Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for X-Men ‘97 Episode 10.
BoilX-Mendown to its heart, andthe ensemble drama has always been about two people: Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. Even before comics writerChris Claremontdramaticallyreinterpreted the latter’s backstoryand thereby enriched the character, Magneto and Professor X’s constant ideological conflict definesX-Men’s overarching narrative. Theirs is the defining tragedy of a tableau filled withsoap opera theatrics, that of old friends who share the same vision, as well as a doomed inevitability on par with mutually assured destruction. Because of their fundamentally diametric approaches to the same goal, these two fools (affectionately said) are incapable of staunching the wounds they’ve inflicted upon one another. Every situation fractures them further even though they share another dream: reuniting. Maybe if they hold onto hope, the other will see reason this time.
Sadly, there’s no drama without conflict. And after five seasons ofX-Men: The Animated Series, Disney+’s phenomenally insightful successorX-Men ‘97catapults Xavier (Ross Marquand) and Magneto’s (Matthew Waterson) enmity to its highest stakes. Yes, they’re once again battling over the fate of their home planet. Charles and Erik are alsostruggling to save their own souls, at first separately, then in a surprisingly empathetic stand-off that can only result in destruction or restoration. In so doing,X-Men ‘97’sSeason 1 finale, “Tolerance Is Extinction — Part 3,“confirms that no one else understands, or loves, Magneto more than his beloved old friend.
A band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they’re challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
Xavier and Magneto Balance Each Other
X-Men: The Animated Series’ origin story for Charles and Erikdiffers slightly from the comics but retains the necessary elements. The pair meet in a hospital tending to wounded war survivors.They bond over their hopes of bettering the lives of those in need. Their bitter — if reluctant and somber — split manifests after they rescue innocents from soldiers heavily implied to be Nazi Party remnants. Erik seeks vengeance via their violent deaths, while Charles argues for mercy. The man destined to become Magneto rejects Charles’s pacifism and begins his lonely odyssey toward mutant independence.
The enemies skirmish throughoutThe Animated Seriesas often as theyjoin forces to eradicate true evil. When they’re thrown onto the same side, they instantly work together as seamlessly as if their rift never existed. Those truces never last; neither Charles nor Erik can conquer their philosophical impasse, no matter how many ropes either tosses across.They’re as oppositional as they are similar, facets that spring from their lived experiences. Charles Xavier has felt deep pain. His empathy extends beyond his telepathy. He was also born into wealth, privilege, and power.His upbringing lets him indulge in wide-eyed optimism, the hope that humanity will overcome its ingrained hatred of the Other. He’s certain that if mutants just prove themselves exceptional enough, homo sapiens will embrace them with open arms.
Except the goalposts defining “exceptionalism” always shift. More to the point, hatred never dies. Ask Erik Lehnsherr, a Jewish boy interred at Auschwitz whodiscovered the depths of humanity’s evilagainst each otherbeforehis mutation manifested, and that bigotry multiplied. Politely begging for peace has never created civil rights nor served justice. Erik’s moral flaws don’t erase his knowledge that there’s no reasoning with “minds [that] arefar harder to bend than metal,“an humanizing and honest perspectiveX-Men ‘97weaves into its thesis.
Xavier Risks His Life To Save Magneto in ‘X-Men ‘97’
X-Men ‘97brings Magneto and Xavier’s story strands full circle. Xavier entrusts Magneto with the X-Men, who personify his dream. Erik only entertains the idea because, well, it’s Charles. His valiant reformation attempt fails after witnessing the Genosha genocide, which, for Erik, is the equivalent of surviving a second Holocaust.He re-devotes himself to mutant supremacyand abandons Earth to rot in its filth, only for Charles to sweep in like a savior once again.Both men, desperate and broken, justify their horrifying acts. They don’t merely hurt one another for the thousandth time but perpetrate collateral damage, either thoughtlessly or vindictively. They return to their predictable patterns. That planet-sized impasse has never been wider, their always turbulent and dissonant bond straining to the point of lethal fission.
