In Survival of the Fittest, the X-Men and the Brotherhood are sent to a summer camp for survival training, something of a high school rite of passage. During their time at the camp, Mystique releases Juggernaut, an unstoppable ‘mutant’, from his high-tech prison.

Mystique hopes to use Juggernaut to obtain Cerebro, Xavier’s mutant location system. However, Juggernaut’s rampage threatens both Charles Xavier and Mystique, forcing the X-Men and the Brotherhood to set aside their differences and work together to stop him.

The episode explores themes of cooperation, the challenges of leadership, and the necessity of unity in the face of a common threat. It highlights the tension between the two groups and their ability to overcome personal conflicts for a greater cause.

As Charles points out to Raven at the climax of the episode: the sight of the Brotherhood and the X-Men celebrating their victory shouldn’t be a rarity – and bodes well, if not for tomorrow, but definitely for the future…

In the mountains, the teenagers of Bayville High have just shipped in to a survival training camp. No one is particularly happy to be there.

At a secure prison, Mystique sets free and tries to make a deal with Juggernaut. She says she’ll get him out and take him to Xavier for revenge, all he has to do is bring her Cerebro. He knocks her down and tells her that no one takes him anywhere, or gets in his way. Then he smashes his way out of the prison.

Back at the camp, Lance and Scott race over an obstacle course. They both use their powers to cheat, which irritates Jean, who thought better of Cyclops. The X-Men and Brotherhood face off and argue over who should have won fairly. The coach, Hawk, blows the whistle and tells them that if they want to prove how tough they are, they have to get a flag from the top of Mt. Humiliation. Quicksilver says he can get the flag while his team takes a break, Nightcrawler says “not before I can”. Hawk tells them that the whole team has to reach the top and retrieve the flag together. Lance and Scott go after each other again and Jean breaks them up. They all agree not to use their powers to get the flag, but to play “fair”. Both teams take off.

Back at the Institute, Charles Xavier is keeping track of the X-Kids with Cerebro. Cerebro picks up a signature and Xavier finds out that it’s Juggernaut on the loose. Xavier explains to Wolverine that Juggernaut is Cain Marko, Xavier’s half-brother, and how he used mysticism to awaken his dormant X-gene. Juggernaut is now virtually invulnerable and wants to take revenge on Xavier for having him locked away. Storm attempts to intervene, but is unsuccessful.

The kids at the camp struggle to reach the top without using their powers. The Brotherhood find an abandoned mine that leads to the top and starts through it, but they kept trapped in the attempt. After a brief moment of debate, Jean wins the argument and the teens proceed to climb the cliff face. Lance panics, and trying to escape, causes a quake, almost killing Spyke. They find the Brotherhood and promise not to leave them.

Juggernaut finally arrives at the Institute, with Mystique not too far behind. Wolverine barely slows him down. Juggernaut reaches the Danger Room and Charles. Mystique comes in, yelling at Juggernaut for not holding up his end of the deal. He knocks her away and tells her that he doesn’t make deals. Mystique crawls backwards and is trapped with Xavier as Juggernaut advances.

At the top of the cliff and saving the Brotherhood, the teenagers are interrupted by Storm in the Blackbird who informs the teens that both of their mentors are in danger. They team up and return to the Institute, depositing the flag with proof of their teamwork to a confused Hawk.

The teens arrive at the Institute and take the Juggernaut on. Wolverine tells them to try to get Juggernaut’s helmet. Working together, the team release the helmet and Xavier uses his powers to render Juggernaut unconscious and he’s returned to the prison. As the X-Kids and Brotherhood cheer and congratulate one another, Mystique comments about it not being a sight you see everyday. Xavier agrees and Mystique takes the Brotherhood home.

Mystique releases the Juggernaut from captivity to gain access to Cerebro. She releases him from captivity in X-Men: The Last Stand. She’ll also mess with his cell in season three.

This version of the Juggernaut states more than once that he’s a solo act, so presumably he never met Black Tom Cassidy in this reality.

Xavier says that Cain activated his dormant mutant cells using mysticism. While he’s right about the mysticism, in the comic books Cain has never had mutant genes, but does have a loyalty to them: in recent times, the on-panel Juggernaut is now a fully-fledged member of the X-Men!

Unlike other versions of the story, this version of Professor X has never told the X-Men about Juggernaut. Charles, in many media interpretations, tends to conceal the whole truth from his students – even the very next episode of this very show!

Just an observation: the route to the top of the mountain to retrieve the flag is extremely dangerous, even for super-powered high school students who moonlight as superheroes. How did Hawk get the flag up there to begin with? Is it always there? Does he know that his class are mutants? Is he a mutant himself? Could he even be Cable in disguise? So many questions!

The Danger Room being the last line of defense against the unstoppable Juggernaut was a tactic Charles used in X-Men‘s The Juggernaut Returns. Also as in that episode, Cain easily navigates and destroys the room.

Just as Cyclops called for teamwork against him in The Unstoppable Juggernaut, the same happens here, except here it’s the X-Men teaming up with the Brotherhood. It won’t be the last time…

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