Despite rescuing Professor X, the bigotry towards mutants still exists as our heroes return to Bayville High, scorned and verbally abused by their human classmates, including their mutant-hating Principal Edward Kelly. Also, the School Board decides whether or not to allow mutants to attend school. However, Kelly enlists Duncan to team up with the Brotherhood (Avalanche, Toad, & Blob) to ensure a permanent mutant ban.
Tropes included:
- Batman Gambit:
- Two against each other over mutants getting one more day to attend school before a final vote is held on a permanent ban. Xavier tells his students to be on their best behavior and not use their powers; he also wants them at the final vote, feeling having to see the people behind the powers will be a great help. Conversely, Kelly knows an incident will get the mutants permanently banned and convinces the Brotherhood to come back to school; he later coaxes Duncan into teaming up with them ahead of the big vote. Xavier's wins out in part because of Kelly's.
- Riding motorcycles on the highway, Colossus shows off his metal hand to get Wolverine's attention and ensure he follows.
- Berserk Button:
- Lance over being reminded that Kitty has been avoiding him lately.
- Colossus angrily balks at being called a lackey to Magneto.
- Big Damn Heroes: When Duncan starts getting serious in his fight against Cyclops, Rogue and Kitty arrive as backup.
- Bittersweet Ending: Despite the X-Men being subjected to bigotry at school, especially by Principal Kelly, and losing many friends, they are welcomed back to Bayville High after showing the school board that not all mutants are dangerous, convincing them not to institute a permanent mutant ban, and there is still hope as Kurt’s girlfriend, Amanda, is more accepting towards mutants.
- The Chains of Commanding: In the final scene, Xavier notes that his students will be the ones to lead the way for other mutants in this new world, which he says is both an honor and a major responsibility.
- Fights Like a Normal: Duncan tries to force Scott to use his power so that he'll get kicked out of school. Scott manages to smack around Duncan and his two mooks with his eyes shut. Kelly's effort to later expose and discredit the mutants fail because they were able to fight back without the use of their powers.
- Forced into Evil: Colossus reveals to Wolverine that he doesn't serve Magneto willingly.
- Foreshadowing:
- Evan in particular chafes at the overall situation, feeling it's normal humans' problem that they hate and fear mutants. He nearly resorts to violence in the face of bigotry, though Scott talks him down. Evan will eventually join the Morlocks and take more direct action against anti-mutant bigots.
- Kurt is warned that it's only a matter of time before people figure out he's a mutant. It comes out during dinner with Amanda's parents.
- It's All My Fault: Wolverine blames himself for what's happened, feeling it never would've happened if he had realized Mystique was posing as Xavier at the end of last season.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Duncan assures Jean that this situation doesn't change anything before saying he's willing to overlook her "problem" and suggesting she can help him cheat on tests. Jean immediately dumps him for that.
- Karma Houdini: Though no doubt unhappy about the mutants getting to stay in school. Kelly gets away with his role in the Brotherhood's messy attack.
- Kick the Dog: Pretty much the entire episode, as the teens get shunned left and right. Jean might get the worst of it, as her athletic accomplishments are called into question and taken away.
- Never My Fault: Duncan says it's Scott's fault that Jean dumped him. Scott sarcastically lampshades this.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Kelly ends up giving Xavier's students good PR by arranging for a fight during the vote.
- No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Kelly plans to surrendering most of the sports trophies, including the ones Jean helped win, because he's not sure if they were earned fairly or with help from mutants.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Subverted. After resorting to using their powers against the Brotherhood, Scott and the others feel they'll get kicked out of school for it. Xavier tells them that doing so saved lives and thus helped ensure they get to stay in school.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Kelly points out to Duncan that the three Brotherhood mutants hate Scott Summers as much as he does.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: With their secret exposed, the students are largely jeered, shunned, and harassed for being mutants.Kitty: Oh, things were so much simpler when only the Brotherhood hated us.
- Operation: Jealousy: When dumping Duncan, Jean makes a point of grabbing Scott's arm and dragging him after her. She later apologizes to Scott about this, though he doesn't see the problem.
- Pet the Dog: Hearing his motivations, Wolverine offers Colossus a place among the X-Men and says they can help him. Colossus refuses because he just can't take the chance.
- Put on a Bus: Jubilee is shown being taken home by her parents. Wolverine says that Wolfsbane has already left, too.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Avalanche calls a retreat upon seeing the X-Men now outnumber them and are using their powers.
- Secret Identity: Thanks to the holo-inducer, no one has made the connection between Kurt and the furry blue guy with a tail on the news. He's initially thrilled to be spared the grief the others get, but he ends up feeling awful about avoiding his friends.
- Ship Sinking: Kitty has been avoiding Lance since mutants got outed. Him taking part in Kelly and Duncan's scheme prompts her to denounce him as a hood, which he takes as this trope.
- Ship Tease: When Jean apologizes for using him to get under Duncan's skin, Scott's reaction is this.
- So Proud of You: Xavier over how the students conducted themselves during the vote.
- Unwitting Pawn: The Brotherhood in Kelly's plan to get mutants banned from the school.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kitty over Kurt distancing himself from the others.
