Last time one X-Men: The Animated Series, Omega Red
was defrosted again. The US Navy recruited him as part of a mission to move an
abandoned USSR nuclear sub lost on the bottom of the sea. They offered him a
means of returning him to human form in exchange. He agreed but on the
condition Wolverine (an old enemy) and Storm (a new enemy) be forced to join
him. They all travel to the ocean bottom and get the sub restarted and Omega
Red immediately betrays the deal, ripping out the implant they put in him as an
insurance policy. He’s going to launch the nukes at the fifteen most populated
cities on Earth, hide beneath the sea for a bit, and then raise up to conquer
the new waring world. Wolverine and Storm try to stop him but the toxic air in
the sub and their fragile protective suits make that hard. Ultimately, they’re
saved by Beast dropping depth charges from the Blackbird and Rogue bending the
subs rudder to make it uncontrollable. Wolverine and Storm escape, and Omega
Red is lost to the bottom of the sea. Enough recap. Let’s get to it, shall we?
The episode begins out in space as
a shuttle grabs a satellite. A Russian cosmonaut heads to the satellite and
begins working on it. From his angry mutterings, it’s revealed this is a former
Soviet Union weapons instillation, a satellite armed with nukes prepared to
fire if the Cold War turned hot. He’s muttering about how disarming nukes
aren’t like harvesting potatoes when he’s hit by familiar waves of yellow that
send him flying away, snapping his tether. He, the satellite and the rocket are
all pulled into a giant asteroid that seemed to appear out of nowhere. So…
Magneto’s clearly up to something.
We jump to the UN where a huge
argument seems to be ongoing about the disappearances. We learn that this is
the fifth armed satellite to disappear in two months AND they’ve lost an
astronaut and the shuttle with it. The USA representative is accusing Russia of
knowing something about it, while Russia’s ambassador wants to know about their
missing Aerospace scientists. USA says that all those missing Aerospace
scientists were Mutants and accuses Russia of selling them to Genosha as slave
labor. The Genoshan ambassador (Who sat these guys next to each other?)
objects… to the use of the word ‘slave,’ he says they’re just ‘managing
resources.’ Dude, slavery with extra steps. As if he was waiting for that line,
Magneto comes crashing in from above, shattering the dome over the UN and
floating inside. He announces that the Mutant race will no longer be managed. Some
try to flee, but Magneto uses his powers to force people back to their seats,
saying they can leave when he’s finished. He tells the UN that he’s announcing
the liberation of Mutant kind. After yelling at the Genoshan delegate for his
‘management’ he pulls up a tv and shows footage of Mutant mistreatment in
Genosha, the Friends of Humanity hate attacks, Sentinels and the X-Men doing
their best to keep things together. He says specifically that the X-Men have
tried to keep thing equal but have been only met with more hatred. He announces
that the Mutant Scientists and himself have just finished their master work, a
Mutant Only asteroid that he has dubbed Asteroid M. He says that the first
exodus to his new nation will begin in Genosha in 24 hours. After that, he’ll
set up other pickup sites around the world and they’ll be brought in after the
first pilgrims are settled. We see that Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister and the Nasty
Boys, and Storm’s godson Mjnari watching from their various locations. He says
that his mission is peaceful, and that any interference would be… unwise. My
guy has Nukes, and he is just itching for an excuse. He floats out of the UN.
Charles and the X-Men are watching from the War Room, and Charles wonders if
his failure to help is so complete.
We see hundreds of Mutants
clambering to get to Asteroid M, with anti-Mutant groups cheering them on.
Gambit does a search of a few known Mutants, all currently missing, and notes a
friend of his named Byron Calley ran off with Magneto. He asks what Beast
thinks they’re doing, and Beast says much of what he’s doing, namely
retrofitting Shi’ar tech to make the Blackbird be able to reach low orbit, with
Rogue assisting. He assumes they’re using the alien tech that Magneto found in
the Savage Land to make his city in the sky functional. Gambit wonders why
scientists, not soldiers, would work with Magneto. Rogue shrugs and assume
they’re tired of being treated like trash on Earth. That doesn’t feel like much
reason to leave, according to her, but Gambit points out, and Beast agrees,
that staying and fighting the good fight doesn’t seem to get them very far.
Rogue asks if he’s thinking about leaving, Gambit claims he’s only thinking out
loud and says that Gambit follows her anywhere.
In his office, Charles is
cautioning President Kelly from considering a nuclear option as that might
cause World War III. Kelly knows that, but people are scared and are demanding
he do something. Magneto’s got nukes and everyone is scared he’ll use them.
Charles promises that Magneto won’t lie to him, and that if given a chance they
can find a peaceful solution. Kelly agrees and gives him 12 hours to try. Beast
was listening and offered to get the full team, Charles tells him no, that the
full team would provoke Magneto. Beast and Charles are preparing to go, but
Gambit insists on coming with him, he wants to check on a friend of his, most
likely Byron. Rogue seems concerned that he might actually be leaving but he
promises to come back, he’s just checking on his friend. They take off for
Genosha and Rogue looks after them wistfully.
