Geek Out

Top 5 Tabletop Games from 2002

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Top 5 Tabletop Game List throughout the years. 2002 has more than one big name game. We’ll see some familiar names—both designers and game series—but 2002 also saw some new blood. We’ll get to the board games in a bit, but first, let’s review our list’s criteria.

1: Cultural relevance plays as much of a factor as overall quality. A game might make a list that doesn’t hold up to others of its type, but you must admit the game is everywhere.

2: Only one game from a franchise makes the list. This will become more of an issue the closer we get to games with expansions.

3: Longevity plays a role, too. A game doesn’t have to fly off the shelves today, but it had to have some widespread appeal for a decent time.

Honorable Mention: Pirate’s Cove (2002)

Pirate’s Cove has been out of print for a while; I hope it returns to print soon because it’s a great light-to-mid-weight game, featuring pirates. Who doesn’t love pirates? Players simultaneously select which island they’d like to visit. Each island allows players to upgrade parts of their ship.

But if two players land on the same island, they fight. The goal of fighting is to scare off your opponent and be the last ship on the island, so you can upgrade your ship. Ultimately, you’ll want to have the most fame. While Pirate’s Cove can be a little mean at times—I’ve picked islands I knew a weak opponent would choose—the game plays fast.

5: Mexica (2002)

That’s a clean sweep. Each one of Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer’s games in the Mask Trilogy made one of these lists. Don’t let Mexica’s ranking at five fool you. It’s a well-regarded game and a fitting end to the trilogy. Players score points (El Grande style) based upon their dominance in a district.

During the first round scoring, only districts score points. In the second round (at the end of the game), all land areas and districts score. This adds some spice to the way scoring occurs. It also allows players to recover from a weaker first round. Unlike Java, Mexica has seen a recent reprint. And I love the building play pieces.

4: Wallenstein (2002)

Wallenstein introduced—or at least popularized—the dice tower, even if its dice tower is more of a cube tower. Players place cubes at the top of the tower, and eventually, the cubes fall to the bottom, granting resources. I don’t know why more games haven’t used the cube tower. If you tear open the cube tower, you’ll find landing spots for the cubes to get stuck. Clever.

This mechanism would receive an update with two recent games: The Loop and Dead Reckoning. This adds to the mystique of this game mechanism. Every game that has used this mechanism has been highly regarded. Does the game have a cube tower? It must be great.

3: Bang! (2002)

Bang! is easily the weakest game on this list—and that includes the honorable mention—but Bang! may have the largest cultural impact. Bang! solidified the hidden role game. You know what your role is and you must figure out who everyone else is playing. The Sheriff (whose identity is known to all players and has an extra health point) wants to kill all Outlaws and the Renegade. Deputies protect the Sheriff and kill Outlaws. Outlaws want to kill the Sheriff. And the Renegade wants to be the last one standing.

Bang! has seen its share of spin-offs, too, including the even better Bang! The Dice Game, which speeds up the already brisk gameplay.  And so many themed versions of Bang! the card game. There’s even a Bang! card game based on Marvel’s Secret Invasion. Eek! Bang! can be a good time. It’s thematic; you’re playing out a Spaghetti Western. I call Ringo.

2: Age of Steam (2002)

Martin Wallace and train games go togetherlike board and game. The game that claims BoardGameGeek’s top spot is Brass: Birmingham, a train game by Martin Wallace. Age of Steam is only the second time Wallace made a train game. It improves on Voldampf (2001) in almost every way.

Age of Steam set the tone for what a mid-to-heavy-weight train game could accomplish. Heck. Case in point, the only designer who could outdo Martin Wallace was Martin Wallace. Even though another Wallace train game tops BGG’s list, Age of Steam still sees play. I’ve seen countless people create new maps, keeping the game alive.

1: Puerto Rico (2002)

Puerto Rico easily takes the top spot. It’s the highest-rated game (on BoardGameGeek) and maintains a spot in the Top 100 games. But more importantly, Puerto Rico may have more influence on how games are designed today than when it was first released. Each round, players take turns selecting a role card from the display. When a role is chosen, every player gets to take the action appropriate to that role, but the player who selected the role also receives a small privilege. For example, choosing the “Builder” role allows all players to construct a building, but the player who chose the role may do so at a discount. So much of modern board game design adapts this concept in exciting ways.

