5 Burning Questions We Have About X-Men '97 Season 2

It’s been 3 years, but the hold is yet astir implicit for X-Men ‘97 Season 2. Marvel Animation has dropped a caller trailer for the animated series, on with the uncover that Season 2 volition premiere connected July 1, 2026. It’s clip to get the X-Men backmost to the ‘90s, by immoderate means necessary.

Naturally, we person a batch of questions aft watching this caller footage. How large a relation does clip question play successful Season 2? Why does Wolverine look to person his adamantium backmost already? Why are Cyclops and Jean Grey sporting their iconic, 2000s-era New X-Men costumes? Let’s excavation into these and different questions arsenic we hold for X-Men ‘97 Season 2 to deed Disney+.

Warning: This nonfiction contains imaginable spoilers for Season 2 based connected the X-Men comics.

How Long Will the X-Men Be Lost successful Time?

X-Men ‘97 Season 2 deals precise straight with the fallout of the Season 1 finale. The X-Men ‘97 whitethorn person thwarted the humanoid Sentinel Bastion and Operation: Zero Tolerance, but they’ve been scattered crossed time. Some of them (Rogue, Nightcrawler, Magneto, Beast) are trapped successful the distant past, a clip erstwhile Apocalypse began to widen his almighty grip crossed Ancient Egypt. Meanwhile, Cyclops and Jean Grey are marooned successful the future, astatine the tallness of Apocalypse’s power.

That appears to beryllium the crux of the struggle successful Season 2. Most of the X-Men are missing successful time, and seasoned clip travelers Bishop and Forge are engaged moving to bring them backmost to the ‘90s. But successful the meantime, it falls connected the fewer remaining X-Men and teams similar X-Factor to proceed the combat for human/mutant coexistence.

The large question present is however agelong we’ll spot this presumption quo play retired successful Season 2. How agelong volition the X-Men beryllium scattered passim time? Is this thing that’s going to beryllium resolved wrong a fewer episodes, oregon volition it predominate the full season? The trailer makes it wide that we’re going to spot the X-Men triumphantly reunited earlier the end, but erstwhile precisely does that reunion instrumentality place? Given however fast-paced Season 1 was and however rapidly it blazed done large X-Men storylines, we wouldn’t beryllium amazed if this concern resolves itself much rapidly than immoderate fans are expecting.

This question is each the much pertinent due to the fact that we cognize that Marvel Comics has a prequel tie-in coming retired soon earlier the caller play premieres.The X-Men ‘97: Season Two comic bridges the spread betwixt the 2 seasons of the amusement and seems to absorption connected the present-day mutants carrying the torch for the missing X-Men. We cognize from aboriginal preview creation that Forge’s X-Factor squad has a large portion to play successful the story. If Marvel is publishing this prequel, they whitethorn beryllium looking to research the time-travel presumption quo successful greater extent than the amusement itself has country to do.

Who Is the Main Villain This Time?

If the post-credits country for the Season 1 finale didn’t marque it plain enough, the caller trailer confirms that Season 2 volition revolve heavy astir Apocalypse. We’ll reunite with this all-powerful mutant villain astatine aggregate points successful his immortal life, including arsenic a young warlord successful Egypt and a futuristic tyrant. Presumably, we’ll besides spot Apocalypse successful the ‘90s. It’s the hottest timeline close now.

But is Apocalypse the main villain of Season 2? Season 1 went successful immoderate unexpected directions earlier Bastion yet emerged arsenic the show’s endgame threat. We ideate there’s a batch much than meets the oculus to Season 2, arsenic well.

For 1 thing, we’re not convinced that Apocalypse is going to play the villain relation successful each timeline. The trailer makes it look arsenic though the younger mentation of the quality is aligned with the X-Men successful the past. How overmuch volition Season 2 absorption connected his origins and the question of whether determination was erstwhile a bully antheral hiding beneath each that Celestial armor and Darwinian bluster?

It’s worthy pointing retired that we spot Apocalypse’s rival Immortus successful the trailer, truthful it astatine slightest appears that the amusement volition beryllium exploring their past feud. In that sense, the amusement whitethorn beryllium looking to physique connected the instauration of the 4-part “Beyond Good and Evil” communicative arc from the archetypal animated series, which ended with the uncover that the bumbling clip janitor Bender was really Immortus successful disguise. If you request a refresher connected Immortus and his transportation to Kang the Conqueror, we’ve got you covered.

But these aren’t the lone villains we spot successful the trailer. Season 2 is besides bringing backmost Exodus, a quality who successful the comics served arsenic Magneto’s herald and erstwhile battled Apocalypse successful the distant past. He could beryllium different cardinal portion of the clip question puzzle here. In the trailer, we spot Exodus battling Nightcrawler, an ironic pairing fixed however overmuch some men are defined by their faith.

We besides spot a little glimpse of Danger. This robotic villain was calved aft the Danger Room gained sentience and rebelled against Professor Xavier for imprisoning her. It appears that we’ll beryllium seeing immoderate mentation of that storyline play retired successful Season 2, but volition she beryllium a one-off quality oregon an overarching threat?

Who Will Be Apocalypse’s Horsemen?

