8 Things I Like
8. Apocalypse Is Coming
I’ll start by giving some love to the very end of the season, when they tease what’s coming in Season 2…
Although having the X-Men lost in time might not be the direction I would’ve chosen, it sure looks like we’ll get a heaping dose of Apocalypse!
I loved Apocalypse in the original series. I love his grand proclamations about himself and his dominion over all mutants. And I love the “Beyond Good and Evil” arc, when he realizes he can never fully win.
I’m anxious to see how he’ll be portrayed in this series, with more sophisticated writing. I want to see what it means that he found Gambit’s card in Genosha’s ruins. I want to see his origins in ancient Egypt.
And, of course, I want to see Bishop take on a bigger role in leading the search through time.
7. Lifedeath
I wasn’t too high on this storyline with Storm and Forge at first because it moves so fast. Forge approaches Storm and tells her he can help her reclaim her powers the episode after she lost them. And it seems like practically no time has passed when he professes his love for her.
That said, I like their chemistry. And when I look back on the season, I enjoyed all their time together at Forge’s cabin.
And I can’t talk about this storyline without mentioning the Adversary. He’s not a compelling villain in the vein of Magneto or Apocalypse—someone with a strong point of view on the world—but he’s terrifying and chaotic and preys on Storm’s doubts and insecurities.
There’s also plenty of emotion, with Storm getting what she kind of wished for by losing her powers, seeing that she’s not the same person she was, then experiencing setback after setback before finally coming into her own and reclaiming her powers.
6. Existing in a Big Universe
This season is filled with cool Easter eggs.
Morph is a good window into other areas of their universe. At various times, he transforms into otherwise absent X-characters like Archangel, Colossus, Sabretooth, Juggernaut, and Quicksilver.
He even morphs into the Hulk!
But not every outside character is fan service. Some factor into the story in real ways.
Rogue seeks out Thunderbolt Ross, who’s holed up in a prison he says is designed to contain the Hulk, because she believes he’ll know where Henry Gyrich is imprisoned. From there, she also spends time with Captain America.
Most notably, Cap and Iron Man are in the room with President Kelly as advisors when he chats with King T’Chaka and the Joint Chiefs as they deliberate whether to enact the Magneto Protocols.
Plus, we see Spider-Man, Daredevil, Silver Samurai, Omega Red, Psylocke, and others deal with the effects of Magneto turning out the lights.
You can argue that more heroes should’ve done more in the wake of Magneto’s EMP. This clearly isn’t just a mutant problem. It affects the whole world. But I still enjoyed all the ways we see this show exist inside the wider Marvel universe—basically as another branch of the MCU. Even the Watcher checks out what’s going on in this timeline.
5. Absent or Present, Professor X Looms Large
Professor X looms large over the front half of the season, even as he’s still presumed dead on Earth while living his best life with Lilandra elsewhere in the galaxy. His decision to leave the X-Men to Magneto rather than Cyclops shapes the entire season.
When he returns, thankfully Cyclops and Rogue, among others, take him to task for that decision, and for staying away for so long. And his friendship with Magneto comes front and center as he crosses a line and violate his friend’s mind after Magneto mangles Wolverine and refuses to save the Earth from the destruction he’s wrought.
Before he leaves Lilandra, he also has that incredible speech about the façade of leadership, where he implies that the Shi’ar are colonizers that cut off other potential empires at the knees by conquering them early, before they have the chance to prosper, even though they haven’t committed any aggression against the Shi’ar.
Whether you like him, hate him, or blame him for everything that’s gone wrong, Charles most certainly remains a compelling character.
4. Soap Opera
I never thought too much about what a soap opera the X-Men are, but there’s no avoiding it in this series. Surprisingly, it doesn’t have too much to do with the Scott/Jean/Wolverine love triangle, though Jean and Wolverine finally kiss. Thankfully, Wolverine takes the high road, knowing the trauma Jean has been through and the confusion she’s experiencing, and puts the kibosh on things before they go any further.
The Rogue/Gambit/Magneto love triangle is the steamy one. I never saw this coming, but it sure seems like Rogue has a sexual history with Magneto that she could never have with Gambit, being that Magneto is the one person she can touch.
There’s also Morph’s seemingly unrequited love for Wolverine. This is an undercooked storyline—really, it’s nothing more than a few moments and teasing comments—but it makes Morph sympathetic.
