My Mind Is Blown #7

Part #1 Part #2 Part #3 Part #4 Part #5 Part #6

Final Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Another warning: I make a real effort not to cuss when talking or writing, so be prepared for some colorful replacements.

Is it possible we can have episode 10 today? Tomorrow works for me too. I don't think I can wait until next week for the final part of this season.

This episode (commence stuttering), there are no words to describe it. Holy crap!

Okay, okay, get it together, Alexandria.

With the last episode airing next Wednesday, we are given a week to process and prepare ourselves for what calls to be one of the most explosive season finales in animated X-Men history. So much happened and we are left wondering if more X-Men are going to be added to the already high death toll.

Yep, we're skipping the recap. Y'all should have a pretty good idea of what's going on.

It Is Not A Happy Return

A lot of it starts with the not so joyous return of Professor Xavier. A lot of people, most being humans, are pissed at him for different reasons, but most notably are Cyclops, Rogue, and Magneto.

Warning, I'm about to have a little rant moment. I get why Charles had to leave Earth to get help; no one else could help him after his near death at the end of The Animated Series except the Shi'ar. I even get him wanting to get away for a while and explore his love with Lilandria. But, from what it looks like, he didn't make any efforts to contact the team, which to me looks like complete abandonment. Then to have Magneto lead, without any sort of conversation with anyone explaining his thought process, did he really think everyone was just going to go along with it?

Safe to say, I'm not exactly thrilled with Charles right now. Moving on.

In an attempt to ensure Jean and Cyclops would be able to enjoy the fruits of everything they endured to encourage mutant-human coexistence, Charles had Magneto take charge of the X-Men. Although admirable Charles cares enough about his oldest students to want to provide them freedom, he doesn't seem to understand that none of the X-Men can truly be free from this fight. Death, tragically so, seems to be the only way for any of them to truly be free. It seems to be a common theme in history, though, the people who fight so hard to ensure equality never seem truly finished fighting. Something always pulls them back into the fray.

Rogue is noticeably silent until a tense conversation revolving around the loss of Gambit at the pier. I almost wonder if she partly blames the Gambit's death on how it seems like Charles treated them as merely students rather than people made of bits of the past and what they carry with them to the future.

Of course, having Magneto and Charles at odds is not a new occurrence, but never has it been to this extreme, at least with the animated shows. Having watched the results of Charles' dream destroyed, Magneto feels like coexistence is no longer an option. Actually, maybe I should retract an earlier statement. Magneto is beyond pissed at anyone; he's just done. Tired of watching mutants suffer and die at the hands of humans, he has been pushed to the point that he is willing to go to the extremes of extremes.

Doomsday

Part of that extreme was showcased by his electro-magnetic attack on Earth. Previously, we may have thought Magneto just turned off the power, but we learn he also destroyed Earth's magnetic fields, sending the planet and everyone on it to an extinction level event.

On top of that, Bastion is not down for the count, even with the loss of his Prime Sentinels. He may not be officially categorized as a mutant, rather he's a human Sentinel, but he still has a major power on his side - his ability to communicate with machines, much like telepaths can communicate with other minds. This means Bastion can become a command center for an immense amount of machines aimed against the X-Men.

What I think is laughable is that Charles thinks shutting down Bastion will lead to Magneto being open to fix things. Does he not realized Magneto is in the mindset of not giving a flip? To add to that, so much has happened this season that there starts to be a division in the X-Men. That's right, this doomsday is not complete without the start of a X-Men civil war, with Rogue and Roberto choosing to change sides.

The Fight of Their Lives

After a pre-battle montage I'm sure will be ingrained in my brain for eternity, the rest the X-Men split up into two groups: Blue Team and Gold Team.

Blue Team - takes on Magneto, Rogue, and Roberto: Cyclops, Xavier, Wolverine, Jubilee, and Nightcrawler

Gold Team - takes on Bastion and his Sentinels: Storm, Jean, Beast, Cable, Forge, and Morph

The following fight scenes are chocked full of on-the-edge-of-your-seat action and twists at every turn. Some of the highlights involve Storm and Forge against the Sentinels, Jubilee and Roberto going head to head, Mister Sinister terrorizing Jean, and taking over Cable's mind (like mother, like son). How about that huge reveal of Cable's telekinetic abilities?

By the end of the episode, the fates of some of the X-Men is unknown. I know what things look like and that a lot of people of their theories, but here's what I'm thinking.

These characters are definitely alive and I will be shocked if proven otherwise: Cyclops, Xavier, Jubilee, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Roberto, Morph, and Cable.

These are ones I believe are alive and are unconscious/injured: Magneto, Beast, Storm, and Morph

Now here are the two everyone believes are dead: Jean Grey and Wolverine. Honestly, I don't think they're dead, though, for me, I wouldn't be completely surprised if Jean Grey was found dead at the beginning of next week's episode.

Rogue harshly reminds the X-Men and us that Jean has already died and been resurrected before. Thanks to the Phoenix Force, in comics and in The Animated Series, Jean has been bought back from death, making her pretty much immortal. Considering the fact Jean and the Phoenix are presently separated does not mean that we might not see a comeback; there just might be a delay.

Wolverine falls victim to Magneto's powers in the worst way possible as Magneto rips the adamantium out of Logan's body. If it seems familiar, you may have seen this or something similar.

In the comics, Logan survives, but reverts to a feral state (probably because of the pain and trauma) and has his original bone claws until years later when the adamantium is restored. With how closely certain events have been following the comics this season, it wouldn't surprise me if this is what was in store for Wolverine.

What do you guys think? Is Jean Grey and Wolverine dead or not?

With the episode ending on the horrific moment with Wolverine, we know things are not over yet, and with another major villain theorized to be on the horizon, one might wonder if this season of X-Men '97 isn't going to end with a happily ever after.

My Three Favorite Moments:

Storm aggressively says no to neutralizer tech: Understandably, Storm is not happy when Beast suggests a way to neutralize Bastion for good considering her own experiences. But to have Forge wholeheartedly take Storm's side is icing on the cake.

The return of Asteroid M: The gorgeous colors, the lightening, the music, it's just scream-worthy. It is all the perfect backing to the entire scene. And someone needs to give the writers an Emmy or Oscar or something, because the dialogue, it's just (kiss) chef's kiss.

Jean Grey and Storm: These two are the true definition of choosing your family. They draw strength from their bond and give us the real meaning of sisterhood.

Bonus - "Shut up!": I could watch this moment a hundred times over and still laugh hysterically every time.

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I hope you enjoyed reading! Episodes 1-9 of X-Men '97 are available on Disney +. The last episode will be available Wednesday, May 15 after 3am EST. In order to prepare for the finale, I would recommend (re)watching the previous episodes.