X-Men ʼ97: Beau DeMayo’s Finale Finally Aims to Do 1 Storyline Right in Season 2 That Was Butchered by Hugh Jackman’s X-Men Movies

SPOILERS ahead for X-Men ’97.

Despite the raucous criticism that arose in the aftermath of Bryan Singerʼs atrocious fourth film (X-Men: Apocalypse) in his X-Men directorial biography, nothing seemed to go right in the mutant universe until Beau DeMayoʼs X-Men ʼ97.

Other than a few good scatterings here and there from Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) and James Mangold (The Wolverine), the Foxverse suffered and lagged under the curse of franchise sequels. Bryan Singerʼs exit after X2 took the life out of the X-Men universe until he appeared again in 2014 armed with the futuristic and brilliantly paced script of X-Men: Days of Future Past. 

In hindsight, even though the 2014 film baked the already confusing timeline into an even greater mess, it was still a high point for the mutant universe considering what was to come soon after.

X-Men ʼ97 Emerges From the Ruins of the Live-Action Films

After leaving the franchise he kickstarted in 2000 with the aptly titled X-Men, Bryan Singerʼs return 11 years later with Days of Future Past seemed to bring back the good old days of glorious Foxverse films. But that hope was quickly strangled into a quiet death after X-Men: Apocalypse did the exact opposite of what its predecessor promised.

Moving past the atrocity of Apocalypse proved difficult for the director, given the timely allegations against his reputation making him a blacklisted name across all Hollywood platforms. Moreover, with the cinematic future of X-Men thrown into disarray after James Mangoldʼs beautifully crafted Logan, it seemed like the perfect time to return to the roots of Marvel by bringing back the Age of Animation.

The plan that originated after the merger of Walt Disney Pictures and 20th Century Fox – effectively bringing Marvel and Foxverse under the same umbrella – now employed the brilliance of technologically evolved graphics and animation and the storytelling prowess of the writers room available at the beck and call of Marvel Studios.

From this union emerged X-Men ʼ97 which evoked the nostalgia of the bygone era and the glory of the X-Men universe, superimposing all the goodness of the comics, righting the wrongs committed by the live-action films, and reminding the audience what it felt like to be comic books fans again.

X-Men ʼ97 Looks to Reinstate Apocalypse to Its Rightful Place

While the mutants held themselves back to promote an image of peace, compliance, and stability, Genosha was massacred by Magneto in a final act of his fury. But those who imagined such an act being the equivalent of a series climax and the ultimate showdown that segues the narrative into the second season were in for a surprise.

Beau DeMayoʼs X-Men ʼ97 finale brought back one ʼ90s supervillain in a ridiculously mind-blowing plot twist that will definitely redeem one major flaw in the live-action X-Men timeline. While Bryan Singer failed to do justice to both Oscar Isaac and his arc as Apocalypse, DeMayo does the exact opposite by introducing the villain into the story in all his maniacal glory.

After X-Men ʼ97 Episode 5 essentially predicted the future of the series arc, the finale set up not just the Age of Apocalypse in Season 2 but also a strong possibility of Gambit being brought back to life as Death.

With Apocalypse and Mister Sinister holding all the cards right now, their unending rein of chaos and destruction over all life everywhere promises to do right by the supervillain by showing his true potential for tyranny and the extent of his evil existence, something that X-Men: Apocalypse failed to do despite the presence of a stellar cast.

X-Men ʼ97 Season 1 is available for streaming on Disney+.