| This article is written from the Real World perspective |  |
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| Series | X-Men | ||||||||
| Release Date | November 7, 1992 | ||||||||
| Episode Number | 2 (Season) 2 (Overall) | ||||||||
| Writer | Mark Edward Edens | ||||||||
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In order to prevent their extinction by the dangerous Sentinels, the uncanny X-Men must attack a government facility and become painted as dangerous renegades. While their mission is a success, it comes with a terrible price as they lose two of their members. Meanwhile, the vile men controlling the Sentinels have captured the scared teenager Jubilee.
Story[]
Continuing from the last episode...
The Mutant Control Agency, outside of Washington D.C., sits peacefully at night with the moon overhead. Spotlights move around illuminating the perimeter.
In the nearby foliage, Cyclops and Gambit walk up to get a better look while Rogue lands behind them. Rogue notes that they look as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Cyclops wants to know what is going on inside. Gambit, playing with his deck of cards, says that if he was in there they wouldn't have to worry.
Just then, several armored vehicles drive by on the street towards the agency. Cyclops note that they got trouble.
Inside the building, Storm flies through the halls while Wolverine, Beast, and Morph follow. Morph bumps his shoulder when he rounds the corner and goes through the doorway. They approach a closed door and Storm lands.
On the other side, armed men aim their guns at the door. Storm opens the door slowly but Wolverine quickly stops her and shuts the door.
He sniffs the air and smells gun oil. He reveals that there are security guards who are onto them.
Inside, the guards look around confused. Suddenly, the door flashes and Storm blows the door and guards back with a mighty gust of wind. Beast jokes that he used to wonder how she got her codename.
Outside, the armored vehicles stop inside the fence line. They open up releasing the armed soldiers.
Suddenly, one is blasted by Cyclops' optic blast. He turns off the blast with his visor. He orders the others to keep the soldiers away from the building but not to harm any humans. He also warns to watch out for themselves as well.
Gambit dodges an energy blast from one of the soldiers' guns. He tells Cyclops to tell their opponents not to hurt them.
Inside, several guards protect a room. The door opens and a high ranking officer enters. He tells the men that they are under attack and to report to the guard room immediately. The men rush into the room.
The officer stands in the doorway then changes into Morph. He closes the door and locks it while insulting them. He turns and says that it is clear sailing from there while the others enter.
Storm tells them that they must destroy every file in the area. She orders Beast to the computers. He says that it is his pleasure and that no name shall remain.
She walks over to the filing cabinets noting they must destroy the hard copies as well. However, she finds the drawers are locked. Wolverine stabs the drawer with his claws. He pulls them out flinging the lock off, saying it is now unlocked.
At the terminal, Beast cracks into the database and begins pulling up files.
In Detroit, Michigan, the US Motors factory lies abandoned and decrepit.
Inside, Jubilee is awoken by the sound of a man's voice. He wants to ask her some questions about the mutants who saved her at the mall.
He watches her on a television monitor. She claims not to know anything. She wonders why he is doing this to her since she hasn't done anything and is just a child. Jubilee looks around seeing mechanical arms above her.
Behind the man, an enormous robot lies in wait. The man claims that she has already been a burden to her foster parents. He also warns that as her powers grow in strength she will endanger everyone around her.
She cries out that it is not her fault she was born that way. He claims she can help, by identifying the most dangerous mutants of all.
He picks up a recorder and presses Play. Gambit's voice is heard saying not to mess with the X-Men. He wants to know who the X-Men are.
A second man interrupts demanding to know why the other man, Gyrich, brought a mutant there. He demands to know who she is. Gyrich states that Jubilee is just a random person from the files and a test to see how easily mutants can be captured.
The man thought they had agreed not to attack any mutants until they had one hundred of the robots, called Sentinels. Gyrich tells the man, named Trask, that he is building them too slowly. He wonders if he is paying Trask enough and wonders what he is waiting for.
Just then, Gyrich's cell phone rings. He flips it open and answers. He listens then orders the person to eliminate the mutants immediately. He tells Trask that there is a problem at the agency.
Back at the agency, an armored vehicle lies on its side. Soldiers stand behind it firing at their enemies. One guard turns to see Rogue swooping out of the sky towards him.
She picks up two armored vehicles, one in each hand, and flies them over to a small pond. She drops both in suggesting they go for a swim, then jokes about getting a moonburn.
Meanwhile, soldiers fire at Gambit. He dodges and throws a card at them. It blows knocking the soldiers aside and Gambit claims victory.
Behind him, Cyclops touches his communicator and tells Storm to hurry before someone is hurt.
Inside, Storm acknowledges as Morph throws files onto a fire. He tells Storm that they are done as that was the last of the files.
