‘X-Men ’97’ Episode 3 Recap & Review: Mr. Sinister Is Pure, Nefarious Evil

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for X-Men ’97 Episode 3.*

Following the two-episode premiere, the X-Men are back with an all-new episode filled with action, excitement, and heartbreak. Last week on X-Men ’97, after the team learns to accept Magneto (Matthew Waterson) as their leader, an attack from the Friends of Humanity (F.O.H.) leaves Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) powerless.

The team tries to recover before another Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) shows up at the X-Mansion. Who is the real Jean Grey? Will Storm get her powers back? All of this and more on this episode of X-Men ’97.

The X-Men Discover the Truth About Jean Grey in ‘X-Men ’97’ Episode 3

The episode begins with the team and two Jean Grey’s at the X-Mansion as Beast (George Buza) runs tests to determine what’s going on. Using gamma rays to isolate the genes of both Jean Greys, Beast concludes that the Jean who showed up at their doorstep is older and must be the real Jean Grey. The other Jean becomes upset that the team doesn’t believe that she is the real one, and runs off to be with her son, Nathan.

Once in Nathan’s room, she hears a voice over the baby monitor. It is revealed to be Mr. Sinister (Christopher Britton), a scientist from the 1800s who uses mutant DNA to enhance himself and prolong his life. Sinister confirms that this Jean is the clone and explains that he is after Nathan. Jean succumbs to Sinister’s influence and uses her powers to manipulate the mansion with the team’s worst fears before taking Nathan and proclaiming herself the Goblin Queen.

Something Sinister Lurks in ‘X-Men ’97’ Episode 3

Once the team recovers from facing off physical manifestations of their fears, the real Jean wakes up but struggles to control her powers and remember her memories. Wolverine (Cal Dodd) stays back to help Beast and Jean as the rest of the team goes off to fight Sinister and rescue Nathan.

At Sinister’s lab, he monologues to himself that he cloned Jean because the combined genetics of her and Cyclops (Ray Chase) could produce a mutant with unlimited potential and power. Sinister then puts Nathan in a tube in hopes of making him invulnerable.

The X-Men arrive and are confronted by the Goblin Queen. The team is quickly overwhelmed by her power, and Magneto goes to face her one-on-one. Even the master of magnetism is no match for the Goblin Queen, as she overpowers him and turns her attention to Cyclops.

Jean vs. Jean in A Battle of the Minds

Back at the mansion, the real Jean senses that Cyclops is in trouble. She reads Wolverine’s mind and regains her memories. Jean uses her powers to infiltrate the Goblin Queen’s mind, and the two have a psychic battle. The real Jean begins to flood the Goblin Queen’s mind with memories from their past to break through Sinister’s control. 

No longer under Mr. Sinister’s influence, the Goblin Queen stops attacking the X-Men, and she and Cyclops go to save Nathan. The two stop Sinister and rescue Nathan from his tube, but once he is released, he starts to develop a sickness, giving Sinister the opportunity to escape. 

Cyclops and Jean Grey Make a Difficult Decision in ‘X-Men ’97’ Episode 3

The episode cuts back to Beast’s lab, where he runs tests on Nathan to discover the nature of his sickness. Beast determines that Nathan has a rapidly spreading techno-organic virus that could take years to develop a cure for.

With no other options, Jean proposes Nathan go with Bishop (Isaac Robinson Smith) back to his future as they may have the technology and knowledge to cure him. Cyclops is devastated by the idea of not being there for his son, but they ultimately decide that their job is to give Nathan the best possible future. Jean gives Nathan a tearful goodbye, and he and Bishop walk through a portal to the future.

With Nathan gone and having nothing left to keep her there, Goblin Queen leaves the mansion but is stopped by Jean. Goblin Queen explains that it’s not fair for either of them that they have no way to know when Sinister switched them, so she needs to start a new life that’s entirely hers. She names herself Madelyne Pryor before leaving Jean and the X-Men. 

The episode ends in Texas at the Tequila Mocking Bird, where Storm is trying to adjust to her new life. She’s approached by a man named Forge (Gil Birmingham), who says he is an old friend of Charles Xavier’s and that he can help her get her powers back.

‘X-Men ’97’ Shows No Signs of Slowing Down

Receiving a record-breaking 4 million views on its two-episode debut, X-Men ‘97 is exceeding high expectations from fans who grew up watching the original series. X-Men ‘97 Episode 3 is exciting and action-packed from beginning to end, setting up what’s to come for the rest of the season, such as Storm’s LifeDeath arc from the comics. This episode pushes past pure nostalgia into a brilliantly executed show that celebrates what the X-Men can and should be.

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