Marvel Changed The Rules Of Time Travel Again, And Killed All Hope Of Gambit’s Return

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for X-Men ’97 episode 8!

Summary

• Marvel frames Gambit’s death in X-Men ’97 as permanent due to new time travel rules.
• X-Men ’97 presents absolute points in time, preventing time travel to change events like Genosha.
• The series hints at MCU ties through similar iconography of the Sacred Timeline concept.

Marvel has just changed its rules of time travel again, and this time, X-Men ’97 makes Gambit’s possible return from the dead hopeless. Marvel Studios still has to present its live-action version of the X-Men, with the studio only using multiverse variants played by actors who were part of Fox’s X-Men franchise since Disney acquired that studio. Alongside that, Marvel Studios has used nostalgia in another key way, bringing back the world of the excellent X-Men: The Animated Series on Disney+ with an impressive roster of characters in X-Men ’97.

Since its debut, X-Men ’97 has quickly become a sensation, being held highly as possibly the best adaptation of the mutants outside of the comics. It is easy to see why, as the animated series does a great job of making all of its characters matter instead of pretty much just Wolverine, as was the case in Fox’s movies. One of the series’ standout characters was Gambitwho sadly died in the Genosha massacre in episode 5. Now, Marvel Studios’ new time travel rules make Gambit’s return from the dead this season or in X-Men ’97 season 2 likely impossible.

X-Men ’97 Changed How Absolute Points In Time Work

Cable Has Brought New Time Travel Rules

X-Men ’97 just used the concept of absolute points in time. Marvel Studios’ other animated series, What If…?explained the concept as absolute points being events that simply cannot be changed; otherwise, that could lead to the destruction of that entire timeline. That effect was practically shown in What If…? season 1’s Doctor Strange episode, where the variant of Benedict Cumberbatch’s MCU character attempted to save the life of his Christine Palmer over and over. Eventually, Doctor Strange’s efforts lead to the destruction of his universe, with him as the sole survivor.

X-Men ’97 names the concept but introduces a different way for absolute points to work. In the animated series, Cable explains that he has tried to stop the Genosha event several times, only he is pulled back from that moment every time he tries to travel there, as was shown in X-Men ’97 episode 5 when he was sent back to the future after meeting his mother, Madelyne Pryor. On Twitter, X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo commented on how Cable’s explanation of absolute points means no time travel can undo Genosha.

X-Men ’97 Means Gambit’s Death Is Permanent

The Genosha Event Is An Absolute Point

Based on Marvel’s new explanation for absolute points, Gambit’s death is likely to stick. The most common theory for how the character could come back hinged on Cable‘s presence in Genosha. However, the reveal that Nathan Summers has tried to undo the tragic event over and over but is always pulled from that moment in time means Gambit, Madelyne Pryor, and countless other mutants are permanently dead. As Gambit was finally shining after being done dirty in live-action, the news will surely upset fans of the character.

However, it is perhaps good that X-Men ’97 will not walk back on Gambit’s death. The moment was one of the most shocking and emotional in any Marvel series, and undoing it would take away from Gambit’s sacrifice, with the character dying to stop the three-headed Sentinel and save as many mutants as he could. Adding to that, X-Men ’97 has already walked back on enough major deathsrevealing that Charles Xavier has been alive all this time and that Magneto never died in Genosha. Due to that, Gambit’s death should stick, showing the series does have high stakes.

Does X-Men ’97’s “Absolute Points” Rule Mean It’s In The MCU Multiverse?

Loki Established The Sacred Timeline Concept

X-Men ’97 included a scene where a display in front of Cable showed a very similar representation of the MCU’s Sacred Timeline from before Loki created Yggdrasil at the end of Loki season 2. The moment seemed to hint that X-Men ’97 is part of the MCU’s multiverse; however, showrunner Beau DeMayo chalked that to borrowed iconography that would make the concept of absolute points easier for fans to understand without delving too much into it.

Of May claims that X-Men ’97‘s use of absolute points was so that there was no need to introduce a new word/concept when they could use one that fans were already familiar with. However, the X-Men ’97 showrunner did concede that there is some crossover between the series and the MCU. Of May revealed that he views the series “as its own neighboring tree” to the MCU’s but claimed that “a few leaves from one tree can mingle with another at some point.” While Gambit’s death seems to be permanent, it is interesting that X-Men ’97 is exploring an MCU concept.