X-Men '97 Season 2's latest episode, "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs," has finally given the Brood – one of the X-Men's most notorious alien enemies – a full on-screen appearance after 31 years, having previously only cameoed as a virtual simulation in the original 1994 animated series. The episode also doubles as an affectionate homage to James Cameron's sci-fi classic *Aliens*, delighting long-time fans who had waited decades to see the parasitic villains properly realised.

The episode serves as a companion piece to two earlier instalments: the original series episode "Weapon X, Lies, and Videotape" and the Season 3 episode "Love in Vain," which was originally titled "A Time to Brood" before the Brood were swapped out for a similar alien race called the Colony. Executive producer Larry Houston explained the change was partly due to the Brood's earlier brief appearance and partly a desire to redesign them to be more distinctive and easier to animate for the Fox Kids Saturday-morning audience. In the new episode, Wolverine references the past alien threat, hinting the Brood and Colony may be linked, while the instalment weaves in multiple nods to Cameron's *Aliens*.