Line #29 NightmareFuel/XMen97


1	!!Moment pages never use spoiler tagging -- so beware of [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff unmarked spoilers]]
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8	[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/x_men_97_sinister.png]]
9	[[caption-width-right:1000:"''Most refer to me as '''Mister Sinister.''' But you can call me '''Father'''.''"]]
10
11	!!In General:
12	* The intro has Morph surrounded by wisps of black smoke as we hear haunting laughter from a disembodied Mr. Sinister.
13
14	!!Episodes:
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16	[[folder:To Me, My X-Men]]
17	* The Friends of Humanity kidnap Roberto Da Costa with the intent to sell him to someone who they think performs experiments on mutants. Roberto, who is the heir of a tycoon, offers to pay the ransom for his abduction... [[MoneyIsNotPower to which they laugh]]. He is a mutant and they want him to suffer and die; the trafficking being a means to get money is a literal bonus. Thankfully, the X-Men arrive just in time.
18	* The hastily-built Sentinels give an eerie impression of being akin to giant robotic zombies as if they weren't already scary enough.
19	* Gyrich is much more composed and stoic than he was the raving fanatic he was in "[[Recap/XMenS5E10GraduationDay Graduation Day]]", but he's still insanely creepy. He icily tells Storm and Cyclops that the recent sympathy for mutants is merely a fad, and calmly states that mutants must not be accepted, but be [[FinalSolution exterminated entirely]] to prevent them from replacing humanity. The similarity to the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Replacement Great Replacement]] theory and Gyrich's coldness is chilling.
20	--> '''Gyrich:''' Tolerance is ''extinction''.
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Mutant Liberation Begins]]
24	* The Friends of Humanity's raid on the courthouse where Magneto is standing trial.
25	* A more subdued one when the doctor refused to help Jean, as it echoes real-life medical prejudice where minority families are often given poor care, resulting in higher maternal and infant mortality rates for minorities even in "advanced" countries.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Fire Made Flesh]]
29	* Jean Grey discovers that she's actually Madelyne Pryor and that all the times she has shared with the X-Men, including Scott and her son Nathan, were all machinations of a cruel and despicable man. Imagine living your life as normal (as far as normal for being a mutant goes at least) and you've just had your first child and have big plans to start a new life... only to discover it was never your life, to begin with.
30	* Jean/Madelyne hushing young Nathan in the quiet dark of the bedroom, only for a ''very'' creepy voice to suddenly and tantalizingly call to her on the baby monitor, akin to a very scary scene from ''Film/ParanormalActivity''. And the one making those sounds on the monitor...
31	* '''Mister Sinister.''' Already one of the creepiest Marvel villains, the series reminds us ''exactly'' why he is so hated and feared. His voice drips with malice and [[FauxAffablyEvil an eerie, monstrous charm]] that honestly sounds like a demon enticing mortals into making a deadly pact (and his horrifying SlasherSmile, complete with shark-like teeth, helps sell this). His speech towards Jean/Madelyne is also ''dripping'' with [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything truly horrific undertones]] that is sure to send chills down your spine. The animators and Creator/ChrisBritton did an ''incredible'' job with his opening scene.
32	** VocalEvolution plays a huge part in just how much more of a menace Sinister is now compared to the original series. Back then, Sinister was a ColdHam who [[ChewingTheScenery stole every scene]] he appeared in. With the DarkerAndEdgier tone of '''97'', his more dramatic manner of speech is dialed back considerably, to such an extent that it's almost no longer present. This makes Sinister come off as much more as a SoftSpokenSadist who relishes in tormenting those he manipulates like puppets, making him much more reflective of his visage - a demon.
33	** When his procedure to infuse the techno-organic virus into baby Nathan is thwarted by Cyclops and Goblin Queen's timely intervention, Sinister gives a ''haunting'' [[IronicNurseryTune recitation]] of the lyrics to "Ladybird" to let them know just how much they've screwed things up by interrupting the process.
34	--->''Ladybird, ladybird. Fly away home. Your house is on fire. '''And your child long gone.'''''
35	* Mixed with a little bit of Awesome, but the illusions projected by Jean/Madelyne, now possessed by Sinister, are absolutely ''terrifying''. The animation serves only to make it even more nightmarish.
36	** Jubilee and Sunspot are sitting together watching television, before a haunting voice mimics what the TV character is saying, and said character turns and looks at them with a smile that screams ill intent. Both of them are immediately alarmed... and then the character taps on the screen and ''crashes through it'', turning into a grotesque malformation of flesh that crawls like Sadako through the television. It's also made worse that the creature also takes the face of Roberto's mother all while shouting that he was no son of hers.
