CRAZY Marvel Cartoon History: X-Men TAS '92 Ep Broke All Rules! Mr. Sinister's '97 Animated Origin

[@kaind.badguy]

It was a great origin story for a super villain who wasn’t even the main antagonist of the show. The storytelling was superb and the eerie setting during the time period of a madman was genius. This episode is one of the many examples of why we love X-Men the animated series 30 years later.

[@HeroJournalism]

Totally, if they did a Magneto origin ep, no one would've thought it was that out of the ordinary

[@fanaticbogey]

It's not that far off from his actual origin story. I loved it.

[@gundanout11]

@@HeroJournalism Can't wait for for the upcoming X-men 97.

[@channingdeadnight]

I'm starting to feel a little proud. You were fast

[@matthewschwartz6607]

@@fanaticbogey - Apocalypse created Sinister in the comics, right? He was definitely a scientist in the comics .

[@venom74799]

Ahh the good old days of waking up with cereal and nestles quik with x-men. Truly a classic animated series!!

[@marlonclark1896]

yep

[@blaah9999]

That Trix cereal hit different back then.

[@HeroJournalism]

This may sound crazy to normies, but I might be int in doing a video or stream looking at cereals of the 80s, and rating them, not just on taste but on the cool factor - best 'prizes' inside, and best ones with content on the back to read. Lol, cereal boes were like your dad's New York times over his coffee, but for 5 yr olds!@@blaah9999 - I'll admit I was spoiled on cereals, my mom was A-OK with sugar cereals, and as a Coupon Queen, I often got to try out new ones. I got a little jaded and would be shocked when I'd do a sleepover at a friends and we were eating Wheaties or Trix the next morning! And the irony - they/we were allowed to dump tons of table-sugar on top, it really defeated the purpose, lol. Sorry, you just triggered that memory - thank you and Marlon and Venom for watching, I'm really humbled by the shocking success so far of this video, I've never had one come out of the gate like this - I hope you all come back for more, I've got more amazing info I've uncovered that no one else seems to talk about, so good stuff is coming soon!

[@venom74799]

@@HeroJournalism I would absolutely love that. From waffle crisp to Cookie Crisp, they had some of the best cereal ever. I’ve tried to revisit this nostalgia and a lot of the cereals ingredients have changed drastically from when I grew up. I primarily noticed with rice crispy treat cereal. Went from 😍🥰 to 🤢🤮

[@Sid629]

Bro you just took me down memory lane!! 🙌🏽🙏🏽🤗🥹😭

[@MikeSpicyWinner]

This episode made Mr. Sinister one of my favorite villains as a kid! I always thought he had a great design. The X-Men have cool gallery of villains.

[@HeroJournalism]

Yeah, they did Sinister SO well!! Thx for watching!

[@cannabros]

yes they do an they need to give them more screen time.. imagine a Mister Sinister movie with minimum Xmen content

[@LunaticReason]

Wow that small detail change they did about Rebecca being a descendant of Jean's I wished they had adopted in the comics. Gives Sinister a deeper connection to Jean which would explain his obsession with the Summers/Grey bloodline.

[@HeroJournalism]

Good observation, I should've made that more explicit in the video! Thanks so much for watching

[@sstrykert]

*ancestor

[@MilkyMocha315]

Finding out that Mister Sinister is actually a distant ancestor of Jean Grey suddenly makes his actions in X-Men ‘97 WAAAAAAY creepier…

[@stevetennispro]

His wife's family line, according to what they showed.

[@festro1000]

Grave robbing wasn't just limited to frankenstein, it was actually a real thing back then more in line of the story as doctors were forced to resort to corpses to progress medical knowledge after they went through the supply of convicts, so Essexs taking corpses to that end is more a nod to actual events.

[@HeroJournalism]

Very good point, that might've been something interesting to include. Thanks for sharing that

[@m8j8s77]

The 2 grave robbers are more likely reference to Burke and Hare.

[@MrArtVein]

This. I was just reading some basement was dug up with a bunch of medical skeletons in that area

[@te9591]

Should be mentioned that it was the church authority that barred cadaver studies leading to an underground in cadaver related dealings. One of Amercas founding fathers has a cadaver scandal as well. Similar kinds of controversy occur in our current times with selling bones and organs to injured people from deceased people.

[@horrorislander]

You guys make these Night Doctors sounds almost heroic, but they remain (just barely) a source of fear among the descendants of African-American slaves. They're possibly even one reason why Blacks have historically been less likely to seek medical attention. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Doctors

[@christopherneelyakagoattmo6078]

I was watching this show with regularity and I was 25+ at the time. So much so, that my wife started to like it. Then she started taping the show. When the live action X-men movie came out, her co-workers were shocked at her excitement and knowledge of the subject.

[@josephvalenzuela311]

Christopher Neely, aka GOAT TMOD Pors Lynn Throne Awesome!! I was 22 years old, when this show came out. As a big time X-Men comics fan.... So much love for this series. Thank You.

[@HeroJournalism]

Wow, sorry I missed this - I'm still small enough of a channel that I always try to respond to interesting comments, and my FAVORITE are these contemporary testimonies of fan experiences back in the day. I plan on doing videos covering MY stories of this stuff in the future, and I absolutely love hearing these from commenters. Salud to you, Chris, for preaching the word of X-Men TAS, converting the heathens to the righteous!

[@HeroJournalism]

@@josephvalenzuela311 - I loved hearing how Crhis spread the word of #XMTAS, because that was a mission of mine in the 90s. I was just about your age when it came out; I'd abandoned Saturday mornings in 1985; but Batman (1989) got me back into superheroes, and also back into comics. So when X-Men came out, I felt like it was the cartoon I always wanted as a kid. And thus, I showed it to every college buddy I thought was cool enough to give it a fair shot - I hate to brag (publicly), but I think I did more "test screenings" of X-Men than Fox did. And I learned a LOT watching with non fans! I hope to talk about this in future videos. Nice to meet someone who was close to my experience; yeah, I would've gone nuts for this as a kid, but I was in college studying journalism and film history - and thus simultaneously I was applying those lessons towar comic adaptations (the earliest forming of "HeroJournalism"). So unlike younger viewers looking back in pure nostalgia, I was already analyzing with film theory back in the 90s. You might have noticed I said the footage from Descent in this video was from a VHS recording of the eps premiere; that's my personal recording (transferred to DVD in the 2000s). I even brought my VHS tapes to my film professors (one of which taught the animation history class) to pester them to watch it! I was hardcore, bro! Hey, thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts

[@jasonquinn7078]

This is great! The episode is available on Disney+. So many adult related themes throughout the shows entire run! There is also an episode that touches Rogue being abandoned by her mother Mystique.

[@HeroJournalism]

Shhhhh, Jason! Don't spoil the surprises, there is much Rogue coverage to come on this channel! That ep you mention is one of my all time favorites. So damn good. The first Rogue vid will be pretty short & simple but I will revisit that ep in more detail no doubt.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@opulence_prime - yes, it's the definition of quality kids programming - totally fun and cool on a surface level, but tons of layers for those that look. I had the benefit of being older; I was in college studying film & journalism when I was recording them on VHS tapes, and was already doing analysis on them, I've only recently begun to start to convert that into videos. I have a ton planned on little known elements of the series - stay tuned!

[@jeromecha1]

Yup! Just watched it there! What a story!!! Never saw that episode! So good!! Thanks

[@zemox2534]

I am surprise this episode is forgotten. The story was great, voice acting spot on and the ending sent a chill down my spine.

