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| Series | X-Men | ||||||||
| Release Date | March 20, 1993 | ||||||||
| Season Number | 12 of 13 | ||||||||
| Episode Number | 12 of 76 | ||||||||
| Story Arc | Days of Future Past | ||||||||
| Story Arc Number | 2 of 2 | ||||||||
| Writer | Robert N. Skir Marty Isenberg | ||||||||
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The time traveling mutant known as Bishop identifies Gambit as the one who will usher in a dark apocalyptic future ruled over by Sentinels. Gambit's efforts to clear his name become more and more complicated the closer they get to the fateful moment.
Story[]
Rogue is driving along a mountain road with the speedometer reading forty miles per hour and maxing out the RPMs. She shifts down and moves towards the center. A passing semi for Houston Movers blares its horn as it passes.
Gambit tells her to watch the road, wondering where she learned to drive. She tells him she learned from "good old boys" on country back roads and claims those are the best driving instructors.
As she continues speeding, Gambit wonders if she needs another lesson. They go through the open gate and she asks if he would be the one giving the lesson.
They go up the driveway to the front of the Xavier Mansion. He says he would if she asked him nicely. She slams on the brakes forcing him forward. She asks if he ever gets tired of listening to himself.
He says he never does when talking about her. She gets frustrated and flies out. He waves to her saying he will park the car.
Down below, Rogue is flying through the halls when she hears Storm. Her fellow X-Man is talking about how something could be any one of them as they all have dark sides. Rogue lands outside the War Room. Logan tells Storm to speak for herself.
Rogue enters and sees a large man claiming that one of the X-Men is an assassin and he will remember who. She notes that they all look serious and notices the new guy. She asks what is going on.
Professor X hovers over introducing her to Bishop. Just then Gambit enters telling everyone to relax.
Suddenly, Bishop pulls out his shotgun claiming that Gambit is the reason he has come back. He pumps the gun telling the "traitor" that his future ends. He fires.
Rogue flies in front of the blast and takes the hit. Gambit quickly pulls out a card and charges it to toss, but is blasted back.
Jean Grey orders him to stop and uses her telekinesis to lift the gun out of his hands. Jubilee then runs up and blasts him back.
He stands but Cyclops and Logan grab him. He tells them all that Gambit is the assassin and needs to be terminated.
Gambit and Rogue get up. He wonders what Bishop means. Rogue demands to know what is going on. Xavier introduces Gambit to Bishop and tells them that he claims to be a time traveler from the future.
Gambit jokes that he is the Queen of France. He gets in Bishop's face saying that the best kind of lie is one nobody can prove.
Bishop reiterates that Gambit is the traitor. He raises his fist saying that the X-Men saved his life just so he could betray them. Gambit charges a card.
Jubilee pulls Gambit back while Logan and Cyclops grabs Bishop. Logan tells him to stop. Bishop responds that time is up for all of them.
Bishop states that Gambit is the reason the entire world is enslaved, everything they love is in ashes, and the X-Men die. He explains that it started with a single death in Washington D.C.
He tells the X-Men that while Gambit is the assassin all mutants are blamed. He remembers the Capitol Building where two long lines march pass a coffin covered in an American Flag.
Bishop goes on to say that people became afraid and demanded action for revenge. He remembers people massing outside a government building for a protest rally.
He tells them that the Mutant Control Law is passed calling for an army of Sentinels. He remembers Master Mold being built. The factory is filled with Sentinels being produced.
He explains that the Sentinels marched across the nation seeking out mutants to hunt like animals. Three were running along when two Sentinels broke out through a building in front of them. They turned but a third landed behind them. The robots raised their hands and though they asked for surrender they fired anyways.
He goes on to say that some fought back. Havok and a greying Cyclops stood together shooting energy. However, they were blasted forward from behind.
Sunfire flew in front of a Sentinel and fired at it. However, it reached out with a metal tentacle and captured him.
The Morlocks stood handcuffed and bound. Callisto, Erg, Sunder, Masque, Ape, Leech, and Tar Baby looked up to see approaching Sentinels. The lead Sentinel raised its hand and fired.
Bishop claims that no one fought for long. He says that the survivors were herded into detention camps. A soldier watched an elderly Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Beast enter near some destroyed buildings.
The soldiers and Sentinels watched as hundreds were forced to march into the camps. Bishop claims that no one ever left. He remembers the X-Men's graveyard.