37	** Gambit wonders about Magneto and Rogue and goes to look for them, finding them in a passionate embrace, with Rogue mockingly telling him she's found a real man. Not only is this very cruel and unnerving, but their embrace is so tight, that their flesh begins to melt into each other. Gambit is left rather scarred by it, even with the knowledge it wasn't real.
38	** Morph sees Logan in the shower and jokingly offers to help him wash, only for the distorted and familiar voice to reply, with his distorted figure obscured by the steam of the shower. When they realize who it is, the OhCrap face they have speaks volumes about their experiences with the man. Then he leaps out from the steam and attacks Morph like a feral animal.
39	*** Morph's subsequent reaction is equally terrifying: they genuinely appear to believe that they and the other X-Men are in Hell. It goes a long way to selling their abject, gibbering terror in the face of Sinister, and their continuing trauma response to the man who broke them. Interestingly their comment seems to give Sinister/Madelyn-as-Goblin-Queen some inspiration, as the illusions immediately kick up a notch from 'nightmarish' to 'the team literally is sucked into a fire and brimstone pit and assaulted by demons'.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder: Motendo/Lifedeath - Part 1]]
43	* The Adversary, an Owl Demon thing that attacks Storm and Forge at the end of the episode. What is it and why is it attacking them? Whatever it is, it's dangerous as it easily wounds Forge and captures Storm.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder: Remember It]]
47	* An army of Sentinels led by the Tri-Sentinel attack Genosha, killing countless mutants and knocking out Rogue. When Rogue comes to, Gambit is telling her about an elite sentinel that seems impervious to damage and is extremely powerful. Magneto fights it and fails to defeat it, seemingly dying while trying to protect the Morlocks.
48	** It can not be overstated how much of a ''massacre'' it is. Numerous innocent mutants are obliterated on the spot as the X-Men present (Gambit, Rogue, and Magneto) try and sadly fail to save as many as they can.
49	* The Tri-Sentinel itself goes for maximum creepy design as well. Three giant Sentinel heads with gaping maws that fire massive killing lasers, and can spin a full 360 degrees far too fast for something so massive, mounted on a bulbous body supported by insect-like legs, means it ends up looking for all the world like a giant, three-headed cockroach.
50	* Gambit attacks the Tri-Sentinel and is ''impaled'' through the side with a cable. We don't see the impact but we do see the Sentinel drag him around and suspend him in front of its face just by the cable in him.
51	* The other X-Men get the news through a television report, seeing Genosha in ruins and on fire. All of them are utterly horrified, but Beast takes it especially hard. The episode ends with Rogue crying over Gambit's body.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder: Lifedeath - Part 2]]
55	* Deathbird threatening to have Ronan's men executed by the Imperial Guard [[ForcedToWatch right in front of him]] to extort information out of him. She receives a message about her sister's wedding before we see anything else...
56	* The Adversary proves to be one of the most bone-chilling enemies Storm had to deal with, not only trying to BreakHerByTalking, but playing on her claustrophobia -- both in an illusory coffin, then later in a tight cave containing the cure to Forge's infection.
57	* Xavier's vision of coming danger takes the illusory form of a giant Gambit -- who had just died -- turning into a Sentinel-like [[DemBones gigantic skeleton]] and letting loose an energy blast just like the Tri-Sentinel did, incinerating Charles.
58	* In the end we see Bolivar Trask terrified of the orchestrator of the one whom he helped commit mass genocide on Genosha: Mister Sinister.
59	** And Sinister tells Trask that what happened in Genosha is only the ''beginning'' of his plan.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder: Bright Eyes]]
63	* Bastion makes his presence known in this episode and does it in the most horrifying manner yet.
64	** When we first see him, he talks to a manhandled Gyrich … then proceeds to ''smother him to death with his bare hands.''
65	** He ends the episode creepily shaving the captured and power-dampened Magneto all to the tune of "Flying Purple People-Eater" and X-Fans know who that is. Ladies and gentlemen, Tolerance is Extinction? OZT? "Operation: Zero Tolerance".
66	** Magneto is used to being in control of the situation. When Bastion shaves him, he looks genuinely unnerved.
67	* Rogue focusing her rage and grief over Remy and Magneto's deaths by finding Bolivar Trask. It's a harsh reminder as to how powerful she actually is.
68	** First person on her list is Thunderbolt Ross, who's hiding in a bunker designed to keep The Incredible Hulk out. She still breaks in effortlessly after giving a vicious CurbStompBattle to his forces..
69	** She's more patient with Captain America (mostly), but as strong as he is, he's not as strong as her. He should be glad she just threw his shield into the mountains and left without a fight.