[@HeroJournalism]

Zemo, I got chills too - one thing I wish I'd mentioned was that cool transition where Dr. Xavier blows out the candle which also serves as a fade to black - rarely used filmmaking technique for a cartoon; and then BOOM, the lightning strike, and it's Xavier - oh man, that is just great narrative drama, perfectly contructed in the script, then executed by the animation team. and I had to edit this, which means I saw that final scene over and over - that beautiful version of the x-men theme with strings and winds - I'd get goosebumps. Such a great ending. Why forgotten? Here's what I think: 1. final 5 - weaker animation 2. no x-men 3. 1880s 4. low ratings? seems many x-men fans didn't see it until on repeats on cable, but I'm just speculating on this one. But it's interesting to note - #2 & 3 were also what I said in the video why it was so groundbreaking. But I agree with you, it's a hidden gem in the series, and I was glad I could try and shine a light on it. Thanks so much for watching - more episode breakdowns coming, feel free to suggest your fave ep

[@trealsteve]

🧢

[@josephvalenzuela311]

Zemo X2 Well said. I did forget this episode, but remember watching it and liking it. I had most of the comics that this episode was based on. Thanks.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@josephvalenzuela311 Agreed! Thanks for sharing your memories - that is one of my favorite parts of the comments. My goal was to shine a spotlight on something that was great but no one talks about. And that no one seems to recognize as great. To see fan comments like you and Zemo giving it praise - you don't know how much that means to me, thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!

[@derekbartonart7004]

This episode was one of my favourites from those last 5, Old Soldiers was another one. And I will have to say, all things considered, with all of the different time periods & costumes they had to design for only a few episodes, they weren’t that bad.

[@HeroJournalism]

That's a good point - I hadn't thought of it until now, but most of those eps had SCORES of new designs that were only used in each ep. Not only did they have a new set of designs for the core team, so much of it didn't use those designs - Fairytale Theater, Old Soldiers, Descent; I'm sure that added to the challenge of the design team, as well as the new animators trying to get used to a new show's designs and it changes every ep practically! Yes, the animation dropped in quality, but these eps deserve more credit than fans give them. Hey thanks for watching - working on new breakdowns, feel free to suggest another ep you'd like to see!

[@jackski5732]

Name of episode ?

[@jsoren3949]

@@HeroJournalism by

[@gcosme4]

why did wolverine have fake claws in the show old soldiers? why not just use his own?

[@derekbartonart7004]

@@gcosme4 he didn’t have his claws back in the 40’s. If I had to guess, the weapon X program was just before the first appearance of the Fantastic Four.

[@omararbelaez7509]

Man I freaking loved this episode! Both of Hero Journalism and of X-Men its great to see you back on the screen.

[@HeroJournalism]

Oh man so glad you liked it! It was really tough to make; I actually quit and started another project before finally coming back to it. You see how many views it's got in just 2 days?!? "It's busting, Jerry - BUSTING!"

[@jeremiah_12]

As a child in these times, watching these toons definitely put some maturity in me. I easily grasp different concepts because of these cartoons with a ton of adult content packed in. The writing and stories were top notch and I comprehended it very well.

[@HeroJournalism]

Totally - at least SOME of us kids were hungering for more sophistication in our entertainment, even though we were kids. I also wanted serious drama in my cartoons; I like comedy cartoons, but they're everywhere. Just to get a dramatic story that didn't have talking animals was hard to find. I have some historical analysis of this coming up, but also more X-Men vids - stay tuned, I've had some personal delays, but a dozen new videos coming for a big push to the end of the year!

[@jeremiah_12]

@@HeroJournalism Can’t wait, definitely looking forward to it.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@jeremiah_12 thank you for your support and patience! New eps recording soon. Lots of film, comic and cartoon history to reveal to the world!

[@reignfire85]

I watched this episode when it first aired and was both stunned and moved by it. Even though he's ultimately the villain, I felt sorry for Essex because he lost the respect of his peers (Darwin spurning him), lost his friend (James repulsed by the extremism Essex had sunk to), lost his family (Rebecca and her father rejecting him), lost his integrity (creating and using a serial killer for personal gain), lost his country (his experiments would guarantee either death or permanent incarceration and that no sane person would want to remember or associate with him), and lost his humanity (turning himself into Sinister, and then abandoning all reason for his research). The writing and acting and visuals are all superb, kudos to the studio, and I'm glad I discovered it because it covers very well the episode and the incredible story behind its creation and release. I actually recently bought a good-condition copy of Sinister's first appearance (Uncanny X-Men 221), believe it or not, so this is icing on the cake.

[@HeroJournalism]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment; I actually bought Sinister's first couple aperances in the comics, right before I quit becauase I was getting "too old" for kids stuff, lol. Thank you so much for watching and sharing your thoughts, such a good outline of the ep, I hope you liked the video

[@corsaircaruso471]

W take

[@BobskiSportsNetwork]

Charles Darwin was actually a very large Christian. He wrote about many other things other then evolution

[@kratoscraken5614]

It's also interesting that till this day we still don't know his power level, power limits or even if he's immortal or not. He's very unique and actually controversial 👍

[@HeroJournalism]

totally agree, I think his mystery is part of what makes him compelling, even now that we know his origin, lol. Thanks for watching, Kratos - we got more of this coming soon, hope to see you around these parts again sometime

[@tompadfoot3065]

Wait what? We know pretty much everything about Sinister. Hell, the current Mister Sinister that's a member of the Silent Council is one of his many clones from Bar Sinister, the island populated entirely by Sinister clones. Sinister got his initial powers from Apocalypse, but he's heavily altered himself by genetic manipulation, self cloning, etc. His goal has always been to study and preserve the mutant genome, and his library of mutant generic samples was integral to the mutant resurrection procedure on Krakoa

[@HeroJournalism]

Thx for the extra detail - I'm a little behind on the comics, lol. Hope you liked the vid, Tom

[@tompadfoot3065]

@@HeroJournalism yes! Solid breakdown of a great 1-off at a point in the series where the narrative was less than stellar and the animation had fallen significantly down in quality from seasons 1-4. It just irks me to see "oh man and there's so much we don't know about character X" when we absolutely do, it's just that it hasn't been put in an MCU movie or really anywhere outside the comics lol.

[@emperorsean1]

Evolution is a scientific fact we evolved.

[@elmo45]

Episodes such as these can be termed fanservice. They take the show farther and deeper than it was intended.

[@HeroJournalism]

Interesting; usually people use "fanservice" as an insult. But I totally agree with you

[@jtaavon]

This is always been one of my top five favorite episodes of the X-Men. I remember when it aired and I occasionally watch it because I enjoy it so much. I love the origin stories of the villains just as well as the heroes.

[@Puckisher]

OH MY GOD! I was a simple kid in the post-communist Poland but I do remember this episode clearly. One of the best! Great TV show, great content you are making!

[@HeroJournalism]

Wow, love this comment so much, thank you for sharing. Love hearing people's memories, and especially from other countries, so cool to hear how it had an impact beyond the borders. Salutations to your homeland, I've heard good things about their support for Ukraine. When that invastion happened, I made a short video comparing it to Red Dawn, the ep with Omega Red in which Russia invades former satellite states: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4vKdKiEotWVeMk Thank you so much for the compliments, if you liked this, then I can guarantee you will love the upcoming videos I'm working on. I take a long time on my videos, but I am readying a huge slate of content and should be putting out at least 2-4 vids per month for the next 3-4 months, so keep an eye out!

