The Critic's Consensus for X-Men '97 on Rotten Tomatoes calls this animation series "x-cellent." But while watching the scenes between Charles and Magneto in Episode 10, the only word that came to my mind was "x-cruciating." Look at the Professor trying to calm down Magneto. The baldy genius wants to ease the pain of the metal manipulator. Charles puts his hand on Magneto's shoulder and says, "And while the tide of the past can drag us under, it also carries us to others who are fighting their own current." Suddenly, Magneto's expression changes. He looks at the Professor with a face indicating shock and sadness, and it makes you wonder if Magneto is taken aback by the fact that such a laughable sentimental line is coming from an intelligent mutant like Xavier. Anybody would be in pain if they were trapped with a corny motivational speaker within a confined space.
There are times you feel as if Charles and Magneto are very close to starting their own Call Me By Your Name, but X-Men '97 is more interested in satisfying the appetites of overexcited teenagers. Hence, Captain America, Iron Man, and Daredevil make an appearance. They pose in their costumes and leave the premises. These cameo appearances serve as a reminder that the story is unfolding in the Marvel universe. The creators are just flaunting that they have so many comic book figures in their pockets, which they can use as "happy triggers." The story itself is third-rate, so these other superheroes are inserted to generate reactions like, "Hey, look, Iron Man!" The expectation probably is that such cheap excitement can overshadow the flaws of the screenplay. Given the quality of the writing, one also wonders if the entire show was written by ChatGPT or a human.
This thought becomes stronger during that scene where Mister Sinister flies close to Jean the Phoenix. She removes the DNA of other superheroes from the body of Mister Sinister, reducing his size and strength. Why go so close to your enemy? Why not first attack from a safe distance? Maybe Mister Sinister should change his name to Mister Stupid. If he had not argued with Bastion, Cable could have been dead. The bad guys have powers. What they really need is more brains.
Then again, the biggest weakness of the villains is that they are trapped in a show like X-Men '97, which produces seemingly urgent complications and threats only to brush them aside with casual indifference. In the ninth episode, the X-Men were divided into two teams: Magneto's members and Xavier's saviors. Now, in Episode 10, everybody works together, and Rogue says something about cards working in their favor. Magneto, too, becomes sane towards the end, not because of Xavier, but because the episode reaches near its end. Our bad boy Bastion referred to as the future incarnate, disappears into oblivion, and all we do is whisper, "Meh."
X-Men '97 is far from over, however. Before the end credits roll, we see the X-Men in different periods. One group (Magento, Xavier, Rogue, Beast, and Nightcrawler) finds themselves in 3000 B.C. Egypt, while the other (Jean and Cyclops) arrives in The Future - 3960 A.D. Send Cable into the future to find out if the next season would be as bland as this one. If yes, take the "To Be Continued..." message as a threat.