Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Last time on X-Men: The Animated
Series, Scott quit. The first X-Man and field commander of the team took
the supposed death of his beloved extremely badly and angrily quick the X-Men
because he felt tired of caring about human/Mutant relations. Lost and angry he
ended up returning to the orphanage he grew up in and met Sarah, another former
Orphan who’d grown up to run the place. She mentions that four of her kids had
recently been adopted by Zebadiah Kilgrave, local millionaire, all of them
Mutants. A fire starts in the night and we learn it was caused by accident by
Rusty, one of the Kilgrave adoptees. He tells a wild story about Kilgrave
having a torture chamber in his basement and having evil plans. Sarah is
reluctant to believe Rusty as the kid has some issues. He’s picked up by
Kilgrave and we learn that he’s absolutely up to no good, using his own Mutant
power to brainwash the kids into being his minions. He has a, frankly, extremely
convoluted plan to use the kids to cover him breaking into the governor’s office
and brainwashing him to give him control of a damn project. It’s step one of a
larger plan to takeover the world and install a Mutant government. I think? His
plan is… very slapdash, not going to lie. Anyway, Scott and Sarah hear about the
governor abdicating his position siting ‘medical issues’ and Scott learning
what Kilgrave has to gain without him in the big chair. He and Sarah rush to
Kilgrave’s house to demand to see the kids. They seem normal at first… but then
at a snap of Kilgrave’s fingers, he gets hit by the wheelchair kid and knocked
out. Kilgrave has him drowned but Sarah pulls him out. They save the kids and
bring them back to the orphanage. Kilgrave, insane and stupid, shows up with an
attack helicopter and demands they turn over his ‘children’ or die.
Conveniently in front of a camera I should add. He forces Rusty to set the
building on fire, but Scott breaks through is mind control to shoo down his
helicopter and save the kids. Sarah offers him a spot at the orphanage but
Scott decides he needs to get back to the X-Men. He arrives back home just in
time to hear Cerebro has detected Jean’s brainwaves. Woo. Enough recap. Let’s
get to it.
The episode opens with Warren Worthington
III, former Angel current Archangel, at an archaeological dig. Apparently since
we last saw him, he’s been using his money and power to scour the globe for
information about Apocalypse. He’s at the stage where he assumes every new artifact
will give him what he wants, much to the archaeologist’s annoyance. A crate is
opened and reveals a sandstone carving of Apocalypse depicted him Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The hieroglyphs depict Apocalypse destroying a settlement, proclaiming him
Apocalypse the invincible. This infuriates Warren who angrily shouts he’s NOT Invincible.
The head archaeologist points out that that is the one fact that every culture
that seems to depict Apocalypse agrees is true. They’re willing to keep working
but are headed out for the day to rest. Warren, furious, launches his metal
feathers at them, saying they don’t get to rest until they get results. An aide
arrives, bringing Warren a scroll and so other papers. The scroll is from the Ming
dynasty in China, it depicts at weak point at the back of Apocalypse’s neck
that it says will destroy him. They then get alerted to a sighting of
Apocalypse in New York harbor and Archangel flies off to get his revenge.
We find Apocalypse marching on Liberty
Island. The evil cyborg is clearly waiting for Archangel, chuckling evilly as he
flies in to fight him. Back at the X-Mansion, Cerebro tells the X-Men and us
that it’s gotten upgrades from Shi’ar tech that have helped it’s detection
capabilities. It’s discovered a large vehicle, over a mile long, that seems to
blip in and out of existence whenever it’s detected. They wonder how you can
hide something that big when Cerebro alerts them to Archangel and Apocalypse fighting.
The X-Men head out to help him. Archangel does about as well fighting a giant
machine man as you’d imagine. He flies around Apocalypse but any time he’s caught
he’s thrown around like a toy. He demands Archangel return to him as his Horseman
of Death or be destroyed. The X-Men touch down in the Blackbird and try to
help. Archangel tries to skewer Apocalypse with one of the spikes from Lady
Liberty but Apocalypse blocks him. They knock Apocalypse to the ground and tie
him down with an anchor chain but that barely slows him. He tosses the X-Men
aside and leaps away. Beast says that they need to outthink him, but Cyclops
asks why, since they can’t seem to hurt him. They gather up Archangel, Rogue
saying that they need to help him. Gambit is doubtful he can be helped, saying Apocalypse’s
machine made him L’ange de Mort, the Angel of Death now and forever. Rogue
tells him he’s wrong as when she absorb some of his essence she learned he was
still Warren Worthington inside.
