Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981) was not created during a time period when Bobby Drake was canonically gay, but watching "The Origin of Iceman" sure has Maddy and Ryan wondering about that. Thanks to the return of Video-Man (who has his own origin episode earlier in this series), Bobby Drake loses his mutant powers. Under the pretext of researching why this could have happened, Peter Parker straps Bobby into the university lab's memory machine, which allows Angelica and Peter to watch all of Bobby's embarrassing high school social gaffes on a big-screen TV. We soon learn Bobby would rather create a blizzard than dance with a girl, and even now, he can't manage to sit next to a girl on a couch. Also, this episode has some all-time great J. Jonah Jameson comedy in it, so we're excited to see him as a recurring fixture on this show. Next episode: "Triumph of the Green Goblin," Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Maddy and Ryan travel back in time to 1981, when Iceman was still closeted and also was one of the three stars of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. This show also introduced a new mutant character named Firestar who got added to comic book canon later on; she sure does look a lot like Mary Jane, who isn't present on this show. Also, she's only here because (once again) the show creators couldn't get the rights to Human Torch from the Fantastic Four. We picked "The Prison Plot" to watch because Magneto is the big villain in this episode, and next time, we'll be watching "The Origin of Iceman," an episode with a title that says it all. But honestly, after watching these two episodes of this show, we've decided we're going to keep on watching the rest. It's just plain fun, and even though Bobby wasn't necessarily written to be a closeted character on this show, it's very easy to see him that way, and that's an unexpected bonus. Next episode: "The Origin of Iceman," Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Ryan, Todd, and Maddy reconvene to discuss the second half of Deadpool 2 (2018), in which Deadpool and Cable do not kiss, to the chagrin of 2018-era Maddy. In 2025, though, we can all recognize what little gayness this movie could manage, which is Cable using his last bit of time travel juice to save Deadpool's life. Of course, after that, Cable would have to fight Colossus for Deadpool's affections, right? Except he's not going to have to, because there were no subsequent movies with Cable in them, even though the character says he's going to "stick around" after this. What happened? Disney bought Fox, that's what happened. We sure wouldn't be mad to see Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz returning as Cable and Domino in the MCU, though... Next episode: "The Prison Plot," Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Maddy, Ryan, and Todd discuss the first half of Deadpool 2, which is thankfully an improvement over the first Deadpool movie, but it still has a lot of Vanessa and Wade's chemistry-devoid love story that should not be in the movie. Despite that, we finally get to bring back the long-missing "Who's Gay?" section, which says a lot about how much this movie sets up Colossus/Deadpool and Cable/Deadpool flirtations and bits. The first half of the movie is really just a long wait for Domino, the best part of the movie, whom we'll just have to tell you more about next time. Next episode: Deadpool 2, Part 2 E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Maddy, Ryan, and Todd convene to answer listeners' questions, including ones about which five X-Men should go on a cross-country RV trip together, which X-Men would be able to stand eating ten hot wings in 5 minutes (without using their powers), various X-Men novelizations, and even some more discussion of what Magneto was doing in X-Men '97. In our defense, one of you wrote us an email about it, so we had to talk about it again, okay? The episode ends with a rousing game of Two Truths and a Lie, but sadly no episode of The Mutant Ages: The Comic Book. We'll be back with that sometime soon, but we haven't recorded that yet. Instead, what's coming up is... Next episode: Deadpool 2 (Part 1)!!! E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Having finished both seasons of The Gifted, Maddy and Ryan get together for a big reminisce about what worked, what didn't work, and the larger legacy of this show as an X-Men adaptation. The disappointing series finale cast a shadow over this recording and our feelings about the show as a whole, but we nonetheless had plenty to choose from when it came to deciding on our favorite episodes and our favorite characters. Also, of course, what song should Andy have beatboxed but didn't? Next episode: Listener mail! E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

The Gifted deserved a better finale for season 2 than "oMens," and it definitely deserved a better series conclusion than this, but "oMens" is nonetheless the final episode of this show before its cancellation. Unfortunately, it's anticlimactic and clunky. We get to see all the plot points you would expect, such as the Mutant Underground finally coming together to face off against the Hellfire Club and Esmee Cuckoo betraying her sisters to join with Lorna, but it all happens so fast and with so little reflection on the part of the characters involved that it's pretty disappointing to watch. There's just one good scene in which John Proudstar uses his super-strength to beat up a shitload of Purifiers, and it's extremely satisfying. Next episode: The Gifted wrap-up/reflections E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

