REVIEW: 'X-men '97' Season 2 is peak Marvel Animated storytelling
X-Men ’97 is back with a blockbuster sophomore season, picking up on Season 1’s epic cliffhanger in epic fashion. A continuation of the beloved nineties animated series that ran from 1992-1997, X-Men ’97 exploded onto Disney+ in 2024, retaining all the style, action, and heart that made the original such a hit.
Based on the Marvel Comics characters who fought to protect a world that hated and feared them for being born with superhuman abilities, the original series was groundbreaking for helping introduce mature themes and longform storytelling to mainstream western animation. Three decades later, X-Men ’97 pushed the format further, acknowledging that its audience had grown up in the intervening years, while diving ever deeper into the characters’ expansive lore.
The groundwork for Season 2’s is laid out in the 3-episode premiere, which loses no time in picking up from where we left off, with the X-Men split across the distant past and far future. Cyclops (Ray Chase), Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale), Wolverine (Cal Dodd) Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) and Morph (J. P. Karliak) struggle in the year 3960, where they must contend with a foe that has already conquered the world. At the same time, Professor X (Ross Marquand), Magneto (Matthew Waterson), Rogue (Lenore Zann), Beast (George Buza), and Nightcrawler (Adrian Hough) are in ancient Egypt, where a young mutant, En Sabbah Nur has yet to become the dread Apocalypse (Ross Marquand). It goes without saying that, by the time the X-Men return to their proper era, things will never be the same for Marvel’s band of merry mutants.
Right off the bat, Season 2 trusts its audience, skipping excessive exposition to thrust viewers into its fully fleshed out worlds, based on what we already know of the characters. Whether it’s Cyclops and Jean facing the consequences of sending their infant child to the future, or longtime frenemies Magneto and Charles debating the ethical ramifications of changing the flow of history, the action is always rooted in superb character work one wouldn’t necessarily expect from a former Saturday morning cartoon.
Where Season 1 did a lot of heavy lifting to bring these characters into the 21st century (title, notwithstanding), Season 2 takes bigger narrative swings, expanding the series’ scope beyond its familiar confines, to mixed -yet no less entertaining- results. While it’s fun to see elements of popular and obscure X-Men storylines adapted and remixed in a new context, one wishes that we had more time to explore certain concepts and storylines than these 9 episodes allow. Thankfully, rushed storytelling aside, the series’ established commitment to prioritizing character alongside (the admittedly spectacular) action remains fully intact.
Take, for instance, the plight of Cyclops and Jean (largely lifted from the classic “Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix” miniseries), who learn that their child, Nathan, is destined to take down Apocalypse with a rebel faction led by Mother Askani (Gates McFadden, Star Trek: The Next Generation). What could have been a fascinating season in and of itself, is rushed through its main points in roughly half an hour which, while undoubtedly exciting, could have used some breathing room to give us more context on the post-Apocalyptic future and its inhabitants.
Among Season 2’s most notable events are the present-day introductions of X-Factor, a government-sanctioned mutant team, and X-Force, a black-ops squad tasked with missions Charles Xavier would never approve of. As led by Cable (Chris Potter), X-Force–consisting of Psylocke (Naoko Mori), Archangel (Christopher Barger), Jubilee (Holly Chou), and Sunspot (Gui Agustini)—specializes in morally-ambiguous adventures that put them at odds with both the X-Men and the public-facing X-Factor. Their presence is a breath of fresh air that embraces and expands the breadth of the X-Men universe, complete with a bespoke title sequence that will have fans cheering.
The voice cast, composed of original series veterans and newcomers alike, continue to perfectly capture the vibe of their source material—from Marquand and Waterson’s take on Xavier and Magneto’s philosophical disagreements, to Dodd’s increasingly feral take on Wolverine, and even Chou’s (as Jubilee) unease with some of Cable’s more extreme methods, these actors have seamlessly become the de facto voices of Marvel’s iconic mutants. Amusingly, aside from McFadden, fellow Star Trek alumni Michael Dorn (Invincible) and John de Lancie (Breaking Bad) are also present, playing key roles in the ancient Egypt portion of the story.
All told, X-Men ’97 Season 2 is a thrilling, engaging continuation of a franchise that absolutely doesn’t show its age, replete with more well-integrated cameos, easter eggs, and shoutouts than you can shake a stick at. Despite initial concerns that the highly publicized ouster of Season 1 showrunner Beau DeMayo would negatively affect Season 2, the team behind it spared no effort to show that the X-Men are in good hands. Indeed, what could have been relegated to a shameless nostalgia cashgrab continues to be the most compelling, well-executed version of the X-Men that we’ve had in years.
And, speaking as a longtime fan, when the show’s this good, nine episodes a season just isn’t enough.
X-Men Season 2 is now streaming, with new episodes every Wednesday on Disney Plus.
