Marvel's 31-Year Sci-Fi Payoff: A Stunning James Cameron Homage Revealed!
The iconic Brood finally make their full, terrifying debut in <i>X-Men '97</i>'s "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs," a long-awaited event after decades of limited appearances in <i>X-Men: The Animated Series</i>. This new episode masterfully blends a rich history of X-Men animation with a compelling homage to James Cameron's classic film, <i>Aliens</i>, delivering a visceral and detailed encounter with the parasitic aliens. Fans will appreciate the deep dives into comic lore and the escalated action that previous animated series couldn't achieve.
After more than three decades, the iconic and deadly Brood have finally made their full, proper appearance in the latest episode of X-Men '97, titled "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs." While the Brood technically had a brief cameo as a virtual simulation in the original X-Men: The Animated Series (TAS) Season 2 in 1994, this new installment delivers the complete Brood experience for fans, simultaneously serving as a captivating homage to a classic sci-fi action film.
The journey to the Brood's proper depiction has been a long one. "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs" acts as a companion piece to the classic X-Men: TAS episode "Weapon X, Lies, and Videotape," and also connects to the Season 3 episode "Love in Vain," which featured a race of parasitic alien invaders known as the Colony. Interestingly, "Love in Vain" was originally intended to feature the Brood under the title "A Time to Brood." According to X-Men: TAS director and X-Men '97 executive producer Larry Houston, the change was due to the desire of character designers Frank Brunner, Mark Lewis, and himself to make them more distinctive and 'animator-friendly,' partly because of their previous brief appearance. The grotesque and parasitic nature of the Brood would have posed significant challenges for depiction on the Fox Kids block, where X-Men: TAS aired during the 1990s. Despite this, animation studio Toei even created a unique opening animation for the show's Japanese broadcast that included the Brood, highlighting their intended importance. Now, X-Men '97's "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs" finally fulfills the promise of the earlier virtual simulation and subtly references the Colony, with Wolverine (Cal Dodd) remarking on a similar scent but acknowledging these Brood are distinctly different, suggesting a potential distant relation between the two alien species.
Another enjoyable aspect of the X-Men '97 Season 2 episode is its extensive homage to James Cameron's 1986 sequel, Aliens. The episode's core premise, where Wolverine, Morph (JP Karliak), Sabretooth (Darin De Paul), and Lady Deathstrike (Erika Ishii) stumble upon a derelict Weapon X facility overrun by a Brood infestation, strongly echoes Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her Colonial Marines discovering the horrors at Hadley's Hope colony. The parallels extend beyond mere superficial references, particularly given the Brood's inherent similarities to Xenomorphs: both are vicious, feral, and predatory. Crucially, like Xenomorphs, the Brood reproduce by implanting themselves into living hosts, a process explicitly shown in the episode as Wolverine himself briefly succumbs to infection. The homage is further solidified when Maverick (Crispin Freeman) delivers a line reminiscent of Hudson (Bill Paxton) from Cameron's film, exclaiming, "Game over! That's it! It's game over!" The suspenseful climax sees Wolverine and his team narrowly escape the Weapon X research facility before an explosion seemingly eradicates the remaining Brood, mirroring the desperate fight for survival seen in Aliens.
Beyond the cinematic references, "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs" also pays tribute to classic X-Men comic book lore. The episode specifically references a storyline and iconic comic book cover from Uncanny X-Men #234, published in 1988, which famously depicted Wolverine being infected by the Brood and transforming into a 'Broodverine'. Such meticulous callbacks to both classic comics and previous animated episodes underscore one of X-Men '97's greatest strengths. While "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs" only scratches the surface of the Brood's potential, it is satisfying to finally see them depicted in their full, gory glory—a level of violence that would have been impossible for X-Men: TAS to portray in 1996. Given the Brood's cosmic origins as persistent, 'interstellar cockroaches,' fans who have waited decades for this proper onscreen depiction can only hope this isn't their last appearance in the X-Men animated universe. New episodes of X-Men '97 Season 2 continue to premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.