There are some deep cuts this week into X-Men lore, including homage to an oldie but forever goodie arcade game. A familiar foe interrupts Jubilee's birthday fun and Storm learns the truth from Forge about the weapon that took her power. Let's get into “Motendo/Lifedeath-Part 1” with this X-Men 97 Episode 4 Easter Eggs, Breakdown, and recap.
X-Men 97 Episode 4 Easter Eggs & Breakdown
Gambit brings Rogue some coffee but Magneto has beat him to it. Magneto orders them all to the Danger Room after breakfast for drills. They need to be prepared if Sinister returns.
Beast points out it’s Jubilee’s birthday and that she might like to celebrate. Magneto thinks training is better.
Wolverine calls Beast a Rogaine Ad and that’s a spot-on 90s joke.
Jubilee wants to go to the Arcade to celebrate. She complains to Sunspot about Magneto being such a stick in the mud.
Cyclops and Jean are away at the UN since Genosha is joining it.
Jubilee calls herself the Big Mac.
In Jubilee's room, next to her TV there is a video game console called Motendo. It resembles the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis. Plugged in is a game with a cover that features Cyclops, Wolverine, and Gambit fighting Mojo.
The game cover itself is a callback to the X-Men game on Sega Genesis.
After some dial up noises, Jubilee and Roberto aka Sunspot awaken inside the game.
The game itself is a version of Konami’s X-Men arcade game, which was released in 1992, the same year as the original series. But the game wasn’t based on the show but a 1989 cartoon pilot X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men. It centered around Kitty Pryde and became a fan favorite.
A Sentinel attacks them, followed by a group from FOH.
They answer the phone in a telephone booth and are transported to Genosha. But this is the Genosha that had mutant slaves and the guards immediately go after them.
Jubilee and Roberto are saved by a mysterious figure or Hot Topic Stalker as Jubilee called her. Jubilee finally realizes they are inside a game. She is familiar to comic fans, but more on her in a bit.
Mojo (David Errigo Jr.) appears above them in the 8-Bit sky. Mojo is an inter-dimensional villain who rules over the realm known as Mojoworld.
He is obsessed with violent, sensational TV shows, and in this case violent, sensational video games. He enjoys shows that involve pitting Mutants against each other in death matches, like gladiators. Ratings are down so he is now pivoting to video games- the future of mind-numbery
Every level in the game is based on her own memories. Dazzler was busy so Jubilee gets to be the gamer girl in this gamer world- a spoof on the Barbie Girl lyrics.
He also mentions the cliche- if you die in the game you die in real life.
Mojo mocks the old generation of X-Men using classic TV Shows:
- Who’s the boss? Magneto
- Storm A Different World
- Divorce Court: Summers vs Grey
Neither Sunspot nor Jubilee were in the X-Men arcade game. The new version is named X-Men: The Rise of Jubilee.
Roberto and Jubilee are thrown into an 8-Bit world to battle through her memories. First up are Sentinels then Savageland. Jubilee is injured but a bug in the system gives her her health back.
Mojo orders Spiral to catch the bug.
Spiral is a mutant who became one of Mojo’s minions after he stole a piece of her soul. In the comics, she aided Rogue and Gambit after they were kidnapped by Mojo and forced to play his games.
Jubilee and Roberto have made it to the final level– Asteroid M.
Roberto is injured during the fight with Magneto and is losing health. He almost dies but someone, the bug, has given them an extra life.
Before Magneto can attack again, a hand reaches in and pulls them out of the game. It’s the woman from earlier who is also the bug- it’s an older Jubilee. She played the Beta and survived.
This version of Jubilee is known as Abscissa. In the comics, Abscissa (a future version of Jubilee) worked with Mojo to capture present day Jubilee. When present day Jubilee refused to work with Mojo (like Abscissa did), Abscissa ceased to exist.
Abscissa is voiced by the original voice of Jubilee- Alyson Court.
When the two combine their powers to defeat Mojo it looks like when Naruto uses his Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Mojo finds them- he is the FINAL BOSS. They win and Jubilee and Roberto wake back up in her room. They kiss.
Lifedeath-Part 1: Storm and Forge
Forge is explaining how his power works to Storm- how he can create anything he can think of. Storm misses her powers. He takes her horseback riding over the plains.
In Forge’s workshop there is a picture on the wall of him with his mutant team- X- Factor. Pictured are Quicksilver, Wolfsbane, Polaris, Strong Guy, Multiple Man, and Havok aka Alexander Summers, Cyclop’s brother
He thinks he has a cure for Storm, but it doesn’t work. He continues to work on a fix. Storm asks why it’s so important to him to fix her. He reveals he made the machine, or at least the rough draft of it, that took away her powers.
Storm leaves and crashes back through the ceiling. Somehow she has returned to Forge’s house. The Adversary appears and tells her she is there to feast on her misery.
The Adversary was an ancient mystical entity/ a demon who wanted to destroy the universe and create a new one. In the comics, Forge had been trained to battle this demon.
X-Men 97 episodes 1-4 are now streaming on Disney+.
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