"Hated and Feared" Re-Watch: "The Cure" & "Come the Apocalypse"

 X-Men The Animated Series

"X-Men: The Animated Series" continues to serve up classic heroes and villains and we are only on the ninth episode. I think everyone is ready to meet the oldest mutant out there, En Sabah Nur aka Apocalypse. 

"The Cure"

[dealing with Gambit's flirting]

Rogue: "You know what happens when I touch somebody. You wanna end up in the hospital?"

Gambit: "Maybe it's worth it, no?"

Charles Xavier heads to the Muir Island research center in Scotland to talk to his friend, Dr. Moira MacTaggart. Moira tells Charles about a doctor named Gottfried Adler who claims to have found a cure for mutants. Xavier tells the X-Men and it's clear that Rogue is interested in this cure so she heads to Muir Island to check it out. While there, Rogue saves Adler from Pyro and Avalanche, not knowing that Adler is actually Mystique in disguise and she's working for Apocalypse.

Who doesn't cuddle in a half built shed?

So, these two episodes are basically "X-Men The Last Stand" minus the Phoenix stuff and done way better. That just sort of hammers home how bad that movie is and while these episodes are OK, they aren't like the pinnacle of the series. 

The episode starts with the team re-building the mansion. Who needs a construction crew when you've got mutants and you've got Wolverine mansplaining everything to anyone who is in earshot of him. I don't think anyone is shocked that Logan is a mansplainer, but what I don't understand is why everyone is deferring to him. Was Wolverine a construction site foreman at some point and we just don't know about it? I have to say that I'm kind of with Gambit who gets fed up with it pretty quick and charges up one of the bricks to give the Canadian an explosive surprise. Then, everyone is all mad about it. Come on y'all, learn how to take a joke.

Xavier tells the team about the potential cure, which is the right thing to do in theory. But when he scans Adler, he gets a lot of feedback and it's very suspect, but he still tells them all about it. The team has zero chill here. Wolverine and Storm are going on and on about how basically anyone who takes the cure is a bad person. That's easy for them to say, look at them. Plus, they have super cool powers. It's crazy that no one thinks about Rogue in this scenario at all. Weirdly, Cyclops tries to be understanding of the mutants who take the cure, but it basically amounts to "Come on, guys..."

The best part of the episode is the focus on Rogue. Rogue is a great character with a lot of pathos and that is really explored in this episode. She is so complex and Lenore Zann who voices Rogue does stellar work conveying all that. We get a flashback to Rogue's powers manifesting and her draining the force of the first boy, Cody, she ever kissed. So, it's no surprise that she is extra hesitant when it comes to Gambit's playful, flirty advances. 

The third act of the episode is the obligatory action sequence with Rogue, Cyclops and Jean fighting off Pyro and Avalanche to save "Adler." Plus Cable is there starting shit.Jean of course gets knocked off a cliff and needs to get rescued by Rogue. Sigh. In the end, Rogue decides not to take the cure and it doesn't feel like a cop out or just for the story. And, even though it ends up being a bad decision, it's nice that Rogue helps rebuild the cure machine so other mutants can take it. 

Grade: B

"Come the Apocalypse"

Angel: "I wanted to be normal, but al I did was prove that I'm capable of terrible evil."

Rogue: "It wasn't your fault. I wanted to deny myself, too, for a time. That could have been me helping that madman. Don't worry. I took the evil away when I touched you. It's part of me now."

Angel: "I just hope you're strong enough to control it. I wasn't."

Warren Worthington III aka the Angel sees "Adler" for the cure and realizes that it isn't what he expected. Apocalypse plans on turning mutants he considers worthy into his Four Horseman. Warren is the first to succumb becoming Death. He is quickly joined by War, Famine and Pestilence. The X-Men are able to defeat them, but Death is the most powerful. It's up to Rogue to try to stop Death, defeat Apocalypse and save Warren.

Green is in.

Another tie to "X-Men: The Last Stand" in these episodes is the focus on Warren Worthington and his desire to be cured. I don't get it. Warren is literally an adonis. He's blonde. He's buff. He's rich. He has angel wings. He is literally an angel. It is so weird to me that he is so determined to get rid of his powers. I feel like they wouldn't be a detriment to him really. Like, I bet women would go even more crazy for him because of those giant feathery wings. Plus, let's not forget that he is an uber wealthy white man. But, I guess to each his own and because of his insecurity we get Archangel who is infinitely cooler than just Warren as Angel. It all works out in the end.

The X-Men are so stacked with classic, iconic villains that someone like Apocalypse who could easily be a key villain for an entire season is basically relegated to these two episodes. Xavier sort of downplays Apocalypse too. He basically just calls him unhinged and crazy, which he is, but he's a lot or more than that. He takes Magneto's idea of mutant supremacy to an entirely new level. Magneto believes that mutants should rule humans, while Apocalypse feels that not all mutants are worthy. Hence, the chainging of these mutants into his Horsemen.

A lot of this episode is just a slugfest. It's not bad. The action is tight and the majority of the team gets a time to shine. But it again Rogue that really shines and helps elevate these episodes. At Stonehenge, Rogue confronts Warren and uses her absorption abilities to purge him of Apocalypse's influence. I love the idea that Rogue was able to just drain the evil from Warren and take it on herself, which adds to the badass, tragic backstory of Rogue.

Grade: B

Next up we finish up season one with a visit to the future and the return of Master Mold.

What did you guys think of this episode? Did you want more Apocalypse? Do you love Rogue? Do you understand Warren's desire to get rid of his powers? Let me know in the comments.