X- Men ’97: Who Is the X-Cutioner?

X-Men: The Animated Series continuation show X-Men ’97 is finally here, and it brings with it a new foe for Marvel’s mutant superheroes to contend with: the X-Cutioner. So who is the X-Cutioner and why is he such a threat to X-Men ’97‘s titular team?

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Who Is X-Men ’97’s New Villain, the X-Cutioner?

In X-Men ’97 canon, the X-Cutioner is Carl Denti, the leader of human supremacist group Friends of Humanity. Little else is revealed about Denti in the Disney+ show’s two-episode premiere, other than his hatred of mutants supposedly stems from them thinking they have a rawer deal than humans. Even so, we can infer aspects of his backstory from the handful of scenes he appears in. Take the jagged scars running across Denti’s face. These old wounds strongly imply he’s run afoul of a clawed mutant (maybe even Wolverine or Sabretooth) before. Then there’s the brutal beatdown Denti dishes out on Cyclops, which hints at a military or law enforcement background. Denti’s highly advanced X-Cutioner armor and arsenal back this up, as well.

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These are just educated guesses, though. Hopefully, X-Men ’97‘s eight remaining episodes will shed more light on the X-Cutioner’s motivations and history – not to mention his weaponry. We already know a bit about Denti’s Neutralizer rifle; Beast’s research has determined that its Inhibitor Collar-derived radioactive blasts are strong enough to strip mutants of their powers permanently. The exact origin and nature of Denti’s staff and protective gear remains a mystery, however. All we know is that both can withstand Cyclops’ optic blasts. But no matter where Denti’s kit came from, it – together with his formidable hand-to-hand combat skills – more than makes up for his lack of superpowers.

What Do We Know About the X-Cutioner From Marvel’s X-Men Comics?

While the X-Men ’97 incarnation of X-Cutioner remains shrouded in mystery, it’s possible his comic book counterpart could fill in the blanks. Both the cartoon and comic versions of the character are broadly similar, except for one key detail. Unlike in X-Men ’97, in the comics, Denti doesn’t head up Friends of Humanity. What’s more, his vendetta against mutants – while still rooted in prejudice – is more focused, too. The X-Cutioner only targets mutants he believes have committed murder and gone free.

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But if we assume that X-Men ’97‘s X-Cutioner is otherwise unchanged, we can start filling in some of the above gaps. For starters, Denti’s comic book backstory frames him as a former FBI agent who was part of a superhuman-focused task force – explaining his fighting prowess. The X-Men comics also explain that Denti sourced his suit and weapons from his late FBI mentor’s stockpile of exotic hardware (including Shi’ar tech). This is why X-Cutioner packs so much more power than the average anti-mutant bigot.

X-Men ’97 is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.