X-Men "97"s Magneto Cliffhanger Makes A Huge New Villain Theory More Likely
Summary
The finale of X-Men ’97 has begun, with part 1 of “Tolerance Is Extinction” adapting classic Marvel storylines and making one popular villain theory seem quite likely. Picking up where the original X-Men: The Animated Series left off, X-Men ’97 continues the redemption of X-Men nemesis Magneto, putting him in charge of the team as per the (seemingly posthumous) wishes of Professor X. The Sentinel attack on Genosha, however, has thrown this seemingly optimistic trajectory into chaos, and more recent developments strongly hint that a Magneto storyline from the comics may inspire the final episodes of X-Men ‘97’s first season.
After seemingly dying in the Sentinel attack in the episode “Remember It,” Magneto is revealed to be alive, albeit a captive of Bastion, at the end of “Bright Eyes.” As Bastion puts his master plan – unleashing a massive force of Prime Sentinels – in motion, the X-Men quickly find themselves in over their heads. A guilt-ridden Dr. Valerie Cooper frees Magneto, and while Bastion dismisses his threat level, Magneto unleashes his powers, ending the episode on a cliffhanger that may see the show add another villain to season 1’s narrative.
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Related X-Men '97 Season 2: Characters, Story & Everything We Know X-Men "97 Season 1 is now available on Disney Plus, and here is everything we know about Season 2"s characters, story details, and more.
Magneto's Attack On Earth Sets Up X-Men Fatal Attractions Storyline Close At the end of “Tolerance Is Extinction Part 1,” Magneto travels to the North Pole and emits massive magnetic pulses. The pulses not only wipe out all of Bastion’s Prime Sentinels, but they also cause a worldwide blackout. Having returned to Earth, Professor X believes that Magneto has finally declared war on humanity and telepathically calls the X-Men to him. For those familiar with the X-Men comics, this turn of events is quite similar to the 1993 “Fatal Attractions” storyline. In the comics, the UN enacted secret “Magneto Protocols,” which – through a series of satellites – effectively depowered Magneto.
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Related X-Men '97 Episode 8 Ending Explained Bastion"s global threat has brought the world to the brink of all-out war, with a Magneto cliffhanger that could change everything for the X-Men.
Magneto responded by similarly unleashing a magnetic pulse that knocked out the satellites and disrupted electricity worldwide. Of course, there are notable differences between “Fatal Attractions” and the X-Men ’97 storyline. X-Men ’97’s season 1 finale melds portions of “Fatal Attractions” with the “Operation: Zero Tolerance” storyline from the mid-90s and New X-Men’s “E is for Extinction” arc from the early 2000s. Magneto uses Genosha instead of Avalon, and is spurred back into villainy by the Sentinel attack and brief captivity. If X-Men ’97 continues to adapt “Fatal Attractions,” the storyline may hint at how Magneto is defeated.
How Fatal Attractions Ends Magneto's Story Close Magneto’s climactic battle with the X-Men at the end of “Fatal Attractions” sees the Master of Magnetism removing the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton, in an excruciating process that nearly kills Logan. In retaliation, Professor X wipes Magneto’s mind. Magneto’s attack overloaded Wolverine’s healing factor, depowering him and leading him to leave the X-Men for a time. Wolverine would eventually regain his iconic power and rejoin the team - but Magneto, on the other hand, would take four years to return with his mind restored.
The clone of Magneto – Joseph – was believed to have been the real Magneto for these four years, and was a member of the X-Men for a time.
X-Men ‘97’s season finale may include this element in its “Fatal Attractions” adaptation. The X-Men might still have to contend with Bastion, assuming that he is unaffected by Magneto’s electromagnetic pulse, but the X-Men '97 episode 8 ending suggests that a similar climactic battle between the X-Men and Magneto will occur. Having Magneto mind-wiped by Professor X would be comparable to a “death” for Magneto, while allowing for a potential return later down the line, of course. It would also set up another potential comic adaptation in season 2.
X-Men '97 Sets Up Onslaught's Arrival Close In Marvel’s comics, Professor X’s mind-wiping of Magneto had another consequence: the creation of the psionic entity known as Onslaught. The being was formed during the mind-wipe, being an amalgamation of the worst aspects of both Magneto and Professor X’s respective personalities. Although Onslaught remained in Professor X’s mind for some time, only secretly influencing him, Onslaught eventually separated himself from his co-creator and gained a physical body.
Possessing the mutant powers of both Professor X and Magneto, Onslaught is one of the X-Men’s deadliest enemies. With his personality also being a combination of both Charles Xavier and Magneto, Onslaught would also be a compelling character in his own right. The potential for Onslaught’s introduction in a future X-Men ’97 story arc would surely generate excitement for the show’s second season.
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X-Men '97 Where to Watch *Availability in US
stream rent buy Not available
Not available
Not available
X-Men '97 is the direct continuation of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking up where the third season left off, Marvel's revival brings back famous mutants such as Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains like Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.
Cast Jennifer Hale , Chris Potter , Alison Sealy-Smith , Lenore Zann , Cal Dodd , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Chris Britton , George Buza Release Date March 20, 2024 Upcoming Marvel Movies
Release Date
Deadpool & Wolverine
July 26, 2024
Captain America: Brave New World
February 14, 2025
Thunderbolts*
May 2, 2025
Fantastic Four
July 25, 2025
Blade
November 7, 2025
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
May 1, 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars
May 7, 2027
- X-Men '97 finale adapts classic Marvel storylines, hinting at Magneto's return to villainy with a cliffhanger ending.
