Volumes Three and Four of the 90's X-Men Animated Series have just arrived for the first time EVER on DVD! Now you can add these classic episodes to your collection.
Picking up in the middle of Season 3, the X-Men have had a lot on their plates. Not only did they just survive the return of their old friend Morph, who was being controlled by the evil Mutant Scientist known as Mr. Sinister, but they had an epic adventure in space which ended with Jean Grey gaining the abilities of the legendary Phoenix Force! Needless to say, being an X-Man isn't easy, and in Volume Three it's about to get more difficult as Jean Grey returns…as the Dark Phoenix. Can they save their teammate before she destroys the universe? In Volume Four, the X-Men face off against old foes as Apocalypse orchestrates a master plan to rule the world in one of the greatest story arcs of the animated series run.
Episode Highlights
Volume Three
Episodes 37-40: "The Dark Phoenix Saga"- This series continues to stay true to its comic book roots and lays out the story of the Dark Phoenix in a truly spectacular fashion. While Jean deals with the Phoenix still being merged with her body, the Hellfire Club decides to take this moment to strike. Using the telepathic powers of Emma Frost, the Club is able to take control of Jean and force her to use her powers for evil. The X-Men are able to step in but it seems the damage has already been done and Jean transforms into the truly evil Dark Phoenix! With her powers depleted, Dark Phoenix flies into space and ends up destroying an entire star system to regain her powers. This doesn't go over well with the Shi'ar, and Lilandra forces the X-Men to face off against the Imperial Guard for the fate of Jean Grey and the Phoenix.
Episode 41: "Cold Comfort"- Iceman, one of the original X-Men, makes his first full apperance in the show. When his girlfriend Polaris disappears, Iceman goes searching for answers, but his search leads to him becoming captured at a military base. The X-Men rescue him, and we get more backstory as to Iceman's origin and his history with Professor X. Iceman leaves the mansion and goes back to the base only to be confronted by a team of mutants employed by the government. The X-Men once again intervene and try to help their former teammate, only to learn that Polaris willingly left Iceman to be with this new squad of heroes known as X-Factor! This episode also features cameos by Forge, Multiple Man, Havok, Wolfsbane and more!
Episodes 46-47: "One Man's Worth" – This two part episode focused on the time traveler known as Fitzroy and his quest to rewrite history by killing Charles Xavier in the past! Bishop and his sister Shard appear in a newly created timeline (which seems very much like a take on the Age of Apocalypse) only to find that things must be fixed. With the help of an alternate Wolverine and Storm, the group travel back in time to attempt to save Xavier.
Volume Four
Episodes 51-52: "Sanctuary"– Magneto decides to provide a safe haven for mutants and creates Asteriod M! Professor X, Gambit, and Beast decide to go and investigate Magneto's claims of peace, only to find that the mutant known as Cortez is the one who is ready to cause problems for the human race. Can the X-Men save Magneto and stop Cortez?
Episodes 53-56: "Beyond Good and Evil" – Apocalypse and Cable continue their battle in the far future, but Apocalypse makes a surprising move and steals Cable's timecube! Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister team up to collect telepaths for all worlds in order to complete his plan to rewrite time and space. Cable eventually gets his hands on a new timemachine and travels back to the 1990's to stop Apocalypse before it is too late. A small group of X-Men attempt to stop Apocalypse in the Axis of Time…but it might be too late…
Episode 62: "Family Ties" – Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch make their first apperance and we learn that Magneto is actually their father! What ramifications will this hold for these Avengers? Can they accept Magneto as their father?
Special Features-
There are no special features on these discs.
Overall-
Many fans have been anticipating the releases of these volumes, and I can easily say that these episodes do not disappoint. These two volumes contain some of the best episodes of the series. This show had a good reputation when it came to sticking to the classic storylines and not diverting heavily. These episodes also feature a lot of cameos from classic characters like X-Factor and the Shi'ar. This is a must have for your collection. These episodes still hold up years later!
ComicsOnline gives X-Men Volumes Three and Four 5 out of 5 Classic Animated Series.
