This post contains spoilers for X-Men ’97 season 2 episode 7.For the most part, the seventh episode of X-Men ’97 season 2 consists of a debate. Nightcrawler, the team’s spiritual and moral guide, defends the life of bigot Graydon Creed in a court held by the Acolytes, zealots who worship Magneto. But it also ends the way every good superhero story should, with heroes shooting lasers while riding dinosaurs and a big “boing!” sound effect playing when Beast bounces on a bad guy.Yes, superheroes contain multitudes, the X-Men more than most. “Strange Land, Savage Heart” might be the single best distillation of the contradictions within Marvel‘s Mighty Mutants. It touches on everything from big silly action to the ever-evolving family trees and moral alignments to the philosophical debates at the heart of the franchise. And it does it all in a secret jungle world filled with dinosaurs.cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});On a plot level, “Strange Land, Savage Heart” largely ignores the plot points introduced in the previous episode. Yes, Val Cooper of X-Factor chides Xavier about X-Corp, and the post-credits sting sees X-Force finding a burned playing card next to the corpse of Apocalypse. But most of the episode deals with X-Men Nightcrawler, Rogue, Polaris, Bishop, and Beast going to rescue Graydon Creed, the anti-mutant demagogue who gets kidnapped by the Acolytes. With previous leader Fabian Cortez destroyed by Apocalypse in the original X-Men: The Animated Series, they now follow Exodus, who shares Creed’s penchant for using religious language to spread hatred, albeit in the opposite direction.Most notably, former X-Man Colossus has joined the Acolytes, a response to the grief he feels after the death of his beloved sister Ilyana. Ever the sensitive soul, Colossus has experienced the same crisis that struck Polaris in the previous episode, how to live in peace with people who want to destroy you. After the destruction of Genosha and the loss of Ilyana, Colossus accepts the Acolyte’s belief that peace only comes when the oppressors have been killed.Many of the X-Men find it hard to disagree. Polaris and Bishop certainly understand the position, as does Rogue, despite the fact that Creed is the son of Sabretooth and Mystique, the woman who raised her. Mystique’s other son Nightcrawler does not agree, in part because of his Christian faith. So to stay the execution, Nightcrawler convinces the Acolytes to hold a trial for Creed. Nightcrawler will speak in defense of Creed, and Exodus will prosecute, with Colossus serving as judge.Such debates about the limitations of Xavier’s Dream and the demands of justice have occurred again and again in the pages of X-Men comics. But “Strange Lands” feels like nothing so much as a classic episode of Star Trek, Original Series or The Next Generation. Nightcrawler voice actor Adrian Hough keeps the Fuzzy Elf’s voice full of hope and warmth, while Bo Poraj voices Exodus as if doing an impression of all-time great bad guy (and Star Trek veteran) David Warner.The episode can paint its good guys and bad guys so broadly because Exodus has the more salient argument. Creed wants mutants dead, and he’s getting more and more people to agree. Certainly, our world had plenty of bigots when Graydon Creed on his Friends of Humanity hate group debuted in 1992. But Creed’s Presidential run in those first comics seemed as unlikely as that of another hate monger who made a bid for the White House that year. Now, the world has caught up to Graydon Creed, and his anti-mutant rhetoric sounds less like the ravings of a mad man and more the voice of those in power, whose speech presents a real, present danger to people today.So when Exodus contends that Creed, a bigot unrepentant even at his trial, must be executed for the sake of mutants, few would disagree. All of which makes Nightcrawler’s argument so inspiring, so heroic. Nightcrawler turns the knotty nonsense around superhero genetics into a plea for common humanity. He cannot see Creed as a monster, if only because Creed is his brother, and he won’t let Creed’s hatred deny him that familial connection.To its credit, the episode does not end on one side or another. Nightcrawler’s final interaction with Creed makes clear that it’s only his faith that allows the bigot to live, and that faith may unravel. But it makes for thrilling superhero television… especially since it still makes room for giant dinosaurs and “boing” sound effects.X-Men ’97 season 2 streams new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.X-Tra Thoughts:Nightcrawler remains one of the most difficult characters to adapt. The movies lean so hard into his faith that they forget that he’s also a light-hearted swashbuckler, and an incorrigible lady’s man. This episode doesn’t give Kurt space to flirt with any fräulein, but at least we get to see him cross swords with Exodus.To my knowledge, Polaris and Bishop have never been an item in the comics, and it’s not a pairing I would have expected. But darn it if I’m not pulling for these kids to get together, which is a credit to the performances of voice actors Isaac Robinson-Smith and Carolina Ravassa.The use of the Savage Land raises an important question for the MCU: Why haven’t any Marvel movies taken place in the Savage Land? Superheroes and dinosaurs seem like a no-brainer.Pretty bold of X-Men ’97 to kill off Magik, given what a huge character she’s become. Yet, it fits not only the immediate story—Ilyana’s death via Legacy Virus led Colossus to join the Acolytes in the comics—but also reflects the fact that she wasn’t that big of a deal in the ’90s. The post X-Men ’97 Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Judgment Day appeared first on Den of Geek.