Flamecraft comes to mind. Players upgrade spaces (shops) on the board that benefit everyone at the table, but the player who made the upgrade gets an additional kickback. Having your play benefit or affect someone else’s forces to players to pay attention to what their opponents are doing. Puerto Rico turns up the ante. Everyone gets some variation of the action you choose each turn. This small twist heightens the tension of each choice. Brilliant!


Did we get the list mostly correct? Let us know which games you’d add in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly News: July 19, 2026; New Releases

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. We’re in the middle of convention season. So, we’re sticking with new board game and video game releases for the week. And we have plenty of big releases to talk about. Let’s get to the games.

Kabuto Sumo Dice Launches on KickStarter

In Kabuto Sumo Dice, you’ll be forcefully throwing dice into a 3D arena with the goal of knocking out your opponents or getting the correct combination of pips to pin them. Last bug standing wins.

Each wrestler uses signature moves and pieces to try and gain an advantage!

Thank you, All Play, for the Kabuto Sumo Dice’s description. I have yet to play Kabuto Sumo, but I’ve always liked the game’s king-of-the-hill style of play. I also like Kabuto Sumo’s theme of bug combat. Yay! Kabuto Sumo Dice continues that trend with–well–dice. Combining dice chucking with a dexterity element is excellent. Love it. And All Play has a long history of creating some great, approachable board games. Kabuto Sumo Dice’s pledge levels range from $39 to $249. Quite the spread, but gamers have plenty of options. The lowest level only includes the base game. Add another $40 or so dollars, which includes two other games, Wild Berries and Imp. If you’re interested in Kabuto Sumo Dice, check out its KickStarter page.

Elementary Launches on KickStarter

Welcome to Monster Elementary, a mystical grade school where Snax are social currency and every lunchbox is a chance to make new friends. Bluff your classmates, collect delicious treats, recruit quirky monster friends, and build the lunch table every monster wants to join.

Elementary is a family-friendly bluffing and tableau-building dice game. Each round, players secretly shake and roll custom Snax dice inside their lunchboxes before taking turns raising the stakes, calling bluffs, and competing to earn first pick from the cafeteria’s vending machine.

The Snax you collect can be traded to recruit monster friends, each bringing unique abilities and elemental synergies to your growing friend folio. As your circle of friends grows, so do the powerful combinations you can create, rewarding clever planning as much as daring bluffs.

Over the course of the game, you’ll collect Snax, outwit your classmates, and make new friends.

Thank you, Littlest Lantern, for Elementary’s description. Flamecraft’s dream team, game designer Manny Vega and artist Sandara Tang, return. That tandem, along with Elementary’s theme of a monster elementary school, has me hooked. From what I see, players can convert items into other items, which could–ironically–make Elementary more complex than Flamecraft. And that’s okay. Flamecraft is already a great game for gamers who want to dip their toes into more complex games. Who knows? Elementary could further that concept. Elementary is definitely on my watch list. If you’re interested in Elementary, check out its KickStarter page.

The Isle of Penguins Launches on KickStarter

The Isle of Penguins is a competitive open-drafting and penguin-placement board game.

As a citizen of Squalls End, your expedition to the frozen lands of the north has suddenly become a rescue mission, and you must rescue as many penguins as possible before the ice melts. To succeed, you’ll travel to ice floes, gather fish, study ancient lessons, and clear rocks from your uniquely shaped raft. As you rescue penguins, you must find a way to fit them all on your raft while protecting their eggs and keeping families together.

The game features:

  • Open Drafting: Manage your speed to stay ahead in the rescue, and claim the discoveries you need most.
  • Penguin Placement: Rescue penguins, create families, and protect eggs, as you try to fit everything onto your raft.
  • Simultaneous Play: Everyone searches the ice together, placing tiles onto their raft at the same time.
  • Multiple Modes: Family, advanced, and expert modes, from young explorer to seasoned rescuer.

In The Isle of Penguins, every penguin matters. Will you master the ancient lessons, fill your raft, and bring every penguin home?

Thank you, The City of Games, for The Isle of Penguins’s description. Many gamers (Season is one of them) may have been fooled in April with an Icecraft meme, but The Isle of Penguins is a real game. I’m still holding out hope that we will get an Icecraft game from Manny Vega and Sandara Tang. The Isle of Penguins furthers concepts found in 2019’s The Isle of Cats. The Isle of Cats is yet another game I have yet to play. Season picked up a copy several years ago, and I’m still waiting for her to bring the game to the table. I like the theme of rescuing animals. Polyominoes are always fun. The Isle of Penguins’s simultaneous play has me intrigued. Games may not take too long, and simu-play tends to let games scale well at various player counts. The Isle of Penguins is yet another banger release this week. If you’re interested in The Isle of Penguins, check out its KickStarter page.

