Night of the Sentinels (Part 2) continues the thrilling narrative established in the first episode: the X-Men, having rescued Jubilee from the clutches of the Sentinels, now face the daunting task of infiltrating the Mutant Control Agency to destroy the records of registered mutants. This episode delves deeper into the themes of persecution and resistance, showcasing the X-Men’s determination to protect their kind from a society that fears and misunderstands them. The action-packed sequences and emotional depth of this episode exemplify the series’ commitment to mature storytelling and complex character development.

The success of X-Men was a game-changer for Marvel and the superhero genre on television. The show’s popularity not only secured it five successful seasons but also played a crucial role in expanding the X-Men franchise. The animated series introduced a new generation to the world of mutants, significantly boosting the X-Men’s profile and leading to a surge in comic book sales and merchandise.

This newfound popularity paved the way for the X-Men’s transition to the big screen. Starting with X-Men in 2000, the franchise has since produced 14 movies, including spin-offs and reboots, which have collectively grossed billions of dollars worldwide. The cinematic success of the X-Men films further solidified their place in popular culture and demonstrated the enduring appeal of these characters and their stories.

In addition to the films, the legacy of X-Men continues with the sequel series, X-Men ’97. Premiering in 2023, this new series aimed to recapture the magic of the original while introducing the X-Men to a new generation of viewers. The enduring impact of Night of the Sentinels and the series as a whole is a testament to the timeless appeal of the X-Men and their fight for acceptance and justice

Wolverine, Storm, Beast and Morph break into the Mutant Control Agency’s base and are about to walk into a room where armed guards are waiting for them. Wolverine smells the guards and alerts his allies. Storm blasts down the door and knocks all the guards out. Outside, several vehicles begin unloading troops, and Cyclops, Rogue, and Gambit engage them in combat. Inside, Morph clears the file room of soldiers, and Beast starts deleting the computer files on known mutants while the others destroy the hard copies.

Meanwhile, Jubilee wakes up in another location and is interrogated by Henry Peter Gyrich about the Sentinel fight at the mall. Bolivar Trask enters and argues with Gyrich about capturing a mutant so soon and the slow production of the Sentinels.

Back at the Mutant Control Agency’s base, Wolverine, Storm, Beast and Morph are escaping after destroying the files on mutants when Sentinels ambush them, capturing Beast and apparently killing Morph. Despite Wolverine’s demands to go back for their teammates, the rest of the X-Men escape back to the mansion. When they arrive, Cyclops and Wolverine almost fight until Jean Grey steps in and tells the team that Beast is still alive but Morph is dead. Wolverine leaves after tearing the roof off Cyclops’ car.

Beast is arrested and taken into a cell where Gyrich tries to interrogate him, but Beast refuses to answer. The President of the United States appears on television, talking about the mutants’ attack on the base and how the Sentinels were used to stop them. Cyclops finds Wolverine and tells him to find the Sentinel’s base, which Wolverine agrees to do. Gyrich meets with the President, who orders him to stop his mutant registration program, wondering if the X-Men had a good reason to attack the base. Gyrich angrily walks out and receives a call from Jubilee’s foster father. Cyclops arrives at Jubilee’s foster parents’ house and tells them that Jubilee may have been kidnapped by the Sentinels, but Jubilee’s father tells him to leave as he was to call Gyrich if anyone came asking about Jubilee. Cyclops leaves and is attacked by a Sentinel but manages to damage it so it flies off to return to base, unknowingly being tracked by the Blackbird.

At the Sentinel base, where Jubilee is being held captive, Gyrich arrives and tells Trask that they are moving the Sentinel program overseas as the government has withdrawn its support and their funding may be cut. The damaged Sentinel crashes into the base’s power generator, causing the electricity to fail and allowing Jubilee to escape. Jubilee is almost attacked by a group of Sentinels before the X-Men arrive and destroy them. Gyrich and Trask manage to escape, and the X-Men take Jubilee back home with them.

Jubilee later visits her foster parents and tells them that she will be moving to the Xavier Institute with the X-Men. She arrives back at the mansion while Scott questions his decision to leave Beast and Morph behind, but Jean tells him he did what he had to do for the good of the team.

Bolivar Trask, who made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men #14 is the creator of the Sentinels. Ironically, both of his children in the comics were mutants. In the original story he dies and his family take up his mantle, causing generations of Sentinels to be built. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, he appears as the main antagonist and is played by Peter Dinklage.

Morph’s death in this episode is a deliberate echo of Thunderbird’s death in Uncanny X-Men #95. The producers were keen to show that being an X-Man was dangerous and re-invented Morph for the series so that they could be killed off. This backfired when the character was proven so popular they became another comic book trope and was resurrected by season two.

Beast was never intended to be a permanent character on the series, which is why he is sent to jail to await trial at the end of the episode. The character was incredibly loved however, and he was added to the regular line-up.

Jubilee’s arrival at the steps of Xavier’s Mansion mirrors Kitty Pryde’s arrival in Uncanny X-Men #138.

FADE OUT

The closing credits for season one are unique compared to the rest of the show’s run. They feature each team member with a CGI model of the character and a brief description of their powers. It always cuts to the Saban logo before the end, leaving Jubilee’s card unseen.

The British VHS release combined the first two episodes of the series using the original aired pilot. Riddled with animation errors that were corrected by the series’ full release in 1992, the movie also does not contain the Saban logo in the same place, revealing Jubilee’s card to the viewers! X-Men ’97 resurrected this style of end credits.

Night of the Sentinels (Part 1) | Enter Magneto