'X-Men '97' Season Finale: Ending and Post-Credits Scene Explained

Marvel's X-Men '97 aired its season 1 finale on Wednesday, with episode 10 dropping on Disney Plus. It's been a thrilling -- and sometimes intense -- ride, full of witty one-liners, emotional scenes and surprise cameos from Marvel's extensive universe. After the penultimate episode left viewers wondering WTF happened to Wolverine and whether Bastion would succeed in his plans to destroy mutants, the finale wrapped up with an interesting twist and post-credits scene.

Things left off in episode 9 as Magneto beefed with Professor Xavier over the anti-mutant sentiment that led to Bastion's Sentinels taking over. Magneto was able to shut down the humans-turned-Sentinels and send himself into orbit on an asteroid. But the former friends' ideological divide split the X-Men into two factions, and they fought each other while trying to fight Bastion.

Heading into the finale, Professor X was trying to stop Magneto by using his psychic powers, but it was unclear if his mind meld worked. More importantly, the X-Men still had to end Bastion and whatever backup plan he may have had.

We're jumping into spoiler territory here, so let's break down the final scenes of episode 10 and what they potentially mean for the future of X-Men '97. Don't read if you haven't watched the finale yet.

Read more: How to Watch Marvel's 'X-Men '97' From Anywhere

Cable's timeline jumps 

One of the series' most heartbreaking moments came when Scott (Cyclops) and Madelyne (Jean Grey's clone) said goodbye to their baby, Nathan. They sent him into a portal with Bishop. Adult Nathan eventually shows up as Cable, the time-traveling hero who attempts to prevent the Genosha attack and who later stays in the timeline to fight Bastion.

Late in the finale episode, the destruction of Magneto's Asteroid M seemingly sends the X-Men into different timelines, but is it by accident or by design? Jean Grey and Scott end up in the year 3960 A.D.. That's where they meet a young Nathan with another character: Mother Askani. She appears in a cloak and is older. In comic book lore, Mother Askani is actually Rachel Summers, Jean and Scott's daughter.

There's a moment early in the series where Cable explains to the X-Men how Bastion affects the coming timeline. Rachel is part of a dystopian future where Bastion has some mutants under his thumb. She's one of them, but she eventually becomes the founder of Clan Askani, the group that takes young Nathan in. Look for her character as part of the Summer's family tree in season 2. 

Egyptian timeline

Though Jean Grey and Scott have an unsuspecting reunion in the future, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Beast, Magneto and Xavier wind up in the past -- in ancient Egypt. They fight off a few warriors, but they also encounter an interesting person who doesn't look like their attackers. When they ask his name, he says it's En Sabah Nur. 

Longtime Marvel fans will recognize him and his alias, Apocalypse. Before he morphed into the diabolical mutant in present-day X-Men times, he was a nomadic rebel forced to work under an Egyptian ruler. Imbued with powers of regeneration, En Sabah Nur survived multiple deaths and eras, and has ties to the Celestials in Marvel lore. He's also met Cable/Nathan and Mister Sinister while traversing different time periods. En Sabah Nur meeting one set of X-Men in the past is key to upcoming storylines with the other group of X-Men in the future's 1997 or the year 3960. 

X-Men '97 post-credits scene opens the door for Gambit

If you stuck around long enough to let some of the credits roll, then you caught the scene that showed present-day Genosha in ruins. A hand reaches into the rubble and picks up a tattered queen of hearts card, while a voice says, "So much pain, my children. So much death." While the character's entire face isn't shown, his mouth is visible when he utters those words.

It's none other than Apocalypse! A villain of epic proportions, he has a lengthy history with the X-Men in the comics and across the Marvel universe. He's also appeared in other Marvel animated series and as En Sabah Nur in the live-action films, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse.

But back to that playing card. It belongs to Gambit, also known as Remy. The card, along with Apocalypse showing up, hints that he'll be resurrecting the fallen superhero as the Horseman of Death. This was also teased when Professor X had visions of Gambit back in episode 6, and he saw Remy morph into a skeletal-faced agent of death.

In the comics, there's a storyline that had Gambit under Apocalypse's mind control when the villain turned him into Death. As one of the Horsemen, he fought the X-Men and tried to wipe them out, so it's highly possible this will play out in season 2.