Nearby, Wolverine struggles to keep the door closed while the guards bang on the other side. He tells Beast to hurry. Beast says a quote about never hurrying.
Beast finishes up a virus saying that soon the files will be destroyed. However, Storm uses lightning to destroy the computer. She apologizes saying they have no time for poetry.
She creates a rain cloud to put out the fire and tells Cyclops that they were successful and are coming out.
Cyclops acknowledges and orders everyone to return to the Blackbird. He has Gambit blow the fence. The two men run to the perimeter while Rogue flies behind them.
Just then, the front door of the building explodes. A guard yells at them to stop and put up their hands. The spotlight follows the team.
Cyclops stops, turns, and fires cutting the tower in half. As the top falls, Rogue snatches the guard out of the air. The guard tells the "freak" to put him down. She agrees and drops him so he slams into the dirt.
Gambit charges a card then blows the fence. The others from inside escape and join the outside team. He approaches the hole and lets the others go through. Wolverine tells them to hurry as they are missing dinner.
As they flee, Morph notes that he was right and it is clear sailing. However, as they approach the treeline a Sentinel appear out of the woods.
Wolverine pulls out his claws threatening the destroy the mechanical opponents. Morph sees two more then cries out for Wolverine to pull back. He runs forward.
Back at the mansion inside the War Room, Jean Grey wears a helmet and suddenly cries out. Professor X turns and asks her what is wrong.
She pulls off the helmet and kneels to the ground. She says that it is Morph and wonders if he can feel it. He hovers over to her and picks up the helmet putting it on. He then notes that he senses nothing.
Later, the Blackbird approaches the mansion then lowers itself into the hidden hanger landing near two smaller aircraft.
Inside, Cyclops stands and walks out. Storm looks at an empty seat and begins sobbing.
The stairs descend and Cyclops disembarks. Wolverine follows calling out to him. Cyclops tries to empathize with Wolverine and begins to disagree. However, Wolverine sucker punches him in the gut and he goes down.
Wolverine claims he knows nothing and threatens to do it again and pulls out his claws. On his knees, Cyclops gets tired of his attitude. His visor glows. Gambit walks out to see them.
Cyclops stands and Wolverine wants to see how tough he is when he isn't barking orders. Just then, Jean approaches yelling at them to stop.
Wolverine tells Jean that "soldier boy" left the others behind. He claims that Morph and Beast could possibly be alive. Jean says that Beast is, prompting Wolverine to wonder about Morph.
She shakes her head and buries her face into Cyclops' chest to cry. Gambit puts his hand on Wolverine's shoulder saying that Morph is gone.
Wolverine brushes it off and storms out.
In the garage, Wolverine climbs into his Jeep. He looks at the other car and slides out the passenger side. He pulls out his claws and cries out that everyone else is a coward.
Jean enters and sees what he is doing. He flips off the ruined top shattering the glass. He tells Jean to inform Cyclops that he now owns a convertible.
He climbs back into his Jeep. She tells him that what happened wasn't because of Cyclops. Ignoring her, he drives off. She calls out to him saying that it wasn't his fault either. Cyclops stands in the doorway watching.
Wolverine drives down the twisting road, his tires squealing with each turn. He thinks about Morph and Beast.
The Sentinel appeared out of the trees. Morph ordered him back. His friend ran forward and shoved him down the hill. The Sentinel fired from its hand blasting the area Wolverine once stood but was then occupied by Morph.
Beast screamed as the others approached. The Sentinel fired hitting Beast square in the chest. He was knocked back into the electrified fence. He fell down unconscious.
Cyclops called out to him and Rogue offered to go. However, she was blasted out of the sky by another Sentinel blast.
Wolverine rushed forward threatening them with his adamantium claws. He ran towards three of them but the center one shot a bola from its hand. It wrapped around his foot and the Sentinel swung him over its head. Wolverine cried out as he was launched into the forest.
Cyclops watched him go then fired at one Sentinel knocking it back. Another one fired its energy blast at him. It landed nearby tosses Cyclops aside.
Gambit ran forward tossing a card that blasted both remaining Sentinels. He ran to Rogue and picked her up. He carried her past Cyclops telling him to blast them.
Cyclops blasted the last two in each knee and they fell down, one on top of the other.
As Gambit ran, Rogue offered to fly him away as another Sentinel landed in front of them. Cyclops blasted the leg off the new one and it fell, but another arrived nearby.
Yet another landed in front of him as a blast came from behind. Cyclops turned and fired but the previous one fired knocking him down.
Just then a blast of lightning hit the Sentinel shorting it out. Cyclops ordered Wolverine to pull back. Storm landed near Cyclops, who was blasting another robot, saying they were being overwhelmed and needed to retreat.
More Sentinels landed all around them.
