Warning! This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 episode 3.
X-Men ’97 episode 3 picks up from the cliffhanger ending of the two-part premiere, introducing several new characters and plot points for the show’s future. In X-Men ’97 episode 2’s ending, a person looking identical to Jean Grey somehow appeared at the X-Mansion. It is quickly revealed by Beast that the “New Jean” is actually the real Jean Grey, and the one who has been living in the X-Mansion is a clone of the powerful X-Men character.
With Professor X missing from X-Men ’97 after the events of the original animated series, Scott Summers continues to feel the burden of leading the team amid this shocking revelation. What transpires in X-Men ’97 is a story of reveals, twists, and origins for specific Marvel Comics mutants. By the end of X-Men ’97 episode 3, several of the main characters’ story arcs for the season are furthered, proving to be both similar and different from Marvel Comics in many ways.
In the final scene of X-Men ’97 episode 3, Storm is shown continuing her solo journey after leaving the X-Mansion. Storm lost her mutant abilities in X-Men ’97 episode 2, leading her to a bar in Dallas, Texas. Storm is shown sitting with a drink before a man comes in and sits next to her. Seemingly knowing of her and her powers, the man tells Storm that his name is Forge and that he is a friend of Charles Xavier. Forge then tells Storm that he would like to help her recover what she has lost, before X-Men ’97 episode 3 cuts to black.
Given how X-Men ’97 episode 3’s ending surrounds the reveal of Forge, many will be wondering who he is and why he is so important. In Marvel Comics, Forge was a mutant born of Cheyenne Indian descent. Forge’s mutant ability allows him to instinctively know the function, operation, and schematics of any technological device or machine in his vicinity, explaining his apt name. Forge also possesses magical abilities, taught to him by a character named Naze who was the shaman of the Cheyenne.
Later in life, Forge began using his abilities to make weapons for the U.S. Government. One of the devices Forge created during this time was a neutralizer device that could suppress superhuman abilities in mutants and other superheroes. It is later revealed that this weapon is the same one that deprived Storm of her powers, with Forge feeling responsible and aiding her in recovering them. While X-Men ’97 episode 2 did not reveal who created the weapon that neutralized Storm’s powers, it seems as though X-Men ’97 episode 3’s ending has retroactively introduced that character through Forge.
At the end of X-Men ’97 episode 2, Scott and Jean Grey – later revealed to be Madelyne Pryor – birthed a child named Nathan Charles Summers. In the comics, this child grows up to become Cable, the powerful time-traveling mutant shown in X-Men: The Animated Series and Deadpool 2. For the most part, X-Men ’97 keeps Cable’s origins the same as Marvel Comics in that his birth was orchestrated by Mister Sinister so that the villain could continue his genetic experiments.
However, there are a few differences in Cable’s origin story in X-Men’ 97 episode 3. For one, it is Mister Sinister who infects Nathan with a techno-organic virus as opposed to Apocalypse like in the comics. Similarly, in X-Men ’97, Bishop takes Nathan to the future to find a cure for the infection, rather than a member of Clan Askani as is the case in Marvel Comics.
Another way in which Cable’s origin is slightly different in X-Men ’97 episode 3 stems from his mother, Madelyne Pryor. Madelyne’s origins are slightly different in X-Men ’97, in that neither she nor the real Jean Grey are sure which one lived their combined memories. Neither are sure whether it was Jean or Madelyne who married Scott, nor which one of them possessed the power of the Phoenix in X-Men: The Animated Series. This is different from the comics, as Jean was dead when Madelyne married Scott and had Nathan, making her life much more clear than X-Men ’97 does.
By the time of X-Men ’97 episode 3’s ending, the show positions Mister Sinister as its primary villain. Mister Sinister will be all too familiar for those who have seen X-Men: The Animated Series, as he was one of the primary antagonists of the show. As is briefly explained in X-Men ’97 episode 3, Mister Sinister was a scientist from the 1800s who became obsessed with genetic evolution. He eventually figured out a way to stop his aging, devolving into his obsession and becoming Mister Sinister.
Throughout X-Men: The Animated Series, Sinister appeared as a common foe of the titular team. Sinister was shown to believe that the genetic material of Scott Summers and Jean Grey was what he needed to complete his research. This plot point is being revived in X-Men ’97 episode 3, as his plan to use Madelyne Pryor to steal Nathan Summers comes to fruition. Sinister wished to use Nathan to achieve his goal but was thwarted by Madelyne and Cyclops. In X-Men ’97 episode 3’s ending, Sinister faded into the shadows, setting up his continued opposition to the mutant team.
Aside from Storm’s meeting with Forge, arguably the biggest question of X-Men ’97 episode 3’s ending is what will become of Madelyne Pryor. In the episode, Madelyne devolved into madness brought on by Mister Sinister, becoming the Goblin Queen like in Marvel Comics. In the comics, however, this sets Madelyne on a path of villainy as a recurring antagonist.
While X-Men ’97 episode 3 sets up Madelyne to be a future character, she is free of Mister Sinister’s control. Given the slight differences in her origin story, Madelyne has shaken the grip of the Goblin Queen and sets out to make her own life. She believes it is not fair for her and Jean to live around one another, not knowing which memories belong to which being. As such, X-Men ’97 episode 3’s ending sets up a different future for Madelyne Pryor from Marvel Comics, potentially hinting at a more benevolent hero to ally with the titular mutants.
New episodes of X-Men ’97 release every Wednesday on Disney+.