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Tolerance is Extinction: X-Men ‘97 & The Great Replacement Theory

Spoilers for “X-Men ‘97” & "X-Men: Days of Future Past"

The revival of the “X-Men: The Animated Series” (1992-1997) “X-Men ‘97” that aired on Disney+ in 2024 covered several topics and themes that the X-Men have always wrestled with. From identity to racial oppression to self advocacy the X-Men have always served as a way to mirror existing racial politics in order to advocate for the oppressed.

One of the ways X-Men ‘97 does this is exploring the idea that “tolerance is extinction.” The idea of “tolerance is extinction” comes from the idea that the more an in group tolerates an out group the out group will eventually exterminate the in group. This idea is first seen in Henry Gyrich as he appears in episode 1 “To Me, My X-Men” when Storm and Cyclops interrogate him in jail. The conversation/interrogation with Gyrich turns its focus to the Mutants gaining more acceptance as a result of Gyrich’s “assassination” of Professor Charles Xavier. Gyrich disagrees that Mutants are gaining actual acceptance as he believes that the “fashionable sympathy” being shown to the Mutants is just a “fad” as it’s seen as the “correct” thing to do.

Gyrich states that “normal people know the more room we make for your kind the less we leave for ours…tolerance is extinction.” Gyrich believes that Mutant kind will never be accepted as it means the extinction of mankind. This idea is seen frequently in real life, specifically in “The Great Replacement Theory.”

The Great Replacement Theory

According to Britannica, Great Replacement Theory or Replacement Theory is defined as “mostly white, a far-right conspiracy theory alleging,…that left-leaning domestic or international elites, … are attempting to replace white citizens with nonwhite (i.e., Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Arab) immigrants. The immigrants’ increased presence in white countries, … with their higher birth rates as compared with those of whites, will enable new nonwhite majorities in those countries to take control of national political and economic institutions, to dilute or destroy their host countries’ distinctive cultures and societies, and eventually to eliminate the host countries’ white populations.” This idea motivates several groups and individuals to oppose non-White people being a part of majority White countries as they fear they will be wiped out by non-White populations in a “White genocide.”

Mutants replacing humanity is the reasoning behind several of the acts taken to oppose mutant existence on Earth. Bolivar Trask explicitly states that Mutants’ use of their powers reminds people that “humanity itself is obsolete” in episode 1 and in episode 7 “Bright Eyes” he states that he “made the Sentinels to protect normal people.”

The Sentinels are robots made to identity and “terminate” any Mutants they see and the fact that Trask employed such lethal technology (and sought to improve it as seen in episode 7 with the Sentinels in glass cases similar to the ones seen in 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” which could replicate the powers of any mutant it came in contact with) against Mutants at several points in the series demonstrates a key motivation in opposing Mutant-human equality and the extents to which the fear of being wiped out motivates Trask and other anti-Mutants.

While Trask regretted his part in the advancement of Sentinel technology and admitted he was part of a larger plan to exterminate Mutants (revealed to be spearheaded by Mister Sinister and Bastion) and was also turned into a Prime Sentinel, it demonstrates the extent to which human beings fear being wiped out.

Replacement in Action

Action being taken against minorities and those who defend them motivated by Great Replacement Theory has been continuously seen in history. In 2017, the Unite The Right march took place which led to the death of Heather Heyer and 35 others being injured. According to the PBS article “What is ‘great replacement theory’ and how does it fuel racist violence?” by David Bauder of the Associated Press, the roots of the Great Replacement Theory can be found in several places including as far back as the Reconstruction Era in efforts to discourage Black people from voting as they could replace White voters. These efforts included poll taxes, literacy tests, grandfather clause, etc. The Klu Klux Klan also threatened and committed violence against Black people on numerous occasions in order to dissuade them from voting.

Vice President of Civic Education at the National Constitution Center, Julie Silverbrook wrote that “In Kansas, there were more than 2,000 politically motivated murders. In Georgia, the number of threats and beatings was even higher. And in Louisiana, 1,000 freed people were killed” in her essay “The Ku Klux Klan and Violence at the Polls” for the Bill of Rights Institute. Silverbrook also highlights the Colfax Massacre of 1873 in which 62-153 Black men and 3 White men were killed over the “1872 gubernatorial election between Republican William Kellogg and Democrat John McEnery.”

This violence was incredibly effective as Silverbrook highlighted the lack of Republican (most Republican voters were Black at the time) democratic participation in the 1868 election. In New Orleans, there were approximately 21,000 registered Republican voters and only 276 voted, many citing KKK threats as the reason they did not vote.

Belief in The Great Replacement Theory is also found to have motivated several White supremacist mass shooters highlighted in the PBS article such as Brenton Harrison Tarrant who murdered 51 Muslim people across two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand or Dylann Roof murdering 9 people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopcal Church, the oldest AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church in the Southern United States.

The main example of violence committed against minorities in order to preserve the White race is the Holocaust and Hitler’s treatment of Jewish people during his dictatorship. Hitler’s dogmatic belief in Aryan supremacy and horrific actions to ensure a pure Aryan Germany is a hallmark example of the extent White supremacy and replacement beliefs can lead. The Holocaust also has ties to the X-Men universe as Magneto, one of the most ardent Mutant supremacists, is a Holocaust survivor and it is a core aspect of his character and motivation to defend Mutant existence. This background is also featured briefly in “X-Men ‘97” episode 5 “Remember It” as Magneto experiences a brief flashback to a concentration camp before declaring “they shall be avenged” and attacking the Wild Sentinel that was destroying Genosha.

The attack on Genosha reflects the long history of violence perpetrated against minorities in the name of “saving the White race.” While the show does not give exact numbers on the amount of Mutants killed in the attack, “House of X #4: It Will Be Done” places the number at 16,521,618 Mutants killed, 94% of the global Mutant population.

Another Form of Extinction

Even though the idea of “Tolerance is Extinction” originally came from a person with anti–Mutant sentiments, minority groups often adopt similar ideals as a result of the oppression they face. Magneto returned to villainy in the wake of the attack of Genosha and the belief that Mutants and humans could not share the world and therefore humanity must begin again. To Magneto, tolerating humanity’s vitriol and hate would mean extinction for Mutant kind. The Beast also mused on this idea when the rest of the X-Men visited Genosha after the attack in episode 7 and Beast told Trish Tilby “begging for your [humanity’s] tolerance was our first mistake.”

The idea that integration may not be the best thing for minority groups is frequently seen amongst activists. Marcus Garvey was famously a Black separatist and believed that Black people should go back to Africa as White America was no place for them and Malcolm X also held beliefs to a similar effect. Martin Luther King Jr. also stated that he had “come to believe we’re integrating into a burning house.” “Tolerance is Extinction” has several angles to interact with and it demonstrates multiple perspectives on racial equality and combating inequality.

Conclusion

“X-Men ‘97” continues the X-Men’s long history of portraying racial issues using its heroes and their struggles. There are many links between “Tolerance is Extinction” and real life as this idea covers several perspectives on racial inequality and demonstrates the range of perspectives that has impacted these issues.

Sources

Britannica - Replacement Theory

PBS - What is Great Replacement Theory and How Does it Fuel Racist Violence?

Bill of Rights Institute - The Ku Klux Klan and Violence at the Polls

History Channel - The Colfax Massacre