Scott is reunited with his younger brother Alex, who is recruited by Magneto to join him as the X-Men are forced to fight the Brotherhood for a place in Magneto's sanctuary.
Tropes included:
- Armor-Piercing Response: Initially, Alex couldn't care less what Magneto has to say and brushes him off. Then Magneto fully describes Alex's pain and offers to give him the relief and answers he secretly craves.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Sensing Magneto's presence, Xavier tells him to show himself. Cue Xavier getting a one-way trip to Asteroid M.
- Blood Knight: Sabretooth relishes how Magneto's test requires slugging it out with his hated enemy.
- Butt-Monkey: Toad gets two chances to get to Asteroid M, but he loses to Jean and then Rogue.
- Curb-Stomp Battle:
- It doesn't take much for Jean to beat Toad. He really only lasts as long as he does because she's not as invested in the fight as he is, and he still gets sent tumbling down a well. He doesn't fare any better against Rogue, thanks to Tongue Trauma.
- Storm takes down Mystique when she's done playing nice.
- Quicksilver effortlessly incapacitates Evan on the beach.
- Deadpan Snarker: Sabretooth muses it must be hard for Wolverine to stay afloat with bones covered in metal.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Mystique grouses about having to prove her worth to Magneto.
- Duels Decide Everything: With the exception of Xavier and the Summers brothers, Magneto does this to decide who is worthy of going to Asteroid M and who gets left behind. He orders his various underlings to attack the unaware X-Men in one-on-one fights, with the winner being greeted by one of his silver spheres. By the end of the episode, Storm, Jean, Rogue, Avalanche, Blob, and Quicksilver are on Asteroid M, while Wolverine and Sabretooth's fight is still ongoing.
- "Eureka!" Moment: After the others miss the flight to Hawaii, Kurt realizes there are beaches much closer to home and suggests a road trip.
- Foreshadowing: When attacking Jean, Toad mentions how they all have to prove their worth, indicating this isn't just the usual antagonism.
- Hope Spot: Just as Wolverine is about to get back into the Blackbird and reach Xavier, Magneto sends him flying.
- Little "No":
- Toad when Jean is taken away in a silver sphere, meaning she won and he lost.
- Xavier when he sees Scott is one of Magneto's converts.
- Long-Lost Relative: Downplayed. Scott and Alex remember each other in great detail, but they had been separated for a decade and thought the other was dead until now.
- Man Hug: Scott and Alex upon seeing each other.
- Morton's Fork: During their fight, Blob jumps up and attempts to tackle Kitty. With no time to run, she uses her power to avoid getting flattened, but having to phase through Blob's body leaves her so overwhelmed that she faints from disgust.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Scott is relieved that Alex is still alive, but he also kicks himself for never having tried to look for him.
- Not Quite Dead: Scott learns his little brother didn't die ten years ago as previously thought. Alex had also thought Scott was dead.
- Power Incontinence: Alex's power is beginning to manifest. He can control a blast reasonably well when in dire straits, but he doesn't understand what's happening. He's also been feeling regular pain in his bones (particularly his hands) and suffering headaches. Magneto offers to give him the relief and control he so badly wants.
- Properly Paranoid:
- Xavier immediately suspects that Magneto will be making a move on Alex.
- Scott gets a bad feeling from the silver sphere that Alex shows him.
- Wolverine immediately deduces that it was no coincidence he was dropped near an island that Sabretooth is on.
- This Is Gonna Suck: In Hawaii, Wolverine when he realizes that Magneto has just been at the beach.
- Threatening Shark: Alex gets knocked off his surfboard by one and ends up activating his power while fending it off.
- To Be Continued: After acknowledging how some "unbelievers" still require persuasion, Magneto introduces Xavier to two willing converts: the Summers brothers.
- Tongue Trauma: Toad loses his second fight because Rogue slams a car door shut on his tongue.
- Visionary Villain: Magneto anticipates a very dark future for mutants, so he intends to train the best possible team on Asteroid M to counter any and all future threats.
- We Need a Distraction: Storm creates a fog to throw Mystique off balance and then decks her.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Magneto chastises Xavier for his idealistic approach to human/mutant relations, calling himself a realist by contrast.