[@andyapsay8220]

This episode was so fresh in my mind. Was a bizarre yet socially relevant episode like most episodes of XTAS 92! Well done, Sir! New subscriber and hope to see more content similar to this!

[@HeroJournalism]

Thanks for the kind words! I do have more episode breakdowns planned, as well as character breakdowns and other angles as well - for X-Men and other 90s classics! Glad to have you as a subscriber!

[@UpIrons777]

I remember when this episode first aired. I was amazed and shocked that they had Jack The Ripper in this. I knew about Jack The Ripper. One of England's first serial killers, and he is on a Saturday Morning kids show? Man, this episode is dark.

[@HeroJournalism]

You know, it's funny - perhaps because US doesn't have that connection with Jack, I thought people (esp normies) would think it was a cheesy stunt (thus, in the vid I go out of my way to explain the reasoning). While there have been great Jack adaptations, in the 70s/80s, a lot of times Jack was injected in as a stunt, like on something like Fantasy Island, so the dramatic terror of the character had been dilluted a bit. So it's really interesting to hear your perspective from across the pond, thank you for watching and for chiming in with your memories!

[@Zen-OhsMethod]

I remember that episode when I was a kid too. To be shocked at the end of that episode was an understatement for me.

[@thechad7643]

The series heavily implies Magnetos wife died from severe exposure to cold when she fled from him during a particularly nasty bout of anti-human rage and in days of future past we see Wolverine running off to fight nimrod when Bishop time jumps and when Bishop returns we see a metal skeleton in forges lab. Basically not even PG-13 Hollywood could get away with some of the dark material this show portrayed.

[@artydean9892]

@@HeroJournalism might have a connection to the US if you are to believe some of the theories hahaha

[@HeroJournalism]

@@artydean9892 I have indeed heard some theories; as you might imagine from my channel, I like history stuff, I think it was History Guy, one of the channels I watch that did a video on US's first serial killer and the rumors it was Jack come across the pond lol

[@zandorvorkov7257]

What I liked about the 90s X-Men cartoon was that it actually had balls.

[@Gambit2483]

Back when "kids" cartoons had actual deep storylines.

[@HeroJournalism]

They don't get any deeper than X-Men TAS

[@HBLINK]

This video ages well with the X-Men '97 taking off as a hit and with Mr. Sinister one of the bid bads in this continuation of the X-Men series, the video is fitting and explains a lot of what happened back then in the last few episodes, to what we are seeing now in X-Men '97. Great job!

[@JohnDillenger1934]

X-Men is My favorite cartoon from the 1990's

[@HeroJournalism]

I have a hard time choosing - the 90s were SO great for action cartoons, I'll be covering a lot more besides X-Men, but I'd probably agree with you. Working on new X-Men vids now, feel free to vote for your fave you'd like to see

[@jackventure3703]

I loved this episode. They perfectly worked in all the mature details like Jack the Ripper without being to intense for kids. It was great origin story especially that first time when I didn’t know Essex was Sinister.

[@HeroJournalism]

So glad to hear a fellow fan, Jack - love your name/avatar, I've used the Venture version of David Bowie for my FB avatar for YEARS! I'm a HUGE fan of the show (and its source materials, mainly Quest), and hope to discuss those in the future! Love finding mutual thinking fans. (I actually was just doing research for a script and thought it was perfect for a clip of Dr. Venture bragging about his "walking eye!") Ah, someone else just commented that they didn't know Essex was Sinister until that James X said "sinister" ha ha. If you liked this - it's just the beginning, just a small sample of the analysis, deep dives, and interview footage from the creators I've accumulated (and am getting more soon). Hope to see you back as a viewer and commenter!

[@JDA2185]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who thought this episode was a stroke of genius. No way anyone would ever be able to pull off something like this today. But hey, the 1990s was the last period where great things that were due to daring people happened... Although in the comics Sinister gets his first powers from Apocalypse who mutates him into a superhuman with regenerative and mental and telekinetic powers which is different from what they showed in this episode. But I guess they couldn't do just one episode in which they showed his comic book origins so they had to come up with something else. Still, they did a brilliant job.

[@HeroJournalism]

Totally, Alexander! This ep was genius, and glad you commented, so great to hear this. I've been researching cartoon history for years, and have been building work for new videos, and one future topic is how the 90s were the greatest decade in action cartoon history, so there's plenty more from that decade that will be coming to the channel. You know, that's interesting - frankly I find it bizarre that they cut out what you think would normally make an ep - Cyclops/Jean time traveling to the 1880s; and they KEPT Darwin and the science vs. bible debate. I think they probably could have streamlined that into an ep - but on the other hand, the fact that it's got NO X-Men really adds to the ep's ballsiness IMO, I just love when artists break conventions. It's also amazing that this ep from such a hit show was so unwatched and unremembered, fading into obscurity. I'm glad I got to shine a light, I feel like I made a major discovery, even though it's been sitting there the whole time, with the real X-Men TAS fans seemingly the only ones in the know. Hey, thanks for watching - hope to see you around these parts again, some epic stuff coming up.

[@JDA2185]

@@HeroJournalism Yes, my thoughts exactly. Although I still would've loved them to have brought in an awoken Apocalypse to meet Essex and turn him into what he is today, just like in the comics. But most likely that wouldn't have been possible to fit in one episode and since they couldn't make a two parts episode (which is what I think this episode deserved) they had to do the best they could with what they had but boy did they manage to do just that! I also agree with you that there were some great gems in the 5th season which is the season everyone calls "the worst". For instance the episode "A deal with the devil" where they brought Omega Red back was amazing. So was Bloodlines where they brought Nightcrawler into the show again. Old soldiers was also good and tackled some interesting topics that I bet didn't sit well with the network's control board (or whatever that's called). And personally I liked The Phalanx Covenant a lot too simply because my favorite X-Men villain, Mister Sinister was on the good guys' team 😁 😂😂 And you know what I think? This show is still very underrated. A lot of people just don't remember how good it was especially since it was limited by the Saturday morning cartoons' BS rules. It would've been much better if they had designed it for a more mature audience like shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer was, you know what I mean here? Was that an option at that time? Because a more adult oriented show was what this show needed to be. If you ask me it still remains the best on-screen adaptation of the X-Men story. Better than any movie made after it. So just imagine what this show would've been liked it it had been designed for a more mature audience. I don't think the human brain can encompass such awesomeness... 😂😂😂😂

[@Fartrellcluggins69]

no way anyone could be able to do this today? its being done all the time lol. that statement bewilders me...

[@JDA2185]

@Crammy handlebit's observations of an idiot It's being done "all the time"...? Really? In what show? Tell me. What today's "woke" garbage shows anything even close to that kind of innovation and quality? Show us.

[@the-NightStar]

"But hey, the 1990s was the last period where great things that were due to daring people happened..." So.... you're not aware then, of literally all of the massively risky things that constantly happened in Courge The Cowardly Dog, Gravity Falls, Samurai Jack, Avatar The Last Airbender, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe and many more, then? Becuase the existence of those animated shows and the content in them kinda makes your statement look like the crotchety ramblings of an out of touch grouch who literally has no idea what he's talking about and is very objectively wrong with many obvious examples.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

I do remember watching this episode, but not all the details (such as actually showing a corpse). I don't remember thinking to myself, "I can't believe they're getting away with this" or anything like that. I do remember Peggy Charren. If I understand correctly, her group is pretty much responsible for killing off Saturday morning and weekday afternoon cartoons on over-the-air TV channels, relegating them to cable channels. I read about Mr. Sinister's original planned origin that they abandoned early on in the comics. He was originally planned to be not an actual person but someone created by the powers of a mutant child. He was designed to be what a kid would think was cool.