Storm grabbed Cyclops and flew away while being fired upon.
Down on the ground, guards shot into the air. Blasts went off all around Storm and Cyclops.
The team returned to the Blackbird as Wolverine struggled to stand. Cyclops told Wolverine that they needed to get going. Wolverine insulted Cyclops saying that X-Men don't run. He offers to go back for Morph and Beast.
Cyclops stated that they couldn't help them. Wolverine told "Junior" that maybe Cyclops couldn't but he could and pulled out his claws.
He started to walk away and Cyclops called out to him. Wolverine claimed that he went where he wanted to. As he passed Rogue, she said that he wouldn't this time.
She took off her glove and grabbed his arm. Energy coursed from Wolverine to Rogue. She said she had to be careful to pull enough energy to knock him out but not enough to hurt him.
He eventually fell to the ground. He called out to Beast and Morph not wanting to leave them.
Back in the present, Wolverine continues driving down the road.
The next day, the Jeep lies parked next to a cliff. Wolverine crouches on the edge promising to avenge his friend and pulls out his claws.
Back at the agency, a guard cries out that they have one of the mutant intruders cornered and to send help. Another guard orders Beast to hold it while they surround him.
A Sentinel crouches behind the guards telling them to stand aside and let it take care of the survivor. The head guard reminds the robot that it was sent to help not take over. He claims the prisoner is his.
The Sentinel watches and scans the man.
Beast begins to cry as he realizes Morph is gone.
Some time later, Beast is in a cell praying. Gyrich enters wanting to ask him some questions to the mutant standing on the wall. Beast gets angry and tells him another time. Gyrich claims he will return.
Gyrich leaves and the guards close the cell door leaving Beast in the dark.
Later, a reporter on television introduces the President of the United States of America. A woman comes on introducing herself to her fellow Americans.
Outside of Andrew's TV, passerbys watch the President's address. She claims that renegade mutants attacked the headquarters of the Federal Security Agency.
In the War Room, the address is watched by Gambit, Rogue, Cyclops, and Professor X. The President says that the attack was stopped by experimental robot policemen called Sentinels. Cyclops' visor glows as he discovers the robot's name.
In some bar, Logan begins to play pool breaking apart the balls. Two men, each holding cue sticks watch.
The reporter then introduces a reply to the speech by Senator Robert Kelly. Kelly appears and begins to talk about the incidents at the New Salem Mall and Mutant Control Agency.
However, Logan yells out to shut that garbage off. One of the other pool players tells "fur-face" to leave since that is their table. Two thugs approach him on either side. Logan replies that he bets it is then plays anyways.
Another thug catches the cue ball before it connects. He says that the "runt" didn't hear him. Logan gets in his face and pulls out his claws.
The thug realizes that Logan is a mutant and backs away. Behind him, the man who caught the cue ball holds it up while the owner approaches with a bat ordering him out. He does not want Logan's "kind" around.
The thug tells him to return to the freak show. Logan replies that he goes where he wants to.
Just then, Scott interrupts saying that he needs to talk to Logan. The head thug stops him telling "four eyes" to stay out. Scott asks if he would hit a man with glasses. The thug tells him to take them off and lifts them with the pool cue.
Just then, his optic blasts tears apart the pool table. The thug tells him to put them back on and hands them back.
Outside, Logan tells Scott not to bother apologizing for running out on Beast. Scott claims he does not apologize for command decisions. Logan gets in his Jeep.
Scott crouches next to him and asks if he wants to find the Sentinel's home base. Logan asks when and where.
At the White House, Gyrich enters a room holding a file noting that the president wanted to see him. On her stairmaster in a yellow jumpsuit, she congratulates him and Dr. Trask and then orders them to stop anything involving their privately run Mutant Registration Program.
He demands to know why. She points out that the "renegade mutants" were willing to sacrifice their lives to destroy the files. She wants to know if there was any reason for them to be that afraid.
Without replying, Gyrich leaves. Outside, he calls her a fool. He throws his file scattering the papers. Just then his phone rings. He answers then wonders if "he" is still there.
On the other end, Jubilee's foster father says he will try to keep "him" there as long as he can. He hangs up and walks over to a tray of soda and brings them into his living room.
He offers one to Scott who accepts and thanks him. Martha tells her husband that Scott believes Jubilee was kidnapped by the Sentinels that the President talked about.
He spills the tray and wonders why anyone would do that. Scott explains that people fear what they do not understand.
He suddenly tells Scott that he needs to leave right away. He explains that "they" told them that if anyone came asking about Jubilee to call them. Scott reassures him that he did nothing wrong, that he just wanted to help Jubilee and he has.
Scott walks out of the house onto the street. A Sentinel approaches from behind the house across from him ordering him to surrender. Scott puts his arms up complying, then quickly lifts his glasses and blasts the robot's arm off.
