X-Men '97 Season 1's Best Quotes
Television Cartoon Shows
Contains spoilers for "X-Men '97" Season 1
So that's it, then? The first season of "X-Men '97" has come and gone, with many Marvel fans saying the same thing and agreeing that this is some of the best work the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen since Tony Stark snapped his fingers. With incredible animation and characters fleshed out far more than their Saturday morning cartoon predecessor even dreamed, "X-Men '97" made for some powerful viewing, with special thanks to some of the stunning dialogue it was riddled with.
With lines going so hard they made you want to say, "For the love of God, Magnus, don't do this," there were quotable moments in "X-Men '97" that cut deeper than adamantium claws ever could. (Whoops, too soon, Logan?) Which ones were better than the rest though? Between the tears and the terrifying battles between mutant and machine, which ones ensured absolute chills and became Omega-level awesome? Well, after sitting through the entire series, here are some of the most memorable lines from "X-Men '97" that make us hungry for Season 2. You hear that, Marvel? Bring on "X-Men ...'98"?
To me, my X-Men
It's funny to think that outside of comics, the iconic call to action from a member of a mutantkind isn't that well known. "To me, my X-Men," was exactly stamped on the end of a line by Stan Lee in "X-Men" #1 for Professor Xavier and has gained prominence in the years gone by with other heroes crying out the demand. As a result, hearing it land like a falling Cyclops (Ray Chase) in the first episode of "X-Men '97" not only set the tone for the show but gave a clear demonstration of just how much love this super team of specially gifted individuals was getting by its writers.
Giving care to the characters allowed audiences to do the same, so much so that throughout the rest of the series, waiting to hear, "To me, my X-Men" became a truly hype moment. With such a high success rate of it getting thrown in at just the right time, it also created what will be an inevitable bit of anticipation for the team's live-action shift to the MCU. Eventually, Scott or Charles (Ross Marquand) will say the words, "To me, my X-Men" in a packed theater and there's a chance it will get just as many cheers as when Captain America (Chris Evans) asked the Avengers to assemble. It's just that big.
Don't you dare break her heart. Be the best at what you do. Heal.
With one intense love triangle — the one among Rogue (Lenore Zann), Magneto (Matthew Waterson), and Gambit (A.J. LoCascio) — taking the spotlight, the most well-known trio from this super team didn't get much attention in "X-Men '97" and it's perhaps better that it stayed that way. Logan (Cathal J. Dodd) pining over Jean (Jennifer Hale) with Scott in plain sight has been memed into oblivion and was only brushed over in the show this time around.
However, it's during the show's finale that one great line is thrown between the men fighting for Jean's affections. After having his adamantium ripped from his body, Logan is out cold with the rest of the team checking up on him to ensure he is back on the mend. It's during a quiet moment with Scott, though, that one rival shows respect for another. "Don't you dare break her heart," Cyclops tells Wolverine. "Be the best at what you do. Heal."
Again, we have a line that not only hits the right emotive note but also offers a wink to the lore that this show is a part of. Wolverine has always been known for being the best at what he does, but what he does isn't very nice. Here, Scott is looking past the cold-blooded killer and recognizing the man whom Jean has a sweet spot for — but not her whole heart. There's just something about this iconic sibling rivalry that snikt's it just right.
Blood is blood. Family is a choice.
The one message that fans may be happily beaten over the head with in "X-Men '97" is that above all, this team of mutants is a family, first and foremost. Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) spouts it a good few times, and in the show's darkest moments, we see them unite as one to get the job done. Even so, every team needs a moral compass to ensure that they don't forget that, and it's a job that Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (Adrian Hough) happily teleports to on a number of occasions, most notably for Jean and the family of her own she didn't expect to be a part of.
While nursing over Rogue, Jean laments the loss of her clone, Madelyn (Catherine Disher), and the son she left behind. Kurt, ever the optimist, talks about his personal struggles of abandonment and finding security in Rogue. "Blood is blood. Family is a choice," he says. It's a pitch-perfect thought from the incredible Nightcrawler and captures in a microcosm not just the Summers family tree, but what it means to be a part of the sprawling one whose roots all lead back to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Whether it's an unkillable Canadian or an orphan from Cairo who became a powerful weather witch, this super family loves each other dearly, no matter the differences. Truly wunderbar.
