A shocking discovery has emerged following a difficult fight for the X-Men – including Charles Xavier and Polaris – against a living version of the Danger Room. Despite dying at the end of last season, Gambit will be brought back to life as one of Apocalypse’s powerful followers. This raises the possibility that Magneto, who died earlier in the show, could also return, but many fans believe that would be a mistake.
The new Disney+ show, X-Men ’97, is a continuation of the original X-Men: The Animated Series, and it has more creative freedom than its predecessor. The original series, broadcast on network television during after-school hours, faced strict content restrictions from groups like the FCC and concerned parent organizations. X-Men ’97 doesn’t have those limitations, allowing it to tell more intense stories with higher stakes and greater emotional resonance.
Coming Back to Life After Dying Is Part of a Long X-Men Comic Book Tradition
I’m completely captivated by this show – so much of its success comes down to the creative team! What I especially love is how it stays true to the spirit of those early Marvel comics that started it all. And honestly, bringing characters back from the dead? That’s just classic comic book storytelling, particularly with the X-Men. But even with all the power boosts Apocalypse gives Gambit, seeing him return as a villain feels like the biggest betrayal, and will really hurt the heroes.
Comics often treat death as temporary, and that’s often intentional. Bringing characters back to life is a core part of the medium, so resurrecting Magneto feels natural. Even with respect to Gambit, if the creators of X-Men ’97 really want him back, Magneto will likely return. He’s one of Marvel’s greatest villains, and this version of the character is particularly compelling.
Magneto has actually died in the comics on several occasions. One well-known instance involved a collision between the Ultimate Marvel universe and the main Marvel universe (Earth-616), which he wasn’t able to prevent. This event was part of a larger storyline.
Uranos, a member of the Eternals, recently killed Magneto. However, Magneto was quickly revived, but he was left significantly weakened and now relies on a hoverchair, similar to Charles Xavier.
Magneto’s Death in X-Men ’97 Felt Ephemerally Different From a Normal Comics Death
Comic books have a special way of blending humor and deep meaning within characters, scenes, or even whole stories. When the new series X-Men ’97 began, everyone thought Charles Xavier was gone. Believing Xavier had died, Magneto started planning a full-scale war against humans.
It’s hard to believe Professor X secretly chose his successor to lead the X-Men, but the story was worth it. The show delivered consistently exciting drama, including his shocking betrayal of the team and a chaotic battle that sent them hurtling through time.
It was great to see Charles Xavier and Magneto interacting again, even if it was only for two episodes (“Rise of Apocalypse”). Despite their shared history, they were still conflicted with each other. Magneto’s goal was to alter the past, hoping to stop both the villain’s rise to power and prevent centuries of human oppression against mutants.
As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve always been struck by Magneto’s story. He dedicated his whole life to fighting for mutants, but it’s incredibly ironic that what ultimately brought him down was actually trying to fulfill Professor X’s dream – a world where humans and mutants could live together in peace. It wasn’t about conflict anymore; he genuinely wanted to build something better.
The way the animated series showed Magneto’s death and Professor X’s response was incredibly moving, rivaling some of the most powerful scenes in any Marvel movie or cartoon. In the episode “Danger.exe,” Professor X repeatedly puts himself through the pain of reliving that tragedy within the Danger Room.
Despite the nostalgic view many have of the decade, Charles believed inflicting emotional pain could actually be healing – a common idea in the 1990s. And, if Magneto came back as an enemy to the X-Men, it would be a return to their classic rivalry, much like their past conflicts with Gambit.
By Making Magneto’s Death Permanent, X-Men ’97 Could Rise to an Even Higher Level
Magneto is a truly iconic character, standing out even amidst his complicated relationship with Charles Xavier. Losing him would be a huge blow to fans – as devastating as losing Professor X himself. For that reason, the show’s creators should make the difficult but necessary decision to keep his death permanent, rather than potentially bringing him back over the next four seasons of X-Men ’97.
Even a character as prominent as this one would be deeply missed, and their absence would still impact the story. Simply killing off a character without a strong dramatic purpose usually isn’t the most effective storytelling decision.
Bringing a character back to life can be emotionally powerful and actually increase the tension, rather than reduce it. Whether a character’s death feels meaningful depends entirely on what happened leading up to it. For example, if Magneto were resurrected after sacrificing himself for Professor X’s vision, it wouldn’t prevent him from eventually becoming a villain again.
If Magneto’s last act was a desperate attempt to achieve the peaceful mutant society he always fought for, it creates powerful drama and emotional weight, especially for Charles Xavier. It makes everyone question how much further Magneto is willing to go – how many lives he’ll risk – to secure a future for mutants in a world that fears and hates them simply for who they are.
Fans care deeply about the world because the show keeps the fun, lighthearted feel of the original comic books and cartoon. Even if the creators only make one character’s death stick, they could pick someone other than Magneto to be the one who dies.
What I loved most about it all was that it didn’t even matter how Magneto went out – whether he died a hero or a villain. The important thing was that, in the end, he and Charles Xavier were friends again, truly loyal to each other. That’s what really mattered to me.
Season 2 of X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes released every Wednesday until August 12, 2026. Plus, work is already underway on at least two additional seasons.
2026-07-28 20:38