Where is Onslaught?
That’s what fans of X-Men ’97 have been asking for over two years now. One of the major plot points of the animated series is the contrasting natures of Professor Charles Xavier’s optimism for mutant-human co-existence and Magneto prioritizing the survival of mutants over everyone else. Season 1 did an excellent job laying the groundwork for the psychic entity to make his debut at some point in season 2.
But then season 2 came and went this summer with no sign of Onslaught. Magneto was killed in the first half of the season, while Xavier was sidelined to make room for a revolving door of different characters and story arcs to clutter up the space. And it seems unlikely this storyline will be revisited in season 3 since the writers hinted they’re taking the show in a more political direction.
Will we ever see Onslaught in X-Men ’97? And how did we get here in the first place?
First, who (or what) is Onslaught?
Onslaught is the monstrous amalgamation of Magneto’s deep-seated rage and the darker impulses Xavier suppresses.
In the 1993 Fatal Attractions storyline, Magneto returns after being presumed dead to wipe out humanity alongside his Acolytes. When the UN Security Council activates a network of satellites to block Magneto from using his powers on Earth, he retaliates by unleashing a powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that wreaks havoc on the globe’s electrical systems.
During a brutal battle between the X-Men and the Acolytes, Magneto rips the adamantium out of Wolverine’s skeleton after the latter guts him with his claws. This is the last straw for Xavier. He uses telepathy to wipe Magneto’s mind clean, leaving him in a catatonic state. But in the process, Xavier absorbed Magneto’s grief and desire for revenge, which merged with the negative thoughts hidden within Xavier’s subconscious. The result was a separate persona living inside Xavier’s head.
When Onslaught finally frees himself, he possesses a wide range of powers like flight, telekinesis, affecting reality itself, in addition to both Xavier’s telepathy and Magneto’s ability to manipulate magnetic fields. He kidnaps Xavier’s body and tries to push the X-Men into all-out war with humans. To stop Onslaught, several members of the Avengers and Fantastic Four sacrifice themselves by entering his energy field, destroying him. Thankfully, everyone survives due to Franklin Richards creating a pocket universe.
How X-Men ’97 initially set up an Onslaught arc
X-Men ’97 adapted some aspects of Fatal Attractions in the season 1 finale “Tolerance is Extinction.”
One big change was that in the series, Xavier only invades Magneto’s mind to force him to undo his EMP before all life on Earth is annihilated. Instead of leaving Magneto in a coma, Xavier enters his old friend’s mind to repair the damage he caused.
The show was supposed to imply that such an invasive use of Xavier’s powers accidentally created a fusion of Magneto’s worst memories and Xavier’s dark side. ComicBook.com was convinced Xavier’s mind-meld with Magneto would pave the way for Onslaught appearing in season 2.
Except it never happened.
The only real teaser we got when it came to Onslaught was in season 2, episode 3 “Rise of Apocalypse, Pt. 1.” If you look closely, you’ll see a shattered planet in the shape of Magneto’s and Onslaught’s helmet. But that’s about it.
What changed after season 1?
Former head writer Beau DeMayo originally planned for Onslaught to be the major villain for season 2.
The original outline for the season would have had ten episodes building up to the birth of the malevolent entity. Allegedly, Xavier would launch X-Corp while growing more militant under Onslaught’s growing influence. Eventually, Onslaught would take total control of Xavier and attack Graydon Creed during his inauguration as president. This would force Polaris to travel back in time to stop Magneto and prevent Onslaught’s birth, only to alter history and create the Age of Apocalypse timeline for season 3.
However in March 2024, DeMayo was fired weeks before X-Men ’97 debuted on Disney+ due to allegations of sexual misconduct towards co-workers, which DeMayo denies. Marvel brought in Matthew Chauncey to replace DeMayo as head writer and to rewrite certain episodes.
In September 2024, DeMayo said Marvel removed a tenth episode from the show’s second season, bringing episode count down to nine. He also accused them of canning his Onslaught arc and plans to adapt Age of Apocalypse. When season 2 premiered back in July, its focus was on bringing back Apocalypse, resurrecting Gambit, giving Wolverine his adamantium skeleton back and killing Nightcrawler off. The season ends with Mystique killing then disguising herself as Val Cooper to presumably undermine her son Graydon Creed’s presidency in season 3.
Head of Marvel Television, Animation, Comics & Franchise Brad Winderbaum said they were honoring Beau’s original ideas for the second season. “It was always part of Beau’s pitch to bring Apocalypse in at a certain point,” Winderbaum told Entertainment Weekly. This is why DeMayo is still credited as creator, writer and executive producer despite no longer being involved in X-Men ’97’s production.
What are the odds we’ll see Onslaught in a future season of X-Men ’97?
It’s always a possibility. Could be the writers and producers decided to wait until later to bring out Onslaught. The stress of guiding mutantkind through a new wave of anti-mutant sentiment among humans, along with whatever chaos is in store for the X-Men could be enough to push Xavier over the edge just like in the comics.
Season 3 has been confirmed to air sometime in 2027 and a fourth season is in active development. Anything about whether any of demayo’s original plans for Onslaught will make the final cut or not is pure speculation right now.
X-Men ’97 is available to stream on Disney+.
