X-Men ’97 S2 Ep. 5 Review: “Weapon X, Lies and DVDs” is a Timeless Wolverine Tale
Wolverine is the best at what he does, but is that all he can be? X-Men ’97s “Weapon X, Lies and DVDs” is a new story that draws on many familiar themes found in Wolverine stories. There is the constant struggle of what Wolverine is: a man, a monster, or something much worse? When you see Logan out on his own, he sinks into his violent tendencies without an anchor tethering him to his humanity. But with the X-Men, Wolverine has become a hero to many, including those on his own team. This episode explores much of what makes Wolverine one of the most interesting identities in Marvel Comics, through stories that continually make Logan question what he truly is.
The episode finds Wolverine teaming up with his old Weapon X comrades, who show up sharing glory-days stories, while Sabretooth’s man-spreading is wider than Galactus himself. Each member has been tortured by the Weapon X program, just as Logan has. These people are the closest thing he has to a support group for the traumas they endured. I’m not sure I’d want Sabretooth pulling up a chair at my support group, but you don’t get to choose who understands you. That’s why I always find the dynamic between Sabretooth and Wolverine such a rich web to explore because they act as funhouse mirrors to one another.
Wolverine is short and hairy, while Sabretooth is tall and well-groomed, with most of his fur on his costume. The juxtaposition in their looks alone is enough, but they are two sides of a warped coin. While Wolverine has violent tendencies, he leans more toward the morally righteous. We often find him taking other people under his wing as their protector because, at his core, he is a good man. Whereas, on the other hand, Sabretooth uses his animal instincts and powers to commit atrocities for fun. Deep down, Sabretooth is a bad man. But they see so much of the other in themselves; it makes them kin of the same flame.
In the episode, we see that on display with their actions and how they treat those around them. But then we see Logan’s selfish tendencies when it turns out they only went back to Weapon X because he wanted his adamantium back. It wasn’t because he cared about what was happening there; the entire bloody journey was for personal, selfish gain. This trip gets one of Logan’s friends killed for no reason other than for his own gain. The actions weigh the universal scales in favor of Wolverine being a monster.
But what happens when they face real monsters? The Brood are the big bad of this episode. The Brood are a hive-minded alien race that are hell-bent on killing. While this is a wild addition to a Weapon X reminiscence story, it works on a metaphorical level because Wolverine’s monstrous actions that put his friends in danger are physically displayed in the monsters. Even more so, the Weapon X project’s goal was to make these people into weapons, just as the Brood have and once again are being made to be. Wolverine has been treated like a weapon by nearly everyone in his life, from Professor X to Scott Summers; they underestimate the man in favor of the ease of the monster. The episode goes so far as to turn Wolverine into a brood hybrid when we learn the truth about what he has been doing.
From the start of the episode, Morph is the only person who sees Wolverine as he truly is now and as he can become. Where Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike bemoan things like “that feral beast, that monster is the real Wolverine” after Wolverine is infected by the Brood. The team he brings are the people who were in the trenches with Logan when they turned him into a monster in the Weapon X program. Their memories, their identities, and their bodies were stolen from each and every one of the people in the program. They were being turned into monsters by design.
But that’s not who Morph sees. Morph sees the man who went out on a limb to save him from Mr. Sinister. He sees the teacher of young mutants stand up for them and help them become better, just like he is doing with the X-Men. He sees Wolverine as the man he knows he is at the core, a good man. Morph won’t give up on Wolverine even in his darkest moment.
Those dark moments can give a glimpse into a different future for someone. Morph has one of those moments where he sees the pain that Logan is struggling with and how sad he is. Even more importantly, how sad Morph is for him. It’s a deep pain to see those you love unable to help themselves, despite what you believe. The ending of the episode is the most heartbreaking because it’s a sorrow born of love.
Morph isn’t sad for Wolverine because he believes that the monster Wolverine thinks he needs to be isn’t what he can be. Morph knows that Wolverine can be a hero and doesn’t need to be the heartless killer he’s been made into. Morph sees parts of Wolverine he can’t see in himself because of the trauma he’s endured his entire life. That is why the “Doesn’t that make you sad? It makes me sad, Logan.” line cuts like adamantium, because Morph is sad that his friend may never see himself as many others do. As the Wolverine, as a superhero, and as a man, not a monster.
Check out our review of the start of the season!
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