We’re now four episodes into X-Men ’97, and the show has yet again proved that Marvel Studios is still very capable of partaking in fantastic storytelling, which is somewhat disappointing considering that the live-action division hasn’t seemed to hold itself to such standards of late.
This is no time to complain, though; between the masterfully satirical “Motendo” and the bad-to-worse development of Storm’s plight in “Lifedeath – Part 1,” episode four of X-Men ’97 just might be Marvel’s finest one-two punch since Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Tying together the “Motendo” treat was a very special guest appearance that just may have blown the minds of those who first fell in love with the original animated series, and the mini-episode’s overall commitment to nostalgia only made the moment sweeter.
With that out of the way, what’s the deal with Abscissa, the punk-rock senior who looks an awful lot like Jubilee?
Who is Abscissa?
Simply put, Abscissa is a variant of Jubilee from Earth-92352, whose comics history can more or less be summed up as inconsequential.
In X-Men ’97, however, Abscissa appears as a much older, digitally-created version of Jubilee who was created during the Motendo game’s beta testing stages, and who aided Jubilee and Roberto in their fight against Mojo and subsequent escape from cyberspace.
Beyond the fact that her combat scenes were easily some of the best we’ve seen in ’97 so far (no matter what you say, buzzsaws and roller skates made of fireworks are incredibly awesome), Abscissa boasts a special Easter Egg in being voiced by Alyson Court, who played Jubilee in the original animated series.
Indeed, having Holly Chou’s Jubilee look up to her older self in Alyson Court’s Abscissa made for a particularly sweet meta-moment, as it were, and was simply the nostalgia cherry on top of an episode full of nods to ’97’s beloved predecessor.
(featured image: Disney+)
Published: Apr 4, 2024 06:29 am