The second-to-last episode of The Gifted, "Monsters," is mostly about moving chess pieces around the board. That is to say, all of the characters need to be in the correct spots before the finale. The result is kind of boring to watch, and there are a few scenes that get wrapped up in ways that don't quite make sense. Lauren and Caitlin are on the run from the cops, but their escape ends up being surprisingly simple in the end, thanks to Marcos and Reed's help. Reed is finally using his mutant powers, and it's going surprisingly well... so well that he has discovered he enjoys using them to kill people (RIP Wilson, Jace's boyfriend). Jace Turner still can't manage to get on the right side of history, but Esmee Cuckoo sure seems like she's about to. And of course, Lorna and Andy finally leave the Hellfire Club in this episode, a decision that was long overdue since Reeva's plans for world domination have become downright evil. Next episode: "oMens," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Multiple major characters die in "calaMity," the third-to-last episode of The Gifted's final season, except wait, we shouldn't call Sage a major character, should we? It's a damn shame what this show has done to her, and we can't believe how anti-climactic her death scene turns out to be. Sage takes the fall for Lorna's bad spycraft within the Hellfire Club, even though the reasons for her being the scapegoat don't make a lot of sense. The rest of "calaMity" is a thrill ride that builds up to Jace leading the Purifiers in The Gifted's version of the Morlock Massacre, in which a surprisingly high number of Morlocks survive, thanks to Blink calling Marcos (and not her ex-boyfriend John) to bring in all the ex-Mutant Underground folks with some getaway cars. Unfortunately, despite everyone's best efforts, it's Blink who doesn't make it out of this situation alive. But isn't she supposed to be alive at the end of this show? Hmmm... Next episode: "Monsters," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

With only a few more episode to go before its cancellation, The Gifted is still chugging along, ramping up the stakes of the Inner Circle's motivations. In "teMpted," Lorna engages in some bad spycraft and learns that the Inner Circle's most dangerous new recruits intend to bomb the Pentagon and the White House. She loops Marcos in on the plan, which leads to a climactic murder at the end of the episode (not of Marcos, at least we hope not). Before we get to that, though, Marcos spends this episode underground trying to help save the life of Glow, who gets shot by police in the process of stealing food for her fellow Morlocks. With the help of Marcos, Blink, and the controversially human Caitlin, Glow survives, and even Erg has to admit that Caitlin helped in the end. Meanwhile, Andy is working with the Cuckoos to brainwash Lauren into joining the Inner Circle, and it just might've worked, if not for Reed stepping in and flourishing the ol' anti-mutant serum. Next episode: "calaMity," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"hoMe" may not be a five-star episode of The Gifted, but with so many bangers in season 2, we can forgive it. We learn that Evangeline co-founded the Mutant Underground with Erg, the leader of the Morlocks, but then screwed him over. Despite that, she still blackmails him into joining her (along with the rest of our Mutant Underground hold-outs) for a "last stand," although it's not entirely clear that that entails. We'll never get to find out, because it fails, but in the process, Erg and John have a "last stand" of their own and it leads to Blink finally dumping John (long overdue) and joining the Morlocks (also long overdue). Meanwhile, Reed Strucker becomes fascinated by the music box that has his daughter hypnotized, and his daughter and wife go fight some cops and possibly get Uncle Danny killed. Remember Uncle Danny, the lawyer? He's back for some reason. Next episode: "teMpted," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

