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Days of Future Past Part One
Series X-Men
Release Date March 13, 1993
Episode Number 11
Writer Julia Jane Lewald
46 images

It's a nightmarish time when Sentinels rule over a ruined world and mutants hunt each other for money. Bishop is sent back in time to stop the tragic death that caused this all. But will he be able to complete his mission when the murderer turns out to be one of the X-Men's own?

Story

The Statue of Liberty stands there in the harbor badly damaged. A bird flies out of her ruined head. Smoke rises around it.

The ruins of the real world

As it flies away, it dives down as two Sentinels pass. They head to New York City. Both sides of the Hudson River lay ruined. An enormous tower rises above the destroyed city.

It is the year 2055.

Two people emerge from a sewer tunnel. Outside, someone has carved the word "XMEN" in the wall. Wolverine, with a head of grey hair, follows and leaps over the wall.

When the man leading the three trips, Wolverine jumps down and helps him him. He shushes him to be quiet. Wolverine runs off and the man and woman watch.

Trapped like rats

As the two run to follow, the wall behind them crashes in as a Sentinel emerges. It orders the two mutants to stop. They continue running but find themselves confronted by another Sentinel.

The woman fires electricity at a building so it collapses onto the Sentinel. She tells him to head back. The two run onto the fallen Sentinel to escape the other.

When it follows, the man turns his arms into metal and runs at the enormous robot. The Sentinel orders him to surrender when he smashes apart the robot's left leg.

The Sentinel stumbles around while the man bounces off the building behind it and runs back. He runs right through robot's other leg and it collapses. The robot falls apart and it's decapitated head slams down. The man returns his arms to normal and jokes that they can't surrender now.

Just then, another Sentinel slams its foot down forcing the two to flee. The Sentinel orders them to halt and the woman cries out.

Getting too old for this stuff

Suddenly the robot's chest explodes. As it collapses, Wolverine leaps off. The two run off before it falls on top of them.

The two run over to Wolverine who stands. He looks at his adamantium claws noting that he used to be able to destroy the Sentinels quicker. He feels he is getting rusty.

A man then pipes up agreeing with him. They turn to see Bishop flying up on a hovering motorcycle. The woman notes that he is a Tracker.

The man transforms his arms and runs up while Wolverine rips off his tattered trench coat. She electrifies her hands.

Mutants hunting mutants

Bishop fires his massive gun at the approaching man knocking him out. He dodges an electrical attack then shoots the woman. Her body sparks as it falls.

Wolverine climbs up the debris dodging Bishop's attacks. As he gets close, he leaps up but Bishop shoots him out of the air. He falls to the ground unconscious and his claws retract.

Wolverine opens his eyes and sees Bishop standing over him. He tells him he captured the three rebels and smiles. Wolverine collapses into unconsciousness.

Later, Wolverine opens his eyes to see Bishop through a net. The other two lay in similar cages behind Bishop.

Bishop notes that the "Sleeping Beauty" is awake. Wolverine grabs the net but is electrocuted for his troubles. Bishop continues hovering on.

Old dog meets new blood

Wolverine lets go and his gloves smoke. Bishop notes that the old man heals up quickly. Wolverine thanks him then asks he if knows him. Bishop doesn't care.

He's taking the three to a Mutant Termination Center, where the Sentinels will not care who Wolverine knows. He wonders why the rebels can't stop attacking the "bucket heads." He notes that all that happens is they get terminated.

Bishop flies over to two Sentinels and lands. Wolverine tells the "rookie" that Sentinels want to kill all mutants. Bishop claims that only the rebels will die and the rest are treated fine.

License to hunt

He holds up an identification card and the Sentinel scans it. A small hologram of himself appears out of the card. He identifies himself as a tracker, gives his name, and states he has three "recoveries."

The two Sentinels look at each other and exchange information. When they look back at him he asks where his money is. The Sentinel notes that Tracker Bishop has reached his recovery quota.

The Sentinel blasts the card apart noting that Tracker Bishop is no longer needed. Bishop holds his hands up not understanding. The two approach him saying to terminate them all.