Culdcept Begins Releases on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2

A hidden classic that fuses board and card games, Culdcept features a unique, innovative system that has captivated fans since its debut. Players become Cepters, wielding cards in intense battles where luck and strategy collide. After ten years, a brand-new story begins once again.

Oh…my…ghost! For the first time in over ten years, we get a new Culdcept game. Early last year, Season covered the Culdcept franchise’s history. Ah! I love it. In short, Culdcept combines elements of Monopoly with Magic: The Gathering. This combo shouldn’t work, but it so does. Graphics for the older Culdcept games haven’t aged the best. They were never bad, but they could’ve used an update. I like what I’ve seen from Culdcept Begins. Judging from the picture above, it looks as if Culdcept Begins upgraded the game’s interface. Upgraded lands appear to have levels to them, and that’s fantastic. I’m certain Geekly will pick up a copy. This may be one of the games we cover in 2027. I’m always down for a new game of Culdcept.

Moss: The Forgotten Relic Releases

Moss: The Forgotten Relic is an emotional and atmospheric adventure set in the pages of a living storybook, brimming with myth and ancient magic. Guide a tiny but determined hero on a heartfelt journey of challenge, courage, and connection.

Moss: The Forgotten Relic takes the popular VR game Moss and gives it a 3D platform puzzler twist. I’m a sucker for a cute and engrossing platformer. The platformer genre has seen some great additions in recent years. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, anyone? Moss: The Forgotten Relic has received solid reviews. At $20 on Steam, Moss: The Forgotten Relic may be worth the value. I don’t know if platformer games (outside of Nintendo titles) can charge full price. But at that price, I’ve added Moss: The Forgotten Relic to my wishlist. Moss: The Forgotten Relic is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

X-Men ’97 “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” Review

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Happy Saturday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction to an X-Men ’97 season two episode. This week’s episode is “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” If you’re looking for last week’s X-Men ’97 episode, “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2,” here’s the link. Yes! Wolverine is going back to his roots: The Weapon X Program. I’ll start this post with my thoughts on “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.”

Kyra’s Take

The previous episode’s mid-credit scene perfectly set up “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” We knew Wolverine intended to take on the Weapon X Program and that he had assembled a team tied to the program. I scratched my head when I saw Wolverine’s team. Maverick and Garrison Kane were great choices. Real deep cuts. You love to see it. Morph tagging along made sense. They’ve been tied with Wolverine since the previous season, and a lot of their relationship with Wolverine gets explored in “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” More on Morph in a little while. But it’s the final two members that confused me. I had to suspend disbelief with Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike’s inclusion. How did Wolverine manage to convince those two to join his team? That could’ve been an episode all on its own, and “Weapon X, Lies and DVDs” handwaved the backstory. Okay.

Not explaining how Wolverine convinced Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike to join him is my only small gripe. Sure, one can handwave the backstory by saying Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike hated The Weapon X Program more than they hated Wolverine. Moving on. “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” features the first time the actual Brood take center stage in an X-Men show or movie. Sure, an altered version of The Brood, called the Colony, made an appearance in the original X-Men: Animated Series, and the real Brood made a cameo in “Mojovision,” but we got a great introduction to the Brood in “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” The tension rises whenever Wolverine and company explore Weapon X storylines. Add in the Brood, and you have a party.

Morph steals this episode. Their complicated relationship with Logan drives “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs’s” story. Maverick and Kane are old war buddies. I’m still unsure why Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike joined Wolverine. The only one on this team who truly cares for Wolverine is Morph, and J.P. Karliak (Morph’s voice actor) always brings a much-needed sense of levity to Wolvie. “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” is clearly an allusion to the classic Eighties film Sex, Lies, and Videotape. The episode is set at a Weapon X facility. The staff uses DVDs to chronicle their experiments with The Brood. But the “Lies” come from Wolverine. He wants his adamantium back. While he may not mind betraying Sabretooth, Lady Deathstrike, Maverick, and Kane, pulling the wool over Morph’s eyes cuts deep.

