Here's what you need to watch ahead of the X-Men '97 finale according to the showrunner

The X-Men ‘97 season finale is fast approaching, but before the highly anticipated episode lands, there are a few things that showrunner Beau DeMayo recommends watching in preparation. 

DeMayo, the writer and creator of the newest X-Men show, took to Twitter to let fans know exactly what homework they need to do before the first season comes to an end in May: "Finale prep recommended episodes: One Man’s Worth Pt 1 and 2, Sanctuary Pt 1 and 2, Descent, The Final Decision."

For those unfamiliar, DeMayo is referencing episodes from the classic '90s show X-Men: The Animated Series. The first two episodes, One Man’s Worth part 1 and 2 (season 4 episodes 1 and 2) see Trevor Fitzroy and Bantam travel back in time to kill Professor X while Bishop, Shard, Storm, and Wolverine travel forward to the future to try to stop it. Sanctuary part 1 and 2 (season 4 episodes 6 and 7) see Magneto try to transport all mutants to an orbiting asteroid named but loses control of the rock to ulterior forces. 

Next on DeMayo’s watchlist is Decent (season 5 episode 12) which reveals the origin of Mr. Sinister, and last up is The Final Decision (season 1 episode 13) which saw Senator Kelly make a decision about his future plans in politics based on Magneto, the X-Men, and Sentinel's standings. That's a pretty hefty watchlist to get through before the three-part finale drops, but don't worry, all episodes of X-Men: The Animated Series are available to stream on Disney Plus, as well as all previous episodes of X-Men ‘97. 

X-Men ‘97 follows everyone’s favorite band of mutants as they use their gifts to protect a world that doesn't understand them. In episode 7, titled Bright Eyes, we saw the team locate the Sentinel inventor only to find out that they had been tricked, and it was confirmed that Bastion had been orchestrating the conflicts against the X-Men. Not much has been revealed about the last three episodes apart from the fact that despite mutant-human relations reaching a tipping point, the X-Men must unite to face a new threat.

The finale begins on May 1 with episode 8 titled Tolerance is Extinction part 1, then will continue on May 8 with part 2, and finally season 1 will come to an end with part 3 airing on May 15, 2024. 

For more on the series, check out our guide to all of the X-Men ‘97 easter eggs and cameos you may have missed, and keep up to date with the X-Men ‘97 release schedule. In the wider X-Men universe, see all of 2024's new X-Men comics and our guide on how to watch the X-Men movies in order.