Retirement plan with no options

Later, Wolverine and Bishop are carrying the other two while being led by the Sentinels. Wolverine asks what he thinks of the new retirement policy. Bishop tells the old man to shut up.

The woman wakes in Wolverine's arms. She looks up and he shushes her silent. She falls back and fakes sleep. The Sentinel continues pushing them on.

Wolverine suddenly stops when he sees a cemetery. He looks down and sees gravestones saying that Cyclops died in 2032, Rogue in 2033, Storm in 2021, and Jubilee in 2010.

The Legendary X-Men

Wolverine growls. Bishop notes that this is the legendary X-Men. The Sentinel orders them to continue.

The woman sits up and charges her hands. Wolverine turns around and she blasts the robot. Wolverine puts on his mask and orders the rookie to move. The man changes his arms and attacks. Bishop simply stands there in shock.

The Sentinel fires down at the group but the man charges through its leg. It falls down into a crumbling building.

Wolverine pulls out his claws and leaps onto the robot's chest. He starts slicing away at its stomach. However, the robot grabs him in its hand and lifts him up.

He orders the robot to watch the costume as it begins to squeeze him. Wolverine then passes out.

From opponent to ally

Suddenly a blast knocks Wolverine out its hand and he lands next to Bishop. Bishop fires an energy blast at the rising Sentinel knocking it back down. The robot bursts into flames.

Wolverine thanks the kid and Bishop gives him his name. Suddenly they hear a rumble and turn to look.

They see the man running through the ruined streets away from oncoming fire. Wolverine notes that Nimrod is approaching, and the robot flies through the flames.

More important things

Wolverine pulls out his claws. The woman runs up to him ordering him to go for their mission. She hands him a canister and Wolverine retracts his claws. He and Bishop run off.

The woman charges her hands and fires at Nimrod. The robot continues flying after the man blasting at him. The electrical blast hits Nimrod.

Meanwhile, the two approach a door. Wolverine knocks and states his name. Inside a man with a metal leg opens up. Wolverine tells the man that Bishop is with him and introduces the former Tracker to Forge.

Forge tells them to hurry and walks away. They walk over to a large machine and Forge takes the canister. Forge notes that Wolverine is injured, and he acts like he doesn't know.

Wolverine and Bishop watch the time portal

Bishop examines the device noting that the rebels have a working Time Portal. Forge turns on the device and energy flows between the two pillars.

Wolverine walks over asking if he has the transponder. Forge corrects him saying it is the Temporal Transceiver, and that it maintains a person in time. He holds up the transceiver for Wolverine.

Wolverine takes it and Forge explains that it should take him where he needs to go. He tells him to take care of it because without he will "crash" back to their time.

Wolverine holds up the device and flips and examines a small screen. He presses a small button and sees an image of Professor X, the Capitol Building, and a newspaper.

Bishop wonders where exactly is Wolverine is going, or rather when. Wolverine explains that he is going back to the 1990s. Bishop wonders why that time and Wolverine points out that is when the assassination happened.

Just a theory

Forge explains that the rebels have a theory hoping the assassination never occurred. Bishop finishes the thought that then none of this destruction would have happened. He realizes the Sentinels, camps, and terminations would be gone.

Forge reiterates that it is only a theory. He goes to a panel to work.

Wolverine tells Bishop to make sure Forge destroys the device after he leaves. He does not want anything following him. Bishop asks how he plans to get back, but Wolverine is not.

He walks over to a wall cabinet and opens it up. Bishop wonders if saving some "egg-sucking big shot" will really make the world a better place. Wolverine takes a large shotgun out of the cabinet and asks if he has any better thoughts.

Bishop wonders how he plans to stop the assassination. Wolverine explains that he's going to stop the assassin then readies the gun. When Bishop starts to say who Wolverine is going after, the former X-Man interrupts saying he knows exactly who he is going to stop.

Could he kill a friend?

Bishop grabs the gun wondering if Wolverine could really pull the trigger. Wolverine pulls the gun away ordering him to get out of the way.