They land in Kenya for the first
pick up and find a huge crowd of Mutants waiting, Gambit commenting that he
doesn’t think he’s ever seen so many Mutants in one place. He wonders aloud how
Magneto will transport so many, when Magneto comes out of the sky with several
huge metal transports that he’s moving with his powers. He greets his new
‘children’ and offers the transport to them. He sees Charles and his team and
greets them. He knows Charles is there to dissuade him. Charles says that he
wants Magneto to just consider his actions, saying that everyone is on high
alert about Magneto’s “Mutant Only” space colony. Magneto says he cares little
for human government’s worries and has an appointment he needs to make in
Genosha’s capital, saying that that’s supposedly an example of Humans and
Mutants comingling. He offers to take them with him, and they agree. They enter
the pods and Magneto lifts them all, while Black Panther watches from a
distance. T’Challa doesn’t factor into this episode at all, I just felt like
pointing out the cameo. Once they’re in the sky, though, Magneto faulters ever
so slightly, nearly dropping the pods. Charles notes that it seems like he’s
weakening. He corrects himself and they keep flying.
They arrive at Genosha in their
“Mutant resources Division” which looks like a detention camp, which… ya know,
is accurate. Magneto lands the pods and announces to the Mutants to come out
and throw off their yokes. The Genoshan military, which includes a lot of
high-tech guns, aircrafts and not-Sentinel giant Robots appear to try to stop
him, but Magneto warns them not to interfere. Andersen, military leader of the
nation of ‘Free Genosha’, says that their Mutants aren’t going anywhere and are
placing Magneto and his cohorts under arrest. Magneto’s squad prep to battle,
but before they can react, a third party starts blasting people. These are the
Acolytes, a Mutant resistant group on Genosha and self-described servants of
Magneto. Their leader, Fabian Cortez, announces that Genoshan Mutants will be
held in bondage no longer and a fight breaks out. Charle’s hover chair gets
damaged, and Gambit throws a card to keep a Not-Sentinel back. While the tech
Genosha has is impressive, they really can’t stand up to a lot of pissed off
Mutants. That is until Andersen activates their last-ditch defense protocol,
waking up actual Sentinels. I guess there were a few left over after the
most recent Master Mold fiasco. The Sentinels, as perfect anti-Mutant weapons,
do turn the tide against Mutants. The Sentinels target Magneto specifically and
try to capture him, but Cortez destroys the squad trying to grab him, and then
uses his powers to heal Magneto. Magneto is energized by Cortez and fires off
an electromagnetic burst that fires all the technology. Cortez encourages
Magneto to destroy the “Flat scan human tyrants,” but Magneto claims to be here
to free his people, not avenge them. He frees many Mutant captives, loads up
his pods and takes off.
They return to Asteroid M. Gambit
meets with his friend Byron, who is in the Acolyte’s purple and red. He asks
when Gambit signed up, but he says he’s just here to look around. Charles and
Cortez lead a group to meet Magneto. When he enters the station, he stumbles,
clearly exhausted. Cortez ‘heals’ him again. Beast, watching with Charles,
notes that doesn’t seem to be healing Magneto so much as recharging him.
Charles worries that Magneto might grow dependent on that recharge like a drug.
He asks to speak with Magnus, noting that Magneto is dangerously overextending
himself. Magneto doesn’t seem too concerned, though, and extends a dinner
invite to them. As Magneto walks off, another Acolyte recognizes Charles. This
is Amelia, an ex. She says they have nothing to discuss, but he wants to talk.
Beast knows her, saying that of all Mutants he didn’t’ expect to see her.
Later, Cortez offers his Acolytes
service to Magneto. Magneto accepts but tells them to stand up, as he needs
hard workers not sycophants. Byron arrives and says that the shuttle repairs
are nearly done, and they’ll be ready to send the Astronauts back soon. Cortez
is furious to hear that Humans are on Asteroid M. Magneto says that they are
his guests, and he backs off. Magneto has his dinner with the X-Men, Acolytes,
and Astronauts. He's also wearing this open fronted toga to show off his hairy
chest which I just do not understand. Before they can eat, though, Magneto
notes rockets coming at them from Earth’s surface. Magneto throws up a barrier
big enough to cover Asteroid M, angrily shouting that they ask for so little,
they just want to be left alone. His barrier destroys the satellites with ease.
Cortez insists that he counterattack, but Magneto says no. He then tries to
turn the idea to punishing the astronauts. Charles insists that non-Mutant
humans are just scared and act out of fear. Byron adds that they might be
acting out of self-defense, actually, as one of their missiles was launched
earlier. Magneto is furious to hear this, saying he gave no such order. Cortez
insists that the ‘flat scans’ Humans will not rest until all Mutants are
destroyed. Magneto tells him to back off, and for Byron to move Asteroid M to a
new orbit. He says that he’ll give restitutions to President Kelly as well,
which makes Cortez’s expression darken.
