X-Men '97 season 2 is here, and it didn't take long for another devastating death to occur.
Warning: there are massive spoilers for X-Men '97 season 2 episode 4 below!
X-Men '97 season 2 episode 4 is more or less the halfway point in the nine-episode season (though we were strangely given the first three episodes all at once), and we can't quite see things getting any better from here for our favorite mutants. The new season sees the X-Men trapped in three different timelines, with Nightcrawler, Beast, Xavier, Magneto, and Rogue stuck somewhere in Ancient Egypt circa 3000 B.C. In this specific timeline, Apocalypse, who is hunting them down in the present and future, has not quite become Apocalypse yet, and is still going by his birth name of En Sabah Nur.
Realizing that they have the opportunity to change history, Magneto decides to lead the charge on convincing En Sabah Nur that there is a world where mutants are treated fairly, and that he doesn't have to use his powers for evil. In episode 4, however, En Sabah Nur finally reads the scriptures and learns that he's destined to become the most powerful mutant across every timeline – not to mention being virtually unkillable. En Sabah Nur, furious that the X-Men lied to him, fully transforms into his robotic Apocalypse form and uses his powers to make Magneto's head explode... killing him instantly. We get the same sad music over the end credits as we did when Gambit died in X-Men '97 season 1 episode 6.
Now, X-Men '97 is not canon to the MCU, and they are not afraid to kill a character off off (but more on that in a second). However, the season adapts the 1995 Age of Apocalypse comic book arc, and that arc sees Magneto kill Apocalypse... not the other way around. Keep in mind that Magneto is part of the main cast as antihero/ally of sorts who's trying his best, rather than as a villain trying to kill Xavier and the X-Men (like he was at the end of X-Men '97 season 1).
Because of the X-Men '97 season 1 post-credits scene and an upcoming season 2 episode titled 'The Dead Man's Hand,' some fans (me included) think Gambit will appear again, though this could absolutely just be via flashback. However, in the Blood of Apocalypse comic book (which debuted much later in 2006), a dead Gambit willingly becomes one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen.
Because we're already going a little off-book here with the whole killing Magneto thing, it's possible that the season is meshing the two storylines. It's also possible that Magneto will come back, mainly because of the timeline dilemma, and another version of him could still be alive somewhere. This is all just speculation, and all we can confirm right now is that Magneto is our first big death of the season. There are still five episodes left.
X-Men '97 season 2 is streaming now on Disney Plus.For more, check out our X-Men '97 season 2 review, and never miss an episode with our X-Men '97 season 2 release schedule.