He goes on to say that those controlling the Sentinels did not stop with mutants. A man gives a speech in front of a Sentinel. He looks up and it turns, glowing its eyes as it raises its hand.
People flee from a small farm house. They turn and see a group of Sentinels approaching.
Elsewhere, a soldier fires his machine gun in front of a tank. The soldier drops the gun and they all flee as Sentinels stomp past their position destroying the tank.
The robots approach the Capitol Building destroying more tanks.
Inside the White House, the President paces back and forth. Just then the roof is lifted off by Sentinels. Her secretary flees for her life. The President backs away from the looming robot as they stare down at her.
A Sentinel crashes through the Capitol doors smashing the columns. It stomps on the United States seal leaving a large footprint.
The President sobs as she is surrounded by the robots.
Back in the War Room, Bishop explains that he hated Gambit his entire life. Logan tells him to calm down.
Xavier moves over asking if preventing the assassination would avert this future. Bishop explains that is the theory that led Forge to create the Temporal Transceiver he now wears. He explains that it creates a temporal displacement field to keep him there.
Xavier asks who Gambit is supposed to assassinate. Bishop claims not to know who but knows it happens soon in Washington D.C. Cyclops theorizes it is the President, though Storm claims it could be anyone.
Xavier stops by Jubilee saying that he is going to visit the Senate hearings on Mutant Affairs. He wonders if it is he who Gambit kills. Jubilee says that is not funny.
He notes that it wasn't a joke. He explains that he devoted his life to helping mutants and non-mutants live together in peace. Gambit wonders if he is taking this "poseur" seriously. He points out they know little about him.
Logan speaks up saying that they know little about Gambit as well. He points out that the Cajun has never been completely straight with him about his past.
Gambit pulls out a card intending to blow Bishop back where he came from. Logan pulls out his claws saying that if he does they will know Bishop was right.
Storm stops them both saying that she knows Gambit better than anyone. She and Rogue share a look. She goes on to say that even if Bishop had accused her she would not know if she was lying since they are all capable of evil.
He asks if anyone there trusts him. He looks at Rogue but she just lowers her eyes. He walks out saying he doesn't need any of them.
In the hanger sits the Blackbird. Gambit enters through the side door into the dark space.
Bishop comes up to him asking where the traitor is going. Suddenly the lights flip on blinding the two. Wolverine walks up asking where "gumbo" is going.
Gambit admits he is heading to Washington. Bishop takes this as an admission of guilt. Gambit replies that he is going to stop the assassination, if there even is one.
The other X-Men approach and Cyclops says they cannot let Gambit go. Storm claims it is the only way to be certain. Xavier orders that Bishop stay behind as well.
Bishop tells them that they'll be here, though one may not be breathing. Gambit asks which one. Wolverine tells them that he's going to stay behind to baby-sit them.
The X-Men board the Blackbird and raise the ramp. The engines flare on and it heads out. It flies out of the cliff, over the ocean, and into the sky.
That night, Bishop taunts Gambit that he should not have played poker with an assassin. Getting angry, Gambit tells him to shut up. He pulls out a card and charges it.
He throws the card at Bishop's chest doing nothing. The time traveler explains that he can absorb Gambit's bio-energy and channel it back. His eyes begin to glow and he stands.
Wolverine sits at the table with his feet up telling Gambit that Bishop is going to "raise you." Bishop fires energy from his hands at Gambit, who dodges out of the way.
He tells the two X-Men that this is his mutant powers. Suddenly, Wolverine's adamantium claws extend in front of him. He taunts Bishop with absorbing them.
He orders the two to sit down or else he will cut more than cards.
The next day, Storm watches over the Capitol Building. She presses her communicator saying she is in position.
Across the Potomac River, Rogue and Jubilee sit under a tree. Rogue tells Storm that should she see anything to tell them.
Rogue watches Jubilee sleep. She starts tossing and turning. She calls out to Gambit to stop.
In a nearby hotel, Blob looks out admiring the sunrise. Pyro walks up agreeing with him, and that it is a lovely day for an assassination.
Inside, Avalanche sits in a chair and a woman walks up. She claims that if they fail the men will be eliminated. Avalanche takes a relaxed drink.
On the television set next to Avalanche, a man reports that the Senate Subcommittee on Mutant Affairs is meeting again. It cuts to footage of Senator Robert Kelly walking in.
