Spoilers ahead for Episode 5 of X-Men '97, titled "Remember It."
Marvel is consistently putting out new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Hardcore fans who have spent years watching Marvel movies in order were hyped about the animated series X-Men '97, which followed up on the beloved '90s animated series. Critics are raving about the new X-Men show as are fans. And after the devastating events of Episode 5, fired creator Beau DeMayo has broken his silence to address what happened to our beloved mutants.
Beau DeMayo was fired shortly before X-Men '97 premiered for fans, the circumstances of which are still largely a mystery. He's been largely off of social media, but posted on Twitter after seeing how fans responded to the events of Episode 5, which seemingly killed off both Gambit and Magneto. Some of his long response reads:
Episode 5 was the centerpiece of my pitch to Marvel in November 2020. The idea being to have the X-Men mirror the journey that any of us who grew up on the original show have experienced since being kids in the 90s. The world was a seemingly safer place for us, where a character like Storm would comment on how skin-based racism was ‘quaint’ in 'One Man's Worth' [the season 4 opener for the original X-Men animated series] . For the most part, to our young minds, the world was a simple place of right and wrong, where questions about identity and social justice had relatively clear cut answers.
It sounds like DeMayo's plans for X-Men '97 were very much tied into the events of Episode 5, which devastated fans. Indeed, none of us could have expected the trip to Genosha to include so many character deaths, particularly from the main cast like Gambit and Magneto. And all of that was part of the story he wanted to tell, reflecting on outsiders who grew up in the '90s.
Later in that same tweet, Beau DeMayo addressed the handling of fan favorite character Gambit in the animated series. He seemingly made him as likable as possible in X-Men '97's first episodes, before taking him away from Rogue and the fans. What's more, the attack on Genosha is tied together with contemporary events like the Pulse Massacre. As he explained:
Yes, it looked like Gambit's story was going a specific direction. The crop top was chosen to make you love him. Him pulling off his shirt was intentional. There's a reason he told Rogue any fool would suffer her hand in a dance, even if it ended up not being him suffering. But if events like 9/11, Tulsa, Charlottesville, or Pulse Nightclub teach us anything, it's that too many stories are often cut far too short. I partied at Pulse. It was my club. I have so many great memories of its awesome white lounge. It was, like Genosha, a safe space for me and everyone like me to dance and laugh and be free. I thought about this a lot when crafting this season and this episode, and how the gay community in Orlando rose to heal from that event.
After learning about DeMayo's connection with Pulse Nightclub, it puts the entire episode into a new perspective. Throughout "Remember It" fans are treated to glimpses of a number of beloved characters from X-Men lore. Each of them use their abilities freely, offering the audience (and Rogue) a look at an idealistic future for mutants. Needing and thriving in that safe space is something that many LBGTQ+ folks have felt firsthand in bars like Pulse.
Beau DeMayo connected the real world with the events of X-Men '97 further, offering:
Like many of us who grew up on the OG cartoon, the X-Men have now been hit hard by the realities of an adult and unsafe world. Life's happened to them. And they, like we did, will have to decide which parts of themselves they will cling to and which parts they'll let go of in order to do what they've been telling humanity to do: face an uncertain future they never saw coming. As Trask told Cyclops in the premiere: ‘You have no idea what it's like to be left behind by the future.’ Now the X-Men do, and like each of us, they'll have to weigh whether this is a time for social justice — or as Magneto preached at his trial — is it a time for social healing
With all this in mind, it should be fascinating to see where the final episodes of X-Men '97 take its beloved cast of characters. The series has taken bold narrative swings, some of which were straight out of the comics. In just a few episodes we saw Jean Grey's clone revealed, Magneto and Rogue's romantic relationship revealed, and (of course) Storm losing her powers. One thing is clear: I'll be tuning in.
X-Men '97 airs new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+. Check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