[@HeroJournalism]

Yeah, I remember in the 90s reading articles about Charren complaints; I actually hosted a talk show on my college radio station in MN, called The Great Midwestern Forum (a play on the famous Lakers stadium, but with the double meaning of being a forum to discuss current events lol). I was an avid VHS recorder of X-Men (and almost every action cartoon of the 90s), and was horrified a new round of censorship might take hold. Sigh. Hey, thanks for watching, glad you liked it - working on more so keep an eye out!

[@_GhostTea]

Excellent video, really enjoyed all the extra tidbits in the captions and the over all format!

[@HeroJournalism]

Thank you, Megan, I really appreciate that. Several of the captions were items I added late in post-production; some were things I thought of and wish I'd included in the script. This vid was a little easier to have new info and trivia, since it's so little-covered anywhere else, but even on my vids covering more popular things, I try to dig up some new info or context that others have missed, so really glad you liked it. Thank you for giving it a chance, and for sharing your thoughts - hope you like more from the channel, and feel free to holler next time. Good or bad, I'm also OK with critical feedback too!

[@terrellwbutler]

This was the episode that explains why Mr. Sinister is so enamored with Jean Grey. He basically is following up on his own personal experiments.

[@JoseSanchez-vd9qz]

What a pity that, when this episode was released, the series had lost most of its animation quality.

[@julianxamo7835]

What a great episode, I always recommend new viewers to watch it around mid-season 2 to give depth to the main villain of that season

[@traceytillery382]

I remember looking at Essex's chin hair design and noticing some villain had that too. The end where thunder sounded and lightning appeared at the end to show Prof. Xavier in the present time was striking for me. This episode was truly memorable.

[@HeroJournalism]

One thing that sucks about making these videos is thre are always things I regret not including, and the lightning strike transition is one in this video - though it's really even more; Dr Xavier blows out the candle to extinguish the light, going to black - then the lightning strike seemingly lights the show with the Prof, it's a fantastic filmmaking technique that's less commonly used in cartoons, and definitely notable; I've written elsehwere in these comments that this whole scene gives me the chills every time I see it, it's brilliant filmmaking

[@fanaticbogey]

Loved it. Every bit.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@fanaticbogey - thank you so much for watching, and sharing your support for this amazing and underappreciated ep.

[@Yes12ok]

Don't speak too loud about this episode or Disney would remove it from it's stream service, now that we've returned to the dark ages

[@SrChr778]

I never thought of it as "ground-breaking", with that particular episode anyway. But seeing an origin story of Mr. Sinister, I just thought it was a good change of pace.

[@HeroJournalism]

definitely a great change of pace

[@markregan7639]

This has to be one of the best recommendations from the KZbin algorithm to date. Great video and happy to subscribe!

[@GregaGenesis]

Just wanted to say that this was a fascinating and really impressive look into the XTAS "Descent" episode! Thanks for making it!

[@HeroJournalism]

Thank you so much, its so cool to hear people say they find this kind of stuff as interesting as I do! Hope to see you around here again sometime

[@shoresean1237]

1 - You have excellent taste in Batmobiles. I own a vintage plastic model - I only wish they'd put it out in diecast. 2 - While the miscarried baby was obviously excised, it too has a Frankenstein connection. It was the loss of her own child and a nightmare regarding it that drove her (Mary Shelley) to meet the authors' challenge in that Swiss chalet with the tale of Frankenstein. 3 - When Spider-Man folded, one potential plot lost was finding MJ in 1880's London being stalked by Jack, who would have been a recipient of the time/space lost Carnage symbiote, possibly the one cast off from Spider-Carnage when he sacrificed himself. 4 - Lastly, while these 5 were still decent to excellent episodes, Beast bugged me in that episode with Cortez leading the cult of Apocalypse. He tells Jubilee that the temple is dedicated to the end of the world - then later says he misread it and it was dedicated to Apocalypse. Problem is, strictly translated, the word 'apocalypse' doesn't mean the end of the world - that's only what it has come to mean, and only in one language on the opposite side of the world from where they were. OT, but still a nit I had to pick.

[@HeroJournalism]

Thank you, Rob. I bought that back in the 90s, it's an all-time fave. I had the Batwing too, but dad threw it out when I moved away. Die cast would be glorious! 2. Wow, that's a GREAT observation, I totally forgot that famous Gothic night was in the aftermath of her miscarriage, great note I should've included that! 3. wow, that rings a bell. I know Semper wrote a script for a follow up episode - is that what you're referring to, or was this an idea he had at the time the show ended? (I believe the script was written well after the show was over) 4. Interesting point about Apocalypse; however, I'm going to allow X-Men a grace on that one! That ep was a little disappointing for me; I was psyched, as I'm a HUGE fan of the show's Apoc, though that stacked the odds against that ep, since it's about his return and so he dosn't show up until the final seconds. However, his double-cross of Cortez was so deliscious, that makes up for a lot. Cortez in Sactuary was one of the great minor castings on the show, he was played with such sublime sliminess. I'm also a big fan of Old Soldiers and the finale ep too. Hey, thanks for watching and chiming in here in the comments, especially with such thoughtful observations. So glad you liked it, I am working on new analysis vids on X-Men, feel free to suggest an episode you'd like to see broken down.

[@shoresean1237]

@@HeroJournalism I have a 1/43 Diecast 89 Batwing - great piece, but dangerous toy - it is heavy and has VERY sharp edges. The only Batwing that could double as a batarang. This wasn't an adult collector's thing, either - this was on the toy racks when the movie came out. As for a diecast Super Powers - Hot Wheels made one and called it Super Friends, but I don't think it's quite the same - the lack of those beautiful orange windshields and the lack of toy features tells it all. Also, just saw that Mister Todd's company has made a 'Super Powers' Batwing, a retraux combo of the Super Powers -mobile and the 89 Batwing. The original Bride Of Frankenstein actually opens with Shelley (played by Lanchester) chatting with Byron et al in the chalet as she 'continues' her story. Always loved that. As for Spidey by Gaslight, I can't say. I have heard that story told almost since the final Spidey eps aired. No one ep comes to mind, but rather a thread: Kelly's conversion. It was a bit of a cliche - usually a fanatic is too far in for a proven hypocrisy to make them see the light, but it must have been hell turning his back on a rabid anti-mutant base. Also, it must have hurt realizing his concerns, however prejudiced, were based in something deeper, while his followers just hated for hate's sake.

[@HeroJournalism]

Wow, I'm jelly on that Batwing. Geez, I'd forgotten that Bride opening scene! Great detail. The Kelly thing is interesting suggestions - I have many ideas for videos that aren't just episode breakdowns; character spotlights, thematic analysis, adaptation analysis, and a lot of rando topics I want to keep quiet on for now. There'd have to be more to it than just his "conversion", but I can think of some angles for a Sen. Kelly video, I will take that under consideration.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@shoresean1237 - I just realized you said "batmobiles" as in plural - you must've seen my Batman 66 batmobile video, lol!

[@mrcynicallyred2007]

I have never forgotten the series. I still have my recorded episodes on VHS tapes, from my Saturday mornings. It is up there with the original He-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Mask, G.I.Joe and Generation 1 & 2 of Transformers. Phenonamol animated series.

