Wolverine is plagued by a flood of disturbing memories surrounding a woman named Silver Fox, Sabretooth, and the experiments that were done to him that gave him his adamantium skeleton. The trigger is a mysterious photo of Logan and Silver Fox with a set of coordinates behind it. It drives him to return to the one place where he might get all the answers: the laboratory base of the Weapon X project. Beast accompanies Wolverine to discover what was the purpose behind Weapon X.
This episode provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Sabretooth was apparently abused heavily by his father when his mutation started manifesting, with his father apparently believing that he had a 'wickedness' that needed to be driven out of him. However, whether this had actually happened to Sabretooth is obscured by the fact that false memories had been implanted into his mind.
- Apocalyptic Log: Beast discovers a series of tapes by the lead scientist behind Weapon X detailing what some of the plans for the group were: they were Manchurian Agents, Wolverine's adamantium bonding process was also to be repeated with Sabretooth, and that Wolverine's rampage is how all the subjects escaped. There is one final one though: should the program fail and they return to uncover the secrets behind the program, Talos is to be sicced on them because they know too much.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Talos' chest canopy opens up, leaving the Weapon X team to throw one of Maverick's grenades in it. The result is that its head is literally blown off its body.
- Batman Gambit: Silver Fox deliberately sent a photograph to the X-Mansion of her with Wolverine knowing that he'd see it and return to the lab the Weapon X project took place. She presumably did the same thing to Sabretooth and perhaps even Maverick.
- Big "NO!": Wolverine after remembering the cabin fight and Silver Fox and Maverick's supposed deaths.
- Bittersweet Ending: Leaning more on the bitter side. Wolverine is more confused than ever about his past and loses out on reuniting with Silver Fox. However, Beast reminds him that he has friends who will always be there for him.
- Bowdlerise: The episode was based on the Weapon X miniseries and Wolverine vol. 2, which had a lot of dark themes which couldn't be displayed on an animated kid's show. Specifically, Sabretooth attacking Wolverine at his cabin ended up with Silver Fox killed by Sabretooth, of course Wolverine's mass murder of the staff in the Weapon X program, and the SHIVA android renamed Talos for its religious connotations.
- Crazy-Prepared: In the event of Talos being destroyed while trying to recapture the subjects, the remains activate a trauma trigger that knocks them out. A second Talos (one programmed explicitly to kill) is then activated. It's only Beast's presence that keeps this contingency from working.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: When Wolverine finds her crying in front of a cabin set and asks what's wrong, Silver Fox screams at him to get away.
- Fake Memories: The basis of the episode.
- Friendship Moment:
- Maverick when saying goodbye to Wolverine.
- As Wolverine laments that now he can't even trust his own memories, Beast reminds him that Xavier and the rest of the team have and will always be there for him.Beast: Those are real memories, ones I know you can trust.
- Killer Robot: Talos.
- Madness Mantra: After reexperiencing his memory of his father, a broken Sabretooth is left just muttering "I'll be good."
- Manchurian Agent: Weapon X was to use four highly-trained mutant operatives for wetwork as they integrated into society, only 'activating' them under certain triggers, and using implanted memories to do so.
- Not Quite Dead:
- Sabretooth survived his last encounter with Wolverine.
- Maverick and Silver Fox, to Wolverine's surprise.
- Powered Armor: Maverick has one.Wolverine: Nice suit.
Maverick: Thanks. You should see my tailor. - Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The group set out to reveal the secrets behind the Weapon X project consists of Wolverine, Beast, Sabretooth, Maverick, and Silver Fox. Wolverine and Sabretooth are of course none too happy about working together, especially considering the (possibly false) memory of Sabretooth leaving his teammates to die the last time they were on the same team. Silver Fox, for some unexplained reason, is herself very cold around Wolverine.
- Tempting Fate: Sabretooth mocks Wolverine freaking out over some memories, only to notice a house set that he finds very familiar.
- Thanatos Gambit: The head scientist behind the Weapon X project anticipated that the brainwashing of his subjects would fail, so he masterminded a plan to draw them back to the lab to be apprehended by a Killer Robot for the whole process to start again.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Silver Fox, while apparently having been good-natured from what little is shown of Wolverine's memories of her, is rather unpleasant in the present, displaying coldness not just to Wolverine, but mocking Beast's appearance. She also appears to be wearing a cloak, suggesting her affiliation with HYDRA.
- Unexplained Recovery: It turns out Silver Fox and Maverick are not quite as dead as originally believed. How they survived Omega Red (or even if they did fight him) is never clarified. It's one of the many unanswered questions of the episode.
- Wham Shot: After Wolverine and Beast head home, we see a heart reading "Logan and Silver Fox" carved into a tree.
- Where It All Began: Wolverine is hardly surprised when he's driven to the Weapon X base.
- Wrong Assumption: Sabretooth had assumed his memory flashes were just Xavier messing with him on behalf of Wolverine.
