X-Men '97 Season 2, Episode 6, titled "Danger.exe," takes inspiration from another early 2000s comic by pitting the titular team against Danger, the living embodiment of the Danger Room.
In a condensed version of the Astonishing X-Men arc written by Joss Whedon and illustrated by the late John Cassaday, Polaris takes the place of Kitty Pryde in a 30-minute adventure that also borrows heavily from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's New X-Men (keep your eyes peeled for Quentin Quire's "Magneto Was Right" t-shirt).
With Polaris breaking away from X-Factor, her role in stopping Danger cements her as the newest addition to the X-Men. And, while the episode handles the villain as a one-and-done threat, this leads to some big changes to the series moving forward, including the formation of X-Corp in Genosha.
While there's still a team of X-Men back at the Mansion, Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Beast gather to ready themselves for the threat of Apocalypse (incidentally, "Danger.exe" once again teases Onslaught's eventual debut, albeit briefly).
Talking of Apocalypse, X-Men '97 finally makes good on that big Gambit tease in the Season 1 finale when the fallen mutant is resurrected by Season 2's big bad. As his playing cards transform into tarot cards, it's apparent that he's become Death, and what that means for his former allies will be explored in the coming weeks.
X-Men '97 has very quickly moved on from the '90s-era of storytelling that defined X-Men: The Animated Series and its own first season, and now appears firmly rooted in the 2000s. That's evident in the costumes worn by X-Corp; already, those colourful, comic-accurate suits have been replaced with uniforms that, while featuring a little more personality than those used in the comics, still feel somewhat lacking.
It feels like a big shift may be coming as we head into Season 3, but for now, the X-Men (or X-Corp) will have their hands full with Apocalypse's newest Horseman.
X-Men '97 Season 2 continues with the heroic mutant team of X-Men, divided and thrown across different eras in time as they struggle to navigate their return home. Meanwhile, back in the 1990s, suspicious foes and new strains of mutant intolerance are on the rise in the wake of the X-Men’s absence.
The second season of the original animated series features 9 episodes, and the voice cast includes Ross Marquand as Professor X, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, and George Buza as Beast.
X-Men '97 Season 2 is now streaming weekly on Disney+. You can check out Gambit's transformation into Death below.