Days of Future Past (TV episodes)

Days of Future Past is a two-part episodes from the animated TV series X-Men Animated Series, based on the comic book story of the same name and X-Men vol.2 Issue #8. This episode has Bishop assuming Kitty Pryde's role from the comic version of this tale and his role from the comics to find a traitor within the ranks of the X-Men. Storyboards from the episode have been published.^[1]

Characters

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

Supporting Characters Forge, Bishop, Senator Robert Kelly

Villains: Nimrod, Sentinels, Mystique, Blob, Pyro, Avalanche

Synopsis

Days of Future Past, Part 1

The episode begins with an overview of New York City in the year 2055; the sky is a dark red, most of the buildings are badly damaged or destroyed, and Sentinels patrol the skies of the ruined city. As two young mutants make their way through the decaying streets, they are ambushed by a group of Sentinels. Though they put up a fight, they are soon cornered, only to be saved by Wolverine. Despite his healing ability, it appears that age has finally caught up to the mutant. The group are then ambushed by a "tracker", or mutant-hunter, named Bishop, who captures the three. He brings them to a mutant extermination camp, only for the Sentinels to declare that Bishop's "quota" has been reached, and that they are all to be terminated. After passing by the graves of the X-Men, all of whom have been dead for decades, the four mutants fight back, only to be approached by Nimrod, a new advanced Sentinel. The two young mutants give their lives so that Wolverine and Bishop can escape. Wolverine brings Bishop to a rebel base, where Forge reveals a working time-portal, and then explains that he believes that he has pinpointed an event in history which supposedly is the direct cause for the dystopian world that they live in: an assassination in the early 90's. Wolverine prepares to travel through the portal, but Bishop argues that he should go instead, as the assassin is one of the X-Men and Bishop's youth makes him a better candidate. Just then, the Sentinels attack the base, and Wolverine is fatally wounded by Nimrod. Bishop leaps into the portal, just as Nimrod reaches in to grab him.

Bishop emerges in the 90's; however, due to the trauma of his time-travelling, he has amnesia and cannot recall who the target or the assassin is. All he remembers is that an X-Man is the killer, and he was sent to terminate him. After hijacking a bus, Bishop crashes through the doors of the X-Mansion and engages the team. He defeats most of them; however, Wolverine gets the jump on him, which triggers some of his memories. Professor X stops Wolverine from killing Bishop, and instead the X-Men interrogate him about his mission.

Using Cerebro, the X-Men get a glimpse into Bishop's time period, and all the death and destruction that plagues his world. Still, the team, especially Wolverine, are skeptical. Just then, Bishop's wristband alerts him that something, or someone, also came back through the portal besides himself. The X-Men accompany him to the site where Bishop emerged in the present, and are all ambushed by Nimrod. The robot appears completely impervious to any of their attacks, and fights off the entire group with relative ease. However, Storm uses her powers to freeze Nimrod solid, giving Bishop enough time to target the robot's temporal transceiver (one of which Bishop has as well, in the form of his wristband), which causes Nimrod to be sent back to its own time.

The futuristic capabilities of Nimrod are enough proof for the X-Men to believe Bishop's story, and back at the mansion, they ask who the assassin is. Bishop still cannot remember, but when Gambit joins them in the War Room, Bishop accuses him of being the traitor. Before Gambit can even protest, Bishop raises his weapon and fires at the Cajun mutant.

Days of Future Past, Part 2

As Bishop fires his advanced weapon at Gambit, Rogue flies in and takes the blast, her super-strength allowing her to survive. The rest of the X-Men stop the fighting, but Bishop continues to call the confused Gambit the assassin he was sent back to kill. Bishop explains that after Gambit murders an important person in Washington, an immense wave of anti-mutant hysteria grips the entire country, resulting in the passing of several legislations for mutant-control. The government orders the creation of entire armies of Sentinels, which hunt down every single mutant like animals, who are unable to put up much resistance. Any mutants who survive the initial onslaught are herded into concentration camps, never to leave alive. However, the Sentinels eventually turn on their human masters, and become the supreme rulers of the planet. Unfortunately, Bishop still cannot remember who is supposed to be assassinated; some of the X-Men's theories include the President or even Professor X himself, who is meant to testify before the United States Congress. The team travels to Washington, leaving Bishop and Wolverine behind to guard Gambit, who still proclaims his innocence.

The X-Men split up to different parts of the capital, staying alert for anything suspicious. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood of Mutants are also in Washington, and are revealed to be aware of the impending assassination. Back at the mansion, Gambit uses an exploding card to distract Bishop and Wolverine long enough to escape in one of the mini-jets, which all but confirms Bishop's suspicion that he is the traitor.

Gambit battles the shape-shifter who is impersonating him.

Back in Washington, the Brotherhood attacks the United States Senate chamber where Professor Xavier is speaking before Senator Robert Kelly, who clearly holds anti-mutant views. The X-Men fight off the Brotherhood while Kelly's aide takes him to a safe room, only for her to take the form of Gambit after Kelly sees the real aide tied up and gagged, so that there can be a witness to the assassination. Before the imposter can pull the trigger, the real Gambit enters and battles the shape-shifter. During the fight, Bishop comes in; since he cannot tell which is the real Gambit, he decides to shoot them both to be certain. However, Rogue stops him at the last second and destroys his wristband, sending him back to his own time. The shape-shifter is then revealed to be Mystique, who was working for Apocalypse, but Rogue lets her escape because Mystique reveals that she was Rogue's adoptive mother years ago.

Back in 2055, Bishop arrives to find New York City looking exactly as he left it, despite having stopped the assassination. Bishop relays his confusion to Forge, who believes that some other event must have happened afterwards, which caused the future to still turn out like it did.

In the present day, Professor X is on his way to speak with Senator Kelly, who might now be willing to listen to what he has to say about mutant equality. However, they enter the room only to find it trashed and Kelly missing. Cyclops theorizes that there were more mutants in the Brotherhood that they did not see, but Xavier does not believe so, stating that his watch has stopped. Confused, Cyclops asks why that matters. Xavier drops his watch, but rather than falling to the ground, it attaches itself on his wheelchair and sticks to it, a result of recent magnetism in the room...

References

• X-Men - Night Of The Sentinels/Days of Future Past - Special Edition VHS. Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

External links

• Episode review