Warning: This review contains full spoilers for X-Men ’97 Season 2, Episode 4!
Is it safe at this point to label X-Men ’97 as the best X-Men adaptation that exists? The live-action movies certainly had their moments, but they don’t come close to offering that same, consistent blend of terrific action, deep character work, and powerful nostalgia that makes this series such a joy to watch. All of those qualities are on full display in “Rise of Apocalypse: Part II,” an episode that easily ranks among the show’s best to date.
X-Men ’97 certainly justifies spending two whole episodes in this ancient Egyptian setting, as we witness the full origin story of Apocalypse (Adetokumboh M’Cormack and Ross Marquand) and discover the X-Men’s unwitting hand in bringing that evolution about. This episode in particular accomplishes exactly what it needed to with Apocalypse. It greatly humanizes a character who was always portrayed as a malevolent force of nature in the original animated series. It allows us to understand and connect with En Sabah Nur the man and see the tragedies that led him to embrace evolution and become the monster he was probably always destined to be.
As with Part I, the majority of the X-Men are relegated to the back seat here, though we do get some nice scenes with Rogue (Lenore Zann) reflecting on Gambit’s death and the possibility of bringing him back. That’s maybe a bit disappointing, but even with a two-parter there’s really only so much room in which to work. That also means we get less material with Rama-Tut (John de Lancie) than I’d like. De Lancie is fantastic in those few scenes he’s given, and it’s a shame we don’t get more focus on this time-travelling tyrant and his rivalry with Nur. But who knows? The writers are clearly cooking up something for the future with the Externals tease.
For the most part, it’s all about Nur and his deteriorating relationships with Magneto (Matthew Waterson) and Professor Xavier (Marquand). At the end of the day, that’s the right call. It’s this trinity that forms the emotional core of these two episodes, and Part II has no trouble capitalizing on the emotional fallout of their bad breakup. We want to believe that Magneto is right and that Apocalypse can be guided (or at least manipulated) into ushering in a better future for humanity. Instead, it seems that the X-Men are only ensuring their greatest enemy is coming into existence.
As the conflict wears on, it becomes increasingly apparent that we’re witnessing the last stand of Erik Magnus Lensherr. Magneto is no longer clinging to his hope of changing the future. He merely hopes to atone for his mistakes, return his friends home, and maybe save a city of innocent civilians from Apocalypse’s wrath while he’s at it. What results is a fantastic sendoff for the character. I loved Magneto’s admission that he served as a mutant devil so he could drive his people into Xavier’s welcoming embrace. Magneto’s ultimate sacrifice evokes that of Gambit from Season 1, with a similar sense of scale and emotional stakes.
I just hope that this death actually sticks. I don’t say that lightly, as someone who considers Magneto the greatest Marvel character of them all. I don’t want the series to make a habit of killing off major characters in dramatic fashion, only for Apocalypse to resurrect them for his Horsemen. Just throw Magneto’s clone Joseph into the mix and let the original Master of Magnetism have his well-earned rest.
“Rise of Apocalypse: Part II” ends on a particularly strong note, as Apocalypse and Xavier face off one last time in the desert. Here we see the latter’s compassionate finally core melt away when faced with the one mutant who can never be redeemed. It all serves to add a new personal edge to the conflict between the X-Men and Apocalypse, one that I’m sure will pay off when all parties meet again in the ’90s.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning the post-credits scene, one that tees up what looks to be the first real Wolverine-driven episode of the X-Men ’97 era. I quite enjoyed the visual tribute to Jim Lee’s iconic Uncanny X-Men #268 cover, and I certainly look forward to seeing a deeper dive into the world of Weapon X. I just worry that the series is going to gloss over Wolverine’s post-adamantium struggles too quickly. As lovely as this show is, it does have a tendency to move through mountains of classic Marvel Comics material too quickly.
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