‘X-Men ’97’ Keeps Killing Its Biggest Heroes, And Here Is Every Death So Far, Explained
‘X-Men ’97’ has built its reputation on refusing to protect its most beloved characters, and Season 2 has only deepened that pattern. What began as a nostalgic revival of a beloved 90s cartoon has turned into one of the more emotionally punishing shows in the Marvel Studios Animation slate, with two seasons now built around the loss of characters fans grew up with.
The animated series has never treated its ensemble as untouchable, and that willingness to let major heroes fall has become part of what critics and viewers point to when discussing why the show resonates. Below is a breakdown of the major deaths across both seasons and the context behind each one.
The Genosha Massacre Claims Its First Major Victims
The turning point of Season 1 arrived in episode five, titled “Remember It,” when Magneto, Rogue, and Gambit traveled to the island nation of ‘Genosha’ for its induction into the United Nations. The episode framed Genosha as a mutant paradise filled with familiar faces, only to have that peace shattered when an army of Sentinels launched a genocidal assault on the island during the celebration.
Among the casualties depicted in the attack were council members and civilians including Madelyne Pryor, who was shot early in the assault, along with mutants such as Callisto, Sebastian Shaw, and Moira MacTaggart, who all appeared to die on screen as the Sentinels tore through the celebration. Younger mutants and Morlocks were also shown among the dead, a detail that several outlets noted made the sequence feel especially unflinching for a Disney Plus animated series.
Magneto himself appeared to perish while shielding the Morlocks, including Leech, from the rampaging Sentinel, delivering a farewell in German before the blast hit. The moment was widely described as one of the show’s most devastating scenes, drawing directly on the character’s history and his memories of the Holocaust.
Magneto’s apparent death in that episode would later be reversed within the same season, resurfacing before the Season 1 finale, which set a precedent for the show using dramatic fake outs before committing to a death.
Gambit’s Sacrifice Redefines The Show’s Stakes
The death that has come to define ‘X-Men ’97’ is Gambit’s. In the same Genosha episode, after Rogue is nearly killed trying to fight the towering Sentinel known as Master Mold, Gambit subdues her and charges into the machine himself, ultimately impaling himself on one of its protruding arms.
Rather than treating the moment as accidental, the show gave Gambit agency in his own end, with the character kinetically charging the Sentinel from within and destroying it while declaring “the name’s Gambit, mon ami, remember it.” The scene closes on Rogue cradling his body and sobbing that she cannot feel him, a callback to the physical distance her powers had always forced between them.
Which death is more impactful?
Details later shared from the companion book ‘X-Men ’97, The Art and Making of the Animated Series’ revealed that supervising producer Jake Castorena described multiple alternate versions of the death being considered, including one where Gambit would have charged the Sentinel with his bare skin rather than his staff. Castorena explained in an excerpt published by ComicBook.com that the choice was less about Gambit himself and more about setting Rogue on a new arc for the back half of the season.
A mid credits tease in the Season 1 finale later hinted that Apocalypse had taken notice of Gambit’s calling card among the Genosha ruins, suggesting his death might not be the last word on the character.
Season 2 Delivers An Even Bigger Loss With Magneto’s Death
Season 2 has continued the show’s pattern of major losses, and episode four, “Rise of Apocalypse Part II,” delivered what many outlets have called the show’s most significant death yet. With the X-Men scattered across different points in time trying to prevent Apocalypse’s rise, the group led by Magneto and Professor Xavier traveled to Ancient Egypt to stop En Sabah Nur before he could become the tyrant Apocalypse.
Their effort fails, and once Apocalypse is fully realized, he confronts Magneto directly. Using Celestial power that resembles an Infinity Stone, Apocalypse lifts Magneto into the air and vaporizes him, leaving only his helmet behind as Professor Xavier watches in horror. The scene lingers on Xavier’s reaction rather than cutting away quickly, which several critics noted gave the death unusual emotional weight for the series.
Magneto’s final words to Xavier centered on faith in his old friend’s path forward, telling him to honor his memory “with action, not tears” and acknowledging that the future needed Charles more than it needed him. The exchange served as a resolution to the season’s efforts to rebuild the friendship between the two characters after their falling out in Season 1.
As with earlier deaths on the show, commentators have been quick to point out that Magneto has died and returned numerous times across decades of Marvel Comics history, and with time travel already central to the season’s plot, there is no shortage of ways the show could bring him back.
What These Deaths Mean For The Future Of X-Men ’97
Both major deaths in the series share a common thread, with each character dying in a burst of similarly colored energy and each moment reframing the emotional core of the show going forward. Where Gambit’s death pushed Rogue into a new arc, Magneto’s death removes the character many considered the breakout star of Season 1, opening space for the rest of the ensemble.
Commentary around Magneto’s death has also pointed to the strong possibility of a comic accurate resurrection, with some writers suggesting the show could eventually adapt storylines involving Magneto’s soul being retrieved from the afterlife, mirroring recent comic arcs built around the character.
Season 2 is not done unfolding, and with Bishop, Forge, and other members of the team still working to reunite the scattered X-Men across the timeline, the door remains open for any of these losses to be undone before the season concludes. The next episode is scheduled to arrive the following week, continuing the storyline built around Apocalypse’s rise.
Given how many times this show has proven that no character is safe, and no death is guaranteed to stick, which of these losses do you think will actually stay permanent by the time ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 reaches its finale.
