X-Men 97 Season 1 Finale Explained: Will there be a season 2?

Raviprakash Rao

Raviprakash Rao

X-Men 97 Season 1 has reached its conclusion and has triggered some interesting story arcs for Season 2.

To put it simply, yes X-Men 97 will get a Season 2. The show is a fantastic return to form for Marvel's mutant superhero group and they're finally getting the love they deserve on the small screen.

Most importantly, they're finally being integrated into Marvel's cinematic universe. The Season 1 finale is out for everyone to watch on Disney+. So what does it mean and where does the MCU go with Season 2 of X-Men 97? The show concluded a memorable arc from the comics and also went on to imply some interesting directions for the future.

What happened in the X-Men 97 Season 1 finale?

Bastion was the big villain to beat up for the X-Men 97 Season 1 finale
Bastion was the big villain to beat up for the X-Men 97 Season 1 finale

Episode 9 ended up being the climax of Season 1, ending on a major crossroad. and a major cliffhanger. Everything was going according to Bastion's plan for a new world order. Magneto declared war on humanity and Bastion unleashed Sentinel Primes upon the mutant world. The X-Men set out to stop this plan, and this is what we see in Tolerance is Extinction: Part 3.

The battle between Charles Xavier's X-Men and Magneto's forces (Just Rogue and Sunspot) is off for now, as Xavier enters Magneto's mind and tries to convince him to undo the damage and realize their mutual dream of coexistence and harmony. Meanwhile, the X-Men that were fighting Bastion and his army have lost the fight and are in his captivity.

Jean Grey turns into the White Phoenix and deactivates the Sentinel Primes around the world, stopping the war. But the Phoenix Force wore out after doing this, and an enraged Bastion tore off Cable's arm and used it to become stronger. He flew towards Asteroid M, where the X-Men were cooped, trying to save Magneto's mind after Xavier penetrated it. He wanted to launch the Asteroid into earth, causing an extinction crisis for both humans as well as mutants.

The X-Men collectively fought Bastion and defeated him. Meanwhile, the Human Government was contemplating whether or not to launch the Magneto Protocols, which they ultimately ended up doing.

What is the Magneto Protocol?

The President of the United States launched the Magneto Protocol in the X-Men 97 Season 1 finale
The President of the United States launched the Magneto Protocol in the X-Men 97 Season 1 finale

The Magneto Protocol is a fail-safe measure against Magneto's powers in the event he shuts down all power on Earth. They're a series of powerful electromagnetic satellites spread across space designed to counter Magneto's powers. When Magneto destabilized the Earth's magnetic centre in Episode 9, he triggered a global EMP that sent the Earth into chaos.

In addition to this, Bastion's Sentinel Prime program meant the Earth was left defenceless against the rampaging human sentinels under Bastion's control. It also appeared Asteroid M was on its way to Earth and it could cause an extinction-level cataclysm. In order to counter this, the Human President decided to launch the Magneto Protocol, despite Black Panther and Captain America's efforts to convince him otherwise.

Unfortunately, the X-Men had finally brought things under control with Magneto and it appeared Charles was beginning to get through to him. They had also defeated Bastion, when the satellites hit the asteroid, causing it to hurtle towards Earth. The X-Men decided to stay back on the Asteroid and bring it back to its orbital centre. As they struggled to do it, using their powers in unison, Xavier manages to save Magneto's brain as he finally uses his powers to reset the Earth's magnetic centre and stop the Asteroid.

What can we expect from X-Men 97 Season 2?

The Season 1 finale for X-Men 97 sets us up for the <em>Days of Future Past</em> storyline in Season 2.
The Season 1 finale for X-Men 97 sets us up for the Days of Future Past storyline in Season 2.

To start with, we don't know when we'll get a season 2. We do know the show sets itself up for one. In a shocking twist, right as the X-Men save humanity from Asteroid M, they're lost. Humanity assumes they have died, saving the planet in the process. We see Bishop is alive and he approaches Forge, claiming he knows where the X-Men are and wants to save them.

We then see that the X-Men are scattered across time. Jean and Cyclops are in the future. 3960 A.D., to be precise. The rest of the X-Men are in the past. Particularly, 3000 B.C., in ancient Egypt. Jean and Scott run into a group led by a young Nathan Summers and a woman who calls herself Mother Askani.

Comic readers will know this person is Rachel Summers, Jean and Scott's daughter from an alternate timeline. This part sets Season 2 up for the Days of Future Past timeline. The X-Men teleported to the past run into a young Apocalypse. So we're introduced to the potential villain of Season 2—an iconic foe of the X-Men who is among the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe.

Does the final X-Men 97 episode have a post-credits scene?

Apocalypse is seen in the Post-Credits of X-Men 97 Season 1 and he's potentially the Season 2 villain
Apocalypse is seen in the Post-Credits of X-Men 97 Season 1 and he's potentially the Season 2 villain

Yes. The Season 1 post-credits scene shows Apocalypse going through the ruins of Genosha. He comes across Gambit's burnt card and swears to make things right. This not only sets him up as the villain for Season 2, it also sets Gambit up for a return from death as one of Apocalypse's four horsemen. We also know that Wolverine's adamantium is removed from his body and his fate is as yet unknown.

In the comics, he becomes one of Apocalypse's horsemen and becomes Berserker Wolverine. So it's very likely from the post-credits scene that we could see a combination of the Days of Future Past storyline and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse storyline in season 2.

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