The first three episodes of X-Men ‘97 season 2 are now streaming on Disney Plus, and the X-Men have been scattered across time. After season 1 ended with half the team in Ancient Egypt and the other half in the 40th Century, a lot has changed when we pick up the story a little while later. One of the most notable is with Wolverine and the absence of his adamantium claws. Instead, bone claws come out of his hands, which break a lot more easily as he slices up killer robots in an apocalyptic future. They do grow back right away — and they look very cool — but they’re not nearly as tough as his usual adamantium ones.
So, what happened to Wolverine’s metal claws? If you don’t remember, you may need to revisit the events of X-Men ’97 season 1.
What happened to Wolverine in in X-Men ’97 season 1?
In X-Men ‘97’s three-part season 1 finale, Magneto causes a worldwide blackout to stop an army of Sentinels, which also results in catastrophic death and destruction. The way Wolverine sees it, Magneto has declared war on humanity, and it’s up to the X-Men to stop him. The X-Men nearly succeed too, with Wolverine managing to stab Magneto during part 2’s big showdown. But then Magneto lashes out at Wolverine and uses his powers of magnetism to pull the adamantium from Wolverine’s bones, nearly killing Wolverine in the process.
Like so much else from X-Men ‘97, Magneto removing the adamantium from Wolverine’s bones comes straight from the pages of X-Men comic books. In X-Men volume 2, issue #25, published in 1993, Magneto is similarly attempting to wipe out mankind. Wolverine stabs him and Magneto retaliates by tearing the adamantium from his bones. Drawn by Andy Kubert, the moment was one of the most gruesome in the history of Marvel Comics up until that point.
The storyline, called “Fatal Attractions,” written by Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell, commemorated the 30th anniversary of the X-Men with one of the most shocking comic book moments ever. The change stuck, too. Wolverine didn’t get his adamantium skeleton back for six whole years in the comics. During that time, Wolverine is noticeably weaker, but the absence of his protective layer of adamantium around his skeleton has some surprising advantages too. Suddenly, he’s more useful in a fight against Magneto, the most frequent villain of the X-Men, who usually Wolverine can’t lay a hand on. (Wolverine stabbing him in X-Men ’97 was essentially a lucky shot while Magneto was distracted.)
It was also revealed that the adamantium had somewhat hampered Wolverine’s other mutant powers, so his healing factor and enhanced senses suddenly become more attuned. As a result, he becomes a bit more feral during this era, which X-Men ‘97 is already leaning into with Wolverine’s costume change.
How long X-Men ‘97 decides to stick with the bone claws is anyone’s guess, but let’s hope they remain for at least the majority of season 2. That way, the show can more fully explore how the change affects Wolverine, and if any of Wolverine’s many enemies take advantage of his newfound vulnerability.
X-Men ’97 season 2 is streaming now on Disney Plus.