RECAP: X-Men 97 Season 2, Episode 5
And now for something completely different. After the brutal ending of the Apocalypse origin two-parter, we’re back in the present (well, “present” for this show, which is set in the late 90s) for this bottle episode. No time-travel, but plenty of savagery as we followed Wolverine and Morph (MVP of this episode) along with a ragtag group of Weapon X survivors as they attempted to track down the secretive shop that turned them into killing machines, but encountered vicious creatures of an entirely unexpected variety. I appreciated the pivot from all the big-picture time-travel and destiny subplots, but this felt really rushed and contained some questionable motives for several of the featured characters.
Read on for my take on “X-Men ‘97” Season 2 Episode 5, “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” Warning: there WILL be spoilers! Read on at the end for speculation on where we may be going next, as well as some Easter Eggs based on someone who has been reading X-Men comics (and comics in general) since the mid-1980s.
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TOP 10: Characters We Want in “X-Men ‘97”
I’ll go through each character featured in this episode, from the least essential to the most.
Garrison Kane
The episode begins with Morph and Wolverine flying former Weapon X subjects to the Arctic on the pretense of shutting down Weapon X once and for all, and Kane is one of the squad. For about 2 minutes, after which he is killed brutally in the crash. I cackled. Listen, Garrison Kane is indisputably 90s. He was introduced early in the original X-Force run as a former mercenary connection of Cable, who got hooked into the Weapon X program during its second iteration, and given cybernetic arms that could turn into various weapons. Super “extreme,” super 90s, super lame. Kane was never a significant character in the comics — there just isn’t much “there” there — and when he was offed so quickly in the episode, it called to mind the hilarious X-Force sequence in Deadpool 2. In “X-Men ‘97,” he died as he lived: barely getting any attention.
Maverick
Maverick is a more interesting character, but still thoroughly C-list. Although he did have his own comic series at one point! He was also part of the original Weapon X program — along with Wolverine and Sabretooth, with whom he served on Team X — a multinational mercenary whose mutant power of absorbing kinetic energy is kind of secondary to his primary use, which is shooting people real good. Maverick’s primary role here is to deliver one of the episode’s most hilarious Easter Eggs, as he references Bill Paxton’s iconic, “Game over, man! Game over!” from Aliens when the episode’s true threat was revealed. Other than that, Maverick was largely disposable, and I believe he ended up dead by the end.
Omega Red
The Russian answer to Weapon X returns after a few appearances in the original animated series, once again froze in a stasis tube. It makes perfect sense that the Weapon X program would want to experiment on Omega Red, so I have no issues with that. I also thought he was used to great effect here, really showing why he’s a massive threat. As was pointed out this episode, Omega Red is essentially a living zombie who sucks the life out of people with his death tendrils. I thought he was perhaps a bit too easily dispatched by Wolverine at the end, but I also don’t think that’s the last we’ll see of him. Yes, he was in an underground lair that exploded and was filled with vicious alien creatures, but again: he’s a living zombie. And we didn’t see his body.
Sabretooth
I enjoyed watching Sabretooth this episode, even if the character was not actually Sabretooth as we’ve come to know him from the original show, or the source material. First and foremost, I do not think Wolverine would ever reach out Sabretooth for some buddy-copy mission. That’s wildly out of character, for both of them. Second, I don’t recall Creed being this wisecracking in the original series, or in any media frankly. I get it, they wanted a bitchy counterpoint for Morph, to poke at what’s going on with him and Logan. But this felt like putting a character into a role that doesn’t make sense just for the sake of the plot. I also thought making Creed some kind of IT expert was a wild decision. So while I found Sabretooth entertaining here, it felt like a real misuse of the character. That’s unusual for this show.
Lady Deathstrike
I also question Wolverine working by choice with Lady Deathstrike, who in this continuity is not just a cybernetically enhanced murderer, but also Logan’s ex-girlfriend. She’s a kind of an amalgam of the comic-book Deathstrike and Wolverine’s great tragic loves, Mariko Yoshida and Silver Fox. That said, her characterization was more believable than Sabretooth here. Deathstrike hates Weapon X, because it stole the adamantium-bonding process created by her father. It’s believable she would go along with this mission, even if she hates Wolverine himself. She also served as a reality check for Morph and his increasingly toxic situation with Logan. She escapes the episode alive, but am I the only one who caught a moment that implied she may have been corrupted by the real threat pursuing them?
Dr. Cornelius/Weapon X
One of my least-favorite elements of this episode was how Dr. Cornelius and the Weapon X program ended up being an afterthought and, really, a red herring. The Weapon X program has ruined the lives of a great many mutants — as referenced by the DVDs (see more in the Speculation Section). Dr. Cornelius in particular is a real son of a bitch. The fact that he was dispatched so abruptly did not sit well with me. The idea of Cornelius and Weapon X experimenting on the Brood is totally something would happen. I just didn’t love that this critical element of X-lore was just kind…wiped out in like 20 minutes. Especially because there are so many other concepts attached to Weapon X that have yet to be introduced in this series.