[@HeroJournalism]

Oh, man preach it! Loved all those, D&D was so cool. I covered a little bit of Spider-Friends in my video interview with Todd Nauck. I plan to cover 80s toons, and even 70s, 60s, and a few suprises I think will break some new ground. I still have my VHS recordings of most of my X-Men eps, and some of my other 90s toons; recorded them to DVD years ago to get rid of all those tapes; just getting around to getting them on my computer - my copy of the premiere of Descent was what I used for all the footage from that ep in the video! Loved hearing your faves and memories, thanks for sharing!

[@jimwheeler9840]

Wow, talk about bringing extra meaning to something! Love this deep-dive!

[@HeroJournalism]

Wow, Jim - comments like these really keep me going. Thank you sir. I promise - more coming

[@thomasmccown2121]

I loved this video!! And I shared it with my friends and family members and all of Facebook!! It's just a great video and I see what you're saying about it 👌!!!" God bless you all today 🙏 Pace out

[@the1ucidone]

Man, I wish I was a kid again and watching that show for the first time after school. What a wonderful time to have lived. At least I was able to experience it. I remember this episode specifically freaked me out.

[@Fleshyfletch]

Very interesting I thought that you were going to bring up the sinister episode where sinister attaches that creepy toothed Tentacle to extract Cyclops's seed. Even at 10 or 11 years old I knew exactly what the hell was going on. It was totally obvious where he attached that creepy sucky thing. I miss the nineties

[@HeroJournalism]

Obvious about what?

[@thenationaltimelyactionhou9328]

I loved this episode, it was a well made and intriguing dive into the history of one of the X-Men's most *SINISTER* villains!

[@heathvenard1822]

6:05 dialogue syncs perfect with the animation. Well done!

[@HeroJournalism]

Ha ha, you're the 4th person to mention that! I noticed it during editing and was about to change it and thought "heck with it, kinda funny". It happened once before in my Joan Lee video

[@lordginge2010]

Awesome video loved the X-Men TAS. I think the cheap animation let this episode down but the story arc was great and Sinister is a awesome villain especially with that voice

[@HeroJournalism]

Yeah, effin Saban. I actually cut out some footage of another Marvel cartoon producer saying Saban was "a bunch of scumbags", lol. Maybe it'll turn up in a future video. But it was a great story, and as you mention, great voice acting - I could listen to Chris Britton and Cedric Smith talk to each other for hours. Thanks so much for watching, we got more coming that you're gonna like!

[@lordginge2010]

@@HeroJournalism I know gutted they changed the animation for the last few! The earlier season 2 animation would of made this episode awesome (the darker look in the Sinister/Morph episodes). Hell yeah the best voices for the characters. Was so disappointed in the film Apocalypse. Oscar Isaac is no John Colicis with that voice lol

[@mysteryneophyte]

honestly for a Saturday morning cartoon show at that time, this was not a poor quality cartoon, including animation. What exactly are you compairing this against? IM NOT ARGUING THAT YOUR WRONG BUT I DON'T REMEMBER THINKING ANYTHING BUT IT SO OBVIOUSLY STOOD VERY TALL ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE AT THE TIME THAT I KNEW OF. Well actually Batman The Animated Series was way better animation, of course. Yeah your right, it could have been done way better i suppose but it made up in other areas anywhere it was lacking.

[@lordginge2010]

@@mysteryneophyte Huh? The animation from seasons 1-4 are far superior in detail to season 5 is what I was saying. The show is great and by far the best X-Men. They dropped the ball massively on season 5's animation thats what I was saying. No idea what you are kicking off about

[@DragonfireEntertainment]

I met Eric Lewald and his wife Julia a few weeks ago. They are so nice, and love telling stories from the time working on the show. Also, Lenore Zann (Rogue) and Alyson Court (Jubilee) were there, and honestly, some of the sweetest people ever!

[@HeroJournalism]

Oh, definitely - I've met the Lewalds and a few others on the production (no voice actors tho, sigh), such fantastic people, I love seeing them out at the cons promoting the XTAS legacy. First met them in 2017 - so crazy they're now making NEW eps! pinch me

[@seriousjoker9828]

Thank you for highlighting one of my favorite episodes of the X-Men cartoon! Best wishes! Love, Jason 💖🖤💖🖤

[@Cerdo_asqueroso]

I always liked this episode because it doesn't only show the origin of Mr. Sinister, but it also shows the origin of the mutant kind.

[@HeroJournalism]

Yeah, to me it's a critical ep from the series, and proof that season 5 shouldn't be ignored by fans. YT, I have tons more in-depth XM analysis coming - on the cartoons and films, and the comic connections. Taking forever to get my new vid out, but I have a dozen I'm readying for a big year end push of content!

[@iwanttoseemrshow]

The origin of mutant kind really begins with Apocalypse.

[@oxtailsoup6493]

“I am as far above mutants as they are above you.” -Apocalypse, answering a normal humans question of “are you a mutant?”

[@TheLycheegreentea]

This episode gave me chills when I watched it that Saturday morning. I was so upset after not knowing that it would be the last few episodes of the series. It was truly the end of the Saturday morning cartoon era.

[@HeroJournalism]

In editing this video, I had to watch that ending so many times, and it just gave me chills every time - one of the GREAT moments in the show, and deserves more awareness of it. Yes, it was def the end of an era, but that era will live on, on this channel!

[@Phyoomz]

I recently rewatched the series as it's on Disney+, and I had never seen this one, but realized it was great. Really fleshed out Sinister without being cheesy.

[@TheMATMAN316]

Thanks for the upload! I just watched the episode on Disney Plus

[@HeroJournalism]

You have perfect timing, sir! Or maybe I do? Lol, very cool you'd just watched this, happy you liked it! Thanks so much for watching, lots more X-Men coming soon!

[@1984lionhearted]

I’ve actually always loved this episode and kinda wish there was a spin off or a spin off conic book series about Xavier‘s ancestor chasing Mr. Sinister around the world

[@mrbransformer4184]

Based on the views from this compared to everything else on the channel, Id make more X-men cartoon breakdowns. This was pretty awesome.

[@HeroJournalism]

Ha ha ha, yes, "based on the views" lol! I'm kind of shocked at what's happening with this video; a few months ago I suddently realized I had almost no cartoon alalysis on the chanel yet, which is my wheelhouse. But as I was finishing this one, I actually regretted I hadn't picked a more higher profile ep to do first, so while I thought it'd do well, I'm totally shocked by the respons. So, YES - you can expect more X-Men breakdowns! I'm taking suggestions for future eps (though I have some planned already and a lot to get through). Thanks so much for watching and the compliment!

[@minimumeffortmaximumresult3677]

Helly yeah!!! Gr8 video!! 🎉🎉 Good job man, outstanding ❤❤❤

[@American_Mike]

This was my all-time favorite X-Men Episode!

[@HeroJournalism]

That's cool, so few seem to remember this one! Hope you liked this exploration & celbration of it! More coming soon!

[@HeroJournalism]

Thanks for watching - let me know what episode of X-Men YOU would like to see broken down! Special thanks to the band Chosen Robot for the amazing outro music, We Will Overcome from their album Terrorvision. You can find Chosen Robot and interact with them on their Facebook page: facebook.com/ChosenRobot Or you can check out their music playlists on KZbin: kzbin.info/door/f6nexfyzrAAgtC0vP3gm3w The music from the main body of the video was "Djinn" by Francis Preve, and is available in the KZbin audio library Apologies for the mistakes in the video: - At one point, the text notations refer to Jean Grey as "Gean" - I referred to the story taking place as both "Victorian Age" and "Post-Victorian Age", but it was in fact the "Victorian Age"

[@agreen3127]

The music fir the entire video...what's it called?