Back at the Mansion, Beast, Charles
and Cyclops are trying to map Apocalypse’ movements. They’d figured out he’s
attacking a power station, a defense plant and industrial park. Beast thinks it’s
a deliberate trail, and Cyclops says it’s a deliberate trap. They track the
moments and use their new scanner to find Apocalypse’s ship, the mile long
something that Cerebro had been tracking. Beast references Apocalyptic Scholars
that found references to this, a ‘mighty ship designed by creatures from beyond
the stars.’ Charles says that he thought
it was a myth, and they realize that that vessel might be powerful enough to
defeat Apocalypse if they can get ahold of it.
In the infirmary, Rogue is looking
after Warren. She pulls down the hood of his costume to reveal he’s still got
his luscious blonde locks underneath. She asks why he’s risking so much, to
which Warren tells her no pain can outweigh what Apocalypse did to him. Rogue
remembers touching him and absorbing some of the darkness in him. Rogue agrees
she kind of gets it, and Warren begs her to help him use the information he’s
gleamed about Apocalypse to destroy him. All the while Gambit watches this conversation,
looking distrustful. The others come in and say they found the ship. Beast
tells Archangel he's headed southeast but they’re going with an indirect
assault. This infuriates Archangel who flies off, screaming Apocalypse must be
destroyed. Rogue follows after him, despite the others telling her not to, and
Gambit goes after Rogue.
Cyclops, Wolverine and Beast take
the Blackbird to the ship. It hails them, demanding they identify themselves.
Beast thinks this means it’s self-aware and they ask permission to board, which
it gives. Beast does a scan tells the ship she’s a work of art. The ship thanks
him and lets Beast start to work on reprogramming the Ship to help them defeat
Apocalypse. He gets zapped while he works, Ship apologizing for not warning him
of that protocol. Beast sets a trap for Apocalypse, using Wolverine to demonstrate.
He set up a field that should trap Apocalypse in place, the barrier drawing
power from force used against it. He says that Apocalypse’s own power will trap
him. Cyclops announces that Beast has done it, but he corrects him, saying “We’ve”
done it. An alarm starts blaring, and it's revealed that Apocalypse predicted
this outcome, and set up a contingency plan. It detected the power usage
increase and starts a self-destruct protocol.
Meanwhile, Archangel and Rogue fly
toward Coney Island looking for Apocalypse. Archangel, still being super
intense, demands that Rogue pledge herself to him to help him defeat Apocalypse.
She’s clearly freaked out by the request but agrees to help. Apocalypse rises from
the water like a Kaiju and the two do battle. Rogue tries to join but she’s cut
off by Gambit in a smaller X-Jet, him warning her that fighting Apocalypse here
could get civilians hurt. She refuses to listen and helps Warren fight. He gets
around Apocalypse and fires some feathers at him but he doesn’t react. Rogue tries
skewering Apocalypse with a bit of a tower but that doesn’t work either. Gambit
fires rockets at him. Apocalypse gets annoyed and says that if they resist they
will be obliterate, like their clever friends will before flying off. Rogue
wonders aloud what he meant by that.
Onboard the Ship, Wolverine asks if
anyone has any ideas. The ship says it does. IT helps them blow a hole in the
side of the ship and then throw the explosive out the hole, saving them. It
looks for a moment like Wolverine got launched into the ocean but Beast grabbed
him at the last minute.
Archangel and Rogue fly after Apocalypse,
Archangel rambling about how he won’t rest until Apocalypse is dead. He gets
incredibly graphic with his description. Rogue once again freaked out by this
but flies after him.