Just then an alarm goes off. Forge explains that it is Sentinels and they have arrived sooner than he anticipated.

Wolverine claims that he would love to stay but has to stop the assassination. Bishop stops him saying he is going. He grabs the gun and transceiver away from Wolverine claiming that if he could not fight Bishop then he could never fight another X-Man.

Wolverine pulls out his claws and growls. He raises one hand to attack but Forge stops him. He states that Bishop is right and that his youth will help him.

Wolverine turns and asks if Forge thinks he is too old. Forge explains that with the transceiver Bishop has all the information he needs.

He'll remember this

Just then, a Sentinel blasts through the door. An enormous hand reaches in and rips the door off. Forge continues typing on his panel. Wolverine tells Bishop he will remember this and pulls out his claws moving towards the door.

Forge runs over and fixes the transceiver to Bishop's arm. He tells the younger man to go in peace then runs off.

Bishop leaps into the portal as laser fire erupts in the room. Wolverine is knocked back by the machine. He stands and runs to the door.

A giant hand clears the way then blasts Wolverine back. Forge moves to the machine but is also blasted.

Almost gone

Bishop turns his head and sees the smoke clear. Nimrod stands over the fallen Wolverine. It hovers over to the device then reaches up.

However, Bishop screams as he is teleported through time. His body spins in a multi-colored landscape before dissolving.

Somewhere, a cat cleans itself in an abandoned building. Suddenly, a surge of energy forms and Bishop is thrown out. He crashes into a pile of trash cans.

He opens his eyes and sees birds flying above ruined buildings. He walks to the door way feeling no surprise that the portal did not work.

As he nears a fence he hears laughter and ducks behind a pile of trash. He readies his gun and waits. He then sees three boys running around kicking a soccer ball.

A strange sight

Bishop is confused at the sight of children on the streets in the daylight. The three run to the street and Bishop slowly follows.

He looks up and sees a commercial jet flying overhead. He walks past a ruined car realizing that it did work, but wonders what year he made it to.

Suddenly he forgets why he is there and knows he cannot remember. He goes to a newspaper dispenser and sees a copy of the Daily News for twenty-five cents. He reads that it is Monday the eleventh in the 1990s.

He notes how far back he went, but again wonders what to do. He sees an article explaining that Professor Charles Xavier is going to deliver a speech on the recent mutant persecution and remembers to find Xavier.

The gift of knowledge

Elsewhere, Rogue and Gambit visit Beast in prison. She gives him a copy of You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe. because the cover looked pretty good. Hanging upside down, Beast reads one book and eagerly the new one.

Beast notes that it is an old favorite and thanks her. Gambit jokes that Beast is easy to shop for since you can just buy the books with the most dust on them.

She asks Beast how he is really doing inside the cell. He hops down and quotes To Altha, from Prison saying that stone and iron do not make prisons. Gambit walks to the door noting that nowadays they use concrete and titanium.

Beast approaches him saying that he has to see this through to the end, his way. Outside the occasional game of solitaire, Gambit does not understand how he could be in there.

Bad memories

He flips him the card then goes back to the bars. He starts charging up his hands wanting out. Beast says he is never in a hurry. He bends the bars out and Gambit leaves telling Rogue he'll be outside.

Beast bends the bars back and Rogue wonders what was up with Gambit's craw. He states that everyone encounters their own personal demons and theorizes that Gambit has dealt with his in prison before.

The legendary though mortal X-Men

Somewhere else, Bishop is watching the transceiver. He sees Wolverine pull out his claws. Jean Grey uses her powers to protect the fallen Xavier from a large giant, that Rogue then tackles. Gambit charges two cards and destroys some approaching robots. Storm flies down using her powers to attack. Jubilee blasts back a robot that Wolverine leaps onto. Cyclops blasts apart some robots in front of and behind him. The group then run somewhere together.

The screen goes to an image of the team with the words "The X-Men: Dead or Alive". Bishop notes that the legendary X-Men are alive and calls them unstoppable. Nearby a rat runs down the building. Bishop grabs his head wondering why he cannot remember.