[@JCResDoc94]

*this was fun*. i enjoyed this. nice herojournalism. -JC

[@HeroJournalism]

@@agreen3127 - the main music is Djinn by Francis Preve from the KZbin audio library. The outro music is We Will Overcome by Chosen Robot (links above in the pinned comment).

[@HeroJournalism]

@@JCResDoc94 - glad you liked it! Hope you like the new content too!

[@agreen3127]

@@HeroJournalism thank I appreciate it. Awesome video!!! Made my day!

[@VeNoMsEpItApH]

What a great character. Perfect for the Marvel Universe and new X-Men.

[@HeroJournalism]

Agreed, and they NAILED it with their version of the character! More deep analysis coming soon!

[@piyushathawale]

What an episode! Both yours and Descent. Great stuff!! loved your analysis and editing...i am really glad that you are producing such quality content. Keep going!!! hoping to see more stuff

[@HeroJournalism]

Wow, thank you so much for your trust - I know my older stuff isn't as good, but I'll try and get new stuff out ASAP

[@blacklite911]

Are we not gonna talk about Sinisters baller ass Morpheus sunglasses. Man was ahead of his time

[@HeroJournalism]

Lol, love that observation! Thanks for watching & sharing that!

[@alesele20]

I remember this episode well and I’ve always considered Mr Sinister the most compelling X Men villain.

[@BlkEaselsAndLovePalettes]

In the current run sinister has become even more interesting and charismatic.

[@alesele20]

@@BlkEaselsAndLovePalettes What should I start with to get into that? I haven't read or followed X Men for a while

[@HeroJournalism]

I'd say Sinister was quite possibly the scariest villain in 90s cartoons, certainly at the top level

[@EthanLong]

With the revelations in the main title currently, this is a pretty timely video heh

[@HeroJournalism]

Oooo, I'm not up to date on the comic - what storyline do I need to check out to read up on what you mean! Thanks for watching, more X-Men breakdowns coming soon!

[@EthanLong]

@@HeroJournalism the main x-men vol 6 comic, with the last two issues being the spoilerrific ones. Although X-Men Red and Immortal X-Men have been the standouts of the current runs

[@HeroJournalism]

@@EthanLong - thanks for the tip, I will put that on my list! Hope to see you back at the channel sometime, if so give another holler

[@dnysgrl22]

Thanks for doing an analysis of this episode. I missed this episode as a kid but watched it as an adult and thought it was so well done and affecting.

[@KevinIsaiah]

I remember this episode spooking me..🙌🏾

[@HeroJournalism]

If a network TV cartoon can do that, you know it's something special

[@TheJonk98]

Sorry for being pedantic, BUT, it wasn't set in post Victorian London, it was late Victorian London. Post Victorian London was called the Edwardian period from 1901-1910.

[@HeroJournalism]

No problem, Jon - many others have mentioned it as well, however, I take no offense and certainly regret the error. During initial writing it felt too late to call Victorian (and as it turns out was at the very very very end of the period, which is why I thought as much); later on, I did correct the error (you'll note at the END of the video, I said it correctly); alas, those two initial mentions still said "post". Sorry for the error, hope it didn't impede your experience with the video

[@crazyjoe91682]

Even though Jonny Quest came out in the 60s, I clearly remember watching it back in the 80s. Another one of my all-time favorite cartoons growing up in the 80s, The Centurions.

[@HeroJournalism]

JQ is an all-time favorite here at HJ, and I hope to be able to do some coverage on it's sinqular importance to action cartoon history!

[@MrMDMPOfficial]

Centurions was DOPE!!!

[@crazyjoe91682]

@@MrMDMPOfficial everything about that cartoon was just manly. The names, their voices, even the theme song. I have a son who just turned 8 and loves to watch cartoons and it’s a damn shame that there’s no cartoons like the centurions for his generation.

[@crazyjoe91682]

@@HeroJournalism action cartoons nowadays are not what they used to be. I started playing cartoons I watched as a kid to my boy and his favorite one right now happens to be Swat Kats.

[@MrMDMPOfficial]

@@crazyjoe91682 agreed

[@SoundwaveX7]

Just got done listening to your video on my smartphone as I enjoyed listening to your video as I was a 90's kid who LOVED watching Fox Kids and seeing the logo at 0:00 and from clips of the actual show at 5:15 took me back to Saturday mornings in the 1990's. ♥♥ I so badly miss this era of cartoon animation as it was a great time to be a young kid getting up early on school days to watch cartoons while eating your favorite bowl of cereal or home made breakfast before heading off to school and coming home to watch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, X-Men, Goosebumps, Eek the Cat on Fox Kids and Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures and Pinky and the Brain on Kids WB.

[@edwardrichard2561]

I used to run from my bus stop in the afternoon so I didn’t miss anything on X men. I can still hear the intro music in my head from start to finish.

[@johnprudent3216]

This was a real favorite show of my younger brother and I. I always thought the writing was good even when I was younger at the time. I was big fan of the stellar voice-acting, animation and sound design too. Wow though! I thought the Phoenix Saga was one of this show’s high points but this is something else. Why don’t I remember ever seeing this episode? Obviously this was later in the show’s run as the animation team had changed by this time. Also, based on the way you began the synopsis, I thought it was gonna turn out that Sinister WAS Jack the Ripper, killing all those victims to satisfy his scientific obsession (which to me would’ve more interesting) but this was just as good. This looks like not only a great adaptation but a great episode on its own merit. Thanks for this great video on a great classic show.

[@HeroJournalism]

You know - you JUST reminded me - when I first watched this on the air in the 90s - I thought that opening scene definitely was saying Jack was really Sinister. Obviously a red herring, and Jack was one of his test subjects, but they DID initially imply Jack was Sinister! I should've included that. Thanks so much for watching and for the interesting comment!

[@rubenalonsohernandezlopez8435]

This is an incredible analysis. I loved it, with comments from creators and all! It has a deep content. Thats why I liked a lot this cartoon in my childhood.

[@HeroJournalism]

Thank you, Ruben - I really work hard to get detail you can't find from other sources, it means a lot that you appreciate it, thank you for commenting that.

[@ryanthornton2438]

Truly,one of the greatest episodes in the famous X-Men series that was not given enough attention. I remember watching it when it first came out and loved it.

[@HeroJournalism]

Agreed - thank you so much for watching!

[@craineyfit8619]

Weapon x lies and video tape was the DEEPEST most adult episode of them all. Ptsd rape abuse all not so kid friendly themes were all present. I actually felt weird watching that episode as a kid.

[@HeroJournalism]

Crainey - I agree, that was an incredible episode, certainly another landmark in cartoon and adaptation history (and another example of the cartoons being superior to the Fox films). I'm actually researching this now - I too felt that the team's emotional moments implied there may have been some sexual assault, but in my research, I've only found an implanted memory in Silver Fox that was an attempted assault - but you say there was an actual assault? Can you give more detail? Oh and if you can, try and avoid using the "R" word - KZbin stuff and all

[@craineyfit8619]

@@HeroJournalism oh my bad on the r word. Figured this would be a throwaway unread comment 😅 in the comic I do believe SF was assaulted and killed by sabertooth if my memory serves me so I figured the "can't take care of your woman" line was a reference to that event. Yea Creed actually says that in the flashback 😬 but yea in the toon you can't really discern what memories are real and what not.

