The ‘X-Men ’97’ Finale Gave Us the Final Piece of the Immediate Summers Family Puzzle

There was never any chance that X-Men ’97‘s first round of episodes was going to end on a high note for our heroes, what with its penchant for ironclad character drama, dire straits, and major character deaths, but perhaps the lowest note of them all is that season one has come to a close.

Indeed, with part three of “Tolerance Is Extinction” having officially wrapped up, we’re in for the most unprecedented Marvel waiting game yet as we dream of news on season two. After all, you can’t just drop Cyclops and Jean Grey into the year 3960 A.D. and expect us to not struggle under the need-to-know weight of such an event, especially when the likes of Nathan Summers and Mother Askani are in that picture.

We all know that Nathan is Cable at this point, but Mother Askani boasts a bit more mystery for some.

Who is Mother Askani in X-Men ’97?

Mother Askani is one of the many aliases used by Rachel Summers, the daughter of Cyclops and Jean Grey from Earth-811 (or, for those of you unfamiliar with the comics, the alternate timeline the “Days of Future Past” storyline revolves around).

That story was already adapted back in the original animated series, but the presence of both Mother Askani and a young Nathan in the time that Scott and Jean were pulled to suggests another source of inspiration altogether.

During her time with the superhero team known as Excalibur, Rachel winds up in an alternate timeline where Apocalypse reigns supreme. After forming a rebellion known as the Askani, she brings a baby Nathan Summers into the future (a task fulfilled in ’97 by Bishop, presumably), along with Scott and Jean, in hopes of successfully fighting back against Apocalypse. Rachel passes away before such a dream can be realized, but a grown-up Nathan eventually gets the job done.

Apocalypse, of course, has a significant presence across all three time periods now occupied by the X-Men as of the finale, so it certainly seems like the aforementioned “Excalibur” storyline will be one of the main inspirational pivots for season two, albeit with plenty of diversions, as it will seek to connect all of ’97’s Apocalypse dots together.

X-Men ’97 is now streaming in full on Disney+.