70	** She uses her power on [[AssholeVictim Henry Gyrich]], forcibly absorbing his memories into her, and it is not a pretty sight to behold regardless of how much he deserves it.
71	--->'''Gyrich''': Tell Summers his wife's cute psychic prides won't work this time. Not against ''this''. Not against him.\
72	'''Rogue''': Honey, this ain't ''that'' sort of probe! (''As Gyrich screams while Rogue clutches his face'') ''Quit fighting me!''
73	** When the team finds him, he's on the verge of suicide, sick with guilt over his actions. He jumps off the building, but Rogue catches him by his collar and questions him some more. Then ...
74	--->'''Rogue''': ''([[DissonantSerenity Smiling]])'' What else can you tell us? Anything helps.\
75	'''Bolivar Trask''': [[AintTooProudToBeg I'm sorry ... I-I have nothing.]]\
76	'''Rogue''': ...Same, sugar. ''([[NotTheFallThatKillsYou Lets go]])''
77	** Below the building, you can hear Trask's body landing on a car and the horrified cries of pedestrians. As Rogue looks down with a cold DeathGlare.
78	** Scott, Kurt, and Morph are horrified, but Logan curtly says that Rogue just did "what we all wanted to do", not even surprised that ''someone else on the team'' actually did it. Between this, the events of Genosha, Cyclops and Beast's own frustration with humanity, it seems the X-Men are falling more in line with Magneto's way of thinking in that even mere "tolerance" is too much to hope from humanity.
79	--->'''Morph''': [''Gasps''] Is this who we are now?
80	* Trask has been turned into a Prime Sentinel; a pale, sickly-looking man-machine that easily kicks the X-Men’s asses.
81	** While Rogue is making a justifying rant for her murder of Trask, something flies up and punches her with enough force to decimate half of the building with uttering '''''"Terminate mutants"'''''. When the X-Men recover, they see Trask floating in the air facing away from them, then [[ExorcistHead turning his head 180 degrees]] towards ''their'' direction before the rest of his body follows. Making creaking noises that ''should'' be bones, but sound more like circuitry.
82	--->'''Cyclops''': What in the name of all heaven...?
83	** According to Jean, she can [[AndIMustScream still sense Trask's mind inside of his body.]]
84	** The Sentinel acts completely robotic for most of the fight, appearing to merely be a machine carrying out its programming. [[ItCanThink Then suddenly]] it proves to be a ''sadistic'' man-machine, as it pins Cyclops' face to the ground with a smile.
85	-->'''Prime Sentinel:''' Do you remember what my inferior form asked you in the Sahara? Tell me, orphan. How does it feel to be abandoned by the future?
86	* [[BigBad Bastion]] reveals to [[TheHeavy Sinister]] that he hijacked an alien satellite and discovered Charles Xavier not dead but at the Shi'ar Empire through a footage of Empress Lilandra's official declaration. Bastion intends to release that footage to the world, which would have terrible consequences for the X-Men, especially when Charles Xavier is heading home to Earth after sensing the death of Gambit and many other mutants.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Tolerance Is Extinction Pt.1]]
90	* TheReveal that Bastion has transformed thousands if not millions of humans into Prime Sentinels. Even his ''mother''. And worse yet they don't even know what they were transformed into until it's too late.
91	** This scene is even scarier if this is kept in mind. It's highly unlikely that ''every single person'' in that town willingly agreed to be turned into Prime Sentinels. Bastion ''himself'' says the people who ''volunteered'' to become Prime Sentinels don't remember being turned into Prime Sentinels. So, what if it turns out many of these Prime Sentinels were turned into them against their wills?
92	** To highlight this, a couple is shown watching TV with their three children when both the mother and father activate to their children's horror.
93	** Another character who turns out to be a Prime Sentinel is Trish Tilby, who payed a visit to Beast in his lab before she was activated. He's alone with a thing that flattened most of his team single-handedly, and is slowly, casually overpowered by her physical strength alone. Thankfully he ''just'' gets knocked out.
94	*** Shortly before getting his ass-kicked, Beast was trying to determine how many Prime Sentinels were in the world. What he discovers is not fully revealed, but judging from [[OhCrap his reaction]], that number is '''''big'''''!
95	** What makes the Prime Sentinels more frightening is that these are humans who have been effectively radicalized by Bastion, their fear and/or bigotry leading them to the laboratory where they're forced to undergo a transformation that they don't even remember. It's safe to say that most of the Prime Sentinels are volunteers. [[FridgeHorror Keep in mind that this number includes people like Trish Tilby: publicly sympathetic to mutants while privately visiting online chatrooms and meetings aimed at stoking humanity's fear.]]
