X-Men ’97 Season 2 has already set up Gambit’s return. The Ragin’ Cajun paid the ultimate price for his heroism in the show’s first season, sacrificing himself in defense of the mutant nation Genosha. Appropriately enough, the episode was titled “Remember It” in honor of Gambit’s introductory scene in the classic ’90s animated series. The death left the X-Men spiraling, setting up everything that followed – a desperate confrontation with Magneto, and even a shocking plot where the X-Men were scattered across time.
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This second season is all about the mutant villain Apocalypse, a near-immortal being who hails from ancient Egypt. The X-Men have been scattered across the timeline to stop him, with one group raiding his sanctuary in 3960 AD. But, shockingly, Apocalypse has decided to fight back; he’s traveled back in time to when the X-Men were at their weakest. He’s headed back to the ’90s, to the gap left when the X-Men were taken out of time.
Apocalypse Has an Obvious Goal: Gambit
X-Men ’97 Season 2 is wasting no time setting the pieces in place. En Sabah Nur has headed to the ’90s with a specific goal: to recruit a Horseman of Apocalypse whose mere existence will tear the X-Men apart. Crucially, the second episode shows a glimpse of a very familiar casket – the one belonging to Gambit (note the trademark purple colors). That’s why Archangel recognizes Apocalypse’s technology, but realizes it’s far more advanced. Apocalypse’s goal isn’t just to transform a mutant, but rather to raise the dead and then transform them.
We’re headed for a shocking twist, with Apocalypse unveiling Gambit as his Horseman. The immortal mutant has certainly hit on a plan that will tear the X-Men apart, because none of them will be prepared for one of their own to turn on them like this. Rogue and Magneto will be particularly affected by it, as their romance comes under intolerable pressure.
No doubt the X-Men will strive to redeem the fallen Gambit. But if so, that too would serve Apocalypse’s purposes. It would redirect the X-Men’s attention away from him and towards his Horseman, allowing him to proceed with his own plans without interruption. The X-Men won’t necessarily be neutralized, but they’ll be occupied. The interesting question is how X-Force will respond to this; Cable doesn’t mind killing, and he’d see Gambit as lost. Apocalypse may well have just found a way to tear X-Force apart, because Jubilee and Cable would wind up at odds with one another.
Gambit Became a Horseman in the Comics Too
This is an idea lifted straight from the comics, although it’s been handled much more dramatically. In the comics, Gambit was manipulated into siding with Apocalypse, and he was transformed into the Horseman of Death. As Death, Gambit’s powers expanded into the wider field of matter and energy manipulation, and he had the notable power to transform oxygen into poison gas. This meant he could take on enemies from a distance, choking them to death. Like most Horsemen, he was physically transformed, becoming stronger and far, far more resistant to injury.
Gambit originally planned to betray Apocalypse. But the mental conditioning was too strong, essentially creating Death as a second persona in a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder. This alter appears to still exist, occasionally manifesting – most notably during the Messiah CompleX era, when he entered the Hell Dimension of Limbo. A realm noted for corruptive magic, Limbo unlocked Death once again, and Gambit betrayed the X-Men once more. There are hints a similar plot is currently taking place in the comics, too.
Will We See Other X-Men Become Horsemen of Apocalypse?
Gambit isn’t the only X-Man known for becoming a Horseman in the comics. In fact, X-Men ’97 is deliberately riffing on arcs that saw two other heroes fall as well: Wolverine and Polaris. In the comics, Wolverine regained his adamantium after he was transformed into a(nother) Horseman of Death, while Polaris became an unlikely Pestilence. We’re at exactly the right point in the timeline for Wolverine, and we already know he’ll be getting his adamantium back; meanwhile, Polaris appears to be a major character this season, set up for an interesting arc in episode 2.
At the same time, though, it wouldn’t be surprising for Marvel to focus only on Gambit as a Horseman. That would preserve the shock factor, making his resurrection and unwilling heel turn the A-plot rather than simply part of a larger story. So viewers shouldn’t really be surprised if Marvel set up other Horsemen, only to subvert expectations in a delightful way.
The first three episodes of X-Men ’97 are streaming now on Disney+, and new episodes will be released weekly. Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