Back in the mansion, Gambit is watching the same report. The reporter states that the committee's mission is to consider the proper place of mutants in society. Wolverine asks if he is going to play cards or watch the report.
Gambit charges a card and places it near the television then presses mute to hide his actions. Wolverine tells him not to do anymore wild card games. Bishop insists he is cheating.
Gambit sits down handing Bishop the deck saying he should cut the cards. As Bishop reaches down the top card explodes.
As the room fills with smoke Gambit runs out. Wolverine calls out to him to stop. He and Bishop chase the Southerner.
Just then the other card explodes knocking the two chasers down.
The two get out into the hall and wave away the smoke. Bishop asks he Wolverine believes him now, but the X-Man tells him to shut up.
Wolverine sniffs the air and tells Bishop which direction Gambit went.
In the hanger, Gambit takes off in a small X-Jet. It turns and flies out. The hanger doors open and he leaves the other two behind.
Bishop berates Wolverine for letting Gambit get away. The two stop just at the hanger door. Wolverine retorts that Bishop wasn't doing much better.
Bishop stares down at the little man claiming that everything that has happened is his fault. Bishop turns and walks away.
Wolverine stands there still not believing it.
In the aircraft, Gambit presses a button pulling up a map of D.C. The jet flies over the landscape.
Outside the Capitol, anti-mutant protesters chant against the emerging species. They hold up their hands and swing their hate-filled signs.
In the back, the three Brotherhood of Mutants members stand disguised. Pyro, holding a sign, asks Avalanche if they should begin the diversion. He responds that they will bring the House down as well as the Senate.
They walk towards the crowd. Blob raises a camera and peers through. He focuses on the guards to the building and takes a picture.
Inside, Scott and Jean sit in the back of the subcommittee room. Kelly asks Xavier if he has associated with renegade mutants before. Xavier denies he has.
Kelly asks if the Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted is actually a front for pro-mutant propaganda. Xavier replies that his school is dedicated to the idea that mutants can live peacefully in the world.
Kelly interrupts saying that he is there to answer questions.
Just then the room begins to rumble. As dust starts falling down, people run out screaming. A woman with blue hair sitting near the door looks at her watch noting that it is happening on schedule.
Two guards near the door have trouble standing on their feet. The door bursts in thanks to Avalanche with Pyro standing right behind him. The room behind them is engulfed in flames.
Avalanche raises his arms saying he has their answers and fires. Xavier and a woman flee as Avalanche destroys a book case and the desk Kelly sat at.
Xavier tells his two X-Men to stop the Brotherhood before they destroy the building. Cyclops puts on his visor.
Pyro jokes that he'll burn it down instead. He forms a fire dragon near the X-Men. Cyclops fires his beams but they go right through it to the wall behind.
Jean uses her powers to push the two villains through the open hole Cyclops made. She and Scott run after them shedding their civilian clothing.
Xavier contacts his X-Men ordering them to the Capitol. Storm, standing on top of the Washington Monument, flies off towards them. Rogue adjusts Jubilee's jacket so she's comfortable then flies off.
The protestors continue their chant as Avalanche and Pyro shove their way through. The two are chased by Cyclops and Jean now in their uniforms.
Nearby, Gambit's aircraft lands. He opens the cockpit door and runs out leaping off a wall onto a tree then swinging into the building. He looks round then runs off.
Jubilee continues to sleep when Avalanche and Pyro run by. She gets up to see Pyro firing at Cyclops and Jean. She gets up as her teammates pass asking what is going on.
The two Brotherhood members run past a rock where Blob hides and watches them. As the X-Men nears he steps out blocking them. Cyclops runs right into his belly and bounces back.
He calls Cyclops "four-eyes" and asks where they're going. Rogue lands threatening to make him laugh out the other side of his face.
She punches the giant but her arm gets stuck in his fat. He twirls around and tosses her into the air at the Washington Memorial.
Storm flies up and catches her.
Pryo reaches up and creates a large fire eagle in the air. It flies at the two X-Men then splits when they flee.
Nearby, Avalanche follows a flying jet when he sees the X-Men approach the Reflecting Pool. He shoots at the water so it sprays Cyclops, Jean, and Jubilee knocking them down.
In the air, Storm continues fleeing from her fire eagle. She spins around and summons a storm to blow the fire creature away.
