Last Wednesday's episode of X-Men '97 saw a massive Sentinel army unleashed on the mutant nation of Genosha, resulting in the deaths of countless mutants and a couple of fan favourites in Magneto and Gambit.
With Cable appearing moments before the attack, popular fan theories suggest the time-traveller might somehow undo the worst genocide in mutant history. However, some feel doing so would lessen their respective sacrifices and be too easy of an "out" for the show.
Talking to Screen Rant, X-Men '97 Head Director Jake Castorena confirmed that Magneto and Gambit are very much dead and suggested fans focus on something other than grief.
"The decision was never finite, like, 'We're doing this, we're killing so and so and that's it.' This might scare fans, but it changed a bit, it bounced around on who it would be because for sake of story, for sake of pushing character arcs and tying everything in, based on where story trajectory was going, [it] was based on what character it was going to be. But ultimately, obviously, we landed on Gambit and, Magneto. We know someone, a.k.a. Rogue, who is, especially in our show, who was very much intertwined with both."
"I implore audiences to ponder and be curious about what that would do to someone of Roque's caliber and potentially, I would say focus less on what we have lost and I would focus on more who or what lies ahead, if that makes sense for you. But ultimately, at the end of the day, Gambit and Magneto are dead and we'll have to watch the series unfold to further understand what those consequences are going to be for not just for our team but for potentially for the rest of the world."
It really doesn't sound like they're coming back, does it?
Another big talking point in "Remember It" saw The Watcher - a character we've become well acquainted with in What If...? - in the skies above Genosha right before the Sentinels were unleashed. Clearly, he was there to witness a horrific turning point in human-mutant relations.
Asked about the significance of this link to the wider MCU, Castorena was quick to remind fans that The Watcher also appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series, meaning there's precedent for him being there to keep an eye on these characters.
"What I will say is, any fan of the OG show will have noticed The Watcher cameo in the series. So it is not out of canon for the OG X-Men '90-97, to have The Watcher, watching or looking on."
"Is it necessarily The Watcher looking out for the X-Men or is it The Watcher looking on at events that need to occur for the sake of a timeline or ripple effect? I would hesitate to say The Watcher is looking out for the X-Men or for mutants, because [he's] not doing a great job in that moment. [Laughs] Right."
"But that was definitely - and this escapes me right now because it's been almost two-three years working on this stuff - I don't remember if that wasn't in the script, per se, but it definitely came up early on in the rooms and in the conversations, like, 'Oh, can we put The Watcher in there?'"
The first five episodes of X-Men '97 are now streaming on Disney+.