Magneto and Gambit's deaths in the fifth episode of X-Men '97, "Remember It," left fans absolutely devastated. In a recent interview, X-Men '97 head director and supervising producer Jake Castorena shared how the titular mutants will deal with the beloved characters' deaths in the season's remaining five episodes.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Castorena confirmed that Gambit and Magneto were officially dead and that the animated revival would not be undoing their sacrifices in Episode 5. The director also shared that the creative team considered killing off other mutants before settling on the two fan-favorite characters. "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, he explained. "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."
Castorena explained that fans will need to tune in for the rest of the season to see how the titular team deals with Magneto and Gambit's deaths, hinting that Rogue especially will have a hard time accepting that the two mutants closest to her are gone. "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," he teased.
He continued, "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."
X-Men '97 Episode 5 Connected the Animated Revival to the MCU Multiverse
Just before the attack on Genosha occurs in "Remember It," fans can briefly spot the silhouette of What If...?'s The Watcher in the sky. As What If...? established, The Watcher only shows up when major historical events take place, which seems to reaffirm Castorena's comments that the attack on Genosha will have a lasting effect on the series, and its characters, moving forward. X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo also shared on X after the episode's release that he originally pitched the mutant massacre in Genosha as the X-Men '97 universe's 9/11 event.
Jake Castorena Addresses Captain America Cameo Tease
Marvel Studios recently released a mid-season trailer for X-Men '97, which strongly teased a forthcoming appearance by Steve Rogers/Captain America. When asked by Screen Rant if the Avengers leader would be appearing in the series, Castorena refused to spoil the potentially fun cameo appearance, instead stating that he would "let the footage speak for itself." However, he did confirm that fans can expect "some personal favorite characters" to pop up before the season concludes next month.
The first five episodes of X-Men '97 are available to stream on Disney+.
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