Make them mind your weather, sister! And them weather your mind.
One thing that "X-Men '97" has mastered is the consistently awesome pre-game talk before heroes jump, bamf, or fly into action. There's one instance in particular though, where two X-Men who have gone through their own personal hells unite to bring death from above, selling not only their capability but also their connection with each other. With Storm back in action and Jean coming to terms with Scott's "family" situation, it's through their sisterly bond that they find strength and unload it on a fleet of Sentinels. Both have been on their respective personal journeys, so seeing them take to the air together off the back of an awesome line makes it all the more thrilling.
"Make them mind your weather, sister ... And them weather your mind," while stupidly smooth, also feels like it's ripped right out of a comic book and nails just how close these two are. Not to criticize the previous "X-Men" films, but it's this kind of chemistry that was absent from that uneven franchise that we can only hope presents itself whenever the live-action X-Men finally arrive in the MCU, with two "sisters" potentially at the center of it all.
Magneto was right.
The best baddies really are the ones that have some really good arguments and you can't get a better debater than metal-bending frenemy, Magneto. After he's cut free from Bastion's (Theo James) prison, Magneto gets an enemy on-side in the form of Valerie Cooper (Catherine Disher) who's forced to answer to the maniacal Sentinel and is forced to accept the truth; "Magneto was right." It rounds off the wild ending of "X-Men '97" Episode 8 and every Marvel cameo that came with it by making an impactful and chilling homage to one of the most important moments in "X-Men" comic book history.
The iconic "Magneto was right" quote comes from Grant Morrison's "New X-Men" 2003 stint and is another stunning example of the gray area the villain constantly hovers in. You don't want him to be correct, but the evidence is all there, and after people beg for him not to let humanity down, he's finally forced to the place he didn't want to be, leading to the show's explosive finale and a viewpoint that will be present perhaps even into the next season.
I am trying to be better, do not make me let you down.
Terrorist? Revolutionary? Lover of long flowing capes and fancy helmets? Call him what you want, but one thing that can't debated is just how much of a wordsmith Xavier's old friend Magneto is, as so clearly demonstrated in Season 1, Episode 2, "Mutant Liberation Begins." After an uneasy reunion with the X-Men, Magneto battles himself to follow the wishes of his presumably fallen friend and demonstrates to the world what that looks like when he's pushed to the edge of it. It's why Magnus' promise of "I am trying to be better. Do not make me let you down," hits so hard, and, thanks to future events in the show, leaves a mark that lasts even longer than it could.
Waxing lyrical to almost Thanos proportions, Magneto's negotiation above the Earth is blockbuster-level brilliance aided greatly by Matthew Waterson's vocal work. He voices a character who's totally in control, even when he's close to coming out of it. It's a bold statement to make, but even with the live-action iteration of Magneto's character in the "X-Men," this animated version daring his foes to poke the bear towers above them. To paraphrase Michael Fassbender's iteration, let's just say Magneto is Frankenstein's monster and it's with a single warning he's never felt more alive.
The names Gambit, mon ami. Remember it.
Stack the cards however you like, but even after seeing Magneto save the world from a falling asteroid and our core team fighting for their lives before being tossed across time, nothing topped a ragin' Cajun making a last stand against a Sentinel and meeting it with an unforgettable mic drop in Episode 5, "Remember It." Like every entry on this list, the most impactful lines are marked as favorites mostly because of two core elements; the build-up and the cast member delivering it. In this case, A.J. LoCascio's execution as Gambit (pun absolutely not intended, have some respect) is flawless, but its wallop is felt more than most only for the emotional rollercoaster the episode has sent us on by way of a super-powered love triangle.
Rogue and Remy's untouchable romance hits the heart of even the most casual "X-Men" fan, leaving us rattled when the former's past with Magneto reveals itself. But it's when invaders descend on the Genoshan paradise that sends the show into truly top-tier television. Playing like an almost animated "Avengers: Infinity War" seeing characters get caught in the crossfire is gut-wrenching, but Gambit's bittersweet heroism binds everything so beautifully. "The name's Gambit, mon ami. Remember it" encapsulates everything that the show is clearly targeting. It pays homage to the past while approaching a mature and brilliantly brutal and potentially apocalyptic future, and it deserves a hand for doing so.
For now, why not check out the best Marvel cartoons to watch after "X-Men '97."