User:Mrs. Hastings/sandbox/X-Men: Red Team/Season 1

The first season of X-Men: Red Team, an American superhero drama television series based on Marvel Comics' series X-Men Red, was released by Disney+ between August 30 and November 1, 2023, comprising 10 episodes. The season follows a resurrected Jean Grey as she attempts to categorize mutants as part of the United Nations and forms a team of mutants to confront the mind-controller Cassandra Nova. The ensemble cast consists of Jessica Rothe, Ella Balinska, Anna Diop, Storm Reid, Simone Ashley, Stephan James, Tristan Lake Leabu, Alexander Dreymon, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Carey Mulligan.

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Featured character	Original release date
1	1	"Jean Grey Returns"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar	—	August 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
In 2018 New York City, Jean Grey resurrects through her Phoenix Force link after being dead for six years. She visits friend Kurt Wagner and envisions humans and mutants integrated. Decided to succeed, she presents the idea during a United Nations meeting, in which ambassador Patricia Marbury manifests against Grey's idea before her head blows up unexpectedly. Blamed for Marbury's death, Grey escapes with the help of Wagner and sisters Laura and Gabrielle Kinney, and receives asylum in Wakanda. There, King T'Challa and resident Nezhno Abidemi help Grey defeat her friend Ororo Monroe, who attacks Wakanda under the mental control of unknown forces. Grey recruits Wagner, the Kinney sisters, Abidemi, and Monroe to investigate Marbury's assassination, and hides in Atlantis with the help of King Namor McKenzie, keeping Monroe unconscious. She suggests to recruit Shilpa Khatri, an Indian mutant she has been studying. Elsewhere, an unknown woman holds a piece of nanotechnology.
2	2	"Scars in Body and Mind"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar and Sara Hess	Gentle	September 6, 2023 (2023-09-06)
Born in 1984 to a Wakandan warrior and a Russian man from whom he inherited his X-Gene, Abidemi faces a life of persecution due to his outsider father, causing deep psychological trauma. In 1997, at age 13, his body is covered with Vibranium to prevent him from over-exerting due to his superhuman abilities. He is sent by T'Challa, by Storm's advise, to Charles Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning. Finding other students from the Institute distracting, Abidemi turns into meditating and a focused lifestyle. His pacifist nature gives him the codename Gentle while fighting in Storm's squad. In 2010, Grey helps Abidemi with his constant nightmares and scary visions. She understands his pain is a subconscious mechanism to prevent himself from using his powers after suffering physical violence from his mother. In 2018, Abidemi meditates as Grey asks for his help to rescue Khatri in India. In a post-credits scene, Gambit fails to stop a crazed man from killing a mutant as Cassandra watches from afar.
3	3	"We've All Got Baggage"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar and Andrew Chambliss	Trinary	September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13)
Born in 1999, Shilpa Khatri has the ability to control all forms of technology and faces prejudice from her family and school colleagues. Despite this, she grows to cherish and improve her powers. In 2018, she transfers money from 25 Indian CEOs to the accounts of every working Indian woman. Khatri's father finds out and reports her. Before being caught and imprisoned by the Indian Mutant Defense Force (IMDF), she sends a voice message to Grey for help. Grey, Abidemi, and Namor rescue her, and Khatri takes control of a Sentinel deployed by IMDF to escape the facility. Khatri decides to join Grey's team. Back in Atlantis, she is able to identify and remove the Nano-Sentinel, a mind-controlling device, from Storm's brain. Meanwhile, Gambit is informed that David Bushell, responsible for killing mutant Cara Beckham, has been contained and arrested. Aware of Storm's similar recent attack in Wakanda, Gambit calls Grey to update her. As they talk, Grey and the team's base is attacked by Teen Abomination.
4	4	"The Kinney Sisters"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar	Laura and Gabrielle	September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20)
In 1994, failing to recreate the Weapon X experiment, Dr. Martin Sutter recruits geneticist Dr. Sarah Kinney, who suggests the creation of a female clone. She succeeds by mixing her own DNA with James Howlett's, the original Weapon X subject. Kinney is forced by Dr. Zander Rice, Sutter's protégé, to surrogate the birth and raise the child, named Laura. In the following years, Laura is submitted to intense training and experiments, which ultimately leads to her hatred against herself and others. In 2006, at age 11, Laura kills Sutter and Rice and manages to escape after being injected with chemical compound Trigger 42. Laura grows up surviving the streets and swearing revenge against her creators. In 2008, she discovers several other female clones, with one of them, Gabrielle, being still alive. The two team up and kill Robert Chandler, responsible for Trigger 42 and Gabrielle's creation. Shortly after, they decide to live in the Institute and become close to Xavier. In a post-credits scene, Cassandra has a nightmare.
5	5	"The Avenging Child"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar	Namor	September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27)
