Bright Eyes
Episode 6–AKA “Lifedeath – Part 2”–was really wrapping up storylines set before episode 5 instead of being a direct follow-up. Well with that out of the way, it’s time to see how the X-Men respond to a genocide. Spoilers, but the answer is not well!
This episode jumps around a lot, so trying to summarize it in a narrative fashion is a bit difficult. You’ll see what I mean… “Bright Eyes” opens on Gambit’s funeral. A strong start, to be sure. Nightcrawler gives a touching eulogy, but there’s tension over the fact that Rogue wasn’t there. I mean, Gambit’s ex Bella Donna Boudreaux is there with the Thieves Guild, so Jubilee thinks her teammate should be, too. Cut to a secret US military installation! Rogue is on the attack, looking for Henry Peter Gyrich who should have info on where Bolivar Trask is. Even General Thunderbolt Ross (Mr. Michael Patrick McGill, who also voiced the character in two episodes of What If…?) is surprised she could make her way into a base designed to withstand the Hulk, but grief is a hell of a drug. Also, minor note, but our heroine does a move pulled straight from Marvel vs. Capcom 2, so gamer nerds shout out in the comments, or something. Ross snidely says he thought Rogue was one of the good guys, but she retorts that they killed all the good ones, so all they have is her. Cut to the X-mansion! President Kelly (Ron Rubin) tells Cyclops that his hands are tied when it comes to helping mutants due to bad optics, and Scott doesn’t like that answer. He and Jean agree to put up a united front and the two take a team to the rubble of Genosha to help out. While Beast coordinates with Amelia Vought (Donna Jay Fulks)–who is traumatized because of course a front-line aid worker in a disaster zone would be affected–but they’re interrupted by Trish Tilby showing up with a camera. Cut to some snowy woods! Rogue is investigating a seemingly abandoned cabin when a sudden star-spangled vibranium shield is thrown at her feet. Oh, snap, it’s Captain America (Josh Keaton, who has also been voicing Steve in What If…?)! News of her antics has upset the people in power, so they sent Cap to try and calm her down. But this isn’t going to be the formation of the Uncanny Avengers, or anything. They at least team up to look for Gyrich, with Steve sharing that a covert division in the UN transferred Gyrich somewhere in Mexico City, but the details are very hush hush. They find gear labeled “OZT,” but not much else. Cap refuses to go with Rogue and cause an international incident, and in response she fucking yeets his shield into the mountains. Back to Genosha! Jubilee convinces Roberto to talk with his mom, agreeing to go with her beau. Beast starts to wonder if maybe the Professor’s vision was too nearsighted and begging for tolerance was a mistake. As long as he doesn’t go full war criminal like in the comics, I’m okay with a more radicalized Beast. Cut to Mexico! Rogue indeed finds Gyrich, who gloats while rubbing his forearm for unspecified reasons. He says a mind probe won’t work this time, but Rogue’s not here asking nicely. She uses her mutant powers to siphon memories from the asshole, which causes all the lights in the building to flicker for, again, unspecified reasons. I’m sure it’s nothing. Back to Genosha! As Cyclops and Jean work through the rubble, psychic echoes hit Jean and we get pretty solid confirmation that Dazzler, Sebastian Shaw, and other recognizable characters have died. She does pick up a living telepath, but Scott’s hopes that it’s Madelyne are dashed when the pair find Emma Frost in diamond form, her secondary mutation first seen in New X-Men #116 (2001) after she survived the destruction of Genosha in the comics. We’re one step closer to Emma joining the X-Men and trying to ruin Scott and Jean’s marriage! This good-ish news is interrupted by Trask contacting the X-Men, saying he had no idea what Mister Sinister was going to do. He tells them to meet him at the UN building in Madripoor. Cut to Brazil! Roberto “comes out” to his mother, who already knew he was a mutant but says he had to tell her on his own terms–how very queer-coded. She seems very affable but immediately says they have to keep Roberto’s powers a secret otherwise shareholders may get scared. Back to Mexico! Nightcrawler finds Rogue and the two talk about Gambit and Magneto’s passings. She breaks down, but