Meanwhile, Rogue is still dealing with her pursuer. She flies straight up then holds her breath. Eventually she flies so high the fire creature burns itself out. She heads back down.
Blob approaches the three wet "X-Clowns" threatening to sit on them. Jubilee gets disgusted. She fires at Blob who just burps in response.
Cyclops then starts blasting him but Blob just stands there. Wolverine runs up behind Blob. Blob claims that nothing hurts him. Wolverine leaps on his back and covers his eyes offering to dance.
Wolverine twists Blob's head around turning him around several times. Blob orders him to get off. Wolverine maneuvers onto his chest and shoves him into the Pool.
He calls out to Storm who summons Arctic winds. Blob complains about the cold as the water freezes him there. Wolverine pulls out his claws offering to make an igloo.
Cyclops then asks why he is there and where Gambit and Bishop are. Just then Bishop tells Pyro to "eat plasma." The two X-Men watch as Pryo flies through the air and lands on the ice.
Wolverine answers that the Cajun assassin got the better of them. Bishop runs up demanding to know where Gambit is. Cyclops states he was supposed to be with them.
Suddenly the ground starts shaking. They turn to see Avalanche firing at them. Pyro tries to stand while encouraging his teammate, though he falls.
The three X-Men are knocked around as the ground throws them around. Cyclops watches Bishop fall but Wolverine lets it telling the leader the time traveler can take it.
Avalanche fires at Bishop who just sits there. He then fires his own energy blasts at the two who dodge. However, he hits the Smithsonian Castle destroying the tower.
It begins to fall over and the people underneath just stand and stare. Jean uses her powers to stop the tower just before it crashes.
Most people run but a few stay. Jean complains that it is too heavy. All eventually flee but a little girl is left behind. Rogue swoops down towards her.
Jean eventually lets go and Rogue catches the tower saving the girl. The girl cries as Wolverine runs up and grabs her out of the way.
The tower crumbles burying Rogue.
Pryo suggest running away. Avalanche tells him to shut up and pushes him as they run.
Cyclops runs over to Jean asking if she is fine. She gets up as Wolverine complains about the crying child. He hands her to Jubilee.
Storm flies over saying they have to move quickly. She tells them that two of the Brotherhood are missing. However, Cyclops wonders where Bishop is. The group looks around but do not see him.
He contacts Rogue to see if she spots him. After dusting off her jacket, she says she could spit on him if she wasn't a lady. She looks down and sees him running into the Capitol. She flies down after him.
Inside, Bishop hunts down the hall readying his gun. He hears Rogue call out to him the runs into a side room. Rogue flies down the hall past his hiding spot. He steps out and continues on his way.
Elsewhere, Kelly is led by his aid down the hall. She stops at a door assuring him he will be safe in there.
The two enter but Kelly is shocked to see the same aid tied up on the floor and blindfolded. The false aid backs up towards the real one saying he will soon make history. The false aid transforms into a copy of Gambit and holds a gun to him.
The fake Gambit walks over to the aid and takes off the blindfold saying they need a witness. The fake Gambit smiles and tells Kelly this is what happens when he goes against mutants, especially Gambit and the X-Men.
He stands approaching Kelly who backs into the wall. Suddenly the door opens and the real Gambit enters. He charges a card saying how surprised he is to see himself. The two Gambits square off against each other.
The fake one fires forcing the real one to drop and throw his card. The gun is knocked out of the fake's hand. The real Gambit pulls out another card but the fake one tackles him before he can charge it.
Kelly runs to his aid, takes off the gag, and begins untying her. She asks if he is alright. Behind them, a chair and the two Gambits fly by as they fight.
One Gambit lands on the other who kicks him away. The fallen one stands and kicks the other. Just then Bishop sees the two.
The standing Gambit pulls out a card and charges it but Bishop shoot him back. He slams against a wall and falls.
Rogue hears the shot and flies after it.
Bishop assures the Senator that he is fine. He looks around and notices that there are two Gambits.
The one he didn't shoot claims the other is a shapeshifter in disguise. Bishop levels his gun deciding to shoot both of them to make sure.
Rogue flies in ordering him to stop. She grabs the gun and tosses it aside. He asks what she is doing.
She grabs the transceiver and pulls it off. She explains she is sending him back to where he belongs then crushes it.
Bishop cries out as he disappears in a flash of light. Rogue is shocked when the transceiver disappears as well.
