Warning! This article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 season 1.
X-Men ’97 has provided audiences with some of the most impressive displays of power from the X-Men ever seen outside the comics after only a single season. The many mutant powers of the X-Men franchise got plenty of time to shine in the new animated series, lovingly rendered with stunning animation. The show’s nature as a cartoon allows it to depict some truly jaw-dropping feats of strength and skill from both the members of the X-Men and their enemies.
Many of these moments are simply appreciable for the raw power they display, with Omega-level mutants like Storm, Jean Grey and Magneto all utilizing their powers to staggering effect. Just as often, the many fight scenes of X-Men ’97‘s first season show off some incredible creativity on behalf of the experienced heroes, utilizing their powers in creative ways that play off of one another. These types of scenes are by far some of the most incredible uses of the X-Men’s powers ever shown off in an adaptation, at least until X-Men ’97’s second season rolls around.
Few characters got more of a upgrade in X-Men ’97 in comparison to their Fox live-action X-Men movie depictions than Cyclops. The X-Men’s dedicated field leader, Scott Summers is demonstrated to be an incredibly capable combatant multiple times throughout the first season, with his optic blasts not to be underestimated. His first fight scene against the Friends of Humanity and his survival from a high-altitude fall with the use of his eye beams are impressive enough, but his final display of power in the season is by far his most captivating feat.
As Bastion sends Magneto’s hovering island crashing down towards the Earth, it’s up to the X-Men to attempt to destroy it or slow the fall enough to avert a cataclysmic disaster. Cyclops does his part by taking off his visor in order to fire off the full potential of his destructive concussive beam, eyes still wet with tears from a final goodbye to his son. Enrapturing animation aside, the raw destructive potential of Cyclops’ unmitigated optic blast is powerful enough to nearly rend Magneto’s base from the inside out.
Surprisingly for those more familiar with the live-action films, Wolverine actually has something of a more supporting role in X-Men ’97, not so much a main character compared to Cyclops, Jean Grey, or Jubilee. That being said, he is still certainly given his moment to shine towards the end of the series, alongside fan favorite Nightcrawler. As Logan struggles to defend Rogue’s near-comatose body from Bastion’s deadly Prime Sentinels with his six blades, Nightcrawler appears to lend three more in the form of his triple-wielded rapiers.
The brute-force fighting style of Wolverine is complimented by the animalistic agility of Nightcrawler in this incredible action setpiece, demonstrating just how experienced both mutants are in hand-to-hand combat. Nightcrawler’s teleportation is enough to make the Sentinels’ heads spin, and the lovingly-animated perspective shot of him dragging Wolverine and a Prime Sentinel through one of his teleports is just icing on the cake. The Prime Sentinels are no slouch in a fight, but the overwhelming tag team of Nightcrawler and Wolverine are able to hold them off despite being outnumbered.
While Gambit has always been an undeniably cool member of the original X-Men: The Animated Series lineup, he was never considered to be especially powerful. His ability to kinetically charge inanimate objects was usually limited to throwing cards and his bo staff, making him a worthy X-Men member, but far from a world-ending threat. However, the unbelievable mid-season finale of X-Men ’97 explained just how powerful Gambit’s mutation can be when pushed to its limit.
In a daring sacrifice play, Remy makes a literal gambit when he’s pierced by the massive Sentinel responsible for the terror attack on Genosha. Allowing himself to push his powers further than ever before, Gambit charges the entire robot with his trademark pink energy, destroying it in one fell swoop with a massive explosion. This alludes to the fact that Gambit actually self-imposed a limit on his powers in the comics, capable of blowing up the entire planet should he be careless with his application of it.
Though his allegiance to the X-Men wavers over the course of the season, Magneto has illustrated time and time again why he’s one of the most dangerous mutants in the animated X-Men continuity. His mastery of magnetism is demonstrated many times, but his most impressive feat in the first season is easily his ability to fire off a global electromagnetic pulse that almost permanently alters the magnetic poles of the Earth. Performed in tandem with a monologue from Dr. Valerie Cooper about how Magneto was right, this horrifying display of power isn’t easily forgotten.