Later, Gambit asks Beast about
Amelia. Beast explains that Amelia Voght was a nurse that Charles had met while
recovering in India. He’d just suffered a major injury battling Magneto and
lost the use of his legs. She’d help him through his physical therapy and
adjustment to being a paraplegic. They developed a relationship, and she came
with him back to America. But it was Xavier’s dream of Mutant/Human
cohabitation that drew them apart. We’re shown the OG team (Cyclops, Jean,
Iceman, Angel and Beast) training as Beast says that Amelia hated being a
Mutant and wanted to keep their powers on the downlow. She tried to convince
Charles to just live a normal life with her, but he couldn’t stand by and do
nothing. She left and Charles was depressed for years, saying that he lived
only for the X-Men after that.
We cut to Charles meeting with
Amelia. She’s still angry with him and accuses him of ruining her life. He says
that he just wants to help Mutants. Amelia accuses Charles of making life
harder for Mutants on Earth as it’s impossible for them to live under the radar
anymore. She says that Magneto built Asteroid M, but he made it necessary. She
storms off.
Magneto finds Cortez in his room.
Cortez says he doesn’t seem surprised, to which Magneto says he isn’t. He
pushes Cortez back with his powers and accuses him of firing the missiles. Cuz…
duh. He calls Cortez a young fool, and Cortez calls him a coward. Magneto says
that he will not tolerate dissension on his Asteroid. Cortez says he renounces
him, and to prove it, he absorbs the energy he’d given Magneto. All of it. He
says that Magneto used up his power on Genosha and without Cortez’s energy
sustaining him, he doesn’t have the power let to even hold his molecules
together. … I don’t think that sciences but whatever. He leaves a drained
Magneto on the floor and steals a key from him. He opens Magneto’s emergency
ejection system and launches his pod into space, saying that he’ll sever better
as a martyr to the cause. Cortez starts screaming bloody murder, drawing
everyone to spot. Beast and Gambit arrive first and Cortez immediately accuses
them of jettisoning Magneto’s pod. He whips up a mob and demands revenge for
Magneto.
Man, never trust a zealot. This is
an interesting episode for a number of reasons. It’s one of the first that I
can think of that shows off that Magneto is a political creature as much as a
revolutionary. While he is often brash and speaks with a lot of bravado, he
understands the concept of mutually assured destruction and clearly understands
that even with a ton of Mutant power under him that fighting with the entire
would be a fool’s gambit. He’s doing what he thinks is best for Mutant kind,
but he is not one for extermination campaigns. Believe it or not, but the Holocaust
survivor would prefer not to start another one. He is completely honest that
the missiles are a deterrent and that he has no interest in actually using them
if that can be avoided. Which obviously rankles Cortez. We don’t get much of
his background in this, but it’s clear that he harbors a deep hatred for humans
and probably was on Genosha for a while. He clearly wants to watch the whole
world burn to wipe out humans and install Mutants as the only species of
humanity on Earth. I feel like his pejorative of “Flat liner” is a bit awkward,
but I get the idea. They can’t use a term like ‘normal’ so he uses the fact
that they don’t set off a Sentinels detection system to differentiate them from
Mutants. It’s awkward for sure, but it shows a level of hatred that doesn’t
really exist in Magneto. He sees Mutants as superior, yes, but he doesn’t clearly
thinks words like human or normal are derogatory enough on their own. I like
the twist about Cortez’s power as well, in that he clearly tricked Magneto into
growing depending on him extremely quickly as an insurance policy. I’m not sure
if he knew about Magneto’s stance on humans and thought them too soft before
hand or he simply wanted to ingratiate himself into Magneto’s good graces and
the potential to double cross him was an unforeseen bonus, but it sure worked
out for him. Draining Magneto of all his gifted energy and leaving him to
disintegrate is coldblooded. The line that Magneto will be more useful as a
martyr than a leader was particularly chilling. I do wonder if he was planning
to blame the X-Men specifically or if he was going to yell murder at the first
person at the scene and he just lucked out. And it was cool to see Asteroid M.
Magneto had a few plans for Mutant only nations in the past and I think
Asteroid M is one of the most ambitious. It’s in space, so he controls who can
come and go, it’s almost entirely metal so he can manipulate every inch of it,
and because it’s in space he has the added threat of just dropping it on Earth
if he ever wants to hit the extinction button. It’s a multi-use asteroid. The
bit about Charles and Amelia feels kind of unnecessary. Oh look, here’s another
past relationship Charles had that was soured because of his mission of
human/Mutant relations. That makes like 47. Next time, we’ll see the fallout on
Asteroid M.
Bluesky: @basicssuperhero.bsky.social
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