X-Men ’97 Makes Its Jean Grey/Madelyne Pryor...

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for X-Men ‘97 #4!One of the main standouts from the animated series X-Men ‘97 was the fact that Jean Grey was replaced by a clone of herself named Madelyne Pryor, along with the fact that the clone was pregnant with Scott Summers’ child, all while everyone thought Madelyne was the real Jean Grey – Madelyne included. And now, the drama of that story arc becomes even more tragic, as Marvel Comics reveals one heartbreaking unseen moment.

In X-Men ‘97 #4 by Steve Foxe and Salva Espín, the X-Men are holding a baby shower for Scott and ‘Jean’ at the Grey family’s house, after the couple announced they were expecting. Everyone is having a pleasant time (minus Wolverine, who’s just brooding in a corner), but that’s quickly interrupted when the Marauders attack. The evil mutants blow a hole through the side of the house, catching the X-Men off-guard in an effort to destroy them once and for all.

However, before the Marauders attacked, ‘Jean’ found herself having a bit of an existential crisis. Jean’s father made a comment about a memory from Jean’s childhood, asking his supposed daughter if she remembered – and she didn’t. ‘Jean’ admits to Storm that this level of memory loss has been happening to her a lot recently, as if her life isn’t her own.

X-Men ‘97 Didn’t Show the Heartbreaking Process of Madelyne Pryor Realizing She’s a Clone

In the animated series, Madelyne Pryor is hit with the realization that she’s a clone after the original Jean Grey returns to the X-Mansion. But before that moment, she seemed like the real Jean Grey, and she fully believed that she was.

However, in this prequel comic series, it’s revealed that Madelyne was beginning to realize that she was a clone long before the real Jean returned. And that realization that was slowly manifesting through memory loss, contributed to Madelyne’s mind becoming increasingly unstable.

Madelyne Pryor’s Identity Crisis Makes Her Fall to Villainy More Believable in X-Men ‘97

The X-Men ‘97 comic series also makes Madelyne’s fall to villainy more believable, even without taking into account Mr. Sinister’s influence. For months leading up to her debut as the Goblin Queen, Madelyne had been in a state of disassociation, with her very identity slowly slipping away from her right before her eyes, and she was utterly powerless to stop it. So, when it’s revealed that she’s a clone, her already unstable mind snapped completely, giving life to the villainous Goblin Queen.

The fact that Madelyne Pryor had been dealing with an identity crisis for – at least – months before she learned she was a clone not only makes her fall to villainy more believable, but also speaks to her strength. Even after everything, Madelyne was still able to pull herself back from being a villain, and even contributed to the formation of the mutant safehaven of Genosha. However, Madelyne Pryor’s strength doesn’t lessen how utterly tragic her journey was as a clone of Jean Grey in X-Men ‘97, which is made even more so by this unseen moment.

X-Men ‘97 #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.