X-Men ‘97 celebrates National Villains Day by dropping an eye-popping poster featuring the franchise’s favorite antagonists, led by Magneto. But considering its timing ahead of the animated series’ three-part finale, titled Tolerance Is Extinction, many wonder what it could mean for the show’s conclusion.
Ahead of X-Men ‘97’s release in March, Marvel Studios released a visual that featured the images of the reboot’s main stars, Jubilee, Gambit, Rogue, Beast, Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, Wolverine, and Bishop.
Now, as the revival is about to end, it has replaced the protagonists’ images with the villains, and the poster now features Mojo, the X-Cutioner, Bolivar Trask, Magneto, Mister Sinister, a Sentinel, Henry Gyrich, Emma Frost, and Juggernaut.
X-Men ‘97’s National Villains Day Poster Explained
Most of the villains in the poster, like Mojo, the X-Cutioner, Bolivar Trask, Henry Gyrich, the Sentinels, and Mister Sinister, have unleashed their evil deeds in the first seven episodes of the series.
However, others, such as Magneto, Emma Frost, and Juggernaut, have yet to show their bad sides.
In fact, Magneto became an ally after he took on the role of Charles Xavier and led the X-Men.
The unexpected happened when he seemingly faced his death in Episode 5, Remember It, during the attack on Genosha.
In what seems to be one of the show’s biggest plot twists, Episode 7, Bright Eyes, shows Magneto alive and being held captive by Bastion.
But as no one knows what the mutant-hating machine plans to do with Magneto, could it be that he might use him against the X-Men and return to his evil roots?
As for Emma Frost, she’s believed to be one of the casualties of the murder of Genosha. But the previous episode shows that she has survived, thanks to her secondary mutation – her diamond form.
Though Frost is yet to be revealed as the series antagonist, it’s good to note that her diamond form has given her superhuman abilities and affected her personality, making her unable to empathize, appearing callous and cynical in the Marvel Comics.
Hence, this transformation may be revealed in the X-Men ‘97 finale episodes, though it remains to be seen if (or how) this will happen.
Lastly, Juggernaut has yet to appear in the reboot, so it has not been revealed if he will cause chaos in the mutant world.
But in the original X-Men: The Animated Series, Charles’ step-brother was one of the formidable adversaries, becoming a primary antagonist in a couple of episodes.
His appearance in The Dark Phoenix Saga solidified his status as a complex threat. So, if he returns to X-Men ’97, he will surely pose a big threat to the X-Men.
Just a little note: Fans are advised to take these assumptions with a grain of salt, as nothing has been confirmed yet.
As the series’ main villain, Bastion, isn’t included in the poster, it may mean nothing for the upcoming series finale and could only be used to honor National Villains Day.
X-Men '97 Episodes 8, 9, and 10, titled Tolerance Is Extinction – Part 1/2/3, are set to release on Disney+ every Wednesday, May 1, 8, and 15.
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