Tolerance Is Extinction (Part 3) concludes the trilogy with a potent blend of high stakes and raw emotion, tying up the season’s plotlines and paving the way for future adventures. With a substantial 42-minute duration, it delves deeper into thematic explorations and character interactions. The episode deserves acclaim for its nuanced depiction of Magneto’s turmoil and his complex relationship with Charles Xavier, while also tackling the ethical quandaries of Xavier’s telepathic interventions.

The Summers clan, especially Cyclops and Jean Grey, get their moments in the spotlight, demonstrating both their heroism and the intricate nature of their partnership. The episode reaches an emotional crescendo with Scott, Jean, and their son Cable’s psychic goodbye, slicing through the tangled family narrative to reveal the essence of their connection. Additionally, the show does not fall back on Cable’s time-travel as a narrative crutch, a choice that should resonates well with the audience.

The title of the episode hints at a thorough exploration of tolerance and extremism, yet you could say it shies away from fully addressing these heavy topics, postponing them to the following season. Nevertheless, the episode adds a compellingly dark dimension to Professor X, casting doubt on the ethics of his choices and the shadowy aspects of his vision for mutants.

Visually, the episode stands out with its energetic fight scenes and upholds the show’s reputation for stellar animation. The showdown with Bastion and the safeguarding of Asteroid M are especially remarkable for their fervour and magnitude. The X-Men get to use their powers will even more beautiful new moves that will delight fans.

Tolerance Is Extinction (Part 3) serves as an impactful season ender, skilfully blending thrilling action with poignant moments. It leaves the audience yearning for more, solidifying X-Men ’97‘s ability to engage viewers with its narrative and character arcs.

Wolverine lies critically wounded, prompting Xavier to seize control of Magneto‘s powers to restore Earth’s energy, inadvertently shattering his psyche. Jean Grey, tapping into the Phoenix Force, subdues Bastion with a power-dampening collar, reinstating the humanity of the Prime Sentinels and undoing Sinister‘s modifications on Cable.

The X-Men valiantly strive to avert Bastion’s plan to obliterate Earth with Asteroid M, but despite their efforts, the U.S. government’s missile strike sends the asteroid hurtling towards the planet. In a last-ditch effort, a revived Magneto, aided by Xavier, propels the asteroid into the cosmos where it detonates, leading many to believe the X-Men perished.

Half a year later, Bishop emerges with startling news for Forge: the X-Men are ensnared in the threads of time.

Cyclops and Jean find themselves in the year 3960 A.D., amidst a barren future, where they cross paths with Mother Askani and a youthful Nathan. Meanwhile, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Beast, Xavier, and Magneto face an ancient world in 3000 B.C. Egypt, encountering a nascent Apocalypse, known as En Sabah Nur.

In the present day, amid the desolate remnants of Genosha, Apocalypse discovers a playing card, a haunting remnant of Gambit, and laments the overwhelming presence of Death…

The latest opening sequence of our beloved mutant saga throws us back to a nostalgic flashback from Enter Magneto, where Xavier waxes poetic about his bromance with Magneto. They’re even seen brooding over drinks post-WWII, a scene mentioned in Remember It and seen in the pages of Uncanny X-Men #321.

The episode is a veritable who’s who of the Marvel Universe, with cameo appearances that’ll make your head spin: We’ve got the star-spangled man himself, Captain America, the blind acrobat Daredevil, the mystic Doctor Strange, the king of cool Black Panther, and the dynamic duo Cloak & Dagger. Not to mention, the Winter Guard’s very own Crimson Dynamo, Omega Red, and Darkstar (who we met in Red Dawn) and the northern lights of Alpha Flight featuring Northstar, Aurora, and Puck (Logan’s former partners from Repo Man). New Mutant Cipher and Psylocke (who disappeared after Beyond Good and Evil) tag along for good measure. And let’s not forget Iron Man, rocking his retro ’94 animated series suit.

Jean Grey’s dramatic emergence from the water is a déjà vu moment straight out of X-Men: The Last Stand, echoing a similar scene from The Dark Shroud and the iconic cover of Uncanny X-Men #101.

Senator Kelly’s dossier reveals the inception of ‘the Magneto Protocols’ in the pages of X-Men Unlimited #2. This file doesn’t just stop at government secrets; it spills the beans on his family tree, listing his trio of offspring. And for those keeping score on the silver screen, the actors that have brought him to life get a nod: a knight of the realm, Sir Ian McKellen, the magnetic Michael Fassbender, and the dearly departed David Hemblen.

Morph’s heart-to-heart with an injured Logan is a touching throwback to Wolverine #75, where the stakes were just as high as Logan’s fever.

