One of the most powerful MCU villains of all time just returned in X-Men ’97 <a href="https://comicvibe.com/season-1-of-dutton-ranch-is-over-season-2-could-see-more-from-taylor-sheridan/” title=”Season 1 of 'Dutton Ranch' is over. Season 2 could see more from Taylor Sheridan”>season 2. The X-Men have been scattered across time in Marvel’s animated sequel, and episode 4 gave us more iconic characters than we’d ever expected. This included a delightful glimpse of Kang the Conqueror himself, as he fled ancient Egypt after the rise of Apocalypse. It’s a major change from the comics, where the Fantastic Four were the ones responsible for Kang’s defeat
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But the most exciting reveal came when X-Men ’97 rewrote Apocalypse’s origin story. The so-called “First Mutant” was drawn towards a mysterious constellation, in a plot deliberately subverting the traditional “wise men following a star” Christmas narrative. It turned out to all be a trap, because Apocalypse was literally summoned by a powerful being known as a Celestial. And, with that, Marvel doubled down on a stunning plot from Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Just Brought Back Eson the Searcher
The villain in question is a Celestial, Eson the Searcher. Viewers may remember the Celestials from Eternals, but the powerful cosmic race actually made their MCU debut in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. There, Peter Quill and the Guardians were shown an ancient recording showing Eson the Searcher laying waste to an entire civilization, wielding the Power Stone to devastating effect. Dialogue hinted the Celestials were the ones who had “forged” the six singularities into Infinity Stones in the first place, using them in mysterious acts of judgment.
That’s very much Eson’s role in X-Men ’97. The Celestial is clearly still in possession of the Power Stone, using this universe’s version to unlock En Sabah Nur’s full potential and transform him into Apocalypse. Most striking, though, was the reason Eson gave for his horrific act. “All creation must crash against the eternal shore,” he explained. “In order to thrive and grow.” The implication is that Eson believes in evolution, which is only possible in the face of adversity. Thus he “gardens” civilizations, pruning the galaxy of stagnant ones, and inspiring change by empowering agents like Apocalypse.
It’s a chilling belief, the ultimate “greater good” argument. Oddly, I can’t help but by reminded of a similar justification given for acts of destruction by the Phoenix Force in the 2012 Avengers Vs. X-Men event; the Phoenix fires burn away any civilization that will not change and grow. Eson appears to follow a similar philosophy, although – at least in the X-Men ’97 timeline – he has learned to operate through agents rather than take action directly. We’ve already had nods to the Phoenix Force in Season 2, so it may be this story is destined to take a seriously cosmic turn.
Eson’s Story is Lifted Straight From the Comics
All this mirrors Eson’s role in the comics. There, Eson is one of the Celestial gardeners who do indeed visit worlds to judge them; if they are dissatisfied with evolution, they destroy them. Otherwise, they accelerate evolution. In fact, the comics eventually established that the Celestials were directly responsible for introducing the X-gene, the gene that grants superhuman powers and led to the emergence of mutants
The X-Men have their own history with the Celestials. One incarnation of X-Factor actually saved an entire world from Celestial judgment, while a combined X-Men and Avengers team got caught in the crossfires as well. Apocalypse’s Celestial-derived armor actually led Thor to create Jarnbjorn, a weapon dangerous enough to kill even a Celestial. So all of this feels like setup for some pretty major Marvel stories
Viewers may be surprised at Eson’s Apocalypse connection. But this, too, is played straight from the comics themselves; the only real difference lies in the Power Stone, because the comic book version of Eson used “Life Seeds” and “Death Seeds.” X-Men ’97 refers to Eson as a “gardener,” an important reference to this idea; the Celestial Gardeners grant Life and Death Seeds to societies they deem worthy. This ultimately led to an Apocalypse-related story in which a Celestial Gardener died, almost dooming the entire world; it’s quite possible the show will ultimately adapt this idea, too.
That said, the really exciting question here is whether X-Men ’97 Season 2 is finally headed towards an X-Men and Eternals story. The Eternals were created by the Celestials as their agents, and we know they exist in the mainstream MCU. These powerful beings had a resurgence in the ’90s, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see X-Men ’97 adapt them too
The first four episodes of X-Men ’97 are streaming now on Disney+, and new episodes will be released weekly. Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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