foe who seeks to result in mutant supremacy.

Apocalypse’s curiosity in Gambit, who gave his life to finish the bloodbath of Genosha, could be the subtlest nod of all of them, however it’s one fan of the Cajun card-slinger (like me) who was completely satisfied to see. Through the “Blood of Apocalypse” storyline, Gambit joined the ranks of Apocalypse’s guard, the 4 Horseman, particularly occupying the seat of Dying. With Wolverine, who additionally turned a Horseman, MIA, there’s loads of purpose to fret that a number of the strongest X-Males will not be combating on the facet of justice in X-Males ’97 Season 2.

X-Males ’97 units the stage for an epic prolonged animated universe

If there’s one factor that X-Males ’97 made clear all through its ten-episode run, it’s that the X-Males aren’t the one superheroes on this animated reimagining of the Marvel Universe. X-Males: The Animated Sequence aired alongside a number of animated Marvel exhibits, together with Spider-Man: The Animated Sequence, Implausible 4, and Unimaginable Hulk. Characters from one present would usually cameo in one other, and X-Males ’97 proved that it was able to proceed that sample very early on.

Whereas Captain America’s shock debut in episode 7, “Vibrant Eyes,” was a pleasant shock, small potatoes in comparison with the array of cameos that crop up all through the ultimate three episodes. Iron Man, Physician Unusual, and Black Panther are only a few of the heroes who present as much as help within the struggle in opposition to the Prime Sentinels. Maybe probably the most shocking was the looks of Spider-Man, who appeared each in costume and as Peter Pakerer, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mary Jane Watson and Flash Thompson as Asteroid M closes in on Earth.

With a lot of the staff on reverse ends of historical past and an growing deal with non-mutant heroes, it seems like X-Males ’97‘s second season plans to construct on every little thing that made the primary season nice whereas increasing the sequence’ scope to higher heights. Now that the stakes are increased than ever, solely time will inform what the long run holds for the X-Males.