In the season finale, the tension reaches a boiling point as the X-Men and the Brotherhood face off against Magneto, who is determined to reveal the existence of mutants to the world. Day of Reckoning (Part 2) delivers on its promise of intense battles and shocking twists – and sets up next season beautifully.

The episode kicks off with the Sentinel shutting down, causing scientists to rush in and cage Wolverine while diagnosing the mechanical giant. Meanwhile, the New Mutants find themselves running from the mansion’s defense systems, struggling to stay safe. As the X-Men and Brotherhood teams converge in their search for Magneto, they are ambushed by his Acolytes, leading to a series of explosive battles. At the Institute, the New Mutants look to Scott for leadership, only to witness the Institute itself exploding in a dramatic turn of events.

One of the key moments in this episode is the first meeting between Rogue and Gambit, adding a layer of intrigue and character development to the story. The fight between the X-Men, the Brotherhood, and Magneto’s forces continues above Trask’s lab, culminating in the reactivation of the Sentinel. This battle leads to the public revelation of mutants, changing the landscape of their world forever. Despite their efforts, Magneto’s crew manages to escape, and the Sentinel is ultimately destroyed. In a final twist, the Institute is shown to be in ruins, and Mystique reveals herself as the mastermind behind the chaos.

Day of Reckoning (Part 2) explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the lengths individuals will go to for their beliefs. We left asking one obvious question: where is Charles Xavier?

The Sentinel shuts down, prompting scientists to cage Wolverine and run a full diagnosis on the machine. At the Institute, the New Mutants flee from the mansion’s defences, while Tabitha, Amara, and Scott enter via a back way and make their way to the control room. The X-Men and Brotherhood, split into teams, search for Magneto around warehouses, only to be ambushed by Gambit and Magneto’s crew. Various battles ensue, with Gambit, Sabretooth, and Pyro facing off against the X-Men.

Scott takes charge of the New Mutants at the Institute, but the self-destruct sequence initiates, leading to a massive explosion. Rogue meets Gambit for the first time, and they have a tense encounter. Above Trask‘s lab, the ongoing fight between the X-Men, Brotherhood, and Magneto attracts attention. Trask orders the Sentinel reactivated, and a public battle ensues, with Storm, Spyke, Blob, Jean Grey, and others trying to take it down. The fight is broadcast live, revealing mutants to the public.

As the police arrive, the Sentinel captures several mutants with stasis goo, but Shadowcat manages to escape. Nightcrawler disables the Sentinel with a grenade, but it reactivates and targets Magneto. Wanda confronts and disables Magneto, but the Sentinel attacks. Xavier arrives in the X-Jet, but Wanda’s hex powers cause chaos. Magneto regains his powers in time to destroy the Sentinel, but the explosion causes significant damage. The survivors regroup, but upon returning to the Institute, they find it destroyed. Scott angrily confronts Xavier, who is revealed to be Mystique, admitting to orchestrating the chaos.

The moment they meet in this episode, there seems to be an instant attraction between Rogue and Gambit, which follows their relationship in the comics. It’s cute that Kitty tricks Colossus in battle in this episode in a similar vein.

The X-Men also returned to find a destroyed school in X-Men‘s Slave Island. The X-Mansion has been blown up, burned down, and torn apart multiple times. Notable instances include its first destruction in 1982 during a battle with the Sidri, when Corsair crashed his ship into it. In 1989, Mister Sinister blew it up during the Inferno event. Fast forward to 2018, and the Horsemen of Peace obliterated it in their effort to “end the X-Men.” The mansion even got a grim makeover in 2024 when it was converted into a prison.

Day Of Reckoning (Part 1) | Day of Recovery