X-MEN '97: S2

July 1, 2026 / Disney+ / 8 Episodes

CAST: Holly Chou, Cal Dodd, George Buza

DIRECTOR(S): Chase Conley, Emi Yonemura

“X-Men '97” Season 2 continues with the heroic mutant team of X-Men, divided and thrown across different eras in time as they struggle to navigate their return home. Meanwhile, back in the 1990s, suspicious foes and new strains of mutant intolerance are on the rise in the wake of the X-Men’s absence. The second season of the original animated series features nine episodes, and the voice cast includes Ross Marquand as Professor X, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, and George Buza as Beast.

Written By Darren Zakus

Rating 4 out of 5

First Look Review - Episodes 1 - 4

X-Men ‘97 continues the excellent standard of the first season in the opening episodes of season two, once again featuring top notch animation, an electrifying musical score from The Newton Brothers, all while setting the building blocks for an ambitious story that is no doubt going to deliver another outstanding season of television.

The return of the X-Men in animated form was a wonderful blend of nostalgia for those who grew up watching X-Men: The Animated Series while effortlessly capturing the essence of a 1990s Saturday morning cartoon, and an exciting comic book adaptation that brought the X-Men to life in all their glory. Not only was it one of the best seasons of television in 2024, but X-Men ‘97 captured the spirit of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s iconic characters in spades, delivering one of the best iterations of these characters of all time to grace the screen. The first season ended on a massive cliffhanger, with the X-Men scattered across time and the threat of Apocalypse looming, and the second season wastes no time and picks up exactly where we last saw Charles Xavier and his team of mutants. Over the course of four episodes, head writer Beau DeMayo spends his time focusing on our heroes, the dynamics that have emerged with the X-Men being lost in time for six months, and building the world ending danger that Apocalypse poses to the team.

Each episode focuses on a different set of characters: the first on Jean, Scott and those stranded in the future; the second on Cable, Jubilee and Sunspot in the 1990s; and the third and fourth on Charles and Magneto in the past. While never short on thrilling action, shocking moments and lots of characters from the X-Men comics not seen in the first season that help build the world of this television series, the episodes feature that signature X-Men character focused writing that has made this team of heroes so beloved since their debut in 1963. The standout moments are without question the dynamics of the Summers family as Jean and Scott connect with Nathan and get to see him as the young boy they never got to raise, and the always captivating dynamic between Professor X and Magneto as their friendship clashes with their ideological and political views as they must work together to help set En Sabah Nur on a path to not become Apocalypse. All of the different storylines are on a collision course with each other, each playing a piece in the puzzle to build the colossal threat of the season, and while audiences will have to wait until the later half of the season to see the X-Men reunite to face off against Apocalypse, based on everything leading up to that moment it will be well worth the wait.

Continuing the first season’s standard of excellence, the production of X-Men ‘97 continues to capture that nostalgic feeling of a Saturday morning cartoon. The animation remains vibrant and colourful, with a crisp clarity while echoing the hand drawn two dimensional style of X-Men: The Animated Series, capturing the essence of a comic book come to life on screen in every frame. The rock oriented musical score of The Newton Brothers featuring heavy electric bases, brass and electronic elements once again is a propulsive force of the episodes, helping to build the excitement but also the quieter character focused moments, creating a thrilling soundscape for the series to unfold in. Voice performances from the entire returning cast remain top notch, while Michael Johnston, one of the breakout stars of this year’s horror hit Obsession, is great addition to the cast as young Nathan Summers and captures the hurt experience by Nathan who does not understand why his parents sent him to the future and the hero as he is fulfilling his destiny and well on his way to becoming Cable.

While Marvel Studios has been operating in full force in the realm of animation since the dawn of Disney+, there is no question that X-Men ‘97 remains the crowning jewel of their animated endeavours, and the first four episodes of the second season solidifies that. Once again featuring brilliant animation and fuelled by the musical genius of The Newton Brothers, the X-Men’s fight against Apocalypse begins in a thrilling quartet of episodes to kick off the second season of X-Men ‘97 that features excellent storytelling and great character work, all while promising an even better back half of the season still to come!