Previously on the Disney+ series X-Men ‘97, we were taken back in time to witness En Sabah Nur before he became the infamous Apocalypse. Magneto, X-Men members, and Professor X found themselves stranded in the distant past, working to find a way back to the 1990s, while also hoping to steer En Sabah Nur away from the dark path that would ultimately define his future.
The episode picks up right from where it left off, with the lost X-Men and En Sabah Nur. As tensions continue to rise, Professor X and Magneto remain determined to guide En Sabah Nur toward a better future. Believing there is still good within him, Professor X attempts a psychic probe, hoping to understand the young mutant’s mind and uncover a path toward peace. Instead, he is met with a disturbing vision and yet another warning about the devastating future that lies ahead.
Professor X gets pulled into a conversation with Rama-Tut, using mind control while Professor is asleep. Their psychic conversation adds another layer of mystery to the story, as Rama-Tut warns that En Sabah Nur is beyond saving. According to him, Apocalypse’s immense power and inevitable rise cannot be prevented, forcing Professor X to question whether history can truly be changed.
After talking this over with En Sabah Nur, the team discovers what could finally be their ticket back home. Beast, Rogue, and Magneto realize they have stumbled upon a vessel from their own time— a ship that was once used by Apocalypse as a weapon, which is from the future. Elsewhere aboard the ship, En Sabah Nur, Professor X, and Bishop come to the same realization. However, En Sabah Nur’s growing distrust of Professor X quickly reaches a breaking point, and the situation rapidly spirals into chaos.
Magneto promised Professor X early on that he would help the X-Men return back to the 90s. He keeps that promise. As En Sabah Nur becomes Apocalypse Magneto forces the X-Men to use their wristbands, sending them back to their own time. He chooses to face En Sabah Nur alone. But Professor X is still there and protects Magneto. When Apocalypse targets Rama-Tut with a destructive black hole, Magneto sacrifices himself to protect the city and its people from dying, destroying the ship in the process. Left morbidly wounded, Magneto is killed by Apocalypse, right in front of Professor X. Later, Bishop comes back to find Professor still there in the desert, mourning his best friend.
One theme is lost hope. At the beginning of the episode, we see a very vulnerable moment between Magneto and Rogue. Rogue admits that, despite wanting to stay optimistic, she no longer believes they’ll ever make it back to the 1990s. It’s a quiet but powerful moment that highlights the emotional exhaustion the team has endured throughout their journey. It also shows how much Rogue has grown and how observant and realistic she is about the dangers of this world.
Another theme is accountability and keeping one’s word. Magneto not only kept his promise to Charles but also took the blame for En Sabah Nur’s fate. He was willing to take the villain role to allow Charles to fight for his dream in the future.
There’s a post-credit scene where Wolverine gets stopped by Black Widow and Captain America, handing him an envelope labeled Weapon-X, which is the secretive group that created Wolverine with his skeleton made of adamantium. Wolverine says he’s “getting the band back together,” then it shows Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. This could allude to the X-Men and Wolverine going back into his past and his history with Weapon-X.
Overall, this was a really good episode, but it was stressful and emotional to say the least. The episode closes with one of its most heartbreaking moments, with Magneto being killed and Professor X not being able to help his friend. Matthew Waterson does an incredible job as Magneto in X-Men ‘97, being capable of expressing Magneto’s strength, wisdom, and courage throughout the series. Now that the X-Men are reunited in the 90s, what’s to come in the next episode?
Rating: 8.5/10