Captain America: Civil War was a monumental moment in the MCU's history, for all the wrong reasons. And a new group is making the same mistakes the Avengers did back in 2016. Two of the three episodes in X-Men '97 Season 2's initial drop focus on getting the members of the titular team back to the 1990s. With Cyclops and Co. out of the picture, the world has fallen into chaos, especially when it comes to keeping mutants safe.
Cable believes it's his duty to step up in his parents' absence, so he forms X-Force, a covert team that will stop at nothing to bring down Apocalypse, whom they believe is behind everything. Jubilee, Sunspot, Archangel, and Psylocke all sign up to have Cable's back. Their loyalty gets tested in Season 2, Episode 2, "A Force to Be Reckoned With," when X-Force crosses paths with X-Factor, another newly formed mutant team.
Rather than having all mutants' best interests at heart, X-Factor is trying to save them from themselves by locking them up. The government is funding the group, led behind the scenes by Val Cooper and in the field by Magneto's daughter, Polaris, and Cyclops' brother, Havok.
Jubilee is especially shocked to see Polaris working for the government because she was an early member of the X-Men and a believer in Professor X's dream of coexistence between humans and mutants. However, there initially isn't much time for a philosophical debate between the two because punches start flying.
X-Force barely escapes capture, except for Jubilee, who ends up in X-Factor's prison. The tough moment is similar to the scenes in Captain America: Civil War after the titular hero's comrades were arrested following the fight at the airport in Germany. Sam Wilson and the others gave Tony Stark, one of the Sokovia Accords' biggest supporters, a piece of their minds, which helped him come to his senses.
A similar conversation occurs between Polaris and Jubilee. The X-Force member tries to remind her old friend of what they've been fighting for all these years and that the government isn't looking out for her, only using her as a weapon. The truth hits Polaris hard, and she decides to help Jubilee escape and free the rest of the mutants.
Another skirmish breaks out, but the guards on the knock-off Helicarrier are no match for Jubilee. By the time X-Factor arrives on the scene, everyone is on X-Force's plane and on their way out of dodge. Doing her best Iron Man impression puts Polaris on the right track heading into the middle section of X-Men '97 Season 2. But it's unlikely that she gets the pass that Tony did after Civil War.
X-Men '97's X-Factor Is Unlikely To Dissolve As Quickly As Team Iron Man
Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross entrusted Tony with hunting down the rogue heroes in Civil War. At first, Tony was happy to do it because he was guilty about past mistakes he and his allies had made. However, when the truth came to light, Tony sent Ross straight to voicemail and did what he thought was right.
In any other franchise, pulling a stunt like that would've landed Iron Man in very hot water. Ross would've had a cell with Tony's name on it. But Thanos arrived immediately after the events of Civil War and forced the two sides to bury the hatchet.
Sure, Tony and Steve Rogers didn't speak during the events of Avengers: Infinity War. They were fighting the same fight, though, albeit on different planets. When the dust settled in Avengers: Endgame, it didn't take the former teammates long to get on the same page and save the world together.
The government that's operating in X-Men '97 might not be so quick to forget. Time and time again, mutants have put their lives on the line to protect humanity. And their bravery is almost always rewarded with a slap in the face.
In the show's Season 1 finale, the X-Men battled Bastion on Asteroid M. Rather than sending help their way, the president of the United States launched a nuclear missile attack at them, hoping to end the threat in one fell swoop. The plan backfired and nearly cost everyone on the asteroid their lives.
Still, the X-Men and X-Force are ready to do whatever it takes to protect Earth in Season 2. It remains to be seen if Val and her superiors will take that into consideration as the threat of Apocalypse grows. Either way, X-Factor is sure to return down the line and do more harm than good.
All Professor X and the rest can do is prepare to be the bigger people once again because they don't have time for petty squabbles when the fate of everything and everyone is on the line.