the X-Men are there to pick her up. Elsewhere in Mexico, Gyrich survived Rogue’s attack, but a pink-skinned man with white hair kills him for almost ruining his “surprise.” Cut to Madripoor! The X-Men find an evil lair under the UN Peace Legion building, filled with futuristic Sentinel technology with unconscious guards with “OZT” on their uniform. They also find Trask about to kill himself, but Rogue stops him before he can jump. He reveals that OZT and Mister Sinister are creating a new type of Sentinel, but when he runs out of info, Rogue lets him fall to his death. The X-Men are horrified but before they can process her actions, Trask punches the fuck out of Rogue. Turns out he’s a super Sentinel, activated upon his death! No one can stand up to the Prime Sentinel’s speed and power, but that doesn’t stop Cyclops from trying. But before Trask can kill anyone, a futuristic EMP defeats him. It’s Cable! And Jean psychically picks up Madelyne recognizing his eyes in episode 5, so now Cyclops realizes the future soldier is his son, Nathan! Cable’s here to stop who Sinister is really working for, so of course we cut to Sinister discussing the situation with Bastion (Theo James). This new villain reveals he has an broadcast announcing Xavier is marrying into an alien empire, which he has plans for. And speaking of plans, we learn that Magneto did not die in Genosha, but is currently Bastion’s prisoner. To be continued, indeed.
Cameos! Genosha was full of comic cameos, and even some more after everyone died! Ha ha, ha… Anyway we had the aforementioned Amelia Vought of Magneto’s Acolytes, as well as Strong Guy (Adrian Hough), Blob, Multiple Man (good to know he survived), Angel Salvadore, and Mimic. There’s also a plethora of Savage Land Mutates, including Barbarus, Brainchild, Amphibius, and Lupo. And while fighting Trask, Morph transformed into Quicksilver, complete with super speed. Is that… a thing he can do? Look out, we may have a new omega-level mutant on our hands!
I’ll save Bastion and Operation Zero Tolerance for another day, because this “Chwineka explains comic book stuff” section is all about Cable. When last we left my summary of Nathan Summers, it was episode 3 where Cyclops reluctantly sent his infant son into the future to cure him of the techno-organic virus, fearing it was a one-way trip. And that’s what happened in the comic, although you swap “infected by Mister Sinister” for “infected by Apocalypse.” Baby Nathan was MIA for years until The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (1994), a limited series set immediately after Scott and Jean’s wedding in X-Men #30 (1994). While honeymooning, the pair were whisked away into the future by Rachel Summers, the daughter of Scott and Jean in an alternate timeline who got stuck in time and became a prophet in the far future. Turns out that was the same far future where Nathan was sent, so Rachel brought her parents forward in time, inhabiting new bodies so that they could become parental figures for Nathan, going by “Slim” and “Redd.” Nate wasn’t cured of the virus, but managed to use his impressive telekinetic abilities to keep it under control. Unfortunately, the Askani religion that saw Nathan as their savior didn’t want to leave his fate up to chance, so they cloned the boy. This clone got abducted by the immortal Apocalypse and was raised to be a sociopath named Stryfe. For years it was nebulous which was the clone and which wasn’t, but whatever, we now know for certain Cable’s not the clone. Oh, right! It also turns out that Nathan grew up to be Cable, who first appeared (as a cameo) in New Mutants #86 (1990), initially unrelated to the Summers family. But according to insider accounts, that changed in 1991 to coincide with Nathan being punted into the future in X-Factor #68 (1991). I mean, as far as I can tell, Cable didn’t even demonstrate telekinetic abilities until X-Force #1 (1991), about a year and a half after his debut. Eventually everything came out in the open and now Cable views Cyclops and Phoenix as his parents, and very rarely has somewhat tense interactions with Madelyne Pryor–again, his birth mother–depending on whether she’s alive at the time or not. Don’t even get me started on her romance with an alternate reality version of Cable. The whole family tree, I swear to god…
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