Bastion’s upgraded robo-look is ripped right from the pages of the Second Coming storyline, where he played the grim reaper to both Nightcrawler and Cable.

In the comics, Magneto’s mind was wiped cleaner than a shiny adamantium claw, setting the stage for the villainous Onslaught. Enter Joseph, a younger, Magneto wannabe who crashed at the X-Mansion. Initially mistaken for the master of magnetism, Joseph turned out to be a clone. But fear not, the real Magneto eventually got his groove – and his memories – back. In this episode, Charles plays mental Lego, piecing together Magneto’s memories, reminiscent of their psychic pow-wows in Uncanny X-Men #309 and #319.

On a distant boat, Erik spots Rogue and his offspring, the speedy Quicksilver (last seen in The Phalanx Covenant (Part 2)) and the enchanting Scarlet Witch (AWOL since her debut in Family Ties). And let’s not overlook Lorna Dane, aka Polaris, the daughter with a paternity test more debated than a daytime talk show reveal! She first appeared in Cold Comfort.

Rogue and Bastion duke it out on the Blue Area of the Moon, the same spot where the X-Men had their tiff with the Imperial Guard during The Dark Phoenix Saga. This locale is also a favourite haunt for the Watcher and the Inhumans when they’re not busy elsewhere.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, a few New Yorkers pause their hustle to catch the lunar showdown on TV. Among them are Flash Thompson, Peter Parker, and Mary Jane Watson, giving us a nudge and a wink that Spider-Man has indeed found his lady love after his multiverse-hopping quest in the Spider-Man animated series’ finale, Farewell, Spider-Man. At this rate, we’ll be scraping the bottom of the X-Men episode barrel soon! An idea begins to form…

Graydon Creed, the all-too-human offspring of Mystique and Sabretooth and last seen with his proud papa in Bloodlines, took anti-mutant sentiment to new heights. His untimely demise in X-Factor #130 sparked the ominous Operation: Zero Tolerance. Fast forward a month, with the X-Men out of the picture, and what’s this on the radio? None other than Creed himself throwing his hat into the presidential ring! Talk about a plot twist!

In the world of comics, Forge has always been a man of mystery, and his real name has been a closely guarded secret. However, it seems that Chris Claremont, the mastermind behind the character, had jotted down ‘Daniel Lone Eagle’ in his original notes. Despite this, the name remained off-panel, until now. It’s official: the man with the mechanical know-how and a penchant for invention is none other than Daniel Lone Eagle.

Forge’s board is like the mutant version of a Where’s Waldo? book, but instead of striped shirts, we’re looking for missing X-Men. It’s a who’s who of mutants: Scarlet Witch, who’s probably off altering realities; Colossus, who’s apparently enjoying the Russian snow since Red Dawn; Dust, just a gust away; Archangel, last seen flying high in Beyond Good and Evil; Magik, likely in some mystical dimension; Iceman, who apparently ditched serving ice cream to escape Genosha in Remember It; Havok, Scott’s brother Alex, who’s been chilling since Cold Comfort; Quicksilver, running late as usual; Exodus, probably leading some mutant exodus; Kitty Pryde, likely walking through walls somewhere; and Emma Frost, being the diamond she is. It’s a roll call for the mysteriously absent, and Forge’s board has all the deets. If only it could tell us where they’ve all popped off to!

In the whirlwind of comic book adventures, Scott and Jean’s honeymoon was anything but typical. Right off the bat, they time-travelled to meet their future kiddo and his Askani nannies in The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix. There, they bumped into Nathan and Mother Askani, who, by all rights, could be rocking the Summers’ family name too.

En Sabah Nur, better known as Apocalypse, sports a youthful look straight out of 1996’s Rise of Apocalypse. In the world of animated antics, our time-traveling troublemaker was given a time-out outside of time itself by some freedom-loving psychics in Beyond Good and Evil. But like any good cartoon villain, he couldn’t stay away for long. He crashed back into reality in The Fifth Horseman, where he played a game of supernatural body-snatcher with Fabian Cortez. 

In the tantalizing post-credits scene, we catch Apocalypse on a scavenger hunt in Genosha, where he snags a queen of hearts playing card, a cheeky nod to Gambit and Rogue’s tumultuous romance. With a sombre tone, he laments the extensive demise, and one can’t help but wonder if he’s referring to ‘Death’ with a dramatic uppercase ‘D’, given that both Gambit and Wolverine have played tag with the title of Death as Apocalypse’s Horsemen in the comic lore. To be continued indeed…

Tolerance is Extinction (Part 2) | To Be Continued!