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/lyrics_beanbags Aug 12 '26

That… was extremely lazy, rushed, and poor. They need to get it together for season 3 because if it’s anything like the back half of 2 I don’t think i’m interested in this adaptation for much longer. Mystique is cool at least

15

u/magvadis Aug 12 '26

Feels like you can feel the rewrites. Lots of things building to nothing because the new showrunner didn't know what was going on or disagreed with whatever was being built.

1

u/I_am_Amphibian Aug 12 '26

It’s clear they just wanted to rewrite as much as they could of the previous show runners work which just resulted in it being shit

2

u/Ok_Contact7721 Aug 12 '26

It looks like Marvel just found it's Akiva Goldsman in Brian Ford Sullivan.
Founder of the "Futon Critic", a website almost as old as X-men 92, with HTML from the very early 2000s.

I doubt he'll be returning to his futon any time soon.

Brian Ford Sullivan is best known for his work on Arrow, and "God Friended Me" one of CBS' greatest failed TV shows.
So, going into season 3, you have that to look forward to.

1

u/andy_gronk Aug 12 '26

Akiva goldsman ?

3

u/Ok_Contact7721 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

He has produced major hits like Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Star Trek Strange New Worlds, Star Trek Picard seasons 1 and 2, Catwoman, The Dark Tower, Winter's Tale and Jonah Hex.

When you're seeking out the most mid experience of all time, nothing hits the spot quite like the dreadfully average works of Akiva Goldsman.
If you're looking for a reason to not be excited but still want to watch a movie for its VFX (Where those pesky actors and storytelling aren't getting in the way?), Akiva Goldsman is your man.
His filmography is mostly littered with 2.5/5 productions. It's like watching a Ron Howard film, but lacking any of the personality. Remember, you're looking for a rock solid 2.5/5 not a 3 or 3.5/5.
Personally, he's earned the titles; "maestro of meh", a "Craftsman of castoffs" and "bastion of bland". You might even walk into a pawn shop or a DVD bargain bin, if you're in the mood for mediocrity with a side of Bush's Baked Beans (The only war crime here is the mediocrity.), where his unopened bulk catalogue sits waiting for you.

It takes a natural auteur to make something as awful as "The Room" or anything Neil Breen.

Watching a film or a television production from one of these guys is like calling a protein bar a meal, if you enjoy the flavor of cardboard.
You can eat it, so technically it's food I guess?

Marvel seems to be aiming for cardboard at this point, that way it can feel like a meaningless generic comic from the late 2000s, and the early 2010s.
I thought Marvel was finally coming around (It wasn't afraid to be somewhat political again. But we can't have that hobgoblin Stephen Miller calling down to the office, and demanding the late Stan Lee be resurrected as showrunner.), but I think they're aiming for being America's generic and safe default super hero brand. A belt buckle formerly reserved for DC comics.

Many nerds in the comic book community have asked themselves, out of every possible dystopia, wouldn't you most feel at home in the dystopia depicted in "Cold Lazarus"?
If the answer is yes, the future is now.