Who Are The Final Horsemen In X-Men ’97 Season 2, Explained

‘X-Men ’97‘ has officially kicked off its second season, and Apocalypse is back with a vengeance. The Season 2 premiere event throws the team into chaos, splitting them across time while a familiar comic book threat resurfaces in animated form for the very first time.

That threat comes in the form of the Final Horsemen, a group of villains most casual fans have probably never heard of. Their debut in ‘X-Men ’97’ marks a deep cut for the animated series, and understanding who they are adds real weight to the danger facing the scattered X-Men.

The Final Horsemen Origin In X-Men ’97

The three episode premiere event finds the X-Men scattered throughout time, with Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, and Morph trapped in a dystopian future ruled by the tyrannical Apocalypse. In Episode 1, titled Days of Past Future, Apocalypse selects Cyclops and Jean’s teenage son Nathan, a powerful telepath, to become his new host body, then sends his Four Horsemen to capture the boy.

This is not the first time ‘X-Men ’97’ has explored the concept. Apocalypse’s original Horsemen appeared in the first season of the show, an arc that saw the X-Man Angel captured and transformed into Archangel, the new Death. Season 2 introduces an entirely different lineup with far darker roots.

The Final Horsemen first assembled in 2010’s ‘Uncanny X-Force’ number 2, written by Rick Remender with art by Jerome Opena, making their animated debut a genuine deep cut for longtime readers. In that comic storyline, the Final Horsemen were designed as a failsafe in case Apocalypse were ever completely destroyed or removed from the timeline, allowing his work to continue regardless.

Marvel lore establishes that the Final Horsemen were Pestilence played by Ichisumi, War played by Decimus Furius, Famine played by Jeb Lee, and Death played by Sanjar Javeed. Each one comes from a wildly different era of human history, which only makes their unified loyalty to Apocalypse more unsettling.

Meet Ozymandias And The Horsemen Leader

Leading this new group in ‘X-Men ’97’ is a mysterious figure who can transform into sand, and comic fans will instantly recognize him. That figure is Ozymandias, first introduced in 1996’s ‘Uncanny X-Men’ number 332 by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira.

Ozymandias was originally an ancient Egyptian warlord who sought to prevent the young En Sabah Nur from gaining power, but he was transformed into living stone once Nur became Apocalypse, and forced into eternal service.

In the comics, Ozymandias functions as a liaison between Apocalypse and the Horsemen, acting as something between a field general and a messenger.

That role makes him a fitting guide for viewers meeting the Final Horsemen for the first time, since he effectively bridges the gap between Apocalypse’s ancient goals and his modern instruments of destruction. His stone and sand based powers also give him a visually striking presence that stands apart from the rest of the group.

Pestilence And Famine Explained

Pestilence is the lone woman among the Final Horsemen, and she is defined by a tragic inferiority complex rooted in her past. Ichisumi grows up in 19th century Japan, where she is deemed a disappointment by her samurai father, and despite working as a geisha, she becomes increasingly jealous of the more beautiful women around her.

In the source comics, her long suppressed fury eventually activates her mutant power, unleashing swarms of yume beetles from her mouth that kill hundreds of women around her. It is a horrifying origin, but one that fits the grim, morally complicated tone ‘X-Men ’97’ has embraced since its first season.

Famine, meanwhile, comes from one of the darkest chapters of American history. Born Jeb Lee, Famine is a Confederate spy who disguises himself as a drummer in the Union Army, and pays a grim price when his own neighbors discover his uniform and believe him a traitor.

Once his powers manifest, Famine’s emaciation effect dampens any source of energy on contact, leeching the bio energy from living beings and severely weakening both them and their abilities. It is a quietly brutal power set, and one that makes him a genuine threat to the time displaced X-Men in ‘X-Men ’97.’

War, Death, And What They Mean For X-Men ’97

War has arguably the most mythic backstory of the group. Debuting as Decimus Furius, War is orphaned as a young man in ancient Rome and on the verge of dying on the streets when his mutant power activates, physically transforming him into a giant, horned man bull. Decimus Furius carries a Minotaur like appearance and was found by Apocalypse and Ozymandias, who appointed him to the role.

Death rounds out the quartet with an equally tragic history. Sanjar Javeed is the illegitimate son of the historical Persian emperor Shapur II, and though Shapur was beloved by his people, Sanjar resented him for refusing to publicly acknowledge his secret son. Using his mutant ailment aura, Sanjar can spread terminal illnesses to anyone in his proximity depending on which metal he touches.

Fans on social media have already reacted with excitement to seeing this obscure comic team brought to life, with one popular thread calling the reveal simply ‘oh baby’ upon seeing the new clip. It is a reminder of how deep ‘X-Men ’97’ is willing to dig into Marvel’s animation and comics history to raise the stakes for its heroes.

With Nathan Summers as their target and Apocalypse pulling the strings from centuries away, the Final Horsemen give ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 a genuinely fresh and unpredictable threat right out of the gate. Which member of the Final Horsemen do you think will give the scattered X-Men the toughest fight before the season is through.