Fox’s new series, The Gifted, is set in the X-Men universe, but it’s not immune to the weird continuity issues the franchise always deals with. The show follows everyday Mutants rather than heroes, focusing specifically on a suburban family on the run with their two mutant kids, with only a few big name Mutants like Blink and Polaris making appearances. But, X-Men fans can’t help but wonder: Will the most popular Mutant of all, the Best at What He Does, make an appearance in The Gifted?
Note: Apologies, fellow Wolverine Watchers, but this entry of Inverse’s The Gifted Wolverine Watch is a week late due to a scheduling conflict when Episode 11 initially premiered. It is being published now for completion’s sake as we gear up for the finale.
Was Wolverine in the Eleventh Episode of The Gifted?
No.
Was Wolverine Mentioned in the Eleventh Episode of The Gifted?
No.
Were the X-Men Mentioned in the Eleventh Episode of The Gifted?
Yeah. The most explicit shout-out came when the Mutant Underground was discussing whether or not to join with Esme and her sisters, thereby embracing their much more violent means of resistance.
“The X-Men chose us for a reason, and it’s not because we can kill,” Eclipse says, further hinting that the X-Men were very involved with the founding of the Underground. Whether or not we’ll actually see that or just keep getting allusions to it remains to be seen.
Speaking of Esme, the triplets got a couple comic shout-outs as well. When discussing the trio’s past, we learn that they gave “Cuckoo” as a fake last name, a reference to their comics moniker “Stepford Cuckoos.” Later, when the girls are making solo Mutant Underderground house calls, one brushes off a question of which girl she is, saying that they’re really like “Three-In-One,” another name from the comics. Finally, their real name is listed as “Frost,” which is another comics connection, since originally the girls (and their two deceased sisters, who don’t appear to be in the show) were clones of Emma Frost.
This episode of The Gifted introduced the modern Hellfire Club, a society that’s been a longtime enemy of the X-Men in the comics. X-Men movie fans will remember that Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw (and January Jones’s Emma Frost) lead a version of the Hellfire Club in the 1960s in X-Men: First Class. Whether there’s any connection between the movie’s Hellfire Club and the show’s is a big ol’ question mark, given how messed-up the X-Men movie continuity is.
Magneto also got a shout-out, but not by name. While talking to Polaris, one of the Cuckoos says her real dad was a member of the Hellfire Club. “More than a member,” she says. “A king.” Given that Polaris’s dad is Magneto, she ain’t kidding.
The two-part season finale of The Gifted, airs on January 15, with or without Wolverine.
Previously on Inverse’s The Gifted Wolverine Watch:
Tune in a week for the Season 1 finale of Inverse’s The Gifted Wolverine Watch.