Back on the Ship, Beast prepares
the trap. Wolverine complains about missing out on all the action. Apocalypse
arrives, telling them to be careful what they wish for. He tells the X-Men that
it’s good they’re here, it’ll give him servant a good reminder about what
happens to those who oppose him. Beast hits the switch, trapping Apocalypse in
the barrier. The three X-Men breath easy now that Apocalypse is trapped… but
then Archangel flies in and demands Apocalypse give up his tender back. He
launches feathers at Apocalypse. The others tell him that Apocalypse is trapped
forever, and Beast thanks the ship for the help. Warren, not accepting this as
a punishment, slams into the computer controlling Apocalypse’s barrier. Beast
asks the Ship if she’s alright and she says she is. Apocalypse, feeling smug,
delivers another of his most kick ass lines. “Beast, how many peoples have
dreamed on my end? You are no closer than the Babylonians with their swords and
Firesticks.” He asks if they truly believe he’s not invincible. To prove the
point, he gives his ship an override code that frees him. Once freed Apocalypse
shapeshifts into Warren’s assistant, revealing he fed Warren the detail about a
supposed weakness to flush him out. He announces that Warren is his, mind,
body, heart and soul. As the others try to stop him, he shouts another bad ass line
“I am the rocks of the eternal shore, crash against me and be broken!” Then Gambit
flies in and hits him with the jet, shouting “the name’s Gambit. Remember it!” …
OH my God, a line from 30 years in the future suddenly made a hell of a lot
more sense… more on that later. Ship tells Beast to go for the emergency controls.
The others hold Apocalypse off long enough for Beast to get to the panel and
start pushing buttons. The ship reveals a remote of some kind that he starts
typing on. Apocalypse gloats that he can’t be stopped. But then the Ship’s
defenses starts shooting at him. Beast reveals that he and the Ship were able
to override Apocalypse’ override. The Ship traps Apocalypse in like a five different
prisons and starts sealing that prison off from the outside. It almost traps
Gambit inside with Archangel when he goes to try to save him. The Ship is able
to free everyone, and they take off in the Blackbird. It launches Apocalypse
into orbit, saying that he won’t be gone forever but the Ship bought them time.
Archangel swears he’ll be ready when Apocalypse comes back. Cyclops tells him
he can wait alone as his insane vendetta almost got them killed. Warren leaps
out of the Blackbird in a huff, saying that either Apocalypse dies or he will.
The Ship crashes into the ocean and starts to sink. Rogue apologizes for not
stopping Archangel, but Beast doesn’t seem to hear as he mourns the death of
the Ship.
It's nice to see Warren again, even
though it’s clear he’s not doing super well right now. I understand where he’s
coming from, he was used and abused by Apocalypse so nothing short of his death
will sate him. But he is absolutely obsessed. Like, even a few seconds thought
would have told him that a One Hit KO weakness for Apocalypse is WAY too convenient
to be true. But no, Apocalypse must die so no additional thought needed.
Apocalypse was great in this too. Once again props to James Blendick,
Apocalypse’ Voice actor. He’s clearly having a blast recording these insane, grandiose
lines from the World’s oldest Mutant who loves to pontificate. Roughly 5000 years
old, oft delayed but never destroyed, I get why Apocalypse has such a god
complex. I don’t know why exactly he seems obsessed with Warren, beyond the
fact that Warren is a recurring character, therefore he must serve Apocalypse.
And, I’ll just say it, Warren’s relationship to the X-Men still feels weird. I
know, the show didn’t know right away that they would follow the comics this
closely, but it’s weird that Beast and Cyclops don’t react to Warren like they know
him. In about 2 episodes they’re going to reveal he’s a founding X-Man along
with Ice Man, so maybe include a line or two from Beast or Cyclops mentioning
how Warren is or isn’t acting like he used to. Maybe have Hank say how much it saddens
him to see an old friend so consumed by rage. Don’t give me that look, both
this and Cold Comfort were produced in the same batch, they knew they were approaching
this storyline. I did like that they played with the Rogue and Warren
relationship a little, with their mutual understanding via memory absorption
kind of forcing Rogue to go along with his ideas even though they’re clearly
nuts. And I like that Gambit put protecting Rogue over anything else. He’s a
good man, that Cajun thief. Beast’s relationship with the Ship was short but sweet.
It was nice to see him bond with it in the brief time they were together and
see him mourn it as it crashed. It’s about as realistic as his relationship
with Carly, who no has not nor will ever be mentioned again. So Apocalypse is
contained for now, and Jean is… somewhere recovering. Sorry, I guess I was wrong
that she’d appear immediately after being detected. My memory of the episode
order is a bit all over the place. Next time, Mojo’s back. Oh joy. See you
later.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/121150619/
Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social
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