The season 1 finale of Marvel Studios' acclaimed animated series, X-Men '97, hit Disney+ last Wednesday, and the events of "Tolerance is Extinction - Part 3" may have given us a pretty good idea of which characters will be undergoing a major personality change when the show returns for its second season.
If you haven't watched the episode yet, spoilers follow.
In the closing moments of the drama-filled finale, the team managed to defeat Bastion and prevent Asteroid M from destroying the planet, but the heroes ended up being transported through time in the process (by who or what remains to be seen).
Xavier (Ross Marquand), Magneto (Matthew Waterson), Rogue (Lenore Zann), Nightcrawler (Adrian Hough), and Beast (George Buza) find themselves in Egypt in the year 3,000 B.C., where they encounter a younger En Sabah Nur (Adetokumboh M'Cormack); while Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) and Cyclops (Ray Chase) land way into the future in the year 3960 A.D. where they meet a younger version of their son, Nathan Summer, aka Cable.
The post-credits scene then takes us to Genosha in the present-day timeline, as Apocalypse stands by Gambit's grave, holding one of his signature playing cards. "So much pain, my children," says the immortal villain. "So much... death."
This seems like a pretty clear hint that Remy Lebeau is going to be resurrected to serve as one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, Death, as he has in the comics. But who will join him as War, Famine and Pestilence?
Well, the most obvious guess would be the three X-Men that remained unaccounted for at the end of the season: Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), Wolverine (Cal Dodd), and Morph (JP Karliak).
Logan has been a servant of Apocalypse in the comics (though he also took the mantle of Death), but Storm and Morph have not. The series has stuck pretty close to the source material up to this point, however, so there's a chance Angel/Archangel and two other characters will be introduced during season 2 to fill the final spots.
What do you make of this theory? Do you think Gambit, Wolverine, Storm and Morph will be unveiled as the Four Horsemen when X-Men '97 returns for its second season? Drop us a comment down below.
Beau DeMayo, who was fired as showrunner prior to the premiere, serves as head writer, while episodes are directed by Jake Castorena, Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura. Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and DeMayo executive produce.
"A band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they're challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future. New Episodes, New Era," reads the official synopsis.