Just then a boy and girl run by. She tells the boy they should play their new game Assassin by Marbles.

The words jog Bishop's memory and he remembers he needs to do something about an assassin. He looks at the transceiver and it pulls up an image of the Xavier Mansion. The computer's voice puts a target on the mansion telling him to take the target out.

Terminate with extreme prejudice

He realizes that the X-Men are the assassins. He stands and pulls out his gun stating that he has to stop them.

Outside, a bus pulls up and Bishop walks to it. A woman standing waiting gets on and deposits her change. Bishop follows with his gun ready.

Suddenly, the passengers evacuate the bus and scream. The doors close and the bus clumsily pulls away.

Bishop tries to drive, but is having trouble with the shifting. He looks at the transceiver and follows a point on a map to the X-Men.

The bus plows down a street and a passing car swerves to avoid hitting it. The bus scrapes against some parked cars as a truck blares its horn at him.

At the Xavier Mansion, Bishop drives the bus outside the perimeter wall.

Jubilee spots Bishop

Inside, Jubilee is standing in the War Room watching the security monitors. She claims that everything is clear, then corrects herself when the monitors show Bishop in the bus.

Outside, Bishop steers the bus around a curve then slams the outside gates.

Jubilee watches the monitors and sees Bishop. She presses a button informing the team of a "creepy-looking dude" in Sector G. Storm and Cyclops hear and run after it.

Quite an entrance

Bishop steers the bus straight towards the front entrance. He slams the front doors and goes in the mansion. Storm and Cyclops leap out of the way as he steers through the rear wall of the lobby.

The bus comes to a halt and Bishop opens the door and exits. Storm is shock as Bishop raises his gun calling them assassins. Bishop pumps the gun and fires.

Storm is hit and knocked back. Cyclops runs to the side and fires his beams. However, Bishop fires cancelling out the leader's attack, saying he must stop them all.

Bishop pumps the gun and fires again knocking Cyclops back. He claims that this is for the future and points the gun at Cyclops.

Sticking together

Just then, Jubilee blasts the gun out of his hands. She stands over Storm with her hands charged ordering him out.

Bishop throws himself to the side and fires at her. He misses but he lands near his gun and grabs it. He stands and fires knocking the two back.

Suddenly the modern day Wolverine leaps onto Bishop's back. Bishop pulls him over his head but Wolverine springs back on him.

Not the same memory

He pulls out his claw readying to attack. He tells the "rookie" that he's going to remember this. Bishop flashes back to the older Wolverine saying the same thing.

He calls out to Wolverine telling him not to do this. Just then Xavier tells Wolverine to stop.

Xavier hovers over saying that killing the man will not answer any of their questions. Bishop cries out that he has to stop them as it's the only way to save them all.

Wolverine claims the man is crazy. Xavier orders Cyclops to check everyone for injuries then meet in the War Room. He thinks they will need Cerebro for this.

Later in the War Room, Bishop sits strapped to a chair. Storm, Jubilee, and Logan stand around him. Jubilee says that whatever the thing on his arm is she cannot cross-patch it.

Weapon of the future

Xavier moves over to Cyclops and Jean wondering what they found. Cyclops holds up Bishop's gun saying that wherever he is from his weapons could mean trouble for them. He hoists it up and sees the targeting reticle through it. A strange language appears on the screen.

Jean, examining a cartridge, tells him to be glad it was on stun. She tells him the blast potential of one of them is off the scale on her device. She hasn't seen anything like this before.

Cyclops theorizes it is a set-up. Wolverine pipes up saying they got Cerebro hooked up.

Learning the truth

Xavier hovers over asking if Bishop is ready. The captive claims he has no choice. Xavier activates Cerebro and it lowers down to him.

He looks at Bishop and begins his scans while the X-Men watch on the monitor. Xavier claims he is getting dark and frightening images.

The team sees a group of anti-mutant protesters at some rally where a man makes a speech.

They then see mutants marching in front of some soldier and are reflected in his sunglasses. The man follows them as they march pointing his gun at them.

Extreme measures

Next, the same men lower their guns as a group of Sentinels surround them. Jubilee wonders what they are seeing and Storm theorizes it is the future.

