‘X-Men ’97’ Episode 6 Recap – Genocide’s Architect: Mr. Sinister’s Shadow Looms And A Hero Returns

Episode 6 of X-Men ’97, titled “Lifedeath – Part 2,” throws some serious curveballs that’ll have you questioning everything you thought you knew! Remember Professor X, the telepathic leader of the X-Men, presumed dead after the brutal Sentinel attack? Well, guess what? He’s alive and kicking… in space! That’s right, Professor X is living a life most mutants could only dream of. Here he is, aboard a luxurious starship, canoodling with Lilandra, the glamorous and powerful empress of the Shi’ar Empire. They’re discussing interstellar politics and navigating the complex web of alien alliances. It’s a far cry from the days spent training young mutants and fighting for their place in a world that fears and hates them.

But paradise comes at a price. To fully integrate into Shi’ar society and become Lilandra’s husband and new emperor, Charles has to make a heart-wrenching decision: erase all his memories of his life on Earth. This means forgetting his students at the X-Mansion, the bonds he’s forged with his fellow X-Men, and his lifelong dedication to protecting mutants. Talk about a cosmic mid-life crisis! Charles is struggling to come to terms with this sacrifice. A part of him yearns for the familiar chaos of Earth, and the students he considers family. Lilandra, sensing his internal conflict, assures him that this is a necessary hurdle to overcome before their ultimate union. 

Deathbird, Lilandra’s power-hungry sister, throws a major space tantrum worthy of a galactic toddler. Fueled by her obvious hate for humans (she called our Milky Way ghetto!), Deathbird gathers a ragtag crew of Shi’ar renegades who share her disdain for Lilandra’s rule.  This motley crew of conspirators and traitors to the throne launches a surprise attack under the guise of saving the empire from Lilandra’s foolish, lovestruck decision to marry Charles. An all-out battle happens as the elders try to make a silent getaway, but are quickly stopped in their tracks by Charles’ powerful telepathic abilities that turn the battlefield into his very own astral dimension-styled classroom where he schools everyone on what true power is.

Suddenly, during his teaching moment, Charles gets hit with a psychic shockwave. It’s a vision – a horrifying glimpse of Gambit as a mutant-sentinel hybrid blasting everyone to smithereens, revealing to Charles that the X-Men are facing a terrifying threat. This jolt of reality completely changes his mind, giving him a newfound purpose. He comes to the realization that he’s running away from his obligation to his students, his mission, and the responsibility he’s shirking while smooching with an alien queen. Meanwhile, on Earth, Storm is grappling with her own demons (literally). Back in episode two, she sacrificed herself to save Magneto and took on a powerful blast from X-Cutioner, causing her to lose her omega-level weather-wielding powers. Now, she’s staying with Forge, the brilliant but brawny mutant inventor, in his remote cabin. It was here that Storm and Forge had to go up against The Adversary and things had taken a turn for the worst in episode four.

Remember how Storm was always afraid of tight spaces?  Well, The Adversary uses that fear against her, trapping her in a tiny tunnel. It bombards her with nightmarish visions of being locked inside of a wooden casket, spewing nothing short of fearful words and filling her with crushing anxiety and doubt. It’s a brutal psychological assault designed to break her spirit and steal the last remnants of her will, as the Adversary ghoulishly tries to feed on her. Drawing on years of experience fighting alongside the X-Men and confronting her own inner demons, Storm refuses to succumb to The Adversary’s manipulations.  She transforms her anger, fear, and grief into a surge of willpower, strength, and determination – pushing back against the entity’s dark influence.

In a powerful moment of self-discovery, she unleashes a burst of lightning that blasts The Adversary leaving nothing left of this deranged demon except a handful of feathers. And guess what?  Storm’s powers return and in the most epic, X-Man’ish way possible too! This scene will leave you in awe with a transformation worthy of her level of power. Lightning crackles around her, and the wind spins relentlessly forming a cyclone that lifts her through the air and into space as she transforms into one of her iconic costumes from the comics. It’s the modern take on her original black costume with gold lining, the ruby broach, and a black tiara that’s possibly made from The Adversary’s remaining feathers.

The episode ends with a cliffhanger, as we watch Bolivar Trask run for his life down a deserted street. Trask pleads for his life revealing he’s not the mastermind behind the Genosha genocide. We discover a shadowy figure pulling the strings behind the scenes – Mr. Sinister!  The revelation that Mr. Sinister, the manipulative mutant geneticist, was behind the Genosha attack adds another layer of complexity to the already tangled web of the season.  With Storm back in action and Professor X returning home to Earth and his X-Men, the stage is set for a thrilling second half of X-Men ’97!