X-Men ’97‘s fourth episode served up a tidy double-feature this time around in the form of “Motendo,” which confirmed Jubilee and Roberto as a couple, and “Lifedeath – Part 1,” the true meat of ’97‘s ongoing plot.
Following her rejection of Forge amidst his regretful past, Storm’s leave is interrupted by a monster known as the Adversary, who incapacitates Forge before descending upon Storm, serving as the cliffhanger for this week’s episode.
So, what’s the lowdown on the Adversary?
Who is the Adversary?
Simply put, the Adversary is a powerful demon and a very nasty dude, but even worse is the fact that, like Storm’s current powerless predicament, the Adversary is pretty much all Forge’s fault.
In the comics, the Adversary is a manifestation of Forge’s cultural heritage, having summoned the beast while serving in the Vietnam War to fight off the group that killed his unit. Forge attempted to banish the Adversary afterward, and temporarily succeeded, but it found its way back to Earth years later by other means.
Serving no one but itself by that point, the Adversary imprisoned Forge and Storm in another dimension before battling the rest of the X-Men in Dallas, Texas. The Adversary was ultimately banished from Earth after the X-Men, including a freed Storm, gave their lives as a sacrifice needed for a magical sealing spell casted by Forge. The goddess Roma would later return them to life.
In X-Men ’97, the Adversary appears as an enormous, owl-like creature who appears drawn to Storm’s despair, but judging by the unusual manner in which Storm wound back up at Forge’s home, plus the fact that the Adversary shares a voice actress with Storm in Alison Sealy-Smith, there may be much more (or less) to this monster than meets the eye.
The sixth episode of X-Men ’97, “Lifedeath – Part 2,” will continue this storyline, so we should expect those answers on April 10.
(featured image: Marvel Animation)
