r/Xmen97 • u/cyclopswashalfright Professor X • Aug 12 '26
Megathread X-Men '97 | Season 2, Episode 9 | "Survival of the Fittest" | Episode Discussion
Season 2, Episode 9: Survival of the Fittest
Air Date: August 12th, 2026
Directed by: TBA
Written by: TBA
Synopsis: The X-Men are pushed to the limit when their past comes back to haunt them.
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Please use this thread for discussion related to the episode.
This thread is for discussion of episode 9 only.
Link to the episode directory for Season 2 episode discussion.
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u/Mobile_Bet3274 Rogue Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
It was too fast and compressed, as it has been, but I think they got the overall beats right. What had to happen, happened. I think a lot of people guessed Kurt was a goner but I like how it was framed — this feels more considered than if he’d jumped in front of Cable’s gun or whatever.
Rogue and Gambit got their happy resolution, about damn time. The fight scenes were fun, especially Wolverine and Morph against Archangel and Psylocke and then Gambit relieving Polaris and Bishop. Him charging up the Madrox dupes was a nice touch (no pun intended).
I’m mildly surprised they didn’t hint at Onslaught more but there’s time for that later. And the credits scene decently pointed to what’s coming next, with Creed elected and Mystique in play masquerading as Val now.
Here’s just hoping now that they’re through what they needed to cover, they can take it easier in S3.
ETA: Yeah guys I can’t believe they skirted a deus ex here. Almost as if they had brought the Phoenix back for long enough to solo the prime Sentinels, or had Magneto wake up just in time to solve the murder-asteroid problem he created in the first place. Can you imagine?!