Warning: The following article contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 5, “Remember It,” and Episode 6, “Lifedeath – Part 2.“
The Sentinels’ attack on Genosha is one of X-Men ’97‘s most shocking developments – so, who sent them? And was it the same person as in Marvel’s X-Men comics?
Related: X-Men ’97: Is Magneto Dead?
Who Is Behind the Genosha Massacre in X-Men ’97?
The X-Men’s long-time adversary Mister Sinister sent the Sentinels to attack Genosha. We don’t learn this up front, though, as the finale of X-Men ’97 Season 1, Episode 5, “Remember It,” focuses solely on the massacre itself. Not even a brief cameo by Cable – who, as a time traveler, already knows all the details – sheds any light on the person responsible. Instead, we have to wait until the final scene of Episode 6, “Lifedeath – Part 2,” for the revelation that Sinister masterminded the whole affair. Here, we discover that Sinister took control of Master Mold and his killer robot “offspring” using a DNA sample belonging to their creator, Bolivar Trask.
Related: X-Men ’97: Is Gambit Dead?
Why did Sinister do it? Short answer: because he’s a supervillain (his name is Sinister, after all). Long answer: because he’s bent on starting a war between humanity and mutants. Framing humans for an attack that laid waste to Genosha and killed many of its inhabitants – not to mention high-profile X-Men Magneto and Gambit – is certainly a good way of escalating tensions between the two groups. That said, it’s unclear whether a full-scale conflict will break out between humanity and mutantkind in X-Men ’97 Season 1’s four remaining episodes. We’ll just have to wait and see!
Who Is Behind the Genosha Massacre in the Comics?
X-Men ’97 Season 1’s Genosha massacre is based on a similar sequence in New X-Men #115 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Yet there are many differences between the comic book and cartoon versions of the tragedy – including the culprit’s identity. Whereas Mister Sinister orchestrated the Sentinel attack in X-Men ’97, in New X-Men‘s “E is for Extinction” story arc, Cassandra Nova is to blame. Essentially Professor X’s evil twin, Nova sent the Sentinels to Genosha as part of a wider scheme to exact revenge on her brother.
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She didn’t involve Bolivar Trask, either – for the simple reason that he was dead at the time. Instead, Nova sourced Trask family DNA from Bolivar’s cousin, Donald. What’s more, her high-profile victims weren’t the same as Sinister’s. While Nova’s assault on Genosha did seemingly kill Magneto (spoilers: he survived), Gambit wasn’t on the island when it all went down. Even so, the Genosha massacre in “E is for Extinction” is seemingly far worse in the comics. Over 16 million mutants died at Nova’s hands, compared to the thousands killed by Sinister.
X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.
