Warning: Major X-Men ‘97 Episode 9 spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
X-Men ‘97 Episode 9, Tolerance is Extinction – Part 2, left viewers at the edge of their seats with the hair-raising turn of events and action-packed scenes. The first season’s penultimate episode ended with the Blue Team, composed of Charles Xavier, Wolverine, Jubilee, and Nightcrawler, traveling to Asteroid M to battle Magneto and stop the war he declared against humanity. However, aside from ending with a major cliffhanger, it also teases the next storylines for X-Men ‘97 Season 2: the arrival of Onslaught and the aftermath of Wolverine’s defeat.
X-Men ‘97 Episode 9 featured several nods to the 1993 X-Men crossover Fatal Attractions by Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell. Here, Charles mentally attacked Magneto in what could have been an attempt to wipe his mind to reverse the damage he had done on Earth’s electromagnetic field. However, as these two went on an intense battle of the psyches, they ended up creating a new villain named Onslaught, a dark merging of Magneto and Charles’ spirits.
Magneto and Charles’ face-off was mirrored in the mid-part of the first season’s three-part finale. However, it remains to be seen if Onslaught will be featured in the upcoming X-Men ‘97 Episode 10, Tolerance is Extinction – Part 3. Though no one knows what will happen next, it looks like Episode 9 is setting up the stage for Onslaught’s arrival in X-Men ‘97 Season 2.
Alternatively, Episode 9 also saw Wolverine ending up feeling Magneto’s wrath. Just when Logan thought he had defeated the Master of Magnetism after stabbing him in the chest, the latter used his superpowers to rip out Logan’s adamantium claws. Magneto also declared their feud was over and once again attacked Logan and removed all the adamantium in his body by melting them.
Though it’s yet to be revealed if Wolverine will survive Magneto’s attack, it’s highly likely. Wolverine has a healing factor that can help restore his health to a hundred percent. However, the return of his adamantium is another question. As there’s only one episode left in X-Men ‘97 Season 1, this storyline may be explored in X-Men ‘97 Season 2.
Fans are advised to take these assumptions with a grain of salt. So far, Marvel Studios has yet to reveal what the second season will be about.
Who is Onslaught in X-Men?
Onslaught is a powerful psionic entity from the minds of Charles and Magneto. He was born from inner hatred, resentment, and hostility, making him a high-powered and dangerous villain. After Charles entered Magneto’s mind, he absorbed his intense emotions and negative feelings and combined them with his own darkness.
The fusion birthed Onslaught and became a separate entity within Charles’ mind. Though initially dormant, he started to emerge after Charles experienced a series of frustrations from humans’ hatred toward mutants and his personal tragedies. Onslaught then got free after Nate Grey pulled Charles' astral body to the physical plane.
Will Wolverine have his adamantium claws back in X-Men ‘97?
In the comics, Wolverine survived Magneto’s attack and the loss of his adamantium through his healing factor. However, it took him a while to regain his adamantium claws. After his defeat, he went on a journey of self-reflection and crossed paths with Sabretooth and Deadpool. Cable’s son, Genesis, tried to bond adamantium back into his body, but he fought back and escaped.
Wolverine’s body started to change, turning feral due to the loss of adamantium that kept his original mutation in check. But despite the return of his animalistic instincts, he still managed to control his new form. He then met Apocalypse, who captured him to turn him into one of his Horsemen. Apocalypse helped restore his adamantium skeleton as a reward after being a good follower and named him the Horseman Death.
X-Men ‘97 Episodes 1-9 are available to stream on Disney+. The first season’s final episode, alternatively, is set to be released on Wednesday, May 15.
There are high expectations surrounding the upcoming X-Men ‘97 Season 1 finale. After Episodes 8 and 9 made the viewers' jaws drop, the series might again put everyone in awe and finally reveal what X-Men ‘97 Season 2 would be about.
