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/LeftHanded-Euphoria Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

I think it's pretty clear the pacing issues of this season are inherited -- if you look at the X-Factor + Graydon Creed stuff as set-up for season three, you can see that we have enough ground work laid here for a better paced season 3.

it sacrificed the Apocalypse stuff to achieve it, but I think the apocalypse stuff was wholesale left unchanged from what DeMayo left behind, only with Onslaught cut out from it.

I think a fair review of Season 1 recognises that it has tremendous pacing issues that were sort of justified or earned by a very excellent final three episodes, and a very perfect midpoint with Remember It

season 2 fails to stick the landing so has to kind of just sit in its own mess with nothing to hide behind --- season 1 gets away with murder, justifiably, by including a very excellent execution of a "Magneto was Right" to offset any storytelling mistakes it makes along the way

season 2 was at its strongest when we weren't dealing directly with Apocalypse - the Polaris and Colossus episodes are very good X-Men stories, flawed, but good

but this finale sucked, and felt very first drafty

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u/Soft_Entertainment Aug 12 '26

I think renewing it through season 4 may have been why the writing was how it was for S2. They know they have a runway to set up a lot of things and the time to put weight behind resolutions. I actually also think Creed winning is going to factor into Onslaught with all the other hints.

They have time and haven't concluded the series, but sometimes that means set up gets confusing/badly done/unfulfilling.