96	*** Trish Tilby being a Prime Sentinel could not be because she was secretly anti-mutant, but that being a reporter, she may have actually been posing as a mutant-hater to get research for a story.
97	* Magneto single-handedly ends the attack. But as Wolverine points out, while Magneto's actions have a positive effect in this case, it's a harbinger for something worse to come: [[ThisMeansWar A declaration of war]].
98	** As part of his planetary EMP shutdown, he inadvertently freed Omega Red from stasis.
99	** [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries Spider-Man's]] cameo consists of him staring up at the sky as New York's power goes out with a [[OhCrap shocked expression]], and considering this is [[ScienceHero Peter]] we're taking about, either his SpiderSense is going crazy in the face of an unknown, or he recognises the EMP for what it is and just how many people are now in danger.
100	* Val's speech to Bastion about why she freed Magneto. Mutants agreeing with Magneto's view of humans is one thing. It's quite another for ''a human'' to [[MaddenedIntoMisanthropy come around to his mindset]] because of the sheer depravity and hatred she's seen from her own kind.
101	-->'''Val:''' [[WhamLine Magneto was right]].
102	** When Val frees Magneto, there is a close up shot of his left arm that showed a tattooed serial number, which grimly confirms once and for all that Magneto wasn't merely a survivor of any typical genocide. He was [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust a Holocaust survivor who saw the worst of humanity in Auschwitz]].
103	* One reminder that '''97'' is a TV-14 show is how casually Wolverine and Nightcrawler are depicted slicing up Prime Sentinels. In one scene, Wolverine digs his claws into a Sentinel and rips them apart sideways.
104	** More horrifying is how this doesn't keep the Prime Sentinels down. Even after being cut to pieces, they just [[PullingThemselvesTogether harmlessly reattach dismembered limbs and even]] ''[[PullingThemselvesTogether heads]]'' like they were never wounded at all.
105	* It was quite unsettling to see how Nightcrawler's teleportation works through the perspective of Wolverine when he was dragged along with the Prime Sentinel whom he stabbed with his adamantium claws. From what Wolverine (and us, the audience) saw, it appears to be a creepy dark dimension before returning back to the real world in another location of the damaged X-Mansion.
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Tolerance Is Extinction Pt.2]]
109	* This episode reveals the full devastation of Magneto's wrath. The EMP he used on the planet has shut down ''everything'' electronic, setting the world back by centuries. Even worse, he's deliberately killing the magnetic field on the planet, dooming both humanity and whatever mutants are left to a planet-wide extinction in less than a day.
110	* Magneto confirms that Leech and likely the other Morlocks on Genosha were killed by the Genoshan Master Mold, as he describes [[ForcedToWatch personally seeing]] Leech being ''vaporized'' in his arms.
111	-->'''Magneto:''' I promised a boy a future free of fear, only to watch his frightened eyes be vaporized inside his tiny skull because he believed in me. In the dream you had me sell. [[ArmorPiercingQuestion How many more of your bones will pave the way to Xavier's future, where we simper like beggars for tolerance?]] Your professor's dream is dead, so I offer a new one! A home to replace what they stole from us, a new Genosha! We have gotten here by walking this man's path. We are left with but two choices, cling to this dying world or rise to your future and look down upon this fallen pig-sty planet!
112	* The final shot of the episode, where Magneto ''forcibly removes the adamantium from Logan's skeleton'', in a shot that directly mirrors the iconic image from the ''{{ComicBook/Fatal Attractions\|MarvelComics}}'' comic. You can see the metal ripping through Wolverine’s skin…
113	** For those familiar with the source material, many pray that the [[ComicBook/{{Onslaught}} same aftermath]] wouldn’t happen in here. Because if not, everything bad that came before would be absolutely ''trivial'' compared to it.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Tolerance Is Extinction Pt.3]]
117	* Although it does nothing to slow down Bastion, you can still see the damage Jubliee does to his face. Since he's an android at this point, it's not as shocking as his eye and teeth are robotic looking, but imagine if that was flesh and bones instead.
118	* The ending. Although the X-Men have saved the Earth, Bastion and Mister Sinister have finally been defeated, and Magneto has been returned to the good side, the team is currently lost in time and a certain other ArchEnemy is poised to take over as the BigBad for next season.
119	-->'''[[Characters/MarvelComicsApocalypse Apocalypse]]''': ''(while examining the remains of Genosha)'' So much pain, my children. ''(picks up Gambit's Queen of Hearts card)'' So much...'''[[{{Foreshadowing}} death]]'''.

Context NightmareFuel / XMen97