X-Men ’97 Season 2 is officially entering the Age of Apocalypse. The end of X-Men ’97‘s first season was pure setup, with the mutants scattered across time and space. One group of X-Men is stranded in ancient Egypt, another in the far future, and they presumably need to be returned to 1997 before Apocalypse triumphs in the present as well.
ComicBook is proud to reveal an exclusive clip in which Bishop and Forge explain the timelines. As in the comics, Forge has successfully invented time travel, while Bishop has locked down the X-Men’s locations due to “ripples in the timestream.” He believes five X-Men are stranded in ancient Egypt (3,000 BC, at the Nile Delta), while another five are at the Atlantic Basin in 3,960 AD. Both of these are ages of Apocalypse; the immortal mutant was born in ancient Egypt, while he ruled the Earth of 3,960 AD.
There’s Only One Way to Fix the X-Men’s Timeline
In the present day, Bishop fears the X-Men’s own Earth is gradually aligning with the dystopian timeline he’s striven to avert. He believes the only way to put matters right is by bringing the X-Men back, shunting reality down a different path. To the end, Bishop and Forge are dividing their forces: Bishop is heading to Egypt, while Forge is going to the far future. It’s an interesting concept, because the Age of Apocalypse event featured a world where Forge had an interesting role; he successfully raised that universe’s version of Cable.
The five X-Men in the future are (believed to be) Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Morph, and Wolverine; that said, it’s reasonable to assume Bishop has made a mistake here, because we’ve seen Wolverine and Morph in what appear to be scenes set in the past, working alongside Task Force X. In the past, we have Professor X, Magneto, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Beast. Professor X and Magneto will no doubt make for an entertaining philosophic conflict, especially given they’re dealing with the rise of Apocalypse.
As well as the Age of Apocalypse event, X-Men ’97 Season 2 appears to be drawing on some of the most hated X-Men comic book stories – presumably attempting to redeem them. Bishop and Forge’s mission is similar to “The Twelve,” a would-be epic that began with X-Men scattered across time and space, with Cable seeking to retrieve them before they fall into Apocalypse’s hands. “The Twelve” landed poorly, partly because of behind-the-scenes drama, and it seems Marvel aim to put that right.
The interesting thing here, of course, is that X-Men ’97‘s temporal mechanics have wider significance. This show is part of the MCU multiverse, which means its temporal mechanics should really apply to the rest of the Multiverse Saga. We’ve just learned a little more about the time travel technology that’s possible in the MCU; temporal tracking, as well as time travel itself.
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