Following the events of X-Men ’97 season 1, episode 5, supervising producer and head director Jake Castorena speaks out on the deaths.

Warning: Major SPOILERS lie ahead for X-Men ’97, Episode 5, “Remember It”!

X-Men ’97 head director and supervising producer Jake Castorena chimes in on the tragic Marvel deaths and whether or not those characters are officially gone. The latest installment of the animated show became not only one of the biggest episodes of the sequel, but the larger mythology of X-Men: The Animated Series. As Genosha experienced a major mutant massacre, it also became the end for some of the oldest X-Men characters, as it resulted in a number of casualties.

In an interview, Castorena was asked if Gambit and Magneto are officially dead, and whether or not there were other mutants they were considering killing off in X-Men ’97 season 1, episode 5. The head director and supervising producer confirmed that the iconic Marvel characters are indeed dead, but invited audiences to focus their minds on a different emotion than grief. See what he shared below:

JAKE CASTORENA: Oh, absolutely. The decision was never finite, like, “We’re doing this, we’re killing so and so and that’s it.” This might scare fans, but it changed a bit, it bounced around on who it would be because for sake of story, for sake of pushing character arcs and tying everything in, based on where story trajectory was going, [it] was based on what character it was going to be. But ultimately, obviously, we landed on Gambit and, Magneto. We know someone, a.k.a. Rogue, who is, especially in our show, who was very much intertwined with both.

I implore audiences to ponder and be curious about what that would do to someone of Roque’s caliber and potentially, I would say focus less on what we have lost and I would focus on more who or what lies ahead, if that makes sense for you. But ultimately, at the end of the day, Gambit and Magneto are dead and we’ll have to watch the series unfold to further understand what those consequences are going to be for not just for our team but for potentially for the rest of the world.

What X-Men ’97’s Major Deaths Mean For The Future

With how X-Men ’97 season 1, episode 5, ended, this will obviously be a major fallout for the rest of the season, as two core characters from the original show have fallen. For Rogue personally, it was clear in the episode that she will be the one to be affected the most, given her ties to Magneto and Gambit. Whether or not this will potentially take her down a dark path remains to be seen, but given how Rogue was willing to take out the Wild Sentinel, it is possible that her arc will get rougher in the coming episodes.

As far as the rest of the X-Men go, they have now lost another leader, even though they were reluctant about Magneto to come on board at first. They now have to deal with the fact that, in a very short period of time, they have had to see both Professor X and Magneto, two mutants with a complex dynamic, be taken away from them. As they grieve Erik’s sacrifice, the team will have to try to figure out who will lead them in Magneto’s place.

Looking at society as a whole, the tragic massacre in X-Men ’97 season 1, episode 5, will likely also bring a major political discussion to life in their world, as there will most certainly be sides that are either pro or against this incident. With the rights of mutants still being fought for, the genocide of Genosha could start a whole new battle for the team, as there are bound to be differing opinions on how to proceed after this. For now, the audience will have to wait and see what transpires in X-Men ’97 season 1, episode 6, and beyond.

New episodes of X-Men ’97 season 1 are released on Wednesday only on Disney+.