Rogue tells the Senator that everything will be fine and asks to let them be. The aid agrees and pulls him out of the room.
Rogue is shocked to see one of the Gambits morph into Mystique. Rogue moves forward intending to enjoy this even more.
Mystique confidently states that Rogue will let her escape. Rogue wonders why she would do something like that. Mystique suddenly transforms into a blonde-haired woman that Rogue recognizes as her "Mama."
Mystique approaches her noting in a Southern accent that she was Rogue's Mama from the day she took her in until the day she ran away. She asks her foster-daughter if she will her now like she once helped her.
Outside, Cyclops and Wolverine approach. Wolverine stops when he smells something oily.
Out of a door come Kelly who bypasses Wolverine then pumps into Cyclops. He asks if the Senator is fine. He claims to be confused rambling on mutants trying to kill him and saving him but looking the same.
The aid walks up saying that a woman looked like her then changed into a man. She points down the hall where they came. Cyclops realizes the assassin is a shapeshifter explaining why Bishop thought it was Gambit.
The two run off in the direction she pointed.
They enter the room and find Gambit laid out on the floor unconscious. Wolverine wonders if he is taking a nap.
Meanwhile, Rogue flies Mama to the Reflecting Pool. She lands telling her she is safe. Mama walks to the water's edge noting that she has failed Apocalypse.
She explains that the ancient mutant wanted Kelly dead in order to ensure humanity the fate it deserved. Rogue tells Mama to leave him. She explains that Apocalypse made her who she is giving her purpose.
She morphs back into her natural form saying that Xavier did the same with her. She turns and walks away. Rogue calls out to her saying that it isn't the same.
Rogue points out that Apocalypse wants slaves, pointing out the experiments Mystique almost performed on her at Muir Island. She then asks her Mama why she did that.
Mystique stops saying that it seemed like the only way she could get Rogue back. Rogue stands there stunned as she walks away.
As Mystique leaves, tears form in Rogue's eyes.
Bishop reappears in an abandoned building and crashes to the floor. He stands and looks out a ruined hole noting he is back in the future.
However, he doesn't think anything has changed. That everything is just as he left it. He looks out at the ruined city.
A door opens behind him and Forge tells him he can try again once the machine is rebuilt. He turns and enters the door.
Bishop follows while Forge explains they have plenty of time. He goes to panel near a tube where an adamantium skeleton lays suspended.
Bishop approaches him saying he didn't fail and stopped the assassination. Forge turns saying that something else must have happened after that.
Back in the present, Cyclops walks with Jean and Xavier while asking why Kelly wants to see him. Xavier suggests that Kelly is willing to listen to his proposals.
Jean suddenly stops and tells them that something is wrong. Inside the Senator's room they can hear him crying out as well as strange noises.
Cyclops runs up and blasts the door open. He looks around at the office now in ruins with a hole in the wall. He suggests that there were more mutants in that gang than they realized.
Jean and Xavier enter and he suggests that it was not the same gang. Jean asks how he could know. As Cyclops walks to the hole he explains that his wristwatch has stopped.
Cyclops wonders why that is important. Xavier holds it up and drops it. The watch floats down then attaches itself to the side of his hoverchair.
The three look down at it. He tells his students that the watch has been magnetized.
Quotes[]
"Hey, watch the road, chere. Where you learn to drive?"
"With good old boys on country back roads. Best teachers in the world."
"Maybe time you had another lesson, eh?"
"Who's gonna teach me, you?"
"Sure, I'll teach you plenty of things. If you ask me nice."
"Don't you ever get tired of listening to yourself?"
"Not when I'm talking about you, chere."
- -Gambit and Rogue
"I know an X-Man is the assassin. One day I'll remember who."
- -Bishop
"Gambit's one of us, you tattooed freak."
- -Jubilee
"He's the assassin! He has to be terminated!"
- -Bishop
"Time out, rookie."
"You mean time's up, for all of you."
- -Logan and Bishop
"It starts with a single death, in Washington, D.C. The assassin is Gambit, but all mutants get blamed. People are afraid. They want action. They want protection. They want revenge. The Mutant Control Law is passed calling for an army of Sentinels. They march over the nation seeking out mutants. Hunting them down like animals. Some fight back. But not for long. The Sentinels herd the surviving mutants into detention camps. The camps are your final stop. You never leave. Never! But those who control the Sentinels don't stop with mutants. Eventually, they bring their new world order to all humans."