While “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” doesn’t quite reach last week’s episode–how could it?–it does a good job at delivering an action-packed episode. Wolverine wasn’t going to keep his bone claws for long. X-Men ’97 has a way of incorporating classic comic book covers in its episodes. Wolverine #1’s (1982) cover makes an appearance, and just in the nick of time. So good. X-Men ’97 is a love letter to the X-Men. You love to see it. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Omega Red’s appearance. Pitting Omega Red against The Brood was a great touch. Even better, Omega Red intended to join forces with The Brood. “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” managed to raise the stakes (both personal and global) throughout its runtime. I can’t believe this episode packed so much into thirty minutes.

And I can’t wait to see the fallout from “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” Morph and Wolverine’s relationship may never be the same. They certainly weren’t on the best of terms. I will cite another small concern, or perhaps it’s a wish. Wolverine got his adamantium back far too soon. I would’ve liked to have seen him struggle with bone claws for most–if not all–of this season. X-Men ’97 could’ve done more with exploring a depowered Wolverine. This might have made Wolverine’s regaining of his adamantium more powerful at the end. Getting back to that ending, Morph was fantastic. Even though “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” was a Wolverine-centric story, Wolverine spent half the episode infected by The Brood. Morph carried the emotional weight of this episode. I’d like to see X-Men ’97 pull at the threads it introduced at the end of this episode.

Season’s Take

Hey, Alphas! Morph really was the highlight of “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” Their emotional struggle throughout the episode was gold. You can see them convince themselves in real time that they have to help Wolverine regardless of his intentions behind the mission. Something tells me Morph is going to pull away from Wolvie and join Team Jubilee. Or something.

I’m also unsure why Lady Deathstrike and Sabretooth were there. They did try to dip out after they saw Cornelius transform into a Brood. I guess Cornelius is the main reason they showed up. I’m hoping Wolverine takes the events of “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” and tries to better himself. Then again, it’s Wolverine. He’s a mixed bag. Omega Red’s inclusion was a nice touch. Something tells me he’ll be making another appearance in X-Men ‘97.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are our thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs.” I also forgot to mention the last time the original X-Men: Animated Series visited the Weapon X Program in “Weapon X, Lies, and Videotape.” Ah! Guess we no longer use videotape. The next Weapon X story must be called “Weapon X, Lies, and Streaming.” LOL

What are your thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs?” Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Watching, Geekly: July 15, 2026

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Happy Wednesday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, our writers share what they’ve been watching over the past month. This’ll be movies and shows. Anything goes. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching over the past month, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get things started with what I’ve been watching over the past month.

Kyra’s Movies

I’m a true crime junkie, and the genre dominated the films I watched this past month. I’ll begin with The Murder of Rachel Nickell. Oh, boy. This one hurts. Rachel Nickell was slain in front of her toddler child, the one pictured above. I can’t even imagine the horror, the guilt, the fear, and the trauma that caused. Nickell bargained her life for her son’s. Nickell’s son has to live with that for the rest of his life. He blamed himself. He blamed his father for not protecting the family. It wasn’t until after the Bisset Murders (a mother and daughter killed by the same murderer, Robert Napper) trial and conviction that Nickell’s case was solved, and she found justice.

Again, I can’t imagine witnessing the murder of one’s mother at two and a half years old. The Murder of Rachel Nickell spends plenty of time interviewing André Hanscombe (Nickell’s partner and father of her son). We get a great window into his mindset, leaving the UK for France because he was scared the killer would return for his son. We don’t get as much of Alexander Louis, the pair’s son, but I may soon watch The Witness, which is a Netflix docudrama told from Alexander Louis’s perspective. Or I might not. The Murder of Rachel Nickell isn’t an easy watch. I took frequent breaks.

I’ve seen so many documentaries and docudramas on the Murdaugh family over the past year or so, and just when you think you’ve seen it all, Alex Murdaugh gets released by a technicality. Instadocs: Alex Murdaugh, Unconvicted deals primarily with disgraced county clerk Becky Hill. In short, Becky Hill was writing a novel about the Murdaugh family’s various scandals. With her ties as a county clerk, Hill had insider information. She also stood to gain from a guilty verdict. If Murdaugh was guilty, she’d sell more books. Instadocs: Alex Murdaugh, Unconvicted briefly describes what happens and shares a couple of viewpoints. Hill may have had a juror kicked off the case, and more likely, she told the jurors to beware of Alex Murdaugh because he lies. Regardless of what former county clerk Becky Hill did, she did enough to throw out Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction.