"meMento" is not only an all-time great episode of The Gifted, it's one of Maddy and Ryan's all-time favorite episodes of TV, period. Every single character's storyline comes to a head in some way. Lauren Strucker gets enchanted by the music box that's passed down through her family for generations, and it seems to be kicking off her villain era. Meanwhile, Lorna is questioning the Inner Circle's true motivations now that Reeva Payne has enlisted a trio of serial killers to perform a mysterious mission. And when Lorna reaches out to Marcos, their relationship naturally gets rekindled. With John bedridden and wounded once again, Blink is questioning whether she can stay with someone so self-destructive. Most striking of all is Jace Turner's storyline, in which he decides to stand up for his Purifier cop friend who shoots an innocent mutant child. Jace's mental health takes a real dive after that one. Next episode: "hoMe," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Maddy and Ryan are in full form for this week's episode of the Mutant Ages, so we hope you're ready for an ADHD roller coaster. Regardless, this week's episode of The Gifted was not exactly an A+ but it wasn't bad by any means. John has been kidnapped by the Purifiers, which means the remaining Mutant Underground members have to get Lorna and Andy's help because they need some serious firepower to overtake a human militia with an organized compound full of guns. Reed and Caitlin are thrilled to have their son back... until they see what he's become, and what Lauren has been warning them about for *months* now. Next episode: "meMento," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Maddy and Ryan open the listener mailbag to answer questions about The Gifted and Lauren's coming-out story, various video games featuring the X-Men, and more. The second half of this episode is The Mutant Ages: The Comic Book episode in which the team visits the Land of Cloakys, and that's why you're really here, you just don't know it yet. Next episode: "eneMy of My eneMy," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Justice for Twist! Ryan and Maddy review "gaMe changer," yet another great episode for The Gifted's second season. The Hellfire Club has apprehended Rebecca and locked her up in a spinning cube, but when Andy tries to rescue her, it doesn't end well. The rest of the Strucker family figures out that the kindly doctor helping them actually has Moira/Dr. Sasaki vibes, which is never a good thing. Clarice and John are still arguing over what's left of the Mutant Underground, and Marcos is the depressed third wheel, although the three of them still manage to figure out the Hellfire Club's next move even if they don't manage to stop it. And what is that next move? Taking out the power source for every mutant collar in America. A very poorly guarded power source. Next episode: Listener mail!! E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Magneto is the most important part of "the dreaM," despite that he never actually shows up in person on The Gifted. This is another amazing episode and this time it's focused on Lorna and her personal journey towards accepting that she's her father's daughter, and that her own daughter Dawn is not going to be safe as Lorna and the rest of the Hellfire Club continue with their violent uprising against a bigoted human supremacist government. Rebecca, AKA Twist, runs away from the Hellfire Club and leaves a trail of destruction in her wake, although when John and Clarice find her, Rebecca actually does decide to help them, suggesting that she's not all bad. Reed Strucker, meanwhile, has decided to work with a woman who bears a striking similarity to Moira MacTaggert, and we all know that's not a good thing. Next episode: "gaMe changer," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

In "no Mercy," the Hellfire Club is ready to perform their bank heist, but it wouldn't be a heist episode if something didn't go wrong. Maddy and Ryan feel like Lorna could have opened this safe herself, but it's Rebecca's job, and Rebecca doesn't just want to steal money from Creed Financial. She wants to steal... human lives. Meanwhile, Reed Strucker is still suffering from mutant denialism, and Jace Turner makes the tough decision to go on TV with a not-quite-William Stryker type character and become the face of the Purifiers. Next episode: "the dreaM," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

The Gifted season two keeps on hitting home runs with "iMprint," an episode focused on the Cuckoos and their backstory. Unlike so many other X-Men adaptations, this one closely aligns with the characters' portrayal in the original comics by clarifying the girls are clones and introducing the other two of the five main Cuckoos. Their heartbreaking backstory of growing up in a lab and being tortured by their human captors clearly influences the way they act today, and it's what ends up driving a wedge (and eventually a renewed alliance) between Esme and Lorna in this episode. We've also learned what the Inner Circle has planned: stealing from Graydon Creed (or at least someone with his last name), who is an anti-mutant financial magnate in this universe. Meanwhile, the Strucker family is still falling apart, and Caitlin still can't let go of her denial about it, plus Jace Turner falls even further into the black hole of far-right radicalization with the Purifiers. Next episode: "no Mercy," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

The Gifted season two continues its strong pace with "afterMath," which Maddy and Ryan end up rating 4/5 instead of a perfect score but still did enjoy quite a bit. Blink helps the newly escaped mutants who were wrongly imprisoned in a mental asylum find a new home with the Morlocks, and Marcos makes friends (kind of) with one of the escapees named Glow, who isn't from the comics and has a weirdly optimistic attitude. Meanwhile, Andy is getting to know Rebecca, the one mental asylum escapee that the Inner Circle decided to take in, and she seems fun... but also maybe not fun so much as scary. Next week's episode: "iMprint," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!

Maddy and Ryan get to watch yet another fantastic episode of The Gifted with "outMatched," in which our former Mutant Underground characters are indeed outmatched when it comes to the machinations of the Hellfire Club. Lorna, Andy, and their new friends are breaking into a mental institution that only houses mutants and has been drugging them and torturing them, and their former friends are just trying to keep up with whatever that plan even is. Reed Strucker has decided to down anti-anxiety medication at a steady clip to keep his mutant powers at bay, which obviously doesn't work. Caitlin Strucker goes full torture mode on a mutant drug addict in order to get the information she wants about Andy. And it's all for nothing in the end, because when Lauren finally comes face to face with Andy, he's anything but willing to come back home. Next episode: "afterMath," The Gifted E-mail us your feedback at themutantages@gmail.com or follow us on social media at TheMutantAges, MIDImyers and RyanPagella. If you like what you hear, please consider supporting us via patreon.com/themutantages. Thanks!