‘X-Men ’97’ Reveals the Truth Behind the X-Ternal Mystery
Marvel enthusiasts have spent over three decades pondering the identity of a mysterious figure from ’90s Saturday morning cartoons, and ‘X-Men ’97‘ has finally provided clarity. In the episode “Rise of Apocalypse Part 2,” it is confirmed that the character resembling the X-Ternal from the original animated series is actually Candra, a member of the mutant class known as the Externals.
This revelation didn’t come with much fanfare or a grand announcement. Instead, it was subtly integrated into a larger narrative, settling a debate that Marvel comic readers have engaged in for more than thirty years. For dedicated fans of ‘X-Men The Animated Series’, this payoff felt well worth the wait.
The mystery began in “X-Ternally Yours,” the sixth episode of the second season of ‘X-Men The Animated Series’. This episode focused on Gambit and drew viewers into the longstanding rivalry between the Thieves Guild and the Assassins Guild.
In the original storyline, both guilds were required to pay a tithe every decade to a mysterious figure known as the X-Ternal in exchange for power. At that time, Gambit had already been exiled from the Thieves Guild but returned home after his brother, who was meant to be that decade’s Tithe Bearer, was kidnapped by the Assassins.
The episode left the identity of the X-Ternal ambiguous, making it one of the more intriguing loose ends of the entire ’90s series. This uncertainty is what kept fans debating the character’s identity long after the original show concluded.
The confirmation came in “Rise of Apocalypse Part 2,” where the pharaoh Rama Tut is accompanied by a priestess who closely resembles the X-Ternal from the ’90s series. Although she is not named in the episode, the closing credits reveal her identity as Candra.
This confirmation aligns with how the character has been portrayed throughout the second season. Candra is depicted as an immortal mutant known as an External, a rare classification of mutants who can only die at the hands of another member of their kind. Her lore positions her as an ancient being who empowered both the Thieves and Assassins Guilds, explaining her title as the “X-Ternal.”
The series later reveals that Candra was granted a portion of Apocalypse’s power after marrying him, only to betray him due to her resentment over his overthrow of Rama Tut in ancient Egypt. This betrayal is treated as a Composite Character move within the series, with Candra effectively taking on the roles of Apocalypse’s past loves Nephri and Genesis from the broader comics.
A significant moment occurs when Apocalypse rises, and Rama Tut reveals himself as Kang the Conqueror, abandoning his followers, including Candra, as he prepares to escape. Before departing, Kang assures her that her destiny begins that day, stating that Apocalypse can only be challenged by an external force.
This line plants the seeds for everything that follows, as Candra eventually becomes the X-Ternal after claiming some of Apocalypse’s power for herself. It’s a clever piece of long-form storytelling, teasing comic-accurate elements years before they are resolved in a later season.
The choice to have Kang deliver that specific line rewards viewers who recognized the original callback and understood its implications for Candra’s future. It also connects the modern series back to its source material in a way that feels authentic.
Candra makes her return as the X-Ternal in the eighth episode of ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2, where a resurrected Gambit aims to steal the gem that grants her Apocalypse’s power. Gambit employs new, yet undefined abilities to transform the Assassins Guild into fresh Horsemen and sends them after the same jewel, which Apocalypse had given to the X-Ternal long ago.
Bella Donna summons the X-Ternal for Gambit, and Candra is visibly surprised to learn it was him who awakened her from her slumber. When Gambit demands the gem and she refuses, he stabs and kills her, taking the power for himself to make Rogue immortal.
Candra is genuinely taken aback that Remy was able to defeat her, marking a swift and unexpected conclusion for a character fans had long awaited to see fully explained. Empowered by the X-Ternal’s stone, Rogue later joins the climactic battle and helps free Gambit from Apocalypse’s control during a confrontation inside Professor Xavier’s mind.
Completing Candra’s arc after thirty years is precisely the kind of continuity that has made ‘X-Men ’97’ resonate so deeply with longtime fans of the franchise. With the X-Ternal mystery finally resolved, do you believe Candra’s death will stick, or is an immortal External destined to return to the story eventually?