The X-Men learn of a rogue Mutant attacking government facilities, and go to stop them, only to find the culprit is Robert Drake, A.K.A. Iceman, one of the earliest X-Men, and he's looking for his girlfriend.
- Adaptational Late Appearance: Iceman has always been part of the X-Men starting line-up - not only does the series start with a version of the 90s lineup, but Bobby Drake wasn't even mentioned before now.
- Armor-Piercing Question: In the face of Iceman's continued reluctance to talk, Beast gets him to talk by simply asking, "By the way, where's Lorna?"
- Audience Surrogate: Wolverine and Jubilee both have to be filled in on Iceman's origins.
- Call-Back: After Xavier uses an anti-gravity device to keep Iceman from leaving, Beast says it's the result of studying the crashed Shi'ar ship from the "Out of the Past" two-parter (though Hank points out it was supposed to be used to help with medical recovery).
- Can't Stay Normal: Bobby and Lorna both quit the X-Men life to try and be normal, and for a while it worked. Bobby even got a pretty successful job as an accountant, but eventually Lorna wanted back in, and she knew Bobby would never accept it.
- Commonality Connection: Jubilee can relate to Bobby, due to knowing what it's like to be The Baby of the Bunch and chafing over Xavier always telling her what to do.
- Continuity Nod: Earlier this season, we saw Banshee and Black Tom's powers cancel each other out, likely because they're directly related. This time we get the same thing with Cyclops and Havok...
- Dramatic Irony: Cyclops and Havok have no idea why their powers don't work on each other, but viewers who remember Banshee and Black Tom saying that's the case for siblings will.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Xavier pulls off a virtual Big Damn Heroes by making the depot guards hallucinate monsters - one of them is clearly a Brood.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: During the flashback, the newspaper that Lorna holds up is a copy of The Daily Bugle.
- Friendship Moment: Whereas Xavier barked orders and Cyclops was extremely antagonistic, Beast gets Iceman to open up by appealing to their longtime friendship.Beast: Bobby, I am your friend. I was then. I am now. Please, tell me what happened.
- Hulking Out: One of X-Factor's members is a slight looking young woman, until the fight starts and she turns into a wolf. Which is how Beast meets Wolfsbane.
- Let's You and Him Fight: Anyone remotely familiar with their X-Men can probably figure out the team who also have "x"s on their clothes are probably not villains even if they don't recognize them, but the X-Men take a while to catch on. Forge explains he knew full well the X-Men aren't X-Factor's enemies, but he wanted to see how his team acquitted themselves.
- Noodle Incident: The character isn't identified on-screen, but the enemy the team fights in the flashback where Lorna is injured is the Super-Adaptoid, normally an Avengers foe (and who, judging by its appearance, has mimicked the abilities of some of that team).
- "Not So Different" Remark: It's pointed out a couple of times that Bobby's disdain for authority makes him more like Wolverine than they think.
- Nothing Personal: Forge concedes he could've just warned the X-Men to stay out, but he thought "a friendly little skirmish" would be a learning experience for X-Factor. Wolverine doesn't see it that way, offering some "pointers" of his own.
- Opponent Switch: Each member of X-Factor picks a fight with a particular X-Man, doing quite well for themselves. When Jubilee blasts Havok gives Cyclops an opening to win out, Xavier suggests the others do this trope. Iceman freezes Multiple Man, while Wolverine takes out Strong Guy.
- Parental Substitute: Beast notes that Xavier is a surrogate father to Bobby, but the dynamic is strained, due to "father" and "son" fighting for dominance rather than trying to reach common ground. In the end, Xavier recognizes he should've appealed to Bobby as a friend rather than as a strict authority figure.
- The Reveal: Kirby Glen isn't just a government facility, it's under ownership of Forge and X-Factor, and deliberately kept secret even from official mutant liaisons like Xavier. In addition to that, Polaris wasn't actually kidnapped - she just left Iceman for Havok.
- Sibling Rivalry: Substitute siblings, at least, with Scott as the perpetually frazzled older brother trying to lay down the law on kid brother Bobby, right down to accusing Professor X of favoritism.
- Tempting Fate: Refusing to answer any questions, Bobby says not being a student anymore means Xavier can't send him to detention. Xavier then activates the new anti-gravity device, making him stay put.
- This Cannot Be!: Cyclops and Havok over their powers not working on each other.
- This Is Gonna Suck: In response to Wolfsbane going from a normal-looking woman to a wolf, Beast can only mutter, "Oh, dear."
- Tuckerization: The name of the storage depot comes from X-Men co-creator, Jack Kirby.
- The Voiceless: Neither Strong Guy or Wolfsbane say a word.
- Weaksauce Weakness: Quicksilver's Super-Speed may make him hard to hit, but it's Jubilee's sparking powers making it hard for him to watch his step.
- Wham Shot: Halfway in, the head of the facility is revealed to be the present-day Forge. A few minutes later, X-Factor makes their debut.
- The Worf Effect: Not surprisingly, Wolverine is literally frozen in his tracks by Iceman. Later on, Multiple Man gets the better of him with a one-man Zerg Rush.