After seeing the nation he was to protect laid to waste and being captured by the perpetrator, Magneto takes advantage of his newfound freedom, quickly flying to the snowy North Pole. His travel here soon becomes clear as he unleashes a massive wave of magnetic energy, damaging the Earth’s magnetic field and instantly sending humanity back into the dark ages. Millions may have died in the aftermath of his actions, and if it weren’t for Professor X’s psychic attack, he may have done permanent damage to the planet.
Following Jean Grey’s apparent death at the hands of Cable, the son of Cyclops and her clone, speculation ran rampant that X-Men ’97 would revive the telekinetic with the power of the Phoenix Force. These theories were quickly proven correct in the next episode, as Jean Grey rises from a lake having mustered full control over her cosmic alter ego. This boost in power is nearly enough to single-handedly eliminate both Mr. Sinister and Bastion, two of the series’ biggest villains, at the same time.
Jean is able to re-assemble the neutralizer collar meant to inhibit Bastion’s control over the Prime Sentinels, but her efforts are quickly thwarted. Mr. Sinister isn’t so lucky, being disassembled at a molecular level by the Phoenix’s precise telekinesis, his stolen mutant longevity stripped away. Morph’s taunting of the supposed genetic mastermind by shifting into his newly haggard face only rubs salt in the wound as the feeble villain flees, a testament to Jean Grey’s incredible powers as the Phoenix.
Storm’s all-encompassing weather powers have always been one of the most versatile and powerful mutations among the X-Men lineup. No scene in X-Men ’97‘s first season better demonstrates this than the initial fight with Master Mold’s sentinels, in which Storm earns her label as an Omgea-level threat. After simply being told by Cyclops to “Give ’em the forecast”, Storm lives up to her namesake by whipping up some devastating inclement weather.
Summoning winds powerful enough to lift the massive Sentinel robots into the air like toys, Storm almost seems capable of leveling the renewed Sentinel operation by herself. She also lashes out at the machines with lightning hot enough to turn the desert sands of the facility into glass, fueling the beautiful spectacle of her power’s animation. Whenever Storm unleashes such an awesome display of her mutation’s potential, it’s a relief to remember she’s on the side of the X-Men.
Due to his status as a refugee from Earth who ends up in the Shi’Ar empire, Professor X doesn’t get as much time to shine in X-Men ’97‘s first season compared to his former students. Even then, Charles Xavier prefers to talk things out when possible, not usually resorting to weaponizing his mutant gifts. However, the series does still treat audiences to a mind-boggling feat of psychic strength during the Professor’s time among the Shi’Ar, in which he cuts through the red tape of their political posturing.
Hoping to educate the alien warlords in a more pleasant setting, Professor X taps into his vast psychic abilities in order to pull an entire court of powerful Shi’Ar figures into an imaginary classroom within the astral plane. Not only is Professor X able to utterly dominate the minds of his ungrateful captors, but he does so while gently schooling them on the failings of their imperialist ideology, chastising them like misbehaving students. This gave the Shi’Ar story an interesting element beyond simply providing an avenue for Marvel Easter eggs in X-Men ’97.
While every X-Men member was hurt by Gambit’s death, no one was changed by it more than the late Cajun’s on-again-off-again lover, Rogue. In the finale, she finally gets the chance to get her hands on the genocidal cyborg behind the Genosha attack, Bastion. During her extended beatdown, Rogue gets to show off just how much of a heavy-hitter she is with some incredible moves.
Rogue may be better known for her life-sapping touch, but her permanent powers of flight, super strength and durability, courtesy of one Ms. Marvel, get a lot more mileage. While still shedding tears over Remy’s death, Rogue batters Bastion through Magneto’s base and onto the lunar surface, dragging his face through his beloved machinery before treating him to a point-blank thunderclap. Other than being incredibly satisfying, this moment shows off just how dangerous Rogue can be when she finally cuts loose.
Master Mold might not have been the most threatening villain in X-Men ’97, but if nothing else, he provided a great avenue for the team to re-introduce their battle experience to fresh audiences. After taking down dozens of Sentinels, the X-Men got to show off a practiced combination attack that made perfect use of several member’s unique abilities. These kinds of well-choreographed uses of multiple mutants’ powers in unison are some of the most engaging moments in the series.