Then, the President lowers her head and begins to cry as she too is surrounded by the robots in the White House.

Logan claims the man is faking this. Jean tells him that she can sense his feelings and feels they are real.

The group then see the elderly Wolverine pull out his claws. Logan jokes that he doesn't lose his hair. They then see Wolverine leaping at a Sentinel but being blasted back.

The dark truth

Xavier is shocked when he sees the memory of the team's gravestones.

Later, he tells them that having seen the future he feels they have failed and wonders how that could be. He notes that this is all their fault.

Cyclops asks if he believes Bishop is from the future and claims it is some sort of trap. However, Xavier knows what he saw.

Logan points out that he tried to kill them and Xavier is still willing to accept his story. Jubilee points out the strange weapon he brought.

Logan doesn't trust Bishop

Logan picks up the gun and tosses it aside. He asks if any of them are listening. He points out that Mr. Terminator claims an assassination that will ruin the world is triggered by one of the X-Men.

Just then, the transceiver begins beeping. Logan jokes that someone in the future is stealing his car. Bishop explains that someone, or something, is coming back through the time portal.

Logan tells Bishop to give him a break. However, Xavier interrupts saying that it is not open for discussion. He orders Cyclops to let Bishop loose.

He gives Cyclops command and orders them to help Bishop figure out his mission. The restraints loosen and Bishop stands. He doesn't want their help and tells them to remember why he is there.

Doesn't trust him like his future self did

Logan approaches him saying that if he thinks Bishop is getting out of his sight he really is crazy.

Back in the abandoned building Bishop came from, Cyclops peers through the gun's sights and sees some kind of glowing door. Bishop explains it is residual energy from the portal and that temporal displacement took place.

Logan walks up joking that he felt a shift in the planet's alignment. The team approach and Jubilee wonders who came through. Bishop corrects her saying that it was a what.

Attacked from behind

Just then, a blast knocks them all forward. Bishop grabs a railing and climbs up while Jubilee and Storm and knocked into a wall.

The team stand and see a large shadow approaching. Bishop reveals that it is Nimrod. The futuristic Sentinel hovers over to them with eyes glowing.

Spoke too soon

Logan wonders why Bishop would be afraid of a "soup can" like that. Before he can finish, Nimrod sends out an energy blasts that knocks Logan back.

It fires another blast at Bishop who leaps down out of the way. He lands near Cyclops and Storm then charges his hands. Cyclops realizes it is a new Sentinel and Bishop explains it is from his time.

Bishop fires but Nimrod is unaffected. Bishop stops and Nimrod fires at the building above. Pieces fall down and Storm is caught.

Cyclops runs over to the rubble telling Bishop that Storm is claustrophobic. Bishop explains that Nimrod can sense that. Bishop fires his gun but Nimrod shoots him back.

Nimrod continues firing while Jubilee and Jean Grey sneak up behind it. Jubilee tells it to back off and both fire at it.

Too powerful

The robot turns around and scans the two. It then blasts Jean. She flies back through a boarded up window.

Logan gets up and runs to her just to find her unconscious.

Cyclops helps Storm up but they turn to see Jubilee blasted back near them. He asks Bishop what they can do since it is impervious to their weapons.

Storm rises up noting that it has not yet felt her power. She calls upon a mighty storm overhead and lightning strikes. She directs the energy at Nimrod who is unaffected. It then blasts up towards her.

Maybe Nimrod was built in 2022

Storm then calls upon hail to hit the robot. The water at Nimrod's feet freezes and it slips onto the ground. Bishop orders her to increase the cold hoping to crack the super structure.

Storm increases the wind and eventually Nimrod freezes whole. Bishop fires his gun and Nimrod's arm and head fall off. Cyclops and Storm join completely destroying the robot.

Cyclops claims they did it. However, Bishop points to it saying that it is restructuring and they only have a few seconds.

Wires come out of the pieces of the robot and connect with each other. Soon the eyes begin glowing again.