- -Bishop
"SURRENDER MUTANTS."
- -Sentinels
"What the Hell is going on here!?"
- -Soldier
"You don't take this poseur serious? What we know about him?"
"Only a little more than we know about you. You've never been straight with us, not completely."
- -Gambit and Logan
"I should've known better than to play poker with an assassin."
"Shut up, fool!"
"I can absorb your bio-energy and channel it right back."
"I think he's getting ready to raise you."
- -Bishop, Gambit, and Wolverine
"How would you like to try absorbing these?"
- -Wolverine
"Lovely sunrise."
"Lovely sentiment, ol' Blob. A spiffing day for an assassination."
"And if we fail, you will be eliminated."
- -Blob, Pyro, and Mystique
"It's your deal, Cajun. And no more wild card games."
"I still think he's cheating."
- -Wolverine and Bishop
"Believe me now, smart guy?"
"Shut up, rookie."
- -Bishop and Wolverine
"You let him get away."
"I didn't see you doing much."
"No wonder you sent me back to change the future, because everything that happens is your fault!"
- -Bishop and Wolverine
"Humans, yes! Mutants, no! Humans, yes! Mutants, no!"
- -Protestors
"Shall we begin the diversion, Avalanche, old darling?"
"We'll bring the House down, and the Senate too."
- -Pyroand Avalanche
"Professor Xavier, have you associated in the past with renegade mutants?"
"No, Senator, I have not."
"Then it isn't true that your school for the gifted is really a clearing house for pro-mutant propaganda?"
"My school is dedicated to the idea that mutants can live peacefully alongside ordinary humans."
"You're here to answer questions."
- -Robert Kelly and Professor X
"I got your answers right here."
- -Avalanche
"Nothing hurts the Blob."
"Okay, round boy. Let's dance."
- -Blob and Wolverine
"Eat plasma, renegade."
- -Bishop
"He who fights and runs away..."
"Just shut up and run."
- -Pyro quoting Oliver Goldsmith and Avalanche
"This kid's crying. Do something."
- -Wolverine
"Rogue, can you see Bishop?"
"I could spit on him, if I wasn't a lady. Looks like he's running for Congress."
- -Cyclops and Rogue
"You should be safe in here, Senator."
"What's going on!?"
"You're about to make history, [Transforms into Gambit] mon ami. All we need is a witness. You tell them all. This is what happens when you go against mutants. Especially Gambit and the X-Men."
"Surprised to see me? I know I am."
- -Mystique, Robert Kelly, and Gambit
"Maybe you not as tough as I look, non?"
- -Gambit
"It's alright Senator. It's over. [Sees two Gambits] Two of you?"
"That one's an imposter. A shapeshifter."
"Maybe. Better take you both out, just to be sure. At full force."
- -Bishop and Mystique as Gambit
"What are yo doing!?"
"I'm sending you back where you belong."
"No! Nooooo..."
- -Bishop and Rogue
"You! This is gonna be more satisfying than I thought."
"You won't hurt me, Rogue. You're going to help me escape."
"Now why would I do a crazy thing like that?"
"Because once I looked like this."
"Mama!"
"That's what I told you to call me after I took you in. What you called me until the day you ran away. Now, are you gonna help me, the way I once helped you?"
- -Rogue and Mystique
"Are you alright, Senator?
"What I am is confused. First one of you mutants tries to kill me. Then another saves me. Only it's the same one."
"There's a woman who looked like me, who changed into a man and, well, it's back there."
- -Cyclops, Robert Kelly, Robert Kelly's Aid
"Alright Mama. We're safe now."
"You may be, but I have failed Apocalypse. He wanted Kelly assassinated to ensure the human race the future it deserves."
"Leave him!"
"He made me what I am, gave me purpose. Just like Professor Xavier did with you."
"It ain't the same, Mama. Apocalypse wants slaves, like you tried to turn me into back on Muir Island. Why?"
"It seemed like the only way to get you back."
- -Rogue and Mystique
"I'm back in the future again. Nothing's changed! It's all just like I left it."
"You can try again, and again, if you have to once the machine is rebuilt. The one thing we have plenty of is time."
"But I didn't fail, Forge. I stopped the assassination."
"Then something else must've happened afterwards. Something that has made the future still turn out like this."
- -Bishop and Forge, first lines
"Kelly's gone, Professor! There must've been more mutants in that gang than we knew about."
