X-Men '97 Reveals The Future Of A Not-Quite-Dead Marvel Mutant
This article contains spoilers for "X-Men '97."
Episode 5 of "X-Men '97" — "Remember It" — may very well go down as the most shocking TV moment of 2024. Adapting the dark "X-Men" comic storyline "E Is For Extinction" by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, a giant Sentinel razed the new mutant homeland of Genosha, killing thousands, if not millions.
Episode 6, "Lifedeath Part 2," took a break focusing instead on the absent Storm and Professor X, but episode 7, "Bright Eyes," explores the fallout of Genosha. It picks up about a week later when the X-Men are hosting a rainy funeral for Gambit. They go back to Genosha to continue searching for more survivors. They find one: Emma Frost, White Queen of the Hellfire Club.
Emma, who was part of Genosha's short-lived ruling council, is a telepath. During the attack, she unlocked a second mutation to turn her skin diamond hard, so she survived being crushed under rubble. Retaining her catty sense of humor, Emma makes light of her new abilities by saying she "does well under pressure" — though she was hardly a lump of coal before.
Emma surviving Genosha and her new ability come from "E Is For Extinction." Afterward, she joined the X-Men; Morrison's run was the beginning of her becoming a team mainstay, where she remains. Emma's comic ascension has only happened since the original "X-Men" show went off the air. That series presented her as part of the villainous Hellfire Club and a villain in "The Dark Phoenix Saga," because at the time, that's what she was known for. "X-Men '97" has continued this; it even placed Emma in the title sequence's "bad mutant" line-up. Even if we can't get Sydney Sweeney to play her in live-action, I think "X-Men '97" must give Emma her due.
Emma Frost's future with the X-Men
Will the animated Emma join the X-Men like her comic self? Well for one, her partner Sebastian Shaw (the Black King) looks to be dead, so that means a devil has been removed from her shoulder. They're both ruthless capitalists, but unlike Shaw, Emma really isn't that bad. She has a frigid exterior and treats those she doesn't respect like pawns, sure, but her care for mutant kind is genuine and she's got a soft spot for kids. (Just look at her reaction when she telepathically learned of Spider-Man's woes and good heart). She's a teacher at heart too, which makes her a perfect fit for the faculty at Xavier's School.
Not content with the classic Cyclops/Jean Grey/Wolverine love triangle, Morrison introduced another angle: Emma and Scott. Since Jean died at the end of Morrison's run (and stayed dead for many years), Emma won by default. Her pairing up with the X-Men's leader no doubt kept her in the spotlight (she'd be the first to admit clinging to the right man can be useful).
"X-Men '97" is instead doing a love triangle with Scott, Jean, and Jean's recently revealed clone, Madelyne Pryor. In "Remember It," Scott and Maddie even shared a psychic affair that Jean "walked in on," mirroring a moment from Morrison's "X-Men." Maddie seems to have been a Genoshan casualty too, though, so perhaps Scott's heart will wander further towards the White Queen's clutches. "X-Men '97" is already fabulous, but a dash of diamonds could make it even more so.
"X-Men '97" is streaming on Disney+, with new episodes released on Wednesdays.