In 1922, Atlantean princess Fen acquires info on humans through Leonard McKenzie, a sailor who was instructed to find Vibranium in the Antarctic Ocean and befriended her. They fall in love and Fen decides to live with Leonard after getting pregnant. Her father, Thakorr, kills Leonard. Fen resents Thakorr and names her child Namor, which means "avenging son". Due to being an Atlantean Homo mermanus and also having the X-Gene, Namor presents superhuman strength, speed and durability, as well as water-related abilities. It is shown that, in his youth, Namor battled in the World War II alongside Steve Rogers and befriended and helped Grey in various missions. In 2018, Teen Abomination is subdued by Namor and Trinary finds a Nano-Sentinel in his brain. Connected to Grey's powers, Trinary manages to locate the device's origin, a warehouse in New York. There, Grey, Gambit, and Storm find proof of Cassandra Nova's activies and are interrupted when Cassandra herself shows up.
6	6	"Crawling Nights"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar and Michael Waldron	Nightcrawler	October 4, 2023 (2023-10-04)
In 1990, living in a German village under the alias of a married noblewoman, Mystique falls in love and becomes pregnant of the mysterious Azazel. During difficult delivery, her true form is revealed. A torch-wielding mob chase Mystique and she passes out after putting baby Kurt inside a chest in a lake. The child is raised by Margali Szardos, a Romani fortune teller and circus member, and lives happily in the circus despite its owner, Max Getmann. Kurt grows close to Stephan and Jimaine, Margali's biological children, and promises to Stephan to kill him if he ever kills someone. In 2000, Stephan murders three circus-goers and Kurt accidentally kills him. Chased by another furious mob including Getmann, Kurt is rescued by a priest, whose church is burned down by the mob. Before Getmann gets to kill Kurt, Charles Xavier appears and rescues him, programming the mob to remember Kurt dying. In a post-credits scene set in 1997, Xavier talks to a young Abidemi before finding a photo of himself alongside Cassandra in their child years.
7	7	"Somebody to Control"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar	Gambit	October 11, 2023 (2023-10-11)
In 1982, baby Remy is left in the maternity ward after birth for having red eyes and is kidnapped by members of the Thieves Guild, who believe he is "le diable blanc", a figure who would lead them to a prophesied holy land. Raised by street thieves, Remy learns tactics of thievery and, at age 10, attempts to steal from Jean-Luc LeBeau, the Guild's leader. LeBeau simpathizes with him and adopts him as his son, teaching him, throughout the following years, fighting skills. In 2006, Remy has adopted the Gambit alias to act as an anti-hero and has controlled his ability to turn objects into fire weapons. One day, he helps Storm defeat Toad and they soon create a strong relationship and Storm invites him to join the X-Men, which he refuses to maintain his independency. In 2018, Gambit accidentally burns down Cassandra's warehouse during a fight against her, which she escapes. Back in Atlantis, the Red Team start searching for Cassandra's background when Charles appears and reveals she is his evil twin sister.
8	8	"Estranged Twins"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar	Charles and Cassandra	October 18, 2023 (2023-10-18)
Charles explains that every person has a Mummudrai, a spirit that is their equal and opposite, and his created a physical form while in the womb, becoming a human twin. He understood their evilness and tried to kill them with his psychic abilities, causing their mother to have a miscarriage. While pronounced stillborn, Cassandra's spirit survived and spent decades building a new body and planning revenge. Charles further mentions that Cassandra tried to kill his X-Men years prior using Sentinels she acquired from Donald, Bolivar Trask's cousin, but she was stopped and killed. Trinary discovers Cassandra is planning to implant millions of Nano-Sentinels in human minds to generate a "hate machine" against mutants. After debating, the Red Team join forces through Charles and Grey to maximize Trinary's power. She manages to destroy all traces of the Nano-Sentinels. In retaliation, Cassandra invades Atlantis's surface disguise alongside Rachel Summers, Grey's daughter from an alternate timeline.
9	9	"The Almighty Storm"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar	Storm	October 25, 2023 (2023-10-25)
10	10	"Get Off My Mind"	Lorene Scafaria	Chad Dunbar and Sara Hess	Jean Grey	November 1, 2023 (2023-11-01)
Under Cassandra's control, Rachel battles the Red Team, injuring Trinary and Nightcrawler. They escape and travel to South Korea, where Cassandra hijacks the military into becoming her army against mutants. With Shuri's help, the Red Team creates copies of Magneto's helmet to free any one infected by Nano-Sentinels. Again enraged by the Team's actions against her, Cassandra activates bombs throughout South Korea as an mind-controlled alternate version of Jean Grey fights the Red Team. While being psychically visited by Charles, Cassandra is infected by a reprogrammed Nano-Sentinel that makes her feel empathy, instantly filling her with regret. Grey also visits her mind and promises to help her atone, whereas Charles says he can not forgive her. Grey and husband Scott talk to Rachel about her relationship with her parents. The Red Team ask for Doctor Strange's help to erase Rachel's and alt-Grey's memories and return them to their proper timelines. Knowing that Cassandra is defeated, Grey asks whose Red Team members would like to remain active. Namor decides to return to his duties in Atlantis, whilst the remain choose to stay in the team. Grey receives a phone call from the White House. In a post-credits scene, Grey dreams of a threatening male voice saying they are coming for her.

