X-Men 97 Episode 10 Breakdown: Tolerance is Extinction Part 3

Tolerance Extinction Part 3 marks the end of the first season of X-Men 97. The season finale delves more into the contrast between Xavier and Magneto and the end of Bastion’s Operation Zero Tolerance.

Operation Zero Tolerance

The plotlines from the entire season all come together in this episode. And I was happy to see that they did name Bastion’s operation after the huge crossover from the 1990s: Operation Zero Tolerance.

Just like in the comics, Bastion tried to eradicate mutants by using Techno Virus but it backfired thanks to the resilience of the X-Men.

Bastion operation zero tolerance endgame

In the show, it was Cable who traveled back to the past to prevent his horrible future. But he was set up by Sinister and under his control and seemingly killed Jean Grey with his telekinetic powers.

But we are talking about Jean Grey. She has more resurrections than anyone in the history of mankind, the only thing she doesn’t have are holidays named after her. Like Phoenix, Jean Grey rises from the water to take down Bastion and Sinister.

Bastion recovers but Sinister doesn’t. Jean Grey gives him a run for his money. In the previous episode, Jean and Sinister were tied. But with the Phoenix Force, Sinister proves no match and Jean uses her power to take away his genetic modification and essentially calls him a genetic bottom feeder, scraping DNA from his mutant victims.

Morph pretends to be a depowered mr sinister

Beast also had a great thing to say to Bastion’s army and I have to say that what he said was beautifully written: You are coercing your victims (the Prime Sentinels) into doing the things they don’t want to do.

They aren’t your family. Wow!

I was baffled when Beast said that. Coercing someone is always bad unless it is your child not eating his or her vegetables!

When Rogue goes eh…well rogue and beats the crap out of Bastion, Bastion still recovers. He takes the fight to Asteroid M, which is slowly falling out of orbit since Magneto is comatose after his fight with Xavier.

Xavier managed to penetrate his mind bend Magneto’s mind to his will and restore the Earth’s magnetic field. This is great for Earth but it also marks Xavier’s betrayal of his values by doing the very thing he swore to never do.

And I stand by my earlier words; Both won’t get away unscathed and I predict the Onslaught storyline from the comics to be integrated into later seasons since the show has already been renewed for a second and third season.

It will have great ramifications because the two most powerful mutants on the planet will go toe to toe.

Cable, Jean, and Cyclops

If you thought your family had issues, then you have never met Cyclops, Jean, Madelyne, and Cable. Cable was infected in the first episode with the Techno Virus and taken to the future by Bishop. He came back as a grown man and a battle-hardened soldier we have come to know as Cable.

Cyclops and Jean say bye to Cable in X-Men 97 Episode 10 season finale

Cable and Cyclops have trying to get to know each other ever since he came from the future. It has worked, Cyclops wasn’t trying to be his father but more like a friend since he hasn’t had any or much say in Cable’s upbringing. It works out well. Jean had a harder time because she is Jean while Madelyne was his biological mother.

When Bastion ripped off Cable’s bionic arm and used the future technology to enhance his armor, Cable was out for the fight but when Asteroid M was about to blow up, Cyclops and Jean came to say goodbye.

Giving the three of them closure since they never got to say goodbye when Nathan was transported into the future alongside Bishop.

Professor Xavier and Magneto’s redemptions

Both Magneto and Xavier are comatose and they are in a mind landscape that consists of their first meeting in a bar a long time ago.

They discuss their points of view of the world and while Xavier believes in the good of mankind, Magneto is cynical after having been in a concentration camp for years and tells Xavier that humanity isn’t waiting for mutants.

As said before, Xavier using his gift to bend Magneto’s will to his own will have huge ramifications in the future.

But for now, the situation is dire with Asteroid M falling out of orbit and crashing into Earth would cause the planet to move out of its orbit. While Xavier helps Magneto get over his childhood trauma from having lived in a concentration camp and losing family members left and right, the X-Men are fighting off Bastion.

Xavier and Magneto are comatose, scene from X-Men 97 Episode 10 Season finale

When the X-Men have the opportunity to give the final blow, they show empathy instead. They tell him that it wasn’t Xavier who turned him down but his mother who rejected Xavier’s offer to take him to the X-Mansion. That eventually broke Bastion and as Asteroid M falls apart, he gets sucked into oblivion.

With the supposed death of Bastion, Asteroid M falls apart quickly. But next to that, the US President activated the Magneto Protocols, which essentially means bomb Asteroid M, which was already crashing into Earth. The X-Men sure like to play it close.

The X-Men fight to the death to prevent Asteroid M from crashing into Earth and they succeed partially, it isn’t until Magneto wakes up from his coma and prevents it from happening. The asteroid explodes and the X-Men are nowhere to be seen.

Whatever happened to The X-Men?

Earth’s magnetic field has been restored but The X-Men seem to be missing. But fear not! They are alive. Part of the team consisting of Magneto, Xavier, Rogue, Storm, and Nightcrawler are in Ancient Egypt and they help out someone named En Sabah Nur, who X-Men fans know as Apocalypse.

Apocalypse makes his entrance in the season finale in X-Men 97 Episode 10

Forge is transported into the future with Bishop and he calls him Daniel. Who knew that Forge’s name was Daniel? The scene is reminiscent of the X-Men 92 scenes where Forge is named Genesis and helps Bishop to prevent a horrible future and builds a time machine to keep it from happening.

But the most special time travel point is the one where Jean and Cyclops were sent to. They are transported to the time when Cable is just a kid and is raised by Clan Askani.

I mentioned Clan Askani before in my breakdown of Fire Made Flesh and I have to say that I find it admirable from the writers of the show to have the storyline integrated into the animated show.

The original comic book storyline was named after “The Adventures of Cyclops and Jean” and they do the same thing: raise Nathan as their son.

So we have Forge with Bishop in the future. Cyclops and Jean in the future with Clan Askani and Cable. And the rest of the gang in the past getting acquainted with Apocalypse.

These are bold moves.

Next season is going to have three plotlines and I hope that it won’t be confusing for the viewer. I mean the X-Men have traveled through time and the cosmos in the comics but it never got confusing so I hope that the writers will take an example of that.

The show has been renewed for a second season and the writers have also confirmed that they are working on a third season. With that on the horizon, I can’t wait for the next season to air and I am keeping an eye on when the next season launches.