‘The Gifted’ Reenacts the X-Men’s “Mutant Massacre”

Tonight’s episode of The Gifted brought one of the X-Men‘s most significant stories to the series.

SPOILERS for The Gifted Season 2, Episode 14, “calaMity,” follow.

“Mutant Massacre” (written by Chris Claremont, Louise Simonson, and Walt Simonson, and featuring the art of Walt Simonson, John Romita Jr., and Sal Buscema) was the first major X-Men crossover event. Marvel Comics published the story from October through December of 1986. The event sees the X-Men and the original X-Factor team responding to the same threat, though they never cross paths.

The story revolves around the mysterious mutant assassins known as the Marauders. The Marauders find their way into the tunnels of New York City, where they murder hundreds of mutants from the Morlock community. The X-Men and X-Factor (with some help from Thor) show up to stop the slaughter, and both teams suffer casualties. The Marauders damage Angel’s wings beyond repair; they’re later amputated, setting up his transformation into Archangel. The fight also leaves Shadowcat stuck in her phased state, Colossus suffering from temporary quadriplegia, and Nightcrawler comatose.

The Gifted introduced the Morlocks in its second season as a separatist community led by Erg, and they aren’t interested in participating in the conflict between humans and mutants on the surface. In “calaMity”, the conflict finds them anyway.

Reeva Payge of the Inner Circle is playing both sides of that conflict. She’s in league with Benedict Ryan, the cable news personality who is also the secret leader of the anti-mutant group called the Purifiers. Reeva provides Ryan with information on the whereabouts of the Purifiers, and Ryan sends his best man, former Sentinel Services agent Jace Turner, to lead a team into the tunnels and deal with the Morlocks.

The Purifiers take the place of the Marauders in this version of the massacre, and the Morlocks put up a fight. Instead of the X-Men – missing in this universe — it is the fractured Mutant Underground that comes to the Morlocks’ aid. The Underground’s intervention prevents a complete slaughter, but there is still blood spilled. Many of the Morlocks are killed, their home is no longer safe, and Blink is shot down holding open a portal for the last of the Morlocks to escape.

The Purifiers shoot Blink many times, but the episode does not confirm her death. If she lives, she’s likely now a prisoner of the Purifiers. In the aftermath, the Underground, already struggling to survive, must find a way to care for the influx of Morlock refugees.

What did you think of The Gifted‘s take on the “Mutant Massacre”? Let us know in the comments.

The Gifted airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.