"I don't believe this is the work of the same gang."
"Why not, Professor?"
"Because my watch has stopped."
"I don't understand. Why is that important?"
"Because it's been magnetized."
- -Cyclops, Professor X, and Jean Grey
Trivia[]
- When Rogue says she learned to drive from "good old boys" she could be referring to The Dukes of Hazzard about two men nicknamed "Good Ole Boys" known for reckless driving on small back roads.
- Bishop fires yellow plasma from his rifle, whilst in the previous episode, the plasma was blue.
- Storm comments that she knows Gambit better than anyone. In the comics, Storm brought Gambit onto the team.
- The protest signs in Bishop's memories are "GO HOME!", "DOWN WITH ALL MUTANTS", and "MUTANTS GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM".
- While Xavier suggests his death could be the assassination, in the comics that is true. Xavier as well as Kelly died triggering the Days of Future Past.
- The disguise Mystique uses looks like the appearance she had when leading the Freedom Force a group mostly comprised of Brotherhood members that often acted like heroes.
- Kelly is about the same height as Wolverine, and both are significantly shorter than Cyclops.
- As revealed following other trips Bishop takes to the past, Forge has no memory of what happened in the other timeline. He only knows that something happened in this version.
- The watch stopped at 5:55.
Goofs[]
- Neither Gambit nor Rogue are wearing seat belts. While her powers would allow her to survive any accident, his would not.
- When driving up they should have seen the damage Bishop did when driving the bus into the front door in the previous episode.
- The dialogue in the War Room is different at the start of this episode than it was at the end of the last one.
- Almost everyone is in different positions when Rogue enters than the last episode. For example, Logan is on the other side sitting down when he was standing right next to the door before.
- When the Sentinels enter the White House, the robots have shadows but not the roof they are holding. Additionally, they lower their arms but the roof disappears completely.
- Noticeable jump cut when the X-Men order Gambit to stay behind.
- When playing poker, Gambit passes right through one of Bishop's blasts.
- Gambit is watching the news report on several different arcade machines in the mansion.
- In the hotel, the far shot shows Avalanche cross-legged but in the close-up they are separated.
- Bishop says that Wolverine sent him there. In the last episode, Bishop had to forcibly stopped Wolverine and take his place.
- The map of D.C. that Gambit brings up is actually a map of Washington state.
- There are no people around the National Mall and Reflecting Pool, both major tourist attractions.
- There is a single reversed frame of the fire dragon Pyro makes.
- Storm's cape appears behind the Washington Monument as she flies away.
- After Pyro is thrown, the red communication device on Cyclops' chest is black.
- As it transitions to Rogue carrying Mystique, the image of Cyclops and Wolverine freezes while the latter's mouth is open.
Continuity[]
- Directly follows "Days of Future Past, Part One" with the opening scene taking place during the last scenes of the previous episode.
- First appearance of any version of Havok. The real Havok would only appear in "Cold Comfort".
- First appearance of the smaller X-Jet.
- Bishop and the new future reappear in "Time Fugitives, Part Two".
- Directly leads into the events of "The Final Decision".
- We learn why Gambit takes offense to being called an assassin in "X-Ternally Yours" where the Assassins Guild is his family's enemy.
- Rogue refers to the events of "Come The Apocalypse" when talking with Mystique.
- The history of Rogue and Mystique would be explored in "A Rogue's Tale".
- The regular timeline Beast does not appear at all. For a brief moment in Bishop's memories the alternate Beast appears.
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.
Kelly asking if Xavier ever associated with known renegades is based on quotes by Joseph McCarthy during the Army–McCarthy hearings regarding Communism in America.
The two episodes were originally called "Future Tense".
The episode originally aired March 20th, 1993.
When the episode originally aired, it ended with Forge looking at an android in the tank. The episode was reanimated for subsequent airings to show Wolverine's skeleton as originally intended. This was apparently due to some miscommunication. Eric Lewald said the skeleton was to show "that time/history had been affected, and not in a good way."[1]
Reaction[]
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 predecessor 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.[2]
The episode has an 8.6 on the Internet Movie Database and 9.2 on TV.com.
References[]
- ↑ X-Men: The Animated Series - Which Scenes Never Aired in Reruns? at Comic Book Resources
- ↑ The 15 Best Episodes Of X-Men: The Animated Series at Comic Book Resources