The Brood
The Brood have an interesting history with animated X-projects. In the original X-Men animated series, the alien creatures weren’t used, but their basic role and motivations were handed over to a slightly less terrifying (and less-Alien referential) species, The Colony. I believe this is the first animated appearance of these characters, outside of the X-Men anime series opening credits (which are badass). As much as I disliked Weapon X being used as a patsy here, I thought they did a great job making the Brood terrifying. And they are! The Brood have nearly wiped out the X-Men on several many occasions in the comics, including the great Brood arc in the mid-1980s with a Wolverine-starring cover directly referenced in this episode. Did we see the end of the Brood here? We’ll have to see.
Wolverine
Logan was ostensibly the star of this episode, after being largely sidelined for the first four episodes this season. I think there’s a great Weapon X episode to be made by this series, and I don’t think this was it, and that mostly comes down to Wolverine’s characterization and motivations. Wolverine tracking down Weapon X to take down tracks. Wolverine asking multiple murderers who have specifically tried to kill him — and did kill his loved ones — makes no sense. Wolverine opting to not include any of the X-Men on this mission makes sense, but allowing Morph to tag along? Hard to buy. But Wolverine lying to everyone, and engaging in this crazy mission solely to get his adamantium back? That is hard to swallow.
It also feels completely unearned. Wolverine getting his adamantium ripped out by Magneto is a pivotal moment for that character. It happened at the very end of last season, and we barely got to see Wolverine grapple with his naturalized state. I don’t think he has made even a comment on screen about this, to anyone. I get it, they’ve been busy fighting Apocalypse in the future and the distant past. But why does Wolverine feel the need to jeopardize his life, Morph’s life, and the lives of these D-listers and people he hates, to go on what would have been an incredibly dangerous mission even if the Brood weren’t involved? None of it makes sense, and this whole arc has felt completely rushed.
So did the adamantium re-integration process. In less time than it takes you to microwave popcorn, Wolverine’s skeleton was bonded. That seems…really fast to me. And Wolverine, who was literally infected by the Brood at this point, apparently got out of it totally fine. The first time he was laced with adamantium, the pain literally broke the man’s mind and he wandered around the Canadian wilds essentially nude. So for me, this whole thing happened way too fast, and involved far too little nudity. You are better than this, show!
Morph
Morph was the actual star of this episode, and it provided a great reminder that they are one of this show’s best departures from the comic continuity. Morph’s relationship with Wolverine — I should say, their one-sided relationship — is juicy. While I don’t agree with Wolverine allowing Morph to accompany him on a mission this dangerous, I don’t doubt for a second that Morph would demand to be included.
In addition to providing much-needed comic relief to an otherwise dark and violent episode, Morph also served as a great POV character for the viewers, wondering what the hell Wolverine is thinking. Not just about going to such extreme lengths to be reforged, but also him dragging other people into it under false pretenses. It’s a terrible look for Logan, and I’m glad that Morph at least named that.
I also appreciated Morph’s Easter Egg shape shifting, including Puck and Vindicator from Alpha Flight (Weapon X is based in Canada, after all) and Deadpool (another Weapon X subject who has been curiously absent from this series so far). I still don’t understand how Morph is able to replicate the powers of the characters they are embodying (see also: Spider-Man), but I guess we just have to go with it. I also found the moment where Morph touched the Brood hivemind, but seemed to remain uncorrupted, dubious. I understand they needed it for the plot, but it feels strange that the Brood would opt not to corrupt Morph, given how versatile their powerset appears to be.
SPECULATION SECTION
Spoilers, including for things that have not/may not happen in the future.
-The DVDs that Morph found were labeled with a slew of characters who have had dealings with Weapon X in the comics, among them Aurora (also of Alpha Flight). Basically, every character on those spines is indeed a legit character from the comics.
-The blue guy shown in the DVD subjected to the Brood serum is Maggot, a late-90s X-Man whose ability is that he produces two indestructible slugs out of his abdomen that can eat through anything, and then supercharge him with the resulting energy. I’m bummed that he seemingly died here, as that character is perennially a sacrificial lamb in the comics. I think he’s a cool character with a fascinating power that could be an unlikely fan favorite with the right writer.
-The Brood have had multiple run-ins with the X-Men since the 1970s, and it’s cool to see them included here. A fun fact: in the 2010s “Wolverine and the X-Men” comic, a mutant Brood called Broo, who is hyper intelligent and separated from the Brood hivemind, actually becomes an X-Man, and a beloved character at that. During the Krakoa Era, he ultimately ascended to being the new Brood King.
What do you think of “X-Men ‘97”? Are you happy with Season 2 so far? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
