'X-Men ‘97' Just Gave Us a Major Death
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men '97.
WHILE YOU MAY remember X-Men: The Original Series as a beloved children's cartoon, don't be fooled—the show could still pack an emotional punch. And Disney+'s X-Men '97 follows suit. In the first season's fifth episode, "Remember It," we see a storyline that'll gut any fan of the superhero group.
The episode reworks a famous storyline from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's first issue of New X-Men. In the comic, Professor Xavier's twin sister Cassandra Nova attacks the mutant nation of Genosha using Sentinels–robots programmed to seek out and kill any mutants. The X-Men are too late to stop the genocide, and the entire nation's population is killed.
In X-Men '97's version, the series removes Cassandra Nova as the main villain (or is at least has not revealed her yet), opting instead to have the Sentinels arrive as a mysterious and ominous force on the eve of the U.N. recognizing Genosha's new leaders, Rogue and Magneto. We briefly see Cable try to stop the attack, but the X-Men are completely unaware of what's to come.
Magneto, Rogue, and others on Genosha attempt to defeat the Sentinels, but not without major casualties. Whoever wanted mutants to go back into hiding potentially got their wish.
Most of the X-Men–Cyclops, Jean, Beast, and Jubilee–are far enough away they know nothing about what's happening until it's too late. But at the end of the episode, we know that Genosha will have a lasting impact on the team. There are major deaths in the episode, but any comic fan always has to ask the eternal question: are they really dead?
Here's what we know. (Be warned, MAJOR spoilers below!)
Is Gambit really dead in X-Men '97?
Usually when you see a long, drawn out death scene on TV, it's pretty permanent. Gambit made a dangerous move attacking a Sentinel head on after it seemed to kill Magneto, along with a group of Morlocks (mutants who are unable to blend in with humans).
The Sentinel stabbed Gambit in the side, and Gambit then used his last breath to create a kinetic explosion powerful enough to destroy the Sentinel beyond recognition. We then see Rogue crying over his body, which looks very mangled and burned. As far as we know, Gambit isn't coming back.
But there's a sliver of hope for all you Gambit fans out there. Comic books are known to kill off characters and have them resurrected through any means. The Marvel universe is one filled with magic, superpowers, and everything in between. Plus, now that Cable's been introduced, it's possible time travel could be the key to bringing back the many people lost in the fight.
The show could still surprise us.
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