[@HeroJournalism]

No worries, Crainey - thanks for your understanding. I'm still debating how I'm going to approach that word when I need to discuss it in future scripts; I don't want to shy away from difficult material, but am also cautious of incurring the wrath of the KZbin Gods. Thx for the clarification & extra detail! I knew Sabre killed her, but haven't read the issue yet, I will look into that! When I first saw that ep, I was SHOCKED at how emotional I got watching them all freakout in that scene - so while I'm still researching the source material - in the cartoon, no explanation was given to their pain, and it felt like SUCH a metaphor for abuse, that viewers could actually project their own experience onto. I think they did that by accident, they didn't want to show their horrible memories, and ironically it makes the scene much more powerful. Crainey, you'll be happy to know I discussed this with the writers, and I will be covering it soon. I might have a few vids on movie history (I've been researching Kubrick; put out a Shining vid recently and have some pretty mind-blowing 2001 stuff coming up), but I'm gonna try to have the next video out by Comic-Con or soon after). Thanks so much for your interesting and thoughtful comments

[@craineyfit8619]

@@HeroJournalism that's awesome that you're out there doing your due diligence covering these great toons from our childhood. Xmen Tam was hands down the best team comic toon ever. Thanks for posting!

[@TheRayvolution]

I loved Descent. However, I would add that Batman: The Animated Series played a significant role in pushing the boundaries of children’s programming. Saturday morning or otherwise.

[@HeroJournalism]

You are absolutely correct, and I hope do do some DCAU coverage in the future, but tbh there is a lot of coverage of BTAS around, much less delving into detail on XTAS. For example - this video. Look hat the crazy views its getting - 18k in 3 days! Part of the reason is because, pardon the brag - no one else has covered it. I've gotten so many comments from people shocked and delighted to learn of this crazy ep. Like I say in the video - a big reason why this ep specifically has been overlooked is due to it being in those final 5 episodes, often dismissed by even XTAS fans. But your point is well taken; while we're gonna be diving into a lot of obscure XTAS history, I do have plans for Bats and DC, as well as many others. And also some larger, industry-wide and/or era-analysis videos zooming out on the industry in general. Thanks for chiming in, hope to see you around here again

[@TheRayvolution]

@@HeroJournalism Absolutely! Brilliant deep dive and episode analysis.

[@gregjohnson8426]

DC Comics? Always been trash!!😆😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

[@TheRayvolution]

@@gregjohnson8426 We’re talking television shows currently.

[@gregjohnson8426]

@@TheRayvolution in that case I give them credit. I always felt DC animation was leaps and bounds over their live action movies. 💯😎

[@user-cr1ft5pg3e]

To me, it was one of the greatest episodes in the world,and you brought back some fun memories. So thank you very much for helping😮😮 me relive the best times of my life.

[@HeroJournalism]

That's awesome, so glad you found this video! So few people know about it, so I wanted to spread the word, but it's always so cool when a fan whose seen it chimes in. Thanks so much for watching - come back soon, I have tons more X-Men and cartoon history coming up for the X-Men '97 relaunch!

[@crazyralph6386]

Loved how James Xavier was inadvertently responsible for Essex’s “Sinister” moniker. Also, not only was Essex’s healing factor shown in this episode, so too did he emit energy blasts from his hands during the mob scene. He was practically full blown Mister Sinister by the end.

[@jasonedwards7784]

I wish marvel made movies like this series….would be fire!

[@Drizzt_Do_Entreri]

I wish more episodes could have focused on origin stories of characters who weren't part of the X-Men team. This episode could've been the catalyst to take the series in an entirely different direction but sadly it never had the opportunity.

[@HeroJournalism]

Great comment - though, give them credit, they prob did more of it than most cartoons

[@loringbush1455]

The good ol days of waking up early and getting ready to record your favorite cartoons on those 📼 tapes!

[@Chironofolympus]

I’m glad I was alive to see Saturday morning cartoons kids nowadays will never know this joy

[@sethraelthebard5459]

I loved this episode. I never saw it when it originally aired, but watched it on Disney + (before I shut it down anyway). It was phenomenal. I loved not only the respect shown for the source material, but also for the echoes of classic horror novelists. Not only Shelley and Stoker's obvious influence, but I feel as though there is a whisper of Lovecraft. A brilliant scientist, desperate to help a loved one, taps into forbidden knowledge. The result is a renouncement of humanity, and a descent (no pun intended) into inhuman depravity. This episode blew me away.

[@HeroJournalism]

You're not the first to comment here about additional influences, like Stoker, certainly something I could have gone into more; and I really like your suggestion of Lovecraft. Thanks so much for watching

[@SD2k4]

What’s the name of the outro song in this video? Also, thx for pointing out the genius in this incredible show, very articulate & comprehensive video 👍 I can only hope that the XMen ‘97 revival will live up to the high caliber of the original.

[@SparkyTakedown]

Yesss!!! Descent was my favorite! It had me in suspense. At first I didn't realize the twist was Mr. Sinister. Til Xavier's ancestor said..."Sinister!"

[@HeroJournalism]

Oh man, I love when people share specific memories like this. I don't want to complain, but I wish they'd give more detail, flesh it out. What you just described was how that drama unfolded for you, I love hearing that. For me, already knowing the name "Essex", it was way diff - I knew it was Sinister-related, so at the beginning - I thought "Jack" was sinister (in those opening shots, he looks very "white" and with glowing eyes like Sinister); so for me the big dramatic reveal was "he's not Jack - he CREATED Jack!", whereas for your, it was more like midway through you're suddenly going "OMG, Sinister is involved???" I love hearing how people process drama, which is clearly influenced by their specific perspective, so thank you for sharing this! And Gary - if you liked this ep, it's just the beginning, just the scratching of the surface of the analysis I have planned for XMTAS, and ALL X-Men adaptations. Big new videos coming soon (though be patient if you see videos that are out of your interest, I try to mix it up, but the next 6 monts are going to be huge on XMTAS)

[@SparkyTakedown]

@@HeroJournalism friend, thank you for being so present and taking the time to articulate how you processed this as well! Yes I can see now how Jack was a twist and misdirection. It even reminds me of one of my favorite movies (from the book) The Prestige. Which coincidentally took place in England back in the days too. And it chronicled the great lengths a man/men were willing to go to because of obsession. At this time I paused reading X-Men for a bit and therefore the TAS was my reveal of Essex'a identity! I'm excited for the upcoming sins of sinister event and I am glad Nathaniel is having his...renaissance if you will. I'll keep eyes on your channel. Thank you !

[@josesolares7875]

This is one of my favorite episodes. I notice that thinking ahead like sinister is vilified in cinema and tv. It’s rare to see fringe technology in a positive light. This episode did a great job of showing how sinister could have gone a different path if given the chance.

[@loonytunescrazy]

The x-men 92 cartoon is on Disney Plus plux they bring it back

[@HeroJournalism]

I'm so glad they did; I have digitized my old VHS recordings (I used the original broadcast premiere of Descent for footage in this video), but I'm missing some eps; I've got all the DVDs, but they're lower quality, so it's awesome to have them on D+, and I can't wait for the new eps! I'm working on more X-Men TAS breakdowns, feel free to suggest your favorite ep!

[@loonytunescrazy]

@Mark Milton What I mean is they are continuing from where it left off.

[@oceanblueheart1472]

This was actually my 1st episode of X-Men I watched as a kid. I had no idea what I was watching but my Cousin was Glued to the TV like crazy.

[@HeroJournalism]

Wow, what a crazy ep to start with! I bet your cousin grew up to be a horror fan, lol. Love hearing stories like this, thank you!

[@Powhart]

This episode sticked to me for years :D I'm so happy You covered it!

