‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Episode 5 Recap and Ending Explained: The Episode Sends Wolverine Back Into His Own Nightmare

‘X-Men ’97‘ just proved that Weapon X is the one place Wolverine can never really escape, and episode five drags him right back into it with a team of familiar faces and an alien problem nobody saw coming. The episode, titled “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs,” picks up the post credits thread from the previous installment and sends Logan straight back to the facility that made him who he is after last week ended with Wolverine reassembling Team X for a mission to shut down Dr. Cornelius’s illegal experiments.

What starts as a rescue and shutdown operation quickly spirals into something far more dangerous, and by the end of the hour the show has reshaped one of its central characters in a way fans did not expect this early in the season.

Team X Reunites for One Last Job

Wolverine does not go into this mission alone. The episode opens with a team consisting of Wolverine, Morph, Garrison Kane, Maverick, Lady Deathstrike, and surprisingly Sabretooth, all traveling to a remote and snow covered lab to take down the new Weapon X operation. Logan pitched the trip to his old crew as a mission to shut down Cornelius’s illegal experiments, though the group clearly has history that goes deeper than a simple favor.

Once they arrive, the mission stops looking like a rescue and starts looking like a horror movie. The team discovers the facility has been overrun by an alien infestation, with a body count that climbs fast. The tight, claustrophobic setup echoes a very specific genre touchstone, and reviewers noticed it immediately. The episode borrows heavily from Predator, right down to an opening scene of the characters boasting at each other in a chopper before things go sideways.

That genre homage comes with real stakes attached. Despite the fact that these are super soldiers armed with unbreakable metal weapons, the show makes viewers genuinely fear for their safety, and the Brood ultimately take out two members of the team, killing Kane and Maverick. It is a blunt reminder that ‘X-Men 97’ has never been shy about killing off characters when the story calls for it.

The Secret Hiding in the Weapon X DVDs

The episode’s title comes from a discovery that reframes everything the team thought they knew about this mission. While Logan and Maverick head for the vehicle bay, Morph, Deathstrike, and Sabretooth go looking for the generator room, and it is that second group that stumbles onto a shelf of DVDs labelled with names that will make longtime comic readers sit up, including Fantomex and the Winter Soldier.

What they find on those discs is worse than expected. Cornelius’s own recordings lay out the experiment in his words, revealing that the Brood are a hive species with a shared psyche and a single imperative of survival, and that no Brood host has ever survived the adamantium bonding process. It is Morph who connects the dots first. A hive that hunts for a stronger host has an obvious target in the building, and that target is the man with the healing factor.

That revelation sets the stage for the episode’s most unsettling stretch, as the team realizes their leader may already be compromised. The episode even sneaks in a nod to Marc Silvestri’s ‘Uncanny X-Men’ cover art when Wolverine’s body becomes infected by the Brood, a detail that longtime readers of the comics will likely appreciate.

Morph Gets a Moment to Shine

If there is one character who walks away from this episode with the most growth, it is Morph. The episode makes space for some real character development, and Morph has always been one of the trickier parts of the show to pin down. That extra attention shows up in some fun, unexpected ways too. Morph transforms into ‘The Thing’ at one point while fighting off the creepy alien invaders, a callback that fits the show’s long tradition of Easter eggs.

Later in the episode, Morph uses those same shapeshifting powers for something far more personal. Morph transforms into Cyclops and calls out for Wolverine, even mentioning Jean Grey, finally managing to draw the infected Logan out. It is a clever bit of writing that leans on the emotional weight the show has built around Wolverine’s relationships rather than just brute force.

Critics have taken notice of how the show is using Morph this season. The ambiguity around Morph’s arc in this episode indicates a change in the character that leaves the door open for future advancement, which suggests this will not be the last time Morph’s evolving identity plays a major role in the story.

Wolverine’s Claws Come Back Sooner than Expected

The episode’s biggest twist involves Wolverine’s own body. Morph hopes to throw the infected Wolverine into a glass hyperbaric chamber to restore his claws, and with Lady Deathstrike pushing him in and Sabretooth filling the chamber with liquid, the process begins. Just when it looks like the plan might work, a familiar villain reenters the fight.

A conscious Omega Red easily overpowers the team, and all seems lost until Wolverine emerges from the chamber with his adamantium claws restored, fighting off Omega Red before the group escapes on the flight from the vehicle bay.

That resolution has sparked some debate among fans and critics alike. Wolverine’s adamantium being restored feels like an abrupt end to a storyline that spanned years in the comics, and glosses over the emotional weight of what he had just been through.

Even so, most reviewers agree the episode still lands as a satisfying, self contained detour. “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” plays as a self contained entry, and it clears the runway for Logan’s role in the rest of the season. Logan is largely absent from the remainder of the season until the final couple of episodes, which means this rescue mission may be his last major spotlight for a while.

Where ‘X-Men 97’ Goes From Here

Reactions to the episode have been largely positive, even with a few reservations about pacing. The episode is a tightly built under siege thriller that gives Morph the most screen time the show has ever offered, though some viewers felt it is also the first episode of the season that feels rushed, playing more like a filler entry. Others pointed out a similar issue from a different angle. For the first time, the show feels like it is moving too fast, leaving behind storytelling possibilities and character development that deserve more attention.

Still, the overall consensus remains strongly in the show’s favor. Even with its flaws, the series remains the best X-Men adaptation ever made, a sentiment echoed across much of the fan community as the season continues its weekly rollout on Disney+.

With Wolverine’s claws restored and the team scattered by loss, ‘X-Men 97’ has cleared one mystery only to open several more heading into the back half of the season. Do you think Wolverine getting his adamantium back this fast cheapens the arc, or are you just glad to see him fighting at full strength again?