X-Men ’97 Season 2 has aired its ninth and final episode on Disney+. The action-packed finale to the second season of the revival series features a plot-altering development and the heartbreaking death of a beloved character.
What happens to Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Gambit in X-Men ’97 Season 2’s ending
Gambit and Rogue are alive at the end of X-Men ’97 Season 2. However, the same can’t be said about Nightcrawler, who sacrifices himself to save Rogue.
In the episode titled “Survival of the Fittest,” the X-Men race against time to save Gambit before Apocalypse permanently takes over. Rogue travels to Apocalypse’s “Ship” along with Beast and Nightcrawler to find an answer and encounters Eson the Searcher, the Celestial behind Apocalypse’s transformation. She offers to sacrifice herself to save Gambit, and the primordial entity accepts. Eson gives Rogue incredible abilities for “one last fight.”
Meanwhile, Cable and Valerie Cooper team up to attack Xavier’s property and neutralize Gambit / Apocalypse. This leads to a tense confrontation between mutants who are allies most of the time. Cable, driven by his desire to kill Apocalypse, doesn’t listen to his parents.
Eventually, Remy LeBeau wakes up and joins the other X-Men in the fight. Elsewhere, undeterred by Cyclops and Jean’s pleas, Cable continues his fight and seemingly kills Gambit.
However, this only ends up bringing Apocalypse out. Just when all seems lost, Rogue returns and easily defeats and captures Apocalypse. She then gives the stone-sized prison to Cable, knowing that he would know what to do with it. As she reunites with Remy, Rogue thinks that she will soon perish. But she spots Beast with Nightcrawler’s Bible in his hand.
It turns out that Kurt approached Eson and volunteered to complete Rogue’s sacrifice for her. Eson agreed, letting Kurt save Rogue one last time.