Back to whence he came

Bishop runs up and scans it with his gun. He fires and the thing is caught in a bright explosion of light.

When the Sentinel disappears Jubilee runs up asking what happened. Bishop explains he took out the robot's temporal transceiver saying that his keeps him there. He points to it saying that if anything happens to it he will go back to his time.

Storm believes Bishop. Logan then requests to know one thing.

Later in the War Room, he asks Bishop which of the X-Men is the assassin. Bishop claims that he does not remember and could be any one of them.

Phoenix must have tapped into something

Cyclops states that it wouldn't be Jean. However, she corrects him saying that she has had her dark days if he forgot.

Storm reiterates that it could be any of them as they all have dark sides to their souls. Logan tells her to speak for herself, since the only one he wants to take out is Bishop if he is lying.

Just then Rogue enters noting they all look series. She notices Bishop and asks what is going on. She is followed by Gambit who tells them all to relax.

Bishop suddenly shoots up scaring the team. He yells out that Gambit is the reason he has come back. He lifts his gun and points it at the X-Man.

Too mysterious for his own good

Gambit holds up his hands feeling there has been a mistake. Bishop calls the man a traitor and informs him that his future will end. He fires his gun.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Quotes

"HALT, MUTANTS."

-Sentinel

"Gotta clear some trash."
"Surrender or be..." [Legs destroyed]
"What a shame. Now we can't surrender."

-Male Mutant and Sentinel

"Used to take those tin cans out in half the time. Must be getting rusty."
"I'll say."

-Wolverine and Bishop, first lines

"Scratch three rebels."

-Bishop

"Wake up, rookie. The Sentinels want to kill all mutants."
"Just the rebels. They treat the rest of us just fine."

-Wolverine and Bishop

"Tracker Bishop recovery quota reached. Tracker Bishop no longer needed."
"What do you mean?"
"Terminate them all."

-Sentinel and Bishop

"The legendary X-Men."

-Bishop at the cemetery

"Now what?"
"Party' over. Someone invited Nimrod."

-Bishop and Wolverine

"Bishop, say hello to Forge."
"We must hurry."
"Yeah, right."

-Wolverine, Forge, first line, and Bishop

"We rebels have a theory. If the assassination of the '90s never occurred..."
"Then none of this misery would have happened? None of the Sentinels? none of the camps? None of the terminations?"
"As stated, it is only a theory."

-Forge and Bishop

"Make sure he takes it out after I go. I don't want anyone or anything following me."
"But how are you planning to get back?"
"I'm not."
"Save some egg-sucking big shot and suddenly everybody loves each other? Yeah, right."
"You got any better ideas, we're listening."
"You figured out a way to stop that assassination?"
"Yeah, by stopping the assassin."
"But that means you're going after..."
"I know who I'm going after."

-Wolverine and Bishop

"I'd love to stay, but I've got an assassination to stop."
"No, you don't. I'm going. You couldn't handle me, old man. You'll never handle an X-Man."
"Bishop is right, and his youth is an asset."
"You mean I'm too old?"

-Wolverine, Bishop, and Forge

"I'm gonna remember this, rookie."

-Wolverine, last line

"Go in peace."

-Forge, last line

"Big surprise, the portal didn't work. Should have just taken the subway."

-Bishop

"Children? On the street? In daylight? It did work!"

-Bishop

"Monday, the eleventh, nineteen...Man, I did go back in time."

-Bishop

"Stone walls do not a prison make nor iron bars a cage."
"You're right. These days they use concrete and titanium."

-Beast quoting To Althea, from Prison and Gambit

"Gambit, though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry."

-Beast quoting John Wesley

"The legends live. The X-Men. The unstoppable."

-Bishop

"The assassin. The X-Men. Oh man! The X-Men are the assassins, and I've come back to stop them."

-Bishop

"ASSASSINS! For the future."

-Bishop

"Stop this. I'm gonna remember this, rookie!"
"Wolverine! It's me! Don't!"

-Wolverine and Bishop

"At least I don't lose my hair."

-Logan seeing his future self

"I have seen the future. We have failed. All is lost. How can it be? A world condemned to darkness. And it's all our fault."

