Warning: This article contains spoilers for X-Men '97 episode 8, "Tolerance is Extinction."
Summary

• X-Men '97 episode 8 took inspiration from Marvel Comics' huge Fatal Attractions crossover event from 1993.
• Magneto triggered a global EMP in X-Men '97 episode 8 to wipe out Bastion's Prime Sentinels threatening mutants around the world.
• Fatal Attractions being adapted for X-Men '97 could hint at some dark storylines unfolding in the series' final two episodes.

The events of X-Men '97 episode 8 hint at yet another major Marvel Comics storyline being adapted for the animated series, spelling bad news for the X-Men in the series' final two episodes. Set outside the MCU, X-Men '97 continues the story of the titular team from X-Men: The Animated Series, which previously ran for five seasons between 1992 and 1997. The X-Men, now under the leadership of Magneto following Professor X's departure from Earth, have battled several villains already in X-Men '97, but episode 7, "Bright Eyes," revealed the human-Sentinel hybrid Bastion had been manipulating events behind the scenes.
Bastion set Operation: Zero Tolerance into motion in X-Men '97 episode 8, "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 1." This initiative activated Prime Sentinel sleeper agents who targeted mutants, posing a significant threat to the X-Men by threatening to bring about an Evolutionary War. This was just the latest salvo in Bastion's plans, as he orchestrated the attack on Genosha in X-Men '97 episode 5, "Remember It," culminating in Gambit's death and Magneto's abduction. However, Bastion may have made his biggest mistake by taking Magneto captive, as the Master of Magnetism proved his power in X-Men '97 episode 8's final moments.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Related Doctor Doom's X-Men Cameo Made Marvel's New Mutant Threat So Much Worse Doctor Doom"s surprise cameo appearance in X-Men "97 raises the stakes even higher for the animated show"s final episodes and the franchise"s future.
X-Men ’97 Episode 8 Saw Magneto Pull Off His Fatal Attractions Move From Marvel Comics Close Throughout X-Men '97 episode 8, Magneto listened to Bastion explain Operation: Zero Tolerance to United Nations operative Valerie Cooper, including the details of him cybernetically enhancing regular humans, who would then activate as Prime Sentinels when in the presence of mutants. Cooper soon understood Bastion's true evil nature, so helped to free Magneto, who proceeded to travel to the North Pole and emit a global electromagnetic pulse, wiping out all electronic devices on Earth, including the activated Prime Sentinels. X-Men '97 has already adapted some of Marvel Comics' most memorable storylines, and this sequence brought yet another into the series.
Marvel Comics' Fatal Attractions was a major crossover event spanning many X-Men-related stories in 1993. This saw Magneto return after being presumed dead following the fall of Asteroid M, and he joined with his followers, the Acolytes, to attack the government's latest Sentinel program and attempt to wipe out humanity from their space station, Avalon. When the United States Security Council activates the Magneto Protocol, releasing satellites designed to prevent Magneto from using his powers, the Master of Magnetism releases an EMP and destroys them, wreaking havoc on Earth's electrical systems, just as he did in X-Men '97 episode 8.
X-Men '97 has taken inspiration from several other Marvel Comics events, including Inferno, E is for Extinction, The Trial of Magneto, Lifedeath, Magneto Rex and Operation: Zero Tolerance, among others.
How Magneto’s Attack Could Have Serious Repercussions For X-Men ’97 The fact that X-Men '97 seems to have taken inspiration from Marvel Comics' Fatal Attractions could have serious repercussions for the upcoming two episodes of the series. While the Acolytes haven't appeared in X-Men '97, and Avalon hasn't been introduced, the inclusion of Magneto's global EMP in the series hints at some of Fatal Attractions' most intense scenes also being adapted. Most notably, when the X-Men traveled to Avalon to try and stop Magneto, the villain brutally ripped the adamantium from Wolverine's skeleton, leaving him seriously injured, and this would be a harrowing moment to depict in X-Men '97's finale.
Even if this dramatic scene isn't adapted into animation for X-Men '97's final two episodes, the aftermath of Magneto sending an EMP out across the entire planet will have major implications for society as a whole. Anything electrical will cease to function, leaving X-Men '97 in something of a Dark Age for its final episodes, which could throw a spanner in the works of Bastion's Prime Sentinel plan. This could also see Magneto reclaim his previous position of the series' primary antagonist, especially now that his old friend and archenemy Professor X has returned to Earth from the Shi'ar Empire.
Fatal Attractions Answers The Professor X Vs. Magneto Debate Magneto has spent much of X-Men '97 trying to lead the X-Men using Professor X's philosophy - that humans and mutants can coexist peacefully. However, the events of X-Men '97 episode 8, and Professor X's return to Earth, may see Magneto revert to his original belief system, particularly since several characters have already claimed that "Magneto was Right". This means X-Men '97 episodes 9 and 10 could see Magneto try and eradicate humanity, just as he did during Marvel Comics' Fatal Attractions crossover event, and this would certainly bring him back into conflict with Professor X and the X-Men team.
Related Marvel Just Made Professor X's X-Men Failure Worse Than I Ever Imagined Charles Xavier has strived for peace between humans and mutants but X-Men "97 reveals that even alien races have had their anti-mutant biases.
Should Magneto continue his destructive streak in X-Men '97's upcoming episodes, particularly if he ends up tearing the adamantium from Wolverine's body, Professor X may mind-wipe the Master of Magnetism, just as he does in Marvel Comics' Fatal Attractions. Ultimately, this action unleashed the evil psychic entity Onslaught, which created an even greater problem for the X-Men in 1996. This could be setting up this major Marvel Comics storyline to be adapted in X-Men '97 season 2, as Onslaught, formed from the combined dark personas of both Magneto and Professor X, is one of Marvel Comics' most memorable X-Men-related villains.
X-Men ’97 Mirrors Fatal Attractions In Other Key Ways, Though Has 1 Major Difference There have been several moments in X-Men '97 that seem to have been inspired by Marvel Comics' Fatal Attractions, though Magneto's electromagnetic pulse is the most notable instance. Fatal Attractions unfolds during a time when Magneto is presumed dead following the fall of Asteroid M, and X-Men '97 episode 8 takes place in the days after Magneto's presumed death during the attack on Genosha. This meant that Magneto's EMP, in both instances, was his grand reintroduction to the world, though there is one major difference separating these two storylines, as Magneto is not yet an outright villain in X-Men '97.
Professor X also uses a Shi'ar exoskeleton to walk in Marvel Comics' Fatal Attractions, which was already seen in X-Men '97 episode 6, "Lifedeath - Part 2."
Magneto sent out an EMP in Marvel Comics' Fatal Attractions to save his own skin, but used this technique in X-Men '97 to shut down the Prime Sentinels threatening mutants around the world. While it remains to be seen whether Magneto's heroism in X-Men '97 episode 8 will be twisted back into his war against humanity, at least he was more well-intentioned in X-Men '97 than he was in Marvel Comics. This could mean that Magneto and Professor X may band together to lead the X-Men and defeat Bastion in the series' final two episodes, rather than battling each other.
X-Men '97 AnimationAdventureActionSuperhero X-Men '97 is the direct continuation of the popular 1990s animated series X-Men: The Animated Series. Taking up where the third season left off, Marvel's revival brings back famous mutants such as Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Cyclops, Beast, Magneto, and Nightcrawler, who fight villains like Mr. Sinister, the Sentinels, and the Hellfire Club.
Release Date March 20, 2024 Streaming Service(s) Disney+ Writers Beau DeMayo Upcoming MCU Movies
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