- Magneto's magnetic pulse scene in "Tolerance Is Extinction Part 1" mirrors a key moment in the 1993 "Fatal Attractions" comic storyline.
- The potential introduction of Onslaught in a future X-Men '97 story arc promises an exciting development for the show's second season.
The finale of X-Men ’97 has begun, with part 1 of “Tolerance Is Extinction” adapting classic Marvel storylines and making one popular villain theory seem quite likely. Picking up where the original X-Men: The Animated Series left off, X-Men ’97 continues the redemption of X-Men nemesis Magneto, putting him in charge of the team as per the (seemingly posthumous) wishes of Professor X. The Sentinel attack on Genosha, however, has thrown this seemingly optimistic trajectory into chaos, and more recent developments strongly hint that a Magneto storyline from the comics may inspire the final episodes of X-Men ‘97’s first season.
After seemingly dying in the Sentinel attack in the episode “Remember It,” Magneto is revealed to be alive, albeit a captive of Bastion, at the end of “Bright Eyes.” As Bastion puts his master plan – unleashing a massive force of Prime Sentinels – in motion, the X-Men quickly find themselves in over their heads. A guilt-ridden Dr. Valerie Cooper frees Magneto, and while Bastion dismisses his threat level, Magneto unleashes his powers, ending the episode on a cliffhanger that may see the show add another villain to season 1’s narrative.
Related X-Men '97 Season 2: Characters, Story & Everything We Know X-Men "97 Season 1 is now available on Disney Plus, and here is everything we know about Season 2"s characters, story details, and more. Magneto's Attack On Earth Sets Up X-Men Fatal Attractions Storyline Close At the end of “Tolerance Is Extinction Part 1,” Magneto travels to the North Pole and emits massive magnetic pulses. The pulses not only wipe out all of Bastion’s Prime Sentinels, but they also cause a worldwide blackout. Having returned to Earth, Professor X believes that Magneto has finally declared war on humanity and telepathically calls the X-Men to him. For those familiar with the X-Men comics, this turn of events is quite similar to the 1993 “Fatal Attractions” storyline. In the comics, the UN enacted secret “Magneto Protocols,” which – through a series of satellites – effectively depowered Magneto.
Related X-Men '97 Episode 8 Ending Explained Bastion"s global threat has brought the world to the brink of all-out war, with a Magneto cliffhanger that could change everything for the X-Men.Magneto responded by similarly unleashing a magnetic pulse that knocked out the satellites and disrupted electricity worldwide. Of course, there are notable differences between “Fatal Attractions” and the X-Men ’97 storyline. X-Men ’97’s season 1 finale melds portions of “Fatal Attractions” with the “Operation: Zero Tolerance” storyline from the mid-90s and New X-Men’s “E is for Extinction” arc from the early 2000s. Magneto uses Genosha instead of Avalon, and is spurred back into villainy by the Sentinel attack and brief captivity. If X-Men ’97 continues to adapt “Fatal Attractions,” the storyline may hint at how Magneto is defeated.
How Fatal Attractions Ends Magneto's Story Close Magneto’s climactic battle with the X-Men at the end of “Fatal Attractions” sees the Master of Magnetism removing the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton, in an excruciating process that nearly kills Logan. In retaliation, Professor X wipes Magneto’s mind. Magneto’s attack overloaded Wolverine’s healing factor, depowering him and leading him to leave the X-Men for a time. Wolverine would eventually regain his iconic power and rejoin the team - but Magneto, on the other hand, would take four years to return with his mind restored.
The clone of Magneto – Joseph – was believed to have been the real Magneto for these four years, and was a member of the X-Men for a time.
X-Men ‘97’s season finale may include this element in its “Fatal Attractions” adaptation. The X-Men might still have to contend with Bastion, assuming that he is unaffected by Magneto’s electromagnetic pulse, but the X-Men '97 episode 8 ending suggests that a similar climactic battle between the X-Men and Magneto will occur. Having Magneto mind-wiped by Professor X would be comparable to a “death” for Magneto, while allowing for a potential return later down the line, of course. It would also set up another potential comic adaptation in season 2.
X-Men '97 Sets Up Onslaught's Arrival Close In Marvel’s comics, Professor X’s mind-wiping of Magneto had another consequence: the creation of the psionic entity known as Onslaught. The being was formed during the mind-wipe, being an amalgamation of the worst aspects of both Magneto and Professor X’s respective personalities. Although Onslaught remained in Professor X’s mind for some time, only secretly influencing him, Onslaught eventually separated himself from his co-creator and gained a physical body.
Possessing the mutant powers of both Professor X and Magneto, Onslaught is one of the X-Men’s deadliest enemies. With his personality also being a combination of both Charles Xavier and Magneto, Onslaught would also be a compelling character in his own right. The potential for Onslaught’s introduction in a future X-Men ’97 story arc would surely generate excitement for the show’s second season.
X-Men '97 Where to Watch *Availability in USstream rent buy Not available
Not available
Not available
X-Men '97 is the direct continuation of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking up where the third season left off, Marvel's revival brings back famous mutants such as Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains like Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.
Cast Jennifer Hale , Chris Potter , Alison Sealy-Smith , Lenore Zann , Cal Dodd , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Chris Britton , George Buza Release Date March 20, 2024 Upcoming Marvel Movies
Release Date
Deadpool & Wolverine
July 26, 2024
Captain America: Brave New World
February 14, 2025
Thunderbolts*
May 2, 2025
Fantastic Four
July 25, 2025
Blade
November 7, 2025
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
May 1, 2026
Avengers: Secret Wars
May 7, 2027