Cast and characters

Season 1 main cast

Jessica Rothe

Ella Balinska

Anna Diop

Storm Reid

Stephan James

Tristan Lake Leabu

Kingsley Ben-Adir

Channing Tatum

Carey Mulligan

Main

• Jessica Rothe as Jean Grey
• Ella Balinska as Laura Kinney / X-23
• Anna Diop as Ororo Monroe / Storm
• Storm Reid as Gabrielle Kinney / Honey Badger
• Simone Ashley as Shilpa Khatri / Trinary
• Stephan James as Nezhno Abidemi / Gentle
• Tristan Lake Leabu as Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler
• Kingsley Ben-Adir as Namor McKenzie
• Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau / Gambit
• Carey Mulligan as Cassandra Nova

Recurring

• Omari Hardwick as King T'Challa / Black Panther, the king of Wakanda and Grey and Monroe's close friend
• Harry Lloyd as Charles Xavier, a pacifist telepath and founder of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning
• Booboo Stewart as Jamie Carlson / Teen Abomination, sent by Cassandra to attack the Red Team in Atlantis

Guest

• Lily Allen as Patricia Marbury, a British United Nations ambassador killed by Cassandra to incriminate Jean Grey
• Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Dr. Sarah Kinney, Laura's surrogate mother and responsible for her creation
• Roark Critchlow as Dr. Martin Sutter, head of the Facility top-secret program
• Luke Hemsworth as Robert Chandler, creator of Trigger 42
• Julian Morris as Dr. Zander Rice, Sutter's protégé
• Dante Brown as 13-years-old Nezhno Abidemi
• Simona Brown as Abidemi's mother, a Wakandan warrior
• Tom Wlaschiha as Abidemi's Russian father
• Eli Goree as Q'Lako, Abidemi's mother's friend, who mocked her son
• Mohan Kapur as Miko Khatri, Shilpa's traitor father
• Jeremy Bobb as David Bushell, an ordinary citizen who, under Cassandra's control, kills a mutant named Cara
• Erin Moriarty as Cara Beckham, a mutant killed by David Bushell
• Karla Souza as Fen, an Atlantean princess
• Fawad Khan as Leonard McKenzie, a sailor sent to the Antarctic Ocean to retrieve Vibranium
• Zahn McClarnon as Thakorr, former emperor of Atlantis and Fen's father
• Jonathan Groff as Steve Rogers / Captain America, a physically-enhanced World War II veteran
• Ana de Armas as Raven Darkhölme / Mystique, a charming mutant with shape-shifting abilities and Wagner's mother
• Ben Foster as Azazel, a powerful mutant with demonic appearance and Wagner's father
• Petr Kotlár as Stephan Szardos, Margali's biological older son
• Edyta Górniak as Margali Szardos, a Romani fortune teller and member of Getmann's circus who adopts Wagner
• Ever Anderson as Jimaine Szardos, Margali's biological younger daughter
• Viggo Mortensen as Max Getmann, a ruthless and violent circus owner who profits off mutants
• Kurt Russell as Jean-Luc LeBeau, leader of the Thieves Guild and Remy's adoptive father
• Jay Baruchel as Todd Tolansky / Toad, a mutant with prehensile tongue, a slimy substance that he spits onto others, and enhanced agility
• Chad Lowe as Dr. Brian Xavier, Charles and Cassandra's father, Sharon's husband
• Laura Leighton as Sharon Xavier, Charles and Cassandra's mother, Brian's wife
• Jackson Robert Scott as young Charles Xavier
• Raegan Revord as young Cassandra Nova
• Maya Hawke as Rachel Summers, Jean and Scott's daughter from an alternate timeline
• Leah Harvey as Shuri, T'Challa genius sister
• Aidan Gillen as Doctor Strange, the Master of Mystic Arts, who helps the Red Team
• Alden Ehrenreich as Scott Summers / Cyclops, Grey's husband
• Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, a version of the character previously featured in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series

Critical response

X-Men: Red Team (season 1): Critical reception by episode

X-Men: Red Team (season 1) (2023): Percentage of positive critics' reviews tracked by the website Rotten Tomatoes

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 327 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "A delightful distraction from previous Marvel Comics adaptations, X-Men: Red Team presents dephtful characters with a powerhouse storytelling." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 87 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".