It’s a heck of a time to be an X-Men fan. After a long hiatus and the dominance of other Marvel properties, the past few years and the very near future are looking bright for everybody’s favorite team of mutants. Deadpool & Wolverine brought back some of the IP’s most beloved characters for an unforgettable team-up. Original favorites like Patrick Stewart‘s Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen’s Magneto are set to return in Avengers: Doomsday. Thunderbolts* filmmaker Jake Schreier is set to reboot the team in a new standalone movie. However, one resurrection of the X-Men isn’t merely one of their best projects in recent memory, but one of the best things Marvel has ever made.
A direct sequel to X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 vastly exceeded all expectations to deliver one of the most visually striking, unflinchingly comic-accurate, and surprisingly dark Marvel stories ever put to screen. Season 1’s “Remember It” alone is nothing short of a masterful episode of television, with the narrative weight that most MCU projects these days only dream of. It’s a truly near-perfect revival in every way, which puts a lot of pressure on the long-awaited Season 2. Thankfully, after seeing the first four episodes of the critically acclaimed show’s sophomore run, we can safely say the uncanny heroes are still on their A-game.
What Is ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 About?
Following Season 1’s battle with the genocidal Sentinel Bastion (Theo James), X-Men ’97 Season 2 opens with the X-Men being separated across space and time, with half of them being sent to a pharaoh-ruled Ancient Egypt and the other half to a far-off post-apocalyptic future. “Apocalyptic” is the opportune term to use here, as the “First Mutant” known as Apocalypse (Ross Marquand) has returned, and the greatest threat the X-Men have ever faced has a new sinister plan for global domination. Both teams embark on a relentless quest to find their way back to their own timeline. Cyclops’ (Ray Chase) team in the future tries to find a way to expose Apocalypse’s weaknesses, while Magneto’s (Mathew Waterson) team tries to stop En Sabah Nur (Adetokumboh M’Cormack) from ever becoming Apocalypse in the past.
From the Terminator-like neon-soaked dystopian future to the bright and sandy Ancient Egypt, X-Men ’97 is easily the most visually impressive series in Marvel’s long history. The immersive colors and creative cinematography come together to make every single frame of Season 2 look like it came straight from a comic book. That goes double for the show’s riveting action set pieces; each episode has one, and each hits a home run.
X-Men ’97 Season 1 also managed to strike a great balance between episodic central storylines and overarching serial storytelling. That’s a trend that continues in Season 2, but it’s further amplified through an impressive diversity of genres. Episode 1 goes post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a familial twist, while Episode 2 is a gritty crime story that weighs the morality and necessity of vigilante anti-heroes, and Episodes 3 and 4 make up a two-part fantasy epic with some shades of sci-fi à la Stargate. Three diametrically opposed directions and genres all intersect seamlessly to tell the story of one of Marvel’s best and most iconic superhero teams, as well as one of their most notorious foes.
‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Gives Apocalypse the Fearsome Treatment He Deserves
It’s no secret that the live-action X-Men: Apocalypse movie didn’t exactly nail its depiction of the titular villain that fans waited for, with Oscar Isaac‘s take on the iconic character being unflatteringly compared to Ivan Ooze from Power Rangers. That’s not the case with X-Men ’97‘s version of Apocalypse, who is just as terrifying as he is morally complex. Season 2 essentially explores three different versions of the character, with each exploring him in ways that none of the many animated X-Men shows ever really have. The most interesting by far is the young Apocalypse we meet in Ancient Egypt, and while his journey (which features a pretty darn cool appearance from a character we daren’t spoil for you here) is compelling, it also feels a bit too short and rushed. Had it been given more time to breathe, this could have been one of the all-time great Marvel villain arcs.
It’s Official, We’re Finally Getting a New Version of X-Men’s Cyclops
A new season of ‘X-Men ’97’ is on the horizon.
Another slight issue with Apocalypse getting so much time to shine is that the main X-Men team doesn’t get the meaningful, small character moments that were all over Season 1. While some figures like Cyclops, Professor X (Ross Marquand), and Jubilee (Holly Chou) get some screentime, others like Wolverine (Cal Dodd), Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), and especially Rogue (Lenore Zann) have shockingly little to do in the first four episodes of Season 2. It’s hard to gauge how the show will balance this based on the first four episodes, but it may be a sign that X-Men ’97 has one too many characters to juggle at this point.
X-Men ’97 is difficult to judge as an entire season rather than by episode, simply because each installment feels so self-contained and independent, even if they do tie into an overarching story. It’s even more difficult when reviewers have only seen half of what Season 2 has to offer so far, and even if not every character gets their time in the spotlight, they still look stunning every time they’re on-screen. It’s a miracle that a revival like this, which gives this much care and attention to detail, even exists to begin with, but it’s also a Marvel fan’s dream come true through and through. With breathtaking animation that fills the screen, it’ll be a tall order for whatever comes next for the X-Men to top one of the best Marvel shows ever made.
X-Men ’97 Season 2 premieres July 1 on Disney+.
- Release Date
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March 20, 2024
- Network
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Disney+
- Directors
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Jake Castorena, Emi Yonemura, Chase Conley
- X-Men ’97 has the most beautiful animation on TV right now.
- Every single action scene is marvelously choreographed and visually spectacular.
- Season 2 features easily the best on-screen depiction of Apocalypse ever.
- The X-Men’s many members don’t all get equal time to shine in the first four episodes.