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Warning: spoilers for the X-Men '97 season 2 finale are ahead!

Well, one X-Man arises, and another one falls - but not who we were expecting.

This week on X-Men '97, Rogue was successful in saving Gambit from Apocalypse, but at great personal cost. After finding out from the Celestial, Eson, that her Celestial power-up would require her to sacrifice herself after saving Remy, Rogue was at peace with what appeared to be her immediate fate. But that would not come to pass. 

Because Nightcrawler stepped in and sacrificed himself to Eson so that Rogue would not have to die after saving Gambit - which is very sweet of him, but very sad for the rest of us. And to be clear, we didn't want to see any of the X-Men hit the dust, but there's something moving about Kurt pulling off the most high-stakes Irish goodbye in history to help two of his friends reunite. 

As he floats in front of Eson, Nightcrawler drops some poignant bars: "I know they will grieve. But I also believe with time, my memory will be a seed from which new ones will grow. Each day, a new blessing to share with one another, learn from one another, and to build a better future with the hearts that they inspire, together - as they were always meant to be."

As sad as this ending is for Kurt, it's okay because he's a man of faith - a fact he's quick to remind Eson. He accepts his decision to die instead of Rogue without any trepidation. As a Nightcrawler fan myself, I take comfort in that fact, even if I am sitting here wringing my hands a little over the growing body count of my favorite mutants who have been killed off by this show so far: Banshee, Magik, Magneto, now Nightcrawler. 

Could someone place a protective sphere around Glob Herman, Forge, Sunspot, Chamber, Doop, Dust, Nature Girl, and Beak, please? 

All episodes of X-Men '97 season 2 are streaming on Disney+ now. 

To me, my X-Men fans. Want more about Marvel's mutants? You don't need Cerebro to find what you should read next... we made a list!

• The best X-Men comics
• Every Omega-Level X-Men mutant ranked by power
• How to read the Marvel Comics' X-Men in order following the Krakoa era
• Why the Krakoan Age of X-Men was ended by Marvel
• How to watch the X-Men movies in order