X-Men ‘97’s Latest Episode Featured A Major Marvel Hero, And Fans Have All The Jokes About Their Run-In With Rogue

 Rogue on X-Men '97.
Rogue on X-Men '97.

Major spoilers for the latest episode of X-Men ‘97, “Bright Eyes,” lie ahead, so read on with caution.

X-Men ‘97, which is available for Disney+ subscribers, is more than halfway through its first season and continues to be a near-flawless piece of superhero work. It’s masterfully built on the OG show by exploring various facets of the mythology surrounding the iconic team of mutants. Additionally, the creative team has also made references to the larger Marvel universe. That happened in a big way this week, as the newest installment featured a brief appearance from a major do-gooder. As you’d expect, fans are chatting about it – and making all the jokes about the character’s somewhat unfortunate run-in with Rogue.

In “Bright Eyes,” the team lay Remy LeBeau a.k.a Gambit to rest following the massacre on Genosha in the fifth episode, which left viewers devastated. While Cyclops, Jubilee, Wolverine and co. paid their last respects to their fallen comrade, Rogue went searching for answers regarding who’s responsible for the death of her lover. Her searches for Henry Gyrich and Boliver Trask led her to The Incredible Hulk’s General “Thunderbolt” Ross. Later on, she arrived at a seemingly remote cabin, and it was there that she ran into none other than Captain America. Steve Rogers revealed he was on a similar mission and, together, the two used records from a mysterious organization called “OZT” to determine that Gyrich could be in Mexico.

Captain America on X-Men '97
Captain America on X-Men '97

Some may have expected for Cap and Rogue to team up and head there immediately, but that’s not how their meeting went down. Disillusioned by Rogers’ intent to go about his mission by the book, Rogue took his shield and throwing it miles into the distance, before taking off for Mexico. The clip of the powerful mutant tossing the vibranium weapon like a frisbee is unsurprisingly going viral. X user @kamkenobi shared it himself and dropped a funny – but true – assessment:

This is literally the most petty thing you could do to Captain America 😭

Yes, Steve is a super soldier and doesn’t get as worn out as the rest of us when faced with a physical task. However, what the southern X-Man did with his shield has to be incredibly inconvenient even for him. @TheDGrimmett shared a funny clip to illustrate what the Sentinel of Liberty’s next steps (pun intended) will be:

If I were in Cap’s shoes, I’d not only be annoyed but in a bit of disbelief that someone actually committed such a petty act with my weapon of choice. A clip shared by @Tyrone1760544 seems to convey that same sentiment:

However, another post shared by @blurayangel probably better sums up the character’s true reaction during that moment. And, ironically, the fan used a clip of The Boys’ despicable Homelander to illustrate their point:

We now have to wonder what’s going to go down if or when Rogue and Cap cross paths again. Historically, the Avenger has never truly been one to hold a grudge, yet I can’t help but chuckle over what @House0fWanda believes will happen should they reunite:

You may think that Rogue was wrong to do that, but you can understand why she’s so hell bent on seeking retribution for what happened to Gambit. Voice actress Lenore Zann spoke with CinemaBlend about what lies ahead for her character. And, based on her comments, after Genosha, this is “the beginning of [Rogue’s] real journey.” She’s certainly in a dark place right now, as she even had no problem letting Trask fall to his death. (He was later revealed to be a human-Sentinel hybrid, but still.) I’m sure we’ll see the heroine’s grief expressed in other ways – and I’ll be eager to see if that causes her to bump heads with another hero like Captain America.

New episodes of X-Men ‘97 premiere on Wednesdays on Disney+ as part of the 2024 TV schedule. As you continue to watch, be sure to look ahead to other titles with our schedule of upcoming Marvel shows.