The Dead Man's Hand
Gambit is back, but he isn't returning alone. He brings his former friends from his time before the X-Men along as he continues carrying out Apocalypse's plans. Meanwhile, X-Force joins forces with X-Corp in an attempt to restore the Gambit they once knew. However, Cable isn't entirely honest about why he's involved.
Warning: Spoilers below
Return to New Orleans
Remy LeBeau's history in New Orleans goes all the way back to his days as a young thief using his mutant abilities to make a living. His path eventually led him to the X-Men, but after dying during the destruction of Genosha and later being resurrected by Apocalypse, Gambit is no longer the same man.
Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios
Now he's returned to New Orleans and sought out the Thieves' Guild, the people who knew him long before he became a member of the X-Men. They initially have no idea why they have been summoned, but that changes quickly when Remy reveals himself and unleashes his enhanced abilities on them. Rather than simply recruiting his former associates, he twists them into something much more dangerous, turning the Guild into his personal enforcers.
Whatever Gambit is planning, it's clear that Apocalypse is somehow at the center of it, and the Gambit we've known may be gone for good.
X-Force Meets X-Corp
Things are surprisingly relaxed at X-Corp as they're sitting around playing cards, but Rogue isn't exactly enjoying herself. She's still shaken by a dream involving a darker version of Gambit who, despite everything, still had feelings for her.
The peaceful mood doesn't last long. When the team learns that an approaching aircraft may be hostile, everyone prepares for trouble. Instead, they discover that X-Force is aboard. Cable and his team have come to X-Corp because the Gambit situation has become too serious for either group to handle alone.
Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios
Cable's arrival also gives him an emotional reunion with his parents, Cyclops and Jean Grey. Jubilee gets a reunion of her own with the X-Men who helped bring her into the fold. But the most important moment comes when Jubilee takes Rogue aside and shows her the playing card they recovered near the remains of Apocalypse.
With Gambit still out there and Apocalypse somehow connected to his plans, neither team is going to have an easy time figuring out what comes next.
Trying to Save Gambit
The team heads to Louisiana hoping they can bring Remy back before Apocalypse's influence consumes him completely. Rogue gets an immediate look at just how much has changed since Gambit returned to New Orleans. The Thieves' Guild that once knew him has effectively become an extension of his will.
Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios
Rogue refuses to give up on him and attempts to use her powers to break whatever hold has taken over Remy. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. If anything, the situation becomes even more disturbing when she discovers that the feelings Gambit has for her haven't disappeared. Even after everything that has happened to him, Remy still wants Rogue for himself. Because his transformed body can now withstand her touch, Gambit decides he can finally make her his bride.
Nightcrawler isn't about to stand by and watch that happen. Rogue's adopted brother tries to intervene, but Gambit simply adds Kurt to the growing group of people under his control.
We then get a glimpse into the connection between Gambit and Apocalypse. Remy explains that Apocalypse once entrusted a portion of himself to someone he loved, only for her to betray him. That woman eventually became known as X-Ternal. Gambit summons her and takes the fragment of Apocalypse back for himself.
At this point, it's becoming difficult to tell exactly what Gambit has become. Is he simply serving as another Horseman for Apocalypse, or is there something much bigger, and potentially far more dangerous, happening to him?
Ulterior Motives
While the remaining members of X-Corp and X-Factor battle Gambit's Acolytes, Professor Xavier takes a different approach. He reaches Remy through the astral plane and discovers that the real Gambit is still trapped somewhere inside the transformed Cajun. Even more troubling, Xavier discovers that Apocalypse is hiding within Remy's body as well.
Xavier realizes he can't handle this alone, but help isn't coming from the place he expects. Cable and the original members of X-Force have their own plan, and they're prepared to turn on X-Corp to accomplish it.
Cable has spent his entire life preparing for one mission: killing Apocalypse. He doesn't care that the ancient mutant is now using Gambit's body as a host. As far as Cable is concerned, Remy can't be allowed to stand between him and his destiny.
That puts the two teams on opposite sides, with Cyclops and Jean Grey forced to stand against their own son as everyone fights over how best to save Gambit. But Cable's decision also creates a major fracture within X-Force. Jubilee and Sunspot refuse to go along with his plan, putting them directly at odds with their leader.
Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios
Fortunately, Nightcrawler manages to break free from Gambit's control before things get even worse. He uses his teleportation abilities to get the team out of danger, but the damage to X-Force may already be permanent.
Unholy Alliance
Back at the X-Mansion, the X-Men who remained behind to keep things running watch the chaos unfolding in Louisiana on the news. Storm isn't content to sit around waiting for answers. She brings Wolverine, Morph, and Forge with her as they set out to reconnect with the mutants now operating as X-Corp. The big question is whether they've heard what happened to Gambit and how much of the story they actually know.
Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios
Things aren't going much better for X-Force. Psylocke and Archangel have chosen to stick with Cable, but even they can see the damage his decision has done. The team that once fought together is now divided, with Cable's determination to eliminate Apocalypse coming at the expense of their unity.
Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios
Then X-Factor enters the picture. Val Cooper sees an opportunity in the chaos and approaches the fractured X-Force with a proposal. Rather than continuing to fight each other, she wants the mutant outlaws to join forces with X-Factor and take the fight directly to X-Corp and Apocalypse.
With Gambit still at the center of the crisis, former allies are being forced into some very uncomfortable partnerships.
Final Thoughts
As X-Men ‘97 heads toward the end of its second season, I'm left with more questions than I expected, and I'm not convinced the remaining episode will have enough time to answer all of them. My biggest issue right now is the Gambit storyline. His transformation feels rushed when he had barely appeared in the season before this episode. I know enough about the comics to recognize where this is probably going, but the show hasn't done enough yet to make the connection between Gambit and Apocalypse feel properly developed.
That's frustrating because I actually enjoyed the various side stories this season. The problem is that they've taken up so much space that the main storylines are now competing for time. Looking back, I think we needed more Gambit woven into the episodes exploring characters like Wolverine, Polaris and Nightcrawler. Those stories could have helped build toward this moment instead of making Gambit's sudden transformation feel like something the show needed to rush through.
There's still a lot to like about this season, and that's what makes the problems more frustrating. X-Men ‘97 has shown just how good it can be, but the pacing and overcrowded storytelling are keeping this season from reaching that same level for me. I can't help but wonder how much the reported rewrites following Beau DeMayo's firing affected the overall structure, although that's obviously difficult to know from the outside.
I really want to love this season. There are plenty of great ideas here, but right now, it just isn't connecting with me the way the first season did. Hopefully, the finale can pull everything together and stick the landing.
Check out X-Men ‘97 streaming exclusively on Disney Plus.
Article Written By: Jeremy Brown for Stelmach Brown Media 2026
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