Forget Apocalypse, X-Men ’97 just set up a terrifying, nearly unstoppable villain

X-Men ’97 has come to an exciting end and set up a terrifying new villain, but it’s not Apocalypse. 

After eight incredible episodes of what’s easily one of the best superhero TV shows of all time, X-Men ’97 ended with the tease that Marvel’s merry mutants will have to battle the supervillain Apocalypse in the future.

Anyone who’s read the X-Men comics will know what a deadly threat Apocalypse poses to Xaveier’s students (if you’ve only seen Oscar Issac’s version from the X-Men movies, then trust us, he’s a scary guy), yet En Sabah Nur isn’t the only villain set up in the finale.

In fact, the show has set up one of the most powerful and dangerous villains in the history of Marvel comics, Onslaught.

Who is Onslaught? 

Marvel Comics

Onslaught is a hulking and imposing fusion of Professor Xavier and Magnerto’s darker personality traits given life through Charles’s vast psionic abilities. Boasting the combined powers of his ‘fathers,’ Onslaught was a genocidal maniac (capable of easily defeating powerhosues like the Juggernaut and Hulk) who sought to steal the powers of reality-warping mutants so he could wipe out humanity.

But I know what you’re thinking: “I don’t remember seeing a 10-foot-tall demi-god at any point during the X-Men ’97 finale; what are you talking about?” Well, while we didn’t actually get to see Onslaught during the finale, the X-Men ’97 team has clearly learned a lesson or two from Bastion and has been slowly moving their chess pieces into place so the psionic psycho can appear in X-Men ’97 Season 2 or 3. 

You see, Onslaught is initially born — during the Fatal Attractions storyline (which ’97 drew a lot of influence from) — in Xavier’s subconscious when Charles uses his powers to mindwipe Magneto. During their psychic battle, the master of magnetism’s darker impulses essentially latched onto the Professor’s psyche like a parasite.

Onslaught is coming

Disney+

From those humble beginnings, Onslaught slowly grew, subtly influencing Xavier until the time was right to strike. And what did we just see happen in X-Men ’97? That’s right, Charles was in Magneto’s subconscious, helping him deal with his dark emotions, which took the form of a tumultuous ocean.

Could Charles have unwittingly taken on some of that dark water? It’s certainly possible. But that’s not the only clue that Onslaught might be incubating in the warm womb of Xavier’s mind. 

In the comics following the events of Fatal Attraction, the next big storyline is the Age of Apocalypse. This is a horrifying alternate timeline where Xavier dies before he can start school, and Apocalypse rules the world with an iron fist. Is it a coincidence that X-Men ’97 is setting up En Sabah Nur right after adapting Fatal Attractions? In the words of Dash’s teacher from The Incredibles, “I THINK NOT!”

The events of Age of Apocalypse may seem a bit tangential to Onslaught’s story but from within Xavier’s mind, he learns of what happened and surmises that mutant kind needs to be wiped out alongside humanity. It’s a small thing but key to establishing his genocidal goals. 

Okay, I can admit that my last point is a bit tenuous. Apocalypse is an iconic X-Men villain, and he’s made several appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series before, so maybe I’m reading into things a little. But I have one final point that I think proves the X-Men ‘97 writers are at least considering adapting the story. 

Avengers Assemble

Disney+

During the events of Onslaught’s rampage, the villain grows so powerful that he transcends physical form, becoming a being of pure energy. Realizing the threat Onslaught poses, the X-Men turn to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for help, and for complicated reasons that aren’t important to my argument, the villain can only be hurt by non-mutants.

So to save the world, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and several other non-mutant superheroes sacrifice their lives to finally defeat Onslaught. While ‘97 has been focused on the astonishing X-Men, it has dedicated a bit of time to setting up the animated Avengers, including Captain America, Iron Man, and Hulk, all of whom played a key role in bringing down Onslaught. 

And with that, I rest my case, your honor (when did a judge get here?). We have the origin story, the follow-up that gives him his motivation and sets up his inevitable defeat at the hands of the Avengers. Your move Marvel.

If you love capes and cowls as much as we do then check out our list of the best superhero movies of all time. We’ve also got breakdowns on all the upcoming Marvel movies including Deadpool 3 and Captain America 4. But that’s not all; we’ve been through every MCU movie and ranked them because we’re so dedicated to listing stuff and written why X-Men ’97 is going to cause the MCU a headache.

Finally, why not check out our guide to all the best new TV shows coming to streaming this month — it’s a great time to be a fan of TV!