Instadocs: Alex Murdaugh, Unconvicted is what the title suggests, it’s an instadoc, meaning a quickly made documentary in reaction to an event. It clocks in at thirty minutes. While I like the idea of a documentary of this type (especially for a follow-up or update to a larger documentary series like Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders, which I’ve also seen), this format doesn’t give the documentary enough time to flesh out either side of the argument. Hill denies most everything. The dismissed juror escalates the allegations against Hill. The truth is most likely in the middle, but the result is the same. Alex Murdaugh is “unconvicted” of the murders of his wife and son because of a mistrial.

Netflix’s The Crash has plenty of time to show multiple viewpoints. This documentary centers on Mackenzie Shirilla and whether she purposefully crashed her car into a building at 100 miles per hour to kill the other two occupants of her vehicle. Shirilla has been convicted, and her appeals have been denied. Two major pieces of evidence led to this conviction: automobile feedback and Shrilla mentioned killing her then boyfriend, Dominic Russo, by crashing her car a week before the event.

The latter piece of evidence is self-explanatory. Russo and Shirilla had a turbulent relationship. Russo even recorded Shirilla during a violent outburst. This wasn’t when Shirilla threatened to crash her car with Russo inside, but it illustrated the couple’s relationship. Numerous witnesses corroborated Shirilla threatened to kill Russo by crashing her car. Many of those same witnesses viewed it as an offhand comment, not one Shirilla would enact. But the former piece of evidence (automobile feedback) proves more compelling.

Newer automobiles have the equivalent of an airplane’s black box. Shirilla’s car shows she had her foot firmly on the gas pedal ten seconds before impact. Not once did she take her foot off the pedal. This most likely debunks her excuse that she blacked out. The prosecution argued that if Shirilla blacked out, she wouldn’t have been able to slam her foot on the gas. Shirilla wasn’t drunk. She did have THC in her system, but she had less than her usual amount and had plenty of practice driving while under the influence. Is The Crash a tragic accident? Or did Shirilla murder her boyfriend (who some say planned to break up with her) Death Proof style?

Kyra’s Show

I’m in the middle of compiling a deep dive on The Pitt’s autism representation (Dr. Mel King) for a future post. I won’t go into too much detail about that here. Simply put, Taylor Dearden does a phenomenal job of portraying a neurodivergent character. I can’t wait to share that post with you in November. Yikes! We still have some time, but not much. Anyway, I don’t mind rewatching The Pitt. It’s the most accurate medical drama. That’s not me saying it. I’ve heard medical professionals who worked in an ER sing The Pitt’s praises. So, I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that The Pitt also has great autism representation. Okay. I’m done with that aspect.

The Pitt plays out over a single twelve-hour shift, complete with heading in early for a shift handoff and staying late for the same thing. Each episode hops from one patient and their family to the next. Some build off each other in satisfying ways. All of them show different aspects of an emergency room worker’s job. I prefer the first season slightly more than the second because you’re flying into the series blind. I also watched the two seasons back-to-back. I may have been more surprised by the second season if I didn’t watch them immediately back-to-back. Still, love the characters. The pacing is on point. The frenetic pace drives The Pitt. And I didn’t know how The Pitt would attempt to keep up the energy from season one to season two. It accomplished that. Minor spoiler: the second season takes place on July Fourth.

Oh, boy! The fact that The Pitt chose July Fourth as the date for its second season proves it understands the ER better than most shows. More accidents occur on July Fourth than on any other day in the United States. Mrs. Geekly, a nurse, has worked plenty of July Fourths. Based on Mrs. Geekly’s tales, I wrote down all the injuries I expected to see, and The Pitt delivered. If you like medical dramas, you should watch The Pitt.

That’s all we have for this month. Season and Skye will join us next month. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

XMen 97 Season Two Review 03

X-Men ’97 “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2” Review

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! This post is our fourth post of the day. Fourth! That’s coconuts. We’ve watched the first four episodes of X-Men ’97 season 2 and have shared our thoughts on each episode. This post will only cover “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2.” If you’re interested in reading what we had to say about the previous episode, “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 1,” check out that post here. Let’s get into the climax of Apocalypse’s story: “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2.”