The arm falls off slamming into the ground outside of a door scaring the man inside.
The robot, designation Sentinel 14, reports that it has been damaged by an unknown mutant. Scott and Logan run down the street and between two buildings. The Sentinel announces that it will return to base for repairs.
It lifts off further scaring the neighbor. It lifts into the air leaving its arm behind.
In the Blackbird, Storm explains she has the Sentinel on radar. Scott agrees to follow. He and Logan enter the Blackbird and Rogue seems excited to follow.
The Blackbird lifts off and rockets forward through the air. The Sentinel flies over a city with the Blackbird close behind. Cyclops and Storm man the pilot seats.
Back at US Motors, mechanical arms piece together a Sentinel. They work on the insides, attach an arm, then attach a hand.
Trask watches over the automated process as Gyrich approaches. Gyrich tells Trask to start packing and the doctor wonders why, using a remote to stop the arms and lifting his welder's mask.
Gyrich explains that the President cancelled the government support of their mutant registration and he fears the Sentinel program will be next. Gyrich decides to move the operation overseas.
Gyrich is interrupted by the sound of an approaching Sentinel. The disarmed Sentinel flies through the glass in the ceiling then crashes to the ground damaging some equipment.
In her cell, the mechanical arms power down and one of the shackles open. Jubilee sits up looking at her freed hands.
On the factor floor, Gyrich wonders if the Sentinels can watch where they are going.
In her cell, Jubilee hopes that whatever happened keeps those "slime balls" busy. She shoots the shackle holding her other hand then shoots both holding her feet. He stands and fires at the wall.
She continues a concentrated blast until the wall starts melting.
On the floor, Gyrich notices the wall buckling and tells Trask to look out. Suddenly the wall bursts open. Jubilee leaps through the ruined door, over the Sentinel, and out onto the floor.
Gyrich yells to stop her. As Jubilee runs, a Sentinel lands in front of her. She jokes that this is the wrong way and turns to run as the robot raises its hand.
She stops when she finds herself surrounded on all sides all ordering her to stop. She falls to her knees just wanting to go home.
Just then, Cyclops tells her to duck. She looks up and sees him standing in the rafters.
Two Sentinels are blasted by Cyclops. A third turns towards him and he misses hitting it. However, a second blast hits it square in the chest.
It backs up, smoke pouring from the hole, then slams onto the ground.
Gyrich grabs Trask and leads him out. He promises that their work is just beginning.
Jubilee runs as another Sentinel chases her. Suddenly, playing cards rain down on the robot breaking it apart.
Gambit swings down to the floor behind her asking if she missed him. She runs into his arms hugging him. He takes that as a yes.
He turns to see Rogue punching a Sentinel until the head flies off and it falls backwards. As a second Sentinel approaches, the first slams down onto the assembly line.
Cyclops blasts a Sentinel knocking it down.
One Sentinel turns and raises its hand to attack, but is blasted by Storm's lightning. She flies down as another turns towards her. It fires but she dodges it and blasts it as well. The Sentinel continues firing but she evades the attack.
Eventually, it begins launching into the air. Storm flies out through the damaged skylight followed by the Sentinel.
In the sky, she begins forming a mighty storm. Lighting strikes her and she redirects the power into the robot. It falls back towards the factory.
Rogue evades the falling Sentinel as it goes back through the skylight. It falls to the ground and breaks apart. She doesn't notice one coming up behind her. It slams its fist down knocking her to the ground.
She gets up saying they need to learn to behave. She flies up and flips it over. It slams into the ground breaking apart. Unfortunately, another blasts her from behind.
It continues a sustained attack as Wolverine climbs a pile of tires behind it. He leaps onto its back digging his claws in until he catches on.
He climbs up towards the head and it starts spinning around trying to get at him. He cries out that this is for Morph then digs his claws into its head.
Electricity encompasses the head. Wolverine continues digging his claws into its back as it falls to the ground.
Storm shocks another Sentinel. It falls and Rogue flies to her while Gambit and Jubilee walk up.
Cyclops wonder if that was all of them. The destroyed wreckage of Sentinels surround them. The other X-Men approach them. Rogue asks if that was enough.
Later, a man loads suitcases into a taxi. Jubilee tells her foster parents that they were the best ones she ever had. She explains that Professor Xavier's school is the best place for people like her.
Martha asks if she will visit them. She replies that of course she will and hugs them both. She gets in the cab and the three wave goodbye at each other. The father hugs his wife as they watch her go.
Back at the mansion, Jean watches the taxi approach. Scott calls her over and asks if he did the right thing with Beast and Morph. She reassures him that he did what he had to, and so did they.