[@giancarlocoustenitzoff1640]

Saw this episode great as an adult, binging the good ol' cartoon. Not sure it was aired in my country 🤔 I never missed one episode... I would remember had i seen it as a child. Loved this show.

[@Jade-fg1vq]

Great video you got yourself a new subscriber

[@HeroJournalism]

Oh, that's so cool. When I mentioned the vid, I was thinking "I know sometimes when people recommend their video, it doesn't work out so well, but give this one a shot!", lol. Glad you thought so, really nice to hear, but a ton of time into this one, nice to hear it wasn't for naught! Hey, I got some big plans for new XMTAS content, I'm asking commenters if they have a fave they want to nominate for consideration for future videos. Thanks so much for watching and subbing and saying hi, hope you like the next one

[@Jade-fg1vq]

@@HeroJournalism I like any content on the X-Men being the massive X-Men nerd that i'am. I like the way you present your videos nice job 👍

[@Jade-fg1vq]

@@HeroJournalism one of my favourite episodes was when Cable first showed up and was kicking all kinds of ass made me instantly a huge fan of the character

[@MrMattmyth]

I love how there isn't a clear villian until the end, and how you sympathise with Dr. Essex. James Xavier was on the side of religion over science, Dr Essex- while flawed- realised the possibility of applying what he had learned to curing disease. He became Mr. Sinister, but part of that was due to the ignorance of men like James Xavier Not the standard Good Vs Evil narrative thats for sure.

[@HeroJournalism]

You nailed it. A lot of live action dramas don't even do such nuanced characters. Thanks for watching

[@coladict]

I always loved this episode. It had a depth that is often missing not just from cartoons and live-action tv shows, but often from feature-length films.

[@josephvalenzuela311]

Thanks for this. I forgot about this episode. I thought it was a pretty interesting episode , when it first came out on TV. Glad that you posted this video.

[@EmanueleCappello]

I remember watching this a good 20 years ago on Italian TV... If the 90s are remembered as a dark age of comic books (Rob Liefield, I'm looking at you), it was definitely a bit of a golden age for their animated counterparts: Batman TAS, X-Men TAS, The Amazing Spiderman were amazing and even the series for Superman, Hulk and Iron-Man, albeit not just as good, were still decent products. Great time to grow up!

[@HeroJournalism]

I will be delving into 90s cartoon history in great detail! But mostly X-Men for a while... :)

[@brandontankersley8107]

The second season of the Fantastic Four series was phenomenal! Too bad the first season was so painfully bad that people didn't give it a watch.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@brandontankersley8107 - Brandon, you're so right - and I will be diving into that!! In my local market, they didn't even update the commercials! I scolded my friend for not watching the 2nd season bc it was better, and he was surprised because the ads were still the same clips from season 1! I told this story to the director and producer of the two shows and both were shocked to hear that! That show is one of the greatest lost secrets of Marvel adaptation and I have a ton to say and reveal about it!

[@brandontankersley8107]

@@HeroJournalism yeah, I termed liking it as a mid-teen when it aired but didn't realize just how good the second season was or how much of a massive quality difference there was between the two seasons until more than a decade later when it and Iron Man released on DVD. In my mid-20's I was shocked by how great it was. Plus as the cameos were fun as hell.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@brandontankersley8107 oh, that's crazy! I knew the change was coming; I bought my comics at the time from a storyboard artist for X-Men, and he told me Larry (the dir) was taking over FF and it was gonna be AWESOME, though I was still skeptical. I have so much to cover about those; I'll prob start ramping them up the priority list after I get thru some more XMTAS, and/or poss if FF/Doom appearances in the MCU get closer (I have so much on my schedule its crazy), so keep an eye on the channel, some of this upcoming stuff is gonna kick ass. Thx for sharing your history of discovering MAU on TV/DVD, I love hearing people's stories of stuff like that in the comments!

[@OmarrMcinnis]

This episode took an almost anime and Shakespearean take. It was a great episode. It made Mr. Sinister's origin a Greek tragedy.

[@HeroJournalism]

Well said, Omar. I probably should've hit that home more strongly

[@OmarrMcinnis]

@@HeroJournalism Thank You... You still hit the nail right on the head. That took guts to air that episode. Batman The Animated Adventures tread this kind of dangerous ground. So much both my parents and grandparents became avid fans of both shows. How cool is that? A cartoon so good that three whole generations can enjoy them. GREAT WORK, HERO...👍👍👍☝️🌈💯

[@HeroJournalism]

@@OmarrMcinnis - wow, what a cool family! Thank you so much, I hope my future work continues to deliver for you

[@OmarrMcinnis]

@@HeroJournalism No, thank you...

[@bigbadvicHo]

I remember this episode as a kid, it was such a dark episode I understood pretty well since I grew up with old films like Frankenstein.

[@colinhunter8985]

Aye man. This is the first time I've watched one of this guys videos and I think I shall watch some more.

[@soulcreampoopcontrol]

I like how often torch-wielding mobs show up in X-Men

[@HeroJournalism]

Lol, me too - once I realized that, I had to include it, esp since this one has Frankenstein references (though several commenters have scolded me for not mentioning the real life grave digging origins, lol)

[@kenkenshiro6779]

I liked when wolverine became a Christian and read from the Bible in that series.

[@HeroJournalism]

Ken - I've interviewed the writer of that episode, Len Uhly and we talked about that episode. May take a while but I'm sure I'll get to it

[@kenkenshiro6779]

@@HeroJournalism wow awesome! That would be cool to see. If it dome today it would not air today. It encouraged me when I saw that episode years ago.

[@TwippyTwilight]

Everything you said about XMen was true, but Dungeons and Dragons had waaaay more balls. I mean a cartoon that had demons and devil's during the 1980s satanic panic era. They did a ton of things that parents at the time were too ignorant to tolerate. XMen was daring and brave but if it wasn't for the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon they couldn't have done 1% of what they did.

[@HeroJournalism]

Twippy, you make a GREAT point - and one overlooked by many due to the restrictions on the show (they were so limited in what they could do for action, so it diminishes the view of many modern cartoon fans). I cut my teeth on cartoons like 78-85, and D&D was huge for me and my friends; I'll def be covering it at some point. Spider-Friends was big as well, and I have some ideas I'm working on about the 82 Hulk cartoon too

[@TwippyTwilight]

@@HeroJournalism If you ever get the chance they made the very last episode of DnD called requiem like 10 years ago. It's on KZbin. All of the original voice actors came back it was done really well. Do they finally go home, or do they stay?? Venger's history. Most all questions are finally answered.

[@HeroJournalism]

@@TwippyTwilight - oh heck yeah, I have that boxed special edition DVD that has that as an extra feature!

[@zakazany1945]

@@TwippyTwilight I liked the fan version more, where they are just in Hell

[@theimortal1974]

sinister was one of the reasons season 2 is one of my favorite seasons of the show

[@HeroJournalism]

I love hearing that, Joshua! I'm a HUGE backer of the second season; I feel that it's overlooked by many who prefer to watch eps from Season 3 or later, due to the better animation (and, tbf, plenty of bangers there too), but season 2 had so many top level eps that I think should be candidates to be among the best of the series! I have more deep dives coming, and some will indeed delve into the awesomeness of season 2!! thanks for watching!

[@MDestron2282]

I swear I've seen every episode at least a dozen times and I have no memory of this.

[@HeroJournalism]

Oh dang, if my video helped bring this ep you missed to your attention, that is fantastic! Thanks so much for watching!

[@seanchan4478]

X-men is rated Y7 because it is a badass action packed superhero adventure amd not for little babies

[@HeroJournalism]

ROFL! Love it