The first season of X-Men 97 has ended after ten thrilling episodes. The X-Men have faced against powerful villains like Bastion, Mr. Sinister, and Magneto. In the season finale, the mutants are in a tough spot and must create a new team to take on the challenges ahead.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The last episode of the season, titled “Tolerance is Extinction Part 3,” ended on a cliffhanger. After beating Bastion, the X-Men have to stop a giant asteroid called Asteroid M from crashing into Earth and causing a global disaster.
The key to saving the world is Professor Xavier. He enters Magneto’s mind to try to convince his old friend to stop seeking revenge on humans after the terrible events in Genosha. Xavier manages to get through to him, and at the last moment, Magneto uses his powers to lift the asteroid up into the sky. But then, after a bright flash, Magneto and most of the X-Men vanish.
The show then jumps forward six months. We see Forge alone in the empty X-Mansion, trying to figure out what happened to his missing teammates. At the same time, he’s also searching for any surviving mutants on Earth so he can put together a new X-Men team to face whatever comes next.
Bishop comes back from the future to explain what happened. He says, “It’s a good thing this isn’t the first time the X-Men have ‘died.’ The real question isn’t where they are but when. Our friends have been sent to different times, and we have to find them and bring them back.” He tells Forge that it won’t be easy to find or get them back, so Forge will need to assemble a new team of mutants. But with most of the X-Men gone, there aren’t many choices.
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver Are on a Mission
In the Mansion’s lab, Forge has a board with pictures of many mutants, their superhero names, and what’s happening with them. Most X-Men, like Jean Grey, Xavier, Magneto, Cyclops, Storm, Beast, Nightcrawler, Morph, Rogue, Wolverine, and Archangel, are labeled “missing and presumed dead.” Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and her brother Pietro (Quicksilver) are marked as “off the planet,” which means they’re on a mission somewhere else. Three other X-Men – Jubilee, Sunspot, and Cable – are labeled “AWOL,” which means they left without permission.
Out of all the pictures, only eight mutants don’t have a red label, which means they might be able to join the new team. However, some might not be the best fit to carry on the legacy of X-Men.
The Eight Possible New Members
Some clear choices are Iceman, one of the first X-Men with ice powers, and Kitty Pryde, who can walk through walls as Shadowcat. The Rasputin siblings, Piotr (Colossus) and Illyana (Magik), could also join. Other options are Sooraya Qadir (Dust), an Afghan mutant who can control sand, and Havok (Alex Summers), Cyclops’ powerful brother who leads X-Factor.
Two names on Forge’s list might be tricky. One is Bennet du Paris, or Exodus, who used to work for Magneto and Apocalypse, the bad guy in the next season. The other is Emma Frost, the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, who helped the mutant nation of Genosha before the attack and can read minds.
Bishop, who’s from a future where Forge made the time machine that sent him to the past, might also join. They could use the machine to save Cyclops, Rogue, Storm, and the rest.
The Lost X-Men Are in Different Times
The scene after the credits shows that the missing X-Men are stuck in various timelines. Cyclops and Jean Grey are in 3960, while Professor X, Magneto, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Rogue are in Egypt in 3000 BC. We don’t know what happened to Storm, Morph, and Wolverine since they don’t show up at the end of the season.