Outside, Jubilee takes out her bags and the taxi drives off. She approaches the door and rings the doorbell. The door opens and she enters.
Quotes[]
"I just wish I knew what was happening in there."
"If that was me in there, you wouldn't have to worry."
- -Cyclops and Gambit
"And I used to wonder how she acquired her nom de guerre."
- -Beast about Storm
"Remember, no humans are to be harmed. Watch yourselves as well."
"How about you tell them not to harm us?"
- -Cyclops and Gambit
"So long, suckers."
- -Morph
"As Archimedes said when he discovered the principle of displacement, 'Eureka'!"
- -Beast
"Why are you doing this to me? I haven't done anything. I'm just a kid."
"You've already made life miserable for your foster parents. And as your mutant powers grow, you'll become a danger to everyone around you."
"It's not my fault. I can't help the way I was born."
- -Jubilee and Henry Peter Gyrich
"Don't mess with the X-Men!"
- -Recording of Gambit
"Gyrich! Why did you bring that mutant here? Who is she!?"
"Just a random name from the files. A test to see how easy it will be to capture the rest of them."
- -Bolivar Trask, first lines, and Henry Peter Gyrich
"Come on, boys. Let's all go for a little moonlight swim. Don't get a moon-burn."
- -Rogue
"You wanna play with Gambit? Here, take a card. House wins."
- -Gambit
"Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry. John Wesley."
- -Beast
"Come to mama."
"Put me down, you flying freak!"
"Whatever you say, sugar."
- -Rogue and Guard
"First we charge the card, then we blow it up. Life don't get much better than this."
- -Gambit
"Didn't I tell you? Clear sailing all the way."
- -Morph
"Hey, Tin Woodsman! I'm sending you back to Oz, in pieces!"
- -Wolverine
"WOLVERINE! PULL BACK!"
- -Morph, last words
"What's wrong, Jean?"
"It's Morph. Can't you feel it?"
"Morph? I don't sense anything."
- -Professor X and Jean Grey
"CYCLOPS!"
"I know how you feel about it, Wolverine, but..." [Socked in the gut]
"You know nothing, little man. Next time, I use these." [Pulls out claws]
"I've taken about enough from you!"
"Let's do it. Let's see how tough you are when you ain't giving orders."
- -Wolverine and Cyclops
"Soldier boy here left them behind. For all we know, Morph and Beast may still be alive."
"Beast is."
"What about Morph!?"
- -Wolverine and Jean Grey
"He's gone, mon ami."
- -Gambit
"COWARDS! ALL OF THEM!"
- -Wolverine
"What happened wasn't his fault." [Wolverine drives off] "Wolverine! It's not your fault, either."
- -Jean Grey
"It's adamantium-tasting time, boys!"
- -Past Wolverine
"Five-card stud. Jacks or better to open."
- -Past Gambit
"Come on, Wolverine. Let's go!"
"Eat dirt, Cyclops. X-Men don't cut and run."
- -Past Cyclops and Past Wolverine
"I go where I wanna go!"
"Sorry. Not this time, sugar."
- -Past Wolverine and Past Rogue
"Gotta be careful to pull out enough of your energy to stop you without hurting you."
- -Past Rogue
"Morph...Beast...Don't leave them."
- -Past Wolverine
"I'll avenge you, my friend. I swear it."
- -Wolverine
"Stand aside, human. We will remove the surviving mutant."
"You were sent here to help, not take over. This is my prisoner, robot."
- -Sentinel and Guard
"I want to ask you some questions."
"Another time."
"It's your funeral. I'll be back."
- -Henry Peter Gyrich and Beast
"My fellow Americans. Last night, several renegade mutants attacked the headquarters of the Federal Security Agency. this attack was foiled with the help of experimental robot policemen called Sentinels."
- -Unnamed President, first lines
"The incidents at the New Salem Mall and the Mutant Control Agency..."
"Why don't you shut that garbage off!?"
"Why don't you get out of here, fur-face?"
- -Robert Kelly, Logan, and Thug
"The fuzz-ball's a mutant."
"Get out of my place. We don't want your kind around here."
"Yeah, why don't you go back to the freak show?"
"I go where I wanna go."
- -Thug, Bar Owner, and Logan
"You wouldn't hit a man with glasses, would you?"
- -Scott Summers
"If you're here to apologize for running out on Beast, save your breath."
"I don't apologize for command decisions."
- -Logan and Scott Summers
"You wanted to see me, Madam President?"
"I wanted to congratulate you and Dr. Trask. I also wanted to tell you to stop all activities involving your privately-run mutant registration program."
"Why?"
"Those mutants were willing to sacrifice their lives to destroy your files. Did they have a good reason to be threatened?"
- -Henry Peter Gyrich and Unnamed President
"The fool. They're all fools!"
