Whatever It Takes (X-Men)

"Whatever It Takes" is an episode in the animated TV series X-Men Animated Series.

"Whatever It Takes"
X-Men: The Animated Series episode
Shadow King
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 16
Written byJulia Jane Lewald
Production code203
Original air dateNovember 6 1993

Characters

X-Men: Professor X, Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Jean Grey, Jubilee

Supporting Characters Magneto, Morph, Mjnari

Villains: Shadow King

Synopsis

This episode begins in Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. At the Mountain, a young boy named Mjnari with the power of super speed (similar to Quicksilver) sees a portal opening at the mountain, but no one else sees it. Then Shadow King comes out of the portal and possess Mjnari.

Jean Grey senses that something odd is going on in that part of Africa. Beast finds that it is a tear in the Astral Plane of the planet from Bishop's time-travel. Soon Storm comes and looks at the map and says that it's near her village. So, Storm and Rogue go to Africa.

When the girls get there they find the crops destroyed and on fire, so Storm creates rain and stops the fire. Then the villagers tell her that Mjnari, who is Storm's protégé and the son of her best friend, did all this. It turns out that the Shadow king captured Mjnari's body, so he could convince Storm to take over her body.

Later Shadow King comes and tells Storm to come to the Mountain to free her son. Storm goes to the mountain alone, because she thinks Shadow King could harm Mjnari. But Rogue follows her anyway.

Storm agrees to let Shadow King take over her body, if he leaves Mjnari unharmed. Then Shadow King releases Mjnari, possesses Storm and leaves for Cairo. Rogue goes after Shadow King to stop him, but has hard time even getting near him and storm.

Storm regains partial control of herself, so she starts going higher and higher in space to kill the Shadow King *and* herself. Shadow King starts suffocating and leaves Storm's body; she falls down, so Rogue catches her.

Mjnari arrives and tells Storm that he can see the Astral portal and he wants to help her, since she became his godmother after saving his life as a newborn. So, he lures shadow king into the portal; when the portal starts closing, Mjnari gets out with his super-speed, but Shadow King is trapped in the Astral Plane again. Later Storm and Rogue leave and return to the mansion.

Meanwhile, in Upper Amazon, Brazil, Wolverine is there to find Morph. He finally finds him, working at a bar.

Wolverine wants to bring him back to the X-Mansion, so that Professor X can help him get better, but Morph doesn't want to go back. He turn into Jean and cruelly mocks Wolverine, emotionally disturbing him and giving himself a chance to escape. Wolverine goes after him in rage.

Wolverine finds him in a mine and has a short battle with Morph, again trying to reason with his maddened friend. Morph turns into Sabretooth, among other things, and injures Wolverine; he says he has to heal his psychological damage on his own and runs away. Wolverine decides to stop chasing Morph, accepting that he needs time, and vows that he and the X-Men will wait until then.

In Antarctica, the Professor and Magneto come out the snow after they had been trapped under avalanche in the previous episode, Till Death Do Us Part (Part 2). Here they find a rain forest in Antarctica. Magneto tells Professor Xavier that this place is called the Savage Land. Here Xavier's legs start working, and he can walk again, but both of them have lost their powers. Suddenly two men riding on a bird called Aerians, grab Xavier and Magneto and drop them in a river. Then Xavier and Magneto fall down a waterfall, and the episode ends.

Production

Professor Xavier's ability to walk while in the Savage Land is never properly explained on the show, though in the comics, his (second) body was crippled due to injuries sustained on the astral plane, meaning he physically was fine, but his mutant-powered mind would "tell" his body he was crippled. Without his powers here, the barriers imposed by that mental injury aren't enforced. In the comics, this was due to the Shadow King, coincidentally enough, but the show's version of events is hinted at in season 4's "Sanctuary Part 1" and involve Magneto instead.

Reception

The episode was not positively received and has been described as "arguably the poorest episode of the season". The episodes focus on Storm is believed to give the episode a "dull" feeling. Also, The Shadow King was perceived to be a boring villain. The sub-plot involving Wolverine and Morph, however, was more likeable. The morphing cameos have been described as "cool".[1]

References
  1. Amazing Spidey. "Whatever It Takes". Marvel Animation Age. Toon Zone. Review and Media by Amazing Spidey.
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