Welcome, true believers! The summer TV binge continues here at Multiversity and I’m here to talk to you about the apocalypse. Wait, that’s not right. I’m here to talk to you about Apocalypse. No, wait, that’s one of the many terrible X-Men films. I’m here to talk to you about two episodes featuring the Character Apocalypse from the revered 90s cartoon adaptation of the strangest mutants of all.
That’s the ticket. We’re talking X-Men: The Animated Series‘s “The Cure” and “Come the Apocalypse.” I gotta say, as great as this show is, I really remember Apocalypse being more epic as a kid than he really comes across in these episodes. Perhaps he should have been saved for a bigger multi-part episode like the series does later with ‘The Phoenix Saga’ and ‘The Dark Phoenix’ but oh boy is there some fun to be had here.
It’s the return of the Wild Man from Borneo, transforming gargoyles, Stonehenge destroyed, and a face that wakes me up in a cold sweat at night. Let’s dig in. I probably shouldn’t need to give this warning for a twenty-plus-year-old-show but, as always, beware of spoilers.
1. Man, Wolverine Is a Dick
“The Cure” first finds the team continuing to rebuild the mansion after its destruction in “The Unstoppable Juggernaut” which, as we noted last week, had to be confusing since that episode didn’t air until a week after “The Cure.” Much like in the film version of “Days of Future Past,” “Avengers: Endgame,” or pretty much anything involving time travel, nothing makes sense.
As the rag-tag construction crew diligently toils away, Logan basically annoys and bullies his teammates. He mouths off to Gambit, who is just minding his own business before being shown up by Jean and Storm. Gambit manages to get his goad with a prank involving a charged brick but the entire altercation is caused by Wolverine needlessly antagonizing his fellow mutants.
No wonder they put this guy in Weapon X and wiped his memory. He must have been a real shit during his time in Canada.
2. Oh God, The Horror
No matter what a feat it was at the time X-Men: The Animated Series notoriously suffered from a ton of production issues. While the delay of “The Unstoppable Juggernaut” created its own troubles, that pales in comparison to this wall-eyed monstrosity of a character when Xavier video conferences with his students. To this day I lay awake some nights, unable to stop thinking of it. One eye staring at me while the other gazes off at who knows what. Maybe my remote, hoping I will turn the television off and end its miserable existence.
3. Dr Adler?
A sneaky little easter egg in the show, Mystique takes the form in “The Cure” and “Come the Apocalypse” of one Dr. Adler, some sort of geneticist promising to rid mutants of their affliction. Adler is obviously a reference to Irene Adler, Mystique’s lover in the comics known as Destiny who could see visions of the future.
What is also of note is Adler’s German accent. There are two doctors Adler in history who both escaped Nazi persecution leading up to World War II. Gerhard Adler worked in Analytical psychology who translated the works of Carl Jung. While Robert Robert Adler was a doctor of physics who helped invent the world’s first remote control. Whether this was intentional or coincidental is something I will certainly be tweeting the creators about once this review is released.
4. From the Ashes of This World I Will Build a Better One
Speaking of easter eggs, let’s do one in reverse. While X-Men: Apocalypse may have been a much-maligned film, one great part of it was the nod to this series. Oscar Isaac’s Ivan Ooze gives a villainous monologue in the film stating “everything they built will fall! And from the ashes of their world, we’ll build a better one” which is a direct reference to “Come the Apocalypse, where the slightly changed rant first appeared.
Continued below5. Archangel
There’s nothing specific to note here. I just wanted to point out what a cool and uber-90s character Archangel is. This was a decade that said “got a classic character? Let’s turn them blue, give them razor sharp wings, and make them brooding. Granted, that actually happens at the end of the 80s, but that’s just splitting hairs…or feathers, I guess.
One amusing bit that arises from “Come the Apocalypse” being in a kids show is that Warren obviously couldn’t shoot razor sharp blades that puncture his victims, so he shots bombs for…reasons. It’s a small thing, but yet another one of those funny little foibles that occur when standards and practices dictate subject matter.
And that is yet another of those chuckle-worthy moments we’ll keep pointing out as we continue our summer TV binge of one of the greatest comic adaptations ever. I’ll see you next week for the glorious jheri-curled mullet of Bishop as we dive into “Days of Future Past.” Exelsior!
