X-Men ’97’s new devastating episode should go down as one of Marvel’s greatest episodes, and creator Beau DeMayo just made it even better.

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 episode 5 “Remember It”

X-Men ’97‘s latest episode ends with a stunning tragedy that could well change Marvel’s beloved mutant show forever, and creator Beau DeMayo has weighed in on the tragedy of “Remember It”. The head writer and executive producer of the show exited X-Men ’97 before the first episode aired on Disney+ but has engaged with fans throughout the season’s first 5 episodes.

With X-Men ’97 episode 5’s ending wowing viewers (and scoring a remarkable 9.7 IMDB score from earlier responders), DeMayo responded to some of the near-hysterical reactions to the episode’s ending, which saw X-Men legends Gambit and Magneto seemingly killed off. As the world’s mutant/human relations seemed to be on the verge of a positive step forward with Genosha on the verge of joining the UN, tragedy struck as Wild Sentinels were sent to attack the mutant safe haven, devastating the population with multiple deaths in a break-neck change in tone that ripped out the hearts of everyone watching. According to Beau DeMayo, the tonal shift was very conscious, as the creator drew comparisons to 9/11…

X-Men ’97 Weaponizes Nostalgia Perfectly

The mention of nostalgia is a particularly pertinent one: X-Men ’97‘s very existence was always tied to the experiences of the kids who religiously tuned in every Saturday morning, and the marketing of the revived show leaned hard into that. And even with new elements and more modern considerations added to ’97, familiarity remains one of its most irresistible selling points. To weaponize that against X-Men fans is a devilish but genius trick that makes the tragedy of the episode even more pronounced.

ScreenRant has verified BeauDeMayo’s X.com account is legitimate

X-Men ’97‘s creative choices so far have been incredibly well-measured. Even faced with the temptation to change the animation style after advancements in the medium, ’97 preserves the look of the original, bolting on new advancements in a way that make the high points even more impressive. Throughout “Remember It”, the art direction was extremely well handled, just as it was in episode 3’s transformative nightmare sequences, and led to some of the most memorable moments in X-Men adaptation history. It feels like the whole show has been handled with the care of creators who are deeply invested.

But at the same time, as DeMayo’s comments on the changing impact of events like 9/11 on the world suggest, the original audience of X-Men ’97 has changed. Collective trauma impacts art and how art is perceived, and it’s almost inconceivable that the more grown up episodes of ’97 would ever have fit in their original Saturday morning slot. This is grown up escalation as it should be done.

Beau DeMayo Promises Even More For The Rest Of X-Men ’97

It’s impressive to think that “Remember It” comes only halfway through X-Men ’97‘s first season given the scale of the events. Typically, Marvel shows pull focus in the middle of the season, with repeated accusations of filler episodes accompanying even the most critically adored MCU TV shows. X-Men ’97 tore up the unspoken rule book and started the escalation towards the finale earlier than most Marvel shows. By the sound of it, the last three episodes of X-Men ’97 are going to be even bigger than the Genosha massacre, according to more teases by DeMayo on X.com:

Episode 5 heavily hints that Cable will be involved in whatever happens from this point on, after his brief cameo, but quite what’s in store for the rest of the season is unclear. With what’s already been set up, we know to expect resolutions to the Cyclops/Jean/Maddie Pryor/Wolverine dynamic, with Cable no doubt thrown in, as well as Storm’s depowering. Then there’s the small matter of who sent the Wild Sentinels to Genosha, the mystery of whether Professor Xavier is genuinely gone for good, and the potential for at least Magneto to return from “the dead” in a future episode. That’s a lot to pack into 5 episodes, and if this was just the first benchmark, all X-Men ’97 fans are in for a treat.

X-Men ’97 is streaming on Disney+ with new episodes every Wednesday.