-Professor X

"It's Nimrod!"
"You mean that itty-bitty soup can? Give me five seconds, I'll..." [Knocked back]

-Bishop and Wolverine

"From the ends of the Earth, send limitless cold upon him."

-Storm

"Which one of us is the assassin?"
"I don't remember. It could be any of you."
"It couldn't be Jean."
"Of course it could. I've had my dark days or have you forgotten?"

-Logan, Bishop, Cyclops, and Jean Grey

"Everyone can relax. Gambit has returned."
"YOU! YOU'RE THE REASON I'VE COME BACK!"
"Mon ami. There has been, maybe, a small mistake."
"TRAITOR! YOUR FUTURE ENDS NOW!"

-Gambit and Bishop

Trivia

  • The two mutants Wolverine helps have no names and apparently no basis in the comics.
Older and wiser
  • Future Wolverine has stubble on his face while Present Wolverine is clean shaven.
  • The patch on Bishop's shoulder is based on the one for Xavier's Security Enforcers, which is never mentioned.
  • Bishop talks about Wolverine and the rebels being terminated. Present Logan also calls Biship "Terminator." The Terminator is a film that is very similar to the Days of Future Past comics and features robots taking over the planet, dystopian futures, and a man and unstoppable robot coming back in time. Additionally, Nimrod is last seen as his eyes begin to glow while the Terminator is last seen when its eyes fade out. The film came out three years after the comic series while the sequel came out two years before the episode. The various films have featured Spider-Man's Earl Boen, The Spectacular Spider-Man's Xander Berkeley, and The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes guest star Lance Henriksen.
  • Bishop's mutant file is 051063-241. It is three digits off from Jubilee's file number in "Night Of The Sentinels, Part One", which is 051063-244.
  • If the comics are any clue, the future versions of Wolverine and Forge are dead. Even if they had survived that battle, they would likely have been processed for termination. The versions seen at the end of the next episode are from an entirely different universe.
  • Rogue picked out the book because the cover looked good. This is a play on the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover" about not basing an opinion on outward appearances alone.
First of many non-appearances
  • The cover for the Assassin video game is clearly Punisher in his classic look.
  • Cyclops' blast can apparently be canceled out with other energy attacks.
  • A close-up of Cyclops shows that his eyes glow brighter than the rest of the visor. This was more pronounced in the Cyclops of "Pryde of the X-Men".
Only care what not where
  • The podium at the rally they see in Bishop's memory says "Do you know what your children are?" This is based on the actual Public Service Announcement "Do you know where your children are?" about children's curfew.
  • When the present X-Men first see the future Wolverine, the graffiti behind him says "Lows Larr".
  • The memory of the elderly Wolverine being blasted by the Sentinel is an illusion to the famous image where the Days of Future Past Wolverine is blasted and killed by a Sentinel. However, since the last this Bishop saw of Wolverine was with Nimrod this is obviously a different moment and Wolverine survived. It also indicates that Bishop has been chasing Wolverine for some time and may possibly have teamed up before learning he was a rebel.
  • Ride of the Valkyries plays when Storm attacks Nimrod.
  • Logan telling Storm to speak for herself when talking about dark sides is ironic considering that he is typically the most violent of the group in the comics and series as well as having a very dark past.

Continuity

First time Bishop is associated with the Days of Future Past
  • First appearance of Bishop and any version of Forge.
  • Only appearance of this version of Forge. The timeline and the future Wolverine would appear as memories in the following episode.
  • First episode since "Night Of The Sentinels, Part Two" that the entire main cast has appeared.
  • You Can't Go Home Again is about the issues a man faces when going back home after a long period of time as well as finding his place in the world. This theme is echoed in several episodes including "No Mutant Is An Island" and "Weapon X, Lies and Videotape".
  • The second time Beast used the John Wesley quote after "Night Of The Sentinels, Part Two".
  • First time an image of Punisher is used in animation. In "Mojovision", Mojo uses a robot that looks like Punisher to attack the X-Men. The character himself would not appear until the Spider-Man episode "Enter the Punisher".
  • Jean talks about having her dark days. While it is unknown what she meant of this before this episode, in "The Dark Phoenix" Jean possessed by the Phoenix Force nearly destroys an entire solar system.