And everything that happens between Jean, Scott, and Madelyne falls under this, too. There’s Jean not even knowing when Mister Sinister switched her and Madelyne or which memories are truly hers… there’s Scott psychically cheating on Jean by staying connected to Madelyne after she left for Genosha rocking her new identity… and there’s the schism that develops between Scott and Jean as a result.
3. New and Improved Cyclops
There was no better way for this show to demonstrate how great it would be from the start than to make the series premiere a Cyclops-centric episode and then have him kick ass!
Despite being the team leader in the field, Cyclops was always such a stick in the mud in the original series and the movies…
But that guy is gone.
In his place, we have a cooler, more confident Cyclops. One who shows real emotions when he discovers Xavier passed him over and left the school to Magneto instead. One who goes through the exact thing that fucked him up as a child when he’s forced to send his son away in order to save his life.
The entire saga with Cable is well done, and it’s largely because of the way Scott has to reckon with the decision he made and how he was forced into the same role his father took, feeling like he’s abandoned his son.
2. Big Things Happening in Genosha
Even before Gambit makes the hero play, Genosha is really effing cool! It’s the utopia Charles always envisioned, that he convinced Magneto would be possible, and that Magneto sold Rogue on during the early days of their relationship.
It’s full of mutants and has its own art, music, architecture, and culture (plus Ace of Base…) Bringing it into the U.N. makes for a compelling early-season storyline.
Then of course, it all leads to the attack—the genocide—which was masterminded by Bastion.
And Episode 1.5, “Remember It,” is one of the most emotional episodes of television I’ve ever watched, thanks mostly to Gambit sacrificing himself to finally quell the attack.
It’s an exhilarating attack sequence that culminates in an amazing scene in which Gambit gets one of the best on-screen deaths I can ever remember.
1. Magneto and the Question of Tolerance
This is Magneto’s season. He’s the MVP.
A lot of it stems from Charles being out of the way for the first half of the season and Magneto trying to fill his shoes, doing things Charles’ way.
But at the end of the day, the question of tolerance—whether or not mutants and humans can ever coexist peacefully—gets in the way.
As early as the series premiere, Henry Gyrich talks about humans feeling left behind by evolution, and how tolerance is trendy—having a mutant friend is more performative than anything—but humans won’t take becoming obsolete lying down.
Magneto knows this is how most humans think. But he tries. He really does.
He lets the U.N. arrest him and bring him to trial. He watches as the X-Cutioner rips Storm’s power away from her. And still he tries Charles’ way of tolerance.
All it gets him is a mutant genocide.
No matter what part of the season it is or where Magneto’s motives stand at that particular moment, he is the most compelling part of the season.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. Becoming Sunspot
For all the storylines that burn through plot at lightning speed, Roberto’s storyline drags its feet all season.
There are interesting things about his situation, namely his reluctance to accept who he is and come out to his parents with his powers. I just never found him particularly engaging. The most exciting thing he does all season is join Magneto’s side to fight against humanity—and against the X-Men—but even that only lasts for part of an episode.
1. Sinister Tag Team
As much as I love Mister Sinister, I’ve always struggled to understand his plans and motivations (beyond keeping himself immortal). He gets some great moments this season, especially in Episode 1.3 when he’s revealed as the villain (at least for the moment). But eventually, it becomes clear he’s playing second fiddle to another enemy…
Bastion is a character I wasn’t familiar with at all. I appreciate his conviction and commitment to his cause. His Prime Sentinels could’ve destroyed all mutants and enslaved all humans if not for Magneto.
And I like that the show’s creators went off the board for a Big Bad and used a lesser-known character.
But his backstory is too convoluted for my taste. Even if this is comics accurate, the fact that Nimrod is, in a sense, his father and is responsible for him being here is nonsensical to me. Plus, he has DNA from Master Mold and every Sentinel ever? And then, he manages to evolve and become scarier than ever even after the Phoenix beats his ass. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me.
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. Phoenix Ex Machina
In my season finale review, I categorized the Phoenix’s reemergence as something I was mixed about. I didn’t think it made sense, but at least it’s a fun scene.
The more I’ve thought about it, though, I really don’t like how much of a deux ex machina it is to have the Phoenix—which left Jean years earlier—suddenly reemerge because she’s their only hope of keeping Bastion from connecting with and powering the Prime Sentinels. It feels like a cheap way out.
Tim Matassa
