Family Ties
Written by Marley Clark
Summary:
Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch learn from their father that they were
adopted. He claims that Bova might know who their true parents are.
They discover Bova at Wundagore Mountain, the home of the High
Evolutionary. Bova reveals that their mother Magda died shortly after
giving birth to them; she also reveals that Magda was terrified when she
arrived at Wundagore Mountain, after witnessing Magneto destroy a human
village. Meanwhile, Magneto informs Xavier that he’s received word
Magda could be alive. Xavier orders Wolverine to follow Magneto in case
it’s a trap. Eventually, High Evolutionary makes his move. Magneto,
Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Wolverine are all kidnapped, with the
goal of using their DNA to enhance his evolutionary experiments. The
mutants are stunned to learn from High Evolutionary that Magneto is the
true father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Xavier and Beast arrive
in the Blackbird to rescue Wolverine, as Magneto frees his children.
The High Evolutionary teleports away, leaving the mutants behind.
Magneto tries to reconcile with the twins, but they refuse his offer.
Continuity Notes:
-
The only X-Men appearing this episode are Wolverine, Beast, and Professor Xavier.
-
Magda is Magneto’s wife, who is referenced for the first time on the show. The story of Magneto destroying a Russian village and Magda fleeing in horror was told in the backup story in Classic X-Men #12.
-
The High Evolutionary turns Wolverine into a werewolf after capturing him. He’s magically restored to normal, along with everything else on Wundagore Mountain, after High Evolutionary teleports away.
Approved By Broadcast Standards:
The full story of Magneto destroying the Russian village, including
his daughter Anya dying in a fire, isn’t detailed. Merely stating that
Magneto “destroyed an entire village” is somewhat daring, though,
creating a pretty clear idea of what he did.
Review:
“Family Ties” should’ve felt like a momentous event, yet I’ve rarely
been able to stay awake while watching the episode. Perhaps one reason
is the fact that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch have never played a real
role in the series. Quicksilver was just one of the faceless members of
X-Factor in one episode, while Scarlet Witch only appeared once in a
half-second cameo. From the perspective of the cartoon’s audience, the
questions are 1) who are these people, and 2) why are we suddenly being
told they’re Magneto’s children? These revelations were cornerstones of
an era of Marvel Comics, but only because the readers were already
familiar with the characters, and the actual confirmation was teased
over the course of a few years. There was a real sense of payoff when
the information was verified; here, it just comes out of nowhere. When
High Evolutionary informs Magneto that he IS the father of those babies,
it’s hard to comprehend why it’s supposed to matter.
And
bringing the High Evolutionary, Bova, and the New Men into this…sheesh.
I can appreciate the fidelity to the source material, but these are
all characters that ultimately have little to anything to do with
Magneto, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch. If you’re looking for the
comics for inspiration, the meatiest material comes from Quicksilver and
Scarlet Witch’s time (grudgingly) serving Magneto in the Brotherhood.
Introducing the High Evolutionary into the story just seems like an
excuse to turn Wolverine into a literal wolverine -- and the episode
doesn’t even make that much sense. Instead, he turns into a werewolf,
in perhaps the dumbest moment in the show’s run. Add this to the
lifeless animation and washed out colors and the viewer is left with one
of the most disappointing episodes of the series.
Credit to http://marvel.toonzone.net/
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