The Summers family tree can look about as complicated as the multiverse itself, and another branch appears in the “X-Men ’97” Season 2 premiere, “Days of Past Future.” In the far-flung year 3960 A.D., which is ruled by Apocalypse (Ross Marquand), we’re introduced to the mysterious Mother Askani. In the comics, Mother Askani is Rachel Summers – the daughter of Cyclops (Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) from an alternate timeline, which makes her Cable’s (Chris Potter) sister … kind of.
Mother Askani provides a condensed explanation of her backstory when she tells Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith): “I hail from a hell that would make you call this one heaven. But even in the darkest timeline, you never relent.” Presumably, the “darkest timeline” she refers to is the world of Earth-811, where the original “Days of Future Past” story takes place.
In this reality, Sentinels eradicate mutants and all other superbeings aside from a handful of survivors. Rachel, Wolverine, and Kate (fka Kitty) Pryde are members of an underground resistance, and Rachel uses her powers to send Kate’s consciousness to the past to prevent a political assassination that leads to their miserable present. Eventually, Rachel herself winds up moving across time and space and landing on Earth-616, the main Marvel Universe, where she remains for many years and adventures.
Rachel Summers is a staple of X-Men comics
Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne and first appearing in “Uncanny X-Men” #141 from 1980, Rachel inherits her mother’s telekinetic and telepathic abilities. Also like her mom: For a time, Rachel hosts the intergalactic and occasionally malevolent Phoenix Force, and she’s been known to use the codenames Phoenix and Marvel Girl. Rachel also goes by “Prestige” at one point in her superheroing career. She’s been an X-Man, a founding member of the U.K.-based spin-off team Excalibur, and a member of X-Factor. Rachel dates Nightcrawler for a while, but in more recent comics, she’s in a relationship with Betsy Braddock, aka Captain Britan.
So, why is Rachel an old woman in “X-Men ’97” when she usually looks like Jean Grey except younger and with a more stylish hairdo? Well, in “Excalibur” #75 from 1994, an attempt to rescue a time-displaced Brian Braddock (Betsy’s brother, coincidentally) lands Rachel in the 37th century — specifically, a grim future similar to what we see in Season 2 of the Marvel Disney+ show “X-Men ’97.” It’s here where she grows old and becomes Mother Askani — a powerful but befuddling leader in the fight against Apocalypse.
