First Things First…
This originally aired as Episode 4.6.
I was happy Omega Red returned for the previous episode, but I’m ecstatic Magneto returns here. We haven’t seen him since the end of Season 2. It’s been FAR too long. And this is a two-parter, with him seemingly at the center of it.
7 Things I Like
7. Tag Teaming with President Kelly
“Mr. President, any hostile action now against Magneto could start a nuclear holocaust.”
Professor X
There are a bunch of cameos in this episode, and I’ll cover most of them elsewhere. But I have to address President Kelly separate from them, because his role is important.
When Magneto informs the world that he’s created a sanctuary in space called Asteroid M, where mutants can be safe from the oppression of humankind, it sparks both joy and fear worldwide.
The joy comes primarily from mutants who want to join him and leave Earth behind—and from some militant groups of humans who are happy to bid good riddance to “muties.”
But the fear comes from people who believe Magneto is gathering an army. As Professor X tells him…
“Your separate mutant nation will solve nothing. The world distrusts your motives. Every government on Earth is on full military alert.”
This is why President Kelly needs to be in the episode. He has to weigh in on something so earthshaking. And I love that Professor X still has his ear as an advisor on mutant issues, while Kelly is still the mutant lover we knew from early in Season 2, after mutants saved his life.
6. Professor X’s Lost Love
“When she left, it was as if a part of Charles had been destroyed. He sealed away his emotions and lived only for his X-Men. His dream became his entire world.”
Beast
I was critical of the Xavier/Lilandra romantic subplot throughout both Phoenix sagas in Season 3. I even went as far as to say I always viewed Professor X as an asexual character.
Well, here’s another romantic subplot for Xavier—and I love it! It justifies those feelings I had about him.
It turns out Xavier once fell in love with Amelia, the nurse who worked with him after he lost the use of his legs—and she fell in love with him, too. They wanted a life together. There was just one problem…
Amelia hated being a mutant.
This meant she didn’t want Xavier devoting his life to the X-Men, and the fight for mutant rights. She just wanted a quiet, normal life. She wanted to live as a human.
The gap between them was too far to bridge. So she left, and Xavier’s dream became his whole life. He became consumed by it.
This is the version of Professor X we met at the beginning of the series. He wasn’t looking for love or romance. He was all about fighting the good fight. Amelia helps fill in that story—and has helped me understand why I found it so weird to see Xavier fall in love with Lilandra last season.
5. Return to Slave Island
Considering Magneto’s plan is for mutants to leave Earth and form their own colony in space, free from human oppression, there’s one place he absolutely has to visit…
Genosha.
Things there are still shit. Mutants are still enslaved. And there are still Sentinels enforcing this oppression.
Genosha is a key part of the X-Men world, and revisiting this makes it feel like a more fully realized world.
4. Liberating, Not Avenging
“I come to rescue my people, not to avenge them.”
Magneto
Building on that last point, this is also about Magneto’s time on Genosha. It’s so interesting to see him try take a more peaceful approach. He makes it clear that they’re there to liberate any mutants enslaved on the island who want to join him on Asteroid M.
But he’s not there to avenge them by killing their human oppressors.
He already made it clear in his initial address that leaving is meant as a peaceful action that will be best for everyone. He’s trying to stick to that promise here, but we see it still causes discontent among some of the mutants—especially the resistance group on Genosha, who become a huge thorn in his side later in the episode…
3. All Mutants Listening
Just like with the return to Genosha, checking in on so many mutants who are watching Magneto’s address also shows how wide a world the show has built.
When Magneto delivers his address, ALL mutants are listening. Even Apocalypse. Even Mister Sinister. Even the Morlocks. Even Mjnari, Storm’s “adopted” son in Africa.
Everyone wants to hear what Magneto has to say. They’re certainly not all leaving with him. They don’t all factor into this story, either. But this massive action he’s taken ties the whole world together in a way nothing else in the series has.
2. Fabian Cortez
“You will serve our cause much better as a martyr.”
Fabian Cortez
I’m not familiar with Cortez, but he’s a fascinating figure. He starts as a resistance leader on Genosha who’s much more interested in killing the oppressors than Magneto is. Despite their differing viewpoints, he quickly becomes an ally to Magneto by “recharging” him after Magneto’s powers mysteriously weaken. He and his followers also bend the knee and pledge their allegiance to Magneto once they’re off Earth.
Yet, he just as quickly renounces Magneto and becomes the primary antagonist.
We’ve never seen Magneto this compromised before. Cortez is able to essentially undo the recharging he did for Magneto.
And when he does, Magneto’s powers are gone. He’s so weak, it appears he’s dying. And that’s certainly what Cortez is counting on, as he sets up Magneto as a martyr to stir the mutants to attack Earth.
He’s not interested in Magneto’s vision of a peaceful isolationist colony for mutants. And now that he thinks he’s killed Magneto, and he’s framed Professor X, Beast, and Gambit for the murder, it seems Magneto will be teaming with the good guys again.
1. Magneto Gets the World Talking
“We have seen communities torn apart by the jealous hatred of our mutant gifts. Roving mobs of vigilantes seek out the infirm among us. Some mutants conceal their true power, living a charade of normality, while their spirit suffocates. Others have gone into hiding beneath your cities, huddling in the darkness like rats. There are those who have tried nobly to enlighten their human brethren, to strive for freedom and equality for all men. Their efforts have been repaid with brutality and hatred.”
Magneto
Magneto’s address to the world says it all. He’s seen enough. He’s done fighting. He just wants to leave. To be left alone. Yet even wanting to remove himself from the world’s problems still provokes fear and anxiety. But it also gets people wondering if he’s right.
Professor X is obviously upset by what Magneto has decided to do. Despte Magneto finally choosing peace—at least, through absence—Xavier says…
“Oh, Magnus, we have been through so much. Can my failure be so complete?”
But Gambit, Rogue, and Beast all take Magneto’s words to heart, at least to some degree. As Beast correctly points out to his teammates…
“Despite our most earnest efforts, we seem to spend more time fighting for our lives than for mutant rights.”
And you can’t argue with the evidence Magneto provides as he gives his address. He shows video of Warren Worthington—before being turned into Archangel—hiding his powers, the Morlocks living in the sewers, and most notably, the X-Men. He credits them for their nobility, though clearly in his eyes, they’ve failed, as they face an unending stream of hatred and bigotry.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. Who’s That Prowling in the Background?
Is that Black Panther???
As the convoy leaves Africa to free the mutants on Genosha, there’s a figure prowling in the background, and it sure looks like Black Panther.
The only thing is, he never factors into the story.
I’d love for Black Panther to show up in a real way, even if it’s something small. But I’ll be a little disappointed if this is just meant as another fun cameo. If that’s all it is, I would’ve preferred he be another person watching Magneto’s address. But because he’s right there, so close to the group, I’m hoping there’s more to it.
1. Remy & Byron
I don’t know what the deal is with this friend of Gambit’s who he feels the need to check up on. Gambit seems to be truthful when he says he’s not looking to secretly abandon the team and join Magneto on Asteroid M. He tells Rogue he’d never leave her behind, and I believe him.
But then what’s the deal with this friendship?
Tim Matassa
So you want Prof. to be asexual because you want so, and thus criticise when his love interest is in the current timeline, but it’s OK if it’s in the past?
I don’t WANT him to be anything, it’s just how I’ve always viewed him. But I honestly was never sure why I viewed him that way. This subplot with Amelia showed me that it’s because I’ve only ever seen the Professor as obsessed with his mission of fighting for mutant rights. And it also gives a storyline reason for why he became so obsessed. That’s why I like that part of the story.