- -Henry Peter Gyrich
"He thinks Jubilee's been kidnapped by those...things the President talked about. Those giant Sentinels."
"What!? Why would anyone do something like that?"
"Because people fear what they don't understand."
- -Martha, Foster Father, and Scott Summers
"You've done nothing wrong. You just want to help her. And you have."
- -Scott Summers
"Surrender, mutant."
"Of course. Not!"
- -Sentinel and Scott Summers
"Let's go get him."
"This chicken's going home to roost."
- -Scott Summers and Rogue
"Time to blow this joint."
- -Jubilee
"Halt, mutant."
"Oh, no. I just wanna go home."
- -Sentinels and Jubilee
"Come on, Trask. Our work is just beginning."
- -Henry Peter Gyrich
"You miss me, petite?" [Jubilee hugs him] "He he. I reckon so."
- -Gambit
"You all ought to learn how to behave."
- -Rogue
"THIS ONE'S FOR YOU, MORPH!"
- -Wolverine
"Was that all of them?"
"Ain't that enough?"
- -Cyclops and Rogue
"You guys are the best foster parents I ever had. But Professor Xavier's school is...It's the best place for people like me."
"You will come to visit us, won't you?"
"Does a mall babe eat chili fries?"
- -Jubilee and Martha
"Jean. Back there with Beast and Morph, do you think I did the right thing?"
"You did what you had to do. So did they."
- -Scott Summers and Jean Grey
Trivia[]
- The Mutant Control Agency headquarters is eight stories tall.
- The opening dialogue is taken from the previous episode, but with the addition of Gambit's line.
- The top card Gambit plays with before the armored vehicles show up is the Ace of Spades.
- Nom de guerre basically means codename.
- Five soldiers leave a single armored vehicle.
- One of the guards Morph traps is named Elon.
- Names listed on the Mutant File include Michael Booton, Geri Bryan, Andy Hamilton, Chris Hamilton, Ray Sherman, Corbin Went, and John Wesley.
- Morph would probably have lived if he remembered that Wolverine could heal himself and the blast wouldn't have killed him.
- Gambit throws the Five of Diamonds at three guards.
- Gambit throws the Ace of Spades to open the fence.
- Scott's car had a sunroof.
- Amazingly, one Sentinel blast killed Morph but Beast was hit with another and subsequently knocked into an electric fence and survived. Though this could be explained by saying that the Sentinels can increase the power of their blasts and they knew to use a stronger blast for Wolverine. Rogue is also hit but she has greater strength and endurance.
- There are eleven Sentinels at the Mutant Control Agency battle.
- When addressing the nation, the President said that mutants attacked the Federal Security Agency, not Mutant Control Agency. It may be a goof, or the Mutant Control Agency actually part of the FSA, and not private as Professor Xavier had thought.
- Had Wolverine gone back Mister Sinister never would have healed Morph and he never would have come back at all.
- Beast apparently has some religious convictions.
- The pool thug is the first person to call Logan a runt, the usual nickname for him by Sabretooth.
- The pool thug has a Freemasonry logo on his belt buckle.
- The bar is simply named 8. It's address is 21366.
- Gyrich's folder has the X-Men logo on it.
- There is sidewalk damage when Logan and Scott run between the house, likely caused by the Sentinel in "Night of the Sentinels, Part One".
- The cards that rain down on the Sentinel include the three of hearts, two of diamonds, four of diamonds, two of hearts, and ace of hearts.
- There are fifteen Sentinels during the US Motors battle.
- The license plate of Jubilee's taxi is 5052 4.
Goofs[]
- The armored vehicles are driving on the ground next to the road.
- In the first episode, the X-Men in the agency slowly approached the door with the trap behind it on foot and Morph had a line. In this episode, Storm flies and the others run while Morph says nothing. Morph's line is then used after he traps the guards.
- When Morph tricks the guards he transforms apparently into the outline of Gambit, but a second later he's his normal self.
- The computer terminal at first only displays punctuation and numerical symbols.
- Gambit never said the words that Gyrich repeats to Jubilee. Either this is an inconsistency or it was recorded at another time. But since Xavier previously said how they just became public the latter seems unlikely.
- There are several times during the battle at the agency when Gambit's eyes are normal human eyes.
- Storm destroying the computer terminal would not have destroyed the files. She would need to destroy the hard drives and all she damaged was a monitor. At most, it would have prevented anyone from stopping the virus while it destroyed the files.
- It makes little sense to stop the fire before leaving. There could still be salvageable files that the fire could still destroy and it seemed contained and not in danger of hurting anyone.
- There is a noticeable jump cut when Cyclops answers Storm's communication.
- None of the mutants inside the building have explosive powers to destroy the door as shown.
