The X-Men will be gearing up for their final face off with Apocalypse after this week’s episode of X-Men ‘97, “The Dead Man’s Hand.” After giving us time with the less-featured characters, the series has returned to the season’s main plot with regular faces.
We finally see the return of Gambit, resurrected by Apocalypse. Rogue hesitates to believe that her beloved Remy is back after lamenting his death countless times. The X-Force brings in what they found last episode and Professor X uses the newly built Cerebra in an attempt to find Gambit. Meanwhile, Gambit assembles the old Thieves’ Guild, including his ex-wife Belladonna, in order to carry out a mission for Apocalypse.
As always, the animation is stellar. The standout designs in this episode are the X-Corp uniforms and Gambit’s horseman look. Sorry to say, but Remy might rock the blond better. With three more horsemen possibly incoming in the finale, the question isn’t just who they are but how they’ll be styled.
The episode features beautiful scenery, creating a mystical mirror of the New Orleans bayou for the final battle. While it’s not the most colorful setting, the mutant powers on display provide upgrades to the finale’s visuals.
Even with great looks, this episode falls a tad flat.
While most of the voice acting is on par, Christopher Barger’s voice doesn’t seem to be a perfect match for Angel and proves a bit distracting in the last few minutes. If they decide to make him a horseman like in the comics, it might be helpful to see some changes in Angel’s timbre.
In a similar fashion to some of the earlier episodes this season, this installment feels more like a set-up than a full story. Coming straight off a string of singular stories, being thrust back into facing the big bad feels super sudden. Also, the final battle looked impressive but was over too quickly. Hopefully Seasons 3 and 4 will be lengthier in order to fix this pacing issue as a few more episodes in the season could’ve allowed for more breathing room for the fight.
The X-Men ’97 Season 2 Finale is fast approaching, and many characters will likely have parts to play in defeating Apocalypse. Given the high-speed tendency of this season, it’s possible that the finale might feel a bit rushed and crowded. However, with the Apocalypse plot finished there might be more space to slow down the momentum in the seasons to come.