X-Men ’97 is officially the best X-Men adaptation. I don’t think it’s up for debate. Sure. One may like any number of the Fox X-Men movies. Logan may still be the greatest Wolverine story told on camera. The original X-Men: Animated Series also did a great job of bringing Marvel’s mutants to the small screen. But “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2” is the moment X-Men ’97 leaves no doubt that it is the definitive X-Men adaptation, like the entire X-Men team. I held off saying this for a few episodes, but this entire season (and the one before it) does a great job of articulating each mutant’s desire and viewpoint of life. And that’s the crux of X-Men. Numerous mutants have similar goals, but they pursue those goals in different ways, causing friction.

By this point, Magneto has joined Xavier’s non-violent vision wholesale, but he remembers a time when he tried to solve conflicts with violence and can empathize with En Sabah Nur. Rogue, who has some amazing scenes in this episode, envisions a world where the Genosha attack (from Season 1) didn’t occur, and Remi (Gambit) won’t die, so her end goal of turning En Sabah Nur peaceful aligns with Magneto’s. And this is just one strand of the web X-Men ’97 weaves. Most characters have similar goals but different means or similar means but different goals. “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2” is a master class in character development.

But wait, there’s more. Yes. I deliberately wanted to sound like a salesperson there. We’re entering spoiler territory here. You’ve been warned. X-Men ’97 also managed to throw in some fan service. The mid-credit scene shows Wolverine reuniting with Captain America and Black Widow, reimagining the classic Uncanny X-Men #268 cover. Wait! Comic books only cost a $1 in 1990. Ah! I wish that were still the case. Weapon X intrigue is sure to ensue. I can’t wait. Before then, “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2” reveals who Rama-Tut really is. Kang. Yes! I knew this twist would come, and I’m glad X-Men ’97 stayed true to the source material. We haven’t seen much in the way of Marvel Animated Universe (MAU) shows crossing over, but there’s a chance Kang could return in a different MAU series. The Marvel Cinematic Universe failed to deliver on Kang’s promise. Fingers crossed that Kang will get a better adaptation. And there’s Candra.

Candra is the Egyptian woman Rama-Tut speaks to as he makes his escape to the future he’s molding in his image. Candra has ties to Gambit. When Rama-Tut says, “Fear not, your destiny starts today, for his power can only be challenged by a force that is external.” Ah. John de Lancie is a treasure. He’s going to make a great MAU Kang. Anyway, Candra is an External, an immortal subset of mutants. She becomes the God of Thieves, so a clear tie with Gambit. X-Men ’97 is pitch perfect.

The show continues in the footsteps of the original X-Men: Animated Series by not being afraid to sideline or kill fan-favorite characters. Alright, the next bit is a huge spoiler. If you haven’t yet watched “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2,” you should skip to the next paragraph. Apocalypse atomizes Magneto. X-Men ’97 shows as much as it can, mostly through the horrified look on Charles’s face and the reflection in his eyes. Brilliant!

X-Men ’97 hasn’t spared viewers of classic and potentially gory details of the X-Men’s past. Last season, viewers were treated to Magneto stripping the adamantium from Wolverine’s skeleton. This show goes as far as it can with its visuals, while remaining true to the original X-Men: Animated Series. I can’t wait to see where the show goes next. I mentioned season two building up toward the Age of Apocalypse storyline. I had my doubts if X-Men ’97 would do the storyline justice. I no longer have those doubts. X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man serve as excellent cornerstones of the Marvel Animated Universe. The MAU is on a roll.

Those are my thoughts on X-Men ’97 “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2.” Let’s hear Season’s thoughts.

Season’s Take

Wow. Just wow. “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2” is an emotionally mixed cliffhanger to leave on until next week. I loved “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2.” En Sabah Nur becoming Apocalypse was inevitable. I know. I’m stating the obvious. I loved the way X-Men ’97 handled Apocalypse’s origin story. Brilliant.

I won’t rehash the details, but the pacing in “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2” was amazing. It did a great job of picking up where “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 1” left off. If this is the definitive storyline of the MAU, that’s cool with me. I haven’t read the comic Rise of Apocalypse, but I’m unsure what kind of outcome I’m hoping for this storyline. I really want to see Kang again. He is pure evil personified.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here again. Those are our thoughts on X-Men ’97: Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2.” What are your thoughts on “Rise of Apocalypse: Part 2?” Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.