Charles invading Magneto’s mind (an act Magneto’s right to call a violation) leaves Erik stranded in the literal freezing waters of his lifelong PTSD. Those tumultuous ocean waves, an obvious metaphor for Erik’s mind, threaten to sweep both Erik and Charles away.“Both” is Episode 10’s key word. Charles Xavier could’ve easily consigned Magneto to his agony and gone about his business. Instead, he makes a choice simultaneously selfless and selfish. He doesn’t fightBastion(Theo James) with his X-Men. He stays in Magneto’s mind and risks not just his own life, but his psyche. Even though the gesturedoesn’t excuse Charles’s mental attack, he seizes this rare opportunity to help his beloved friend escape his emotional torment.Charles Xavier will either drag Erik free or drown with him, holding him close in the seething ocean.
‘X-Men ‘97’ Proves Xavier Understands and Loves Magneto
Charles is the only person capable of reaching Magneto because they’re equals and opposites. Call them polar magnets or counterbalancing scale weights — or just soulmates. They complete one another, overusedJerry Maguirequote or not. Magneto hears Rogue’s (Lenore Zann) distraught voice crying out to him in his amnesiac darkness.Hers is the only face he sees from his memories. Yet without erasing or diminishing his obvious love for Rogue, Erik also adores Charles. He has for decades. Even when they were physically apart, Charles rested in Erik’s mind. Blocking out Xavier’s influence is why Magneto wears his helmet. As Rogue wisely points out to Erik in Episode 2, “You were worried if you still felt how much he loved you, you wouldn’t be able to go through with your crusade.“That helmet is Magneto’s armoragainst love.
So, of course,it’s Charles who reminds his fragmented self of the identity he forged from the ashes. Charles’s compassion succeeds for the first time not becauseX-Men ‘97backpedals their “Magneto was right” statement in Xavier’s favor. Rather, Charles finally works to meet Erik where he is. Erik might be an island because of and despite himself, but his fate needn’t be forever lost and always losing. Charles reminds him they are a chosen family of two. He bleeds the poison from Erik’s heart. And Magneto emerges reborn, reclaiming himself, his memories, and his purpose. He couldn’t have a true redemption arc without Charles at his side.
These Are the Comics to Read Before ‘X-Men ‘97’ Season 2
Age of Apocalypse, anyone?
Episode 10 adapts theOnslaughtarc from the comicswithout merging Magneto and Xavier’s darkest impulses into a supervillain. This pair working together is the best chance mutantkind has for lasting prosperity. Such an accomplishment demands concessions and accountability (looking at you, Charles). InX-Men ‘97’s finale, Charles tells Erik, “We both have the power to end it,” and they do. No matter how often they reopen old wounds or inflict new ones,any lesion sears because they love each other with enough gravity to crush the planet.
Xavier and Magneto Are ‘X-Men ‘97’s True Love Story
WatchingX-Men: The Animated Seriesas a child was how I discovered I could root for fictional same-sex romances. As they navigated the Savage Land together, Charles and Erik became baby’s first queer OTP.Patrick StewartandIan McKellenferociously headliningFox’s firstX-Menfilmjust enhanced what already existed for me. The internet opened the floodgates of possibility, but only afterThe Animated Serieslit a mental spark demanding satiation through fanfiction.
Fans have interpreted Xavier and Magneto as queersince time immemorial. BetweenX-Men ‘97Episode 10’s pointed dialogue, the characters’ physical blocking, and the emotional intimacy,presuming the material’s queer connotations is as natural as breathing. Charles and Erik’s opening conversation carries the same coming out subtext as Sunspot (Gui Agustini) revealing his mutant abilities to his mother in Episode 7, especially given Charles and Erik’s flirtatious expressions and body language. Previous showrunnerBeau DeMayoconfirmed that Morph (J. P. Karliak) admitstheir love for Wolverinein the same episode.
With every wayX-Men ‘97pushes the envelope to shredding (the underutilizedMorph included),explicitly canonizing Charles and Erik’s relationship as romantic would have carried groundbreaking weight. Leaving LGBTQIA+ identities and relationships “open to interpretation” has been the norm since time immemorial, too, whether due to executive interference or intentionalqueerbating. Without casting any direct aspersions or assuming intent, we’re far past the time for excuses, breadcrumbs, and hints, no matter who makes the final decision.
Still —X-Men ‘97understands Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr with the acute nuance they’ve long deserved.No other adaptation honors their connection without villainizing Magneto or oversimplifying Xavier’s thorny complexities. Contending with Apocalypse will keep them distracted inSeason 2, but the Season 1 finale dangles a welcome hint that Xavier and Magneto are walking the same path at long last.The series prioritizes romance, and there’s no greater love story than the friends who become enemies without ever ceasing to love, even if they forget how to say so.