Cast

Goofs

  • When Wolverine runs off in the beginning, the animation for him clearly has him dissolve rather than try to have him fade into the smoke. Additionally, the smoke should not fully cover him.
  • Bishop looks up above Wolverine when his opponent leaps at him.
  • Wolverine's hair moves through the net.
  • After visiting the X-Men's graves, the male mutant does not transform his hands when they attack the Sentinel.
  • When firing at the male mutant, one of the blasts is in front of him when it should be behind.
  • When Gambit first talks in the prison, Rogue closes her eyes for a long period of time.
Buses never unload people into traffic
  • The city bus Bishop gets on has a driver side door that people evacuate out of.
  • Despite bad driving, there's no reason for the security monitors to suddenly focus on the bus Bishop is driving before he crashes the gates.
  • After crashing the X-Men's gates, the close-up of Bishop shows him driving through city streets.
  • The background when Bishop exits the bus is clearly outside not the mansion interior.
  • The angry protestors in Bishop's memories are all shouting in unison.
  • The flag behind the anti-mutant protestor only has sixteen stars and nine stripes.
Layering issues
  • When Nimrod slashes at Bishop, the energy whip appears in front of him. Additionally, Bishop briefly becomes see-through when he leaps off the balcony.
  • Bishop knows a lot about how the transceiver works despite being given no instructions on its use.
  • Jubilee and Jean Grey have switched places when Nimrod scans them.
  • Considering that Nimrod has otherwise always hovered, there is no reason to believe that freezing anything would cause it to slip and fall.

Background

The episode is based on Uncanny X-Men #141, #142, and #287 and X-Men #8. The first two introduce the Days of Future Past timeline and have Kate Pryde come back to inhabit her younger self in order to stop the Brotherhood of Mutants from killing Robert Kelly. In the latter two, Bishop hears a recording of Jean saying that one of the X-Men killed the others and figures out that it is Gambit causing his nightmarish future. It is also when he joins the team.

First time he is seen outside the comics

First appearance of the Days of Future Past timeline, Bishop, and Forge outside the comics.

In the comics, it was Kate Pryde who went back in time, who inhabited her younger self. Bishop came later from an entirely different universe. Wolverine, Storm, and Colossus were all killed to help Rachel Summers protect her when the Sentinels attacked the Baxter Building when trying to send her back.

In the comics, Bishop actually from a similar though different timeline called Forever Yesterday.

The two episodes were originally called "Future Tense".

Originally aired March 13, 1993.

This was the first time Bishop is said to come from the Days of Future Past timeline. All subsequent version would do the same including Bishop of Wolverine and the X-Men and the film X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Reaction

Dystopian universe

James Harvey of Marvel Animation Age noted that given the complexities of the comic book series, there was no way the series would properly adapt the entire thing. He felt the episode worked despite liberties taking with the original story and was quite successful. He loved both of the cliffhangers of each episode. The only complaint he had was the amnesia Bishop gets when coming to the present and disliked the way he finally remembers. "Pretty hokey but it does get the episode moving along again. After a quick stop off at the mansion to try and gun down the supposed assassin, apparently Gambit, the X-Men head off to try and protect the target from being taken out. Pretty cut and dry, but a great yarn nonetheless."

Comic Book Resources ranked this and its follow-up as the top episode in their ranking of the top fifteen episodes of the series. They called it a superb adaptation getting the tone and visuals from the comics story perfectly. They noted that while the change from Kitty Pryde to Bishop may be controversial, everything else is the same. They cited this as the quintessential X-Men story. They felt that the visuals were incredibly haunting for an animated series, especially Bishop's memories. They felt that while bleak it fit with the tone of the original story. They felt this story was the kind that the series excelled at, something that is emotionally powerful, compelling, and complex. [1]

The episode has an 8.1 on the Internet Movie Database and 9.3 on TV.com.

External Links

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