- The guard in the watchtower that Cyclops destroys had black hair when the top falls over but is blonde when Rogue flies him up.
- In the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the character is referred to as Tin Woodman. It was various adaptations that called him Woodsman, with the added "s". Wolverine and the DVD subtitles clearly add the "s".
- When Cyclops watches Jean in the garage, the black "X" on his communicator is gone.
- When first seen in the flashback, Cyclops' outfit is black instead of blue.
- Rogue reacts to being hit by the Sentinel blast before it hits her.
- When the Sentinel grapples Wolverine, he flips around between shots.
- The energy beam ports on the Sentinels' hands appear and disappear throughout the episode. This happens throughout the series.
- Storm's lightning blast during the flashback was red.
- The shot of the Sentinel landing and firing was used earlier, just the firing part.
- Wolverine walks in front of Rogue, stops to say "I go where I want to go," and then appears behind her.
- After Rogue absorbs Wolverine's strength the glove she took off is suddenly switched, and it would seem her body suit suddenly covers her whole hand.
- Beast is arrested near Gambit's hole in the fence, but that was nowhere to be seen when Beast hit the fence.
- While in his cell, Beast himself is animated so both feet are on the same wall but is clearly animated with one off it.
- While watching the president's speech, Cyclops' visor flashes yellow.
- Logan shoots the cue ball into the corner pocket. This would end his turn, assuming the others are playing with him, and require someone to take it out to continue playing. Two shots later, without anyone getting, it's back on the table.
- The President meets Gyrich in what appears to be the Oval Office, yet that is reserved for the business of the president and would not be used for a casual work out.
- In the shot the foster father spills the soda, the back of the couch doesn't appear connected to the bottom.
- When the damaged Sentinel launches, the house suddenly adds another story.
- While flying over the city, the glow of the Sentinel's jets is animated to the left of the jets.
- When the power goes out, only one shackle opens for whatever reason.
- In the factory one of the Sentinels fires a beam out the top of its hand several times.
- At one point Wolverine appears almost as large as a Sentinel, then is the size of its torso.
Continuity[]
- Establishes that the Mutant Control Agency is in Washington D.C. The X-Men go back to D.C. in "Days of Future Past, Part Two".
- First appearance of Cerebro.
- The robots are finally given the name of Sentinels.
- First time Gambit says "mon ami," which means "my friend." Wolverine is the recipient of the first two uses.
- Morph apparently dies in this episode. Although it would be revealed that Mister Sinister saved him. He would come back in "Till Death Do Us Part, Part One".
- First appearance of the garage, Wolverine's Jeep, and Cyclop's car.
- First flashback.
- First mention of adamantium.
- First death.
- First use of Rogue's absorbing powers.
- Beast is arrested and put in prison. He would be put on trial throughout the first season and be pardoned in "Till Death Do Us Part, Part One".
- First appearance of the President, an unnamed woman. She would remain so until Robert Kelly was elected at the end of this season with "The Final Decision". In "Till Death Do Us Part, Part One", Kelly takes office.
- According to Trask, they have not yet made a hundred Sentinels, which Gyrich berates him for. This may be why they designed Master Mold in their overseas operation in Genosha as seen in "Slave Island".
- Jubilee mentions eating chili fries. She was seen eating them in the arcade in "Night of the Sentinels, Part One".
Cast[]
Main Actor Role(s) Cedric Smith Charles Xavier/Professor X Norm Spencer Scott Summers/Cyclops Cal Dodd Logan/Wolverine
Pool ThugIona Morris Ororo Munroe/Storm Catherine Disher Jean Grey George Buza Hank McCoy/Beast Lenore Zann Rogue Chris Potter Remy LeBeau/Gambit Alyson Court Jubilation Lee/Jubilee Ron Rubin Morph Len Carlson Robert Kelly
Jubilee's Foster FatherBarry Flatman Henry Peter Gyrich David Fox Sentinel Brett Halsey Bolivar Trask Unknown Unnamed Female President
Martha
Cathal J. Dodd played the pool thug in an impression of Jack Nicholson. The producers wanted a tough guy who sounded like Nicholson. As the cast were recording together, they asked the room if any of them could do it. Dodd claims he the only person in Canada who can do a spot-on impression, but before he could reaction Norm Spencer asked to take a shot at it. Dodd then did his impression first and Spencer relented.[1]
Background[]
Morph was created specially for the series. In fact he was designed specifically to be killed off, in order to show how serious the show was. He does seem to be based on Changeling. Changeling was chosen because of his past ties to the X-Men, as well as his deceased status in the comics. The character proved to be so popular that he came back later in the series and a version appeared in the comics.
The president, whose name is never revealed, appears to be based on Hillary Clinton, whose husband Bill Clinton had been elected the year this aired making her First Lady. Incidentally, she ran for president in 2008 and 2016.