Whenever Apocalypse rears his head, it’s a harmless stake that his Horsemen won’t beryllium acold behind. To paraphrase Yoda, ever 4 determination are - War, Pestilence, Famine, and Death. Apocalypse loves thing much than selecting the strongest mutants helium tin find and transforming them to go his fanatically loyal minions. But which characters volition marque the chopped this time?

The Season 1 post-credits country powerfully implies that Gambit volition beryllium the caller Death. Remy sacrificed himself defending the doomed federation of Genosha earlier successful the season, and Apocalypse seems intent connected resurrecting him and harnessing his quality to marque things detonate existent good.

The uncover of Gambit arsenic Death is definite to beryllium 1 of the cardinal affectional moments of Season 2. The trailer makes it plain that Rogue is inactive profoundly mourning her loss, and she’s definite to consciousness a surge of emotions erstwhile she learns that Remy is live again but besides successful thrall to Apocalypse.

That inactive leaves 3 different mutants. Which ones volition drawback Apocalypse’s eye? Does helium specifically privation heroes helium tin corrupt and mold to his liking, oregon volition anyone bash truthful agelong arsenic they person the earthy power?

And, finally, however does Archangel origin into Season 2? He was portion of the archetypal batch of Horsemen backmost successful Season 1 of the archetypal series, and helium inactive carries the scars of that ordeal. We’re definite Warren volition beryllium starring the complaint against Apocalypse now, but is it imaginable that his aged maestro whitethorn beryllium looking to reclaim this almighty weapon?

Are Cyclops and Jean Grey Headed for a Breakup?

X-Men ‘97 is thing if not a play piece, proudly flaunting the information that it takes spot successful the precocious 1990s. It draws heavy connected the ‘90s-era X-Men comics successful presumption of some storylines and the costumes worn by our heroes.

That being said, it appears that Season 2 is looking somewhat up to the aboriginal 2000s erstwhile it comes to 2 characters. While Cyclops and Jean Grey volition commencement retired the play arsenic roving, futuristic nomads raising their young lad Nathan, astatine immoderate point, they’ll instrumentality to the contiguous and don costumes based connected Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s New X-Men comics. That bid debuted successful the aftermath of the archetypal live-action X-Men movie and saw the X-Men commercialized successful their colorful spandex for much functional achromatic leather.

Art by Phil Jimenez. (Image Credit: Marvel)

It’s an absorbing stylistic choice, and we wonderment however overmuch these costume changes are meant to signify the absorption the bid is headed with Scott and Jean. New X-Men was notable for driving a wedge betwixt the 2 characters, with Cyclops entering into a psychic matter with caller teammate Emma Frost (whom we besides concisely spot successful the trailer). In fact, the bid ends with Jean becoming Phoenix and dying each implicit again and Scott committing to his caller romance with Emma.

Could thing akin beryllium happening successful X-Men ‘97? Will the 2 lovers beryllium pulled apart, possibly arsenic a effect of the Summers household play from Season 1? Or is this homage to New X-Men purely a ocular one?

How Does Wolverine Get His Adamantium Back?

Of each the X-Men, Wolverine had arguably the roughest spell of it successful the climax of Season 1. He had his adamantium skeleton ripped retired during a melodramatic combat against Magneto, proving it’s not the smartest thought to nonstop a metal-boned mutant to combat the Master of Magnetism. That twist drew connected the iconic “Fatal Attractions” comic publication crossover from 1993.

Based connected the comics, we tin conjecture astatine the wide strokes of what happens adjacent for Wolverine. He’ll travel to presumption with his near-death acquisition and the find that helium has bony claws beneath the adamantium. He’ll embark connected a travel of self-discovery not dissimilar Storm’s abrogation from Season 1. He’ll astir apt clash with immoderate of his enemies who are each excessively anxious to instrumentality vantage of his much susceptible state, either acquainted faces similar Sabretooth and Lady Deathstrike oregon a caller villain similar the adamantium-skinned Cyber.

If the amusement follows Wolverine’s post-Fatal Attractions arc each the mode through, we whitethorn adjacent spot Logan conflict to support his humanity. In the comics, his healing origin yet goes into overdrive erstwhile it nary longer has to compensate for each the toxic metallic successful his body, which causes him to devolve into a feral beast for a little period.

That each being said, we don’t get the content that the bid is going to walk precise agelong exploring this caller bony claws era. That’s due to the fact that we tin intelligibly spot Wolverine is rocking the adamantium claws again successful the trailer. So what gives? How does helium get his precious metallic skeleton back?

We’d conjecture Apocalypse has thing to bash with it. That’s however Logan yet gets his adamantium backmost successful the comics. Apocalypse forces Wolverine to conflict Sabretooth for the close to beryllium his caller Death, and Logan gets a caller adamantium skeleton arsenic his triumph prize. Will thing akin hap successful the show? Is Wolverine destined to go 1 of Apocalypse’s Horsemen? Or is this a acquisition from Magneto, arsenic a benignant of mea culpa for their past encounter?

What are your theories astir X-Men ‘97 Season 2? Who bash you deliberation the eventual villain volition be? Let america cognize successful the comments below.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.