The ending sequence showing Jubilee arriving at Xavier's School parallels with a sequence from The Uncanny X-Men #138. In the comic book, Kitty Pryde joined the X-Men in a similar fashion following the "death" of Jean Grey, which was later revealed to be the Phoenix Force in disguise. The scene also mirrors a similar scene with Kitty Pryde being dropped off at the Xavier Mansion in the previous pilot "Pryde of the X-Men".
The title is most likely inspired by the movie Night of the Living Dead.
The show was originally going to premiere over the Labor Day weekend in September of 1992. However, due to production delays it was soon pushed to the end of October. This episode originally aired as a "sneak preview" even though it wasn't ready for broadcast. AKOM had sent the first episode with hundreds of retakes, scenes where incorrectly animated shots are supposed to be fix. They refused to do all the retakes so for the interest of time it was aired as-is. This lead an animation insider to joke that AKOM's motto should be "AKOM: Quality is our only compromise." Fox threatened one of the producers that if the second episode wasn't hand delivered from Korea that they would not get paid for the season. The producer did bring it but it was missing fifty scenes with numerous other errors. The opening credits still had the same mistakes as the first episode; the perspective of Wolverine against the Sentinel made them both look the wrong size; Rogue's bare hand was green like her bodysuit instead of bare when touching Logan; Gambit's eyes were colored normal often; Gambit's expression when touching Wolverine's shoulder after losing Morph was less sad (and the background colored wrong); Beast still had a lack of shading; Storm's lightning attacks against the Sentinels were missing effects; Rogue smashed into the ground without leaving an impact crater; the guard taking Beast didn't talk back to the Sentinel; Wolverine stabbing the Sentinel in the back wasn't as long a scene; and the shot of Cyclops firing at a Sentinel was missing. Fox was upset at the situation, pulled the series from the air for the time being, and threatened AKOM. The errors were later corrected with the animators working overtime and Fox re-aired both parts of the pilot on January 9th, 1993.[1]
At some point following the original broadcast of the first season, Storm's voice actress changed from Iona Morris to Alison Sealy-Smith. This was the first episode known to be redubbed with that change.
Reaction[]
"Stu" of Marvel Animation Age felt that this was the episode where the story kicked into high gear with the Sentinels becoming a presence. He claimed that this time they were a force to be reckoned with defeating the X-Men. He said the infiltration stuff was pretty standard but picked up once they were caught. He loved the shot of the Sentinel coming out of the trees and towering over Wolverine. He claimed the battle itself was one of the most memorable on the show with the team losing two members. He said it was very bold for the series to kill one person and have another arrested without being undone by the end of the episode. He felt the arrest was well done, a great way to start the plot that would go throughout the entire season. He liked the scene where Wolverine punches Cyclops as something that stayed with him afterwards. He noted some errors in the episode, like Morph's silhouette being Gambit and Gyrich playing a recording that didn't happen, though he felt the episode was good enough to overlook them. He did criticize Jubilee, claiming she was constantly annoying throughout the series from her attitude to her voice. He claimed that she may be one of the most annoying characters in any Marvel cartoon.
Comic Book Resources ranked this and its predecessor as number two of their top fifteen episodes of the series. They noted that as the first episodes of the series its greatest triumph was introducing the world through the eyes of Jubilee that establishes the tone of the series to come. They felt it did a great job introducing how terrifying this world could be. They liked how it was able to capture the gravity and terror of the Sentinels as lethal and unstoppable while exploring themes of racism and fear of the "other." They enjoyed that it captured the spirit of the comics for a Saturday morning cartoon show without making it too childish.[2]
Comic Book Resources ranked this and its follow-up as the third top tear-jerking episode of the series. "The 1992 series premiere had an immense impact in both story and controversy. "Night of the Sentinels" established the tone the series would be exploring. Bright heroics laced in dark storylines. Fear festered humans demand action against mutants. This leads the Mutant Control Agency to require mutants to register with them. Jubilee, a firework powered mutant, is targeted for apprehension. The X-Men must protect her but realize the threat is much worse. The X-Men raid the Mutant Control Agency and destroy their files on mutants. This comes at the price of Morph's, the shape-shifting X-Man, life. His death was not in vain as the X-Men seek to avenge their fallen friend. Death and social commentary radiated in the first two episodes of the series."[3]
The episode has a rating of 9.1 on TV.com and an 8.1 on the Internet Movie Database.
References[]
- ↑ Alex Chung at Tumblr
- ↑ The 15 Best Episodes Of X-Men: The Animated Series at Comic Book Resources
- ↑ Top 10 Tear-Jerking Episodes From X-Men: The Animated Series at Comic Book Resources