Everything we know about the future of Marvel’s acclaimed animation.
X-Men ’97 will go down as one of the most pleasant surprises of 2024, with the animated revival successfully capturing the spirit of the original series while applying its own modern touches.
Following some divisive and underwhelming releases, the action-packed return of this uncanny super team reminded viewers just how exciting Marvel’s iconic heroes and villains can be.
Here’s hoping that the studio can carry this momentum into season 2 (already confirmed) and, eventually, the introduction of a live-action X-Men team to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (for which the groundwork is being laid).
If you’re itching for another session in the danger room, read on for everything we know so far about X-Men ’97 season 2.
X-Men ’97 season 2 release date speculation
Good news! X-Men ’97 has been renewed for a second season on Disney Plus, with a third also in the early stages of development – and it’s clear this is only the beginning for Professor X’s merry band of mutants.
The concern is that these future instalments could take some time to reach us, with Marvel’s What If…? taking more than two years between seasons, while Prime Video’s Invincible was hit with an even longer break.
Marvel executive producer Brad Winderbaum has previously acknowledged that “it takes a long time to produce animation”, so we could be looking at a similar gap for X-Men ’97 – perhaps 18-24 months.
If it does run to that timeline, that would point to a launch in late 2025 or early 2026. Here’s hoping it reaches us sooner, but we’re keeping our estimate modest to avoid disappointment.
X-Men ’97 season 2 cast speculation
It’s quite likely that X-Men ’97 season 2 would see the return of the current cast, with several of whom being alumni from the original 1992 incarnation.
If you need a refresher, here’s what the cast list currently looks like:
- Ray Chase as Scott Summers / Cyclops
- Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey
- Alison Sealy-Smith as Ororo Munroe / Storm
- Cal Dodd as Logan / Wolverine
- JP Karliak as Morph
- Lenore Zann as Rogue
- George Buza as Dr Henry ‘Hank’ McCoy / Beast
- AJ LoCascio as Remy LeBeau / Gambit
- Holly Chou as Jubilation Lee / Jubilee
- Isaac Robinson-Smith as Lucas Bishop
- Matthew Waterson as Erik ‘Magnus’ Lehnsherr / Magneto
- Ross Marquand as Professor Charles Xavier
- Adrian Hough as Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler
- Gui Agustini as Roberto da Costa
On the revival’s multiple recasts, X-Men ’97 director/producer Jake Castorena told RadioTimes.com: “If we’re doing this show, we got to do it with the legacy cast – that was the decision from day one.
“[But] time hits us all – it’s been 30 years and so, unfortunately, some of the legacy voice cast is no longer with us, and… voices and things just change.
“Finding people to take up the mantle for the legacy cast, to fill in the roles, was an absolute process, but I absolutely love and appreciate all of our new cast taking on their new roles – and to hear the blessings from the legacy cast has been also awesome, too.”
Castorena added: “For those who wanted to come back and for whatever reasons weren’t able to do the voice, we brought them back to play other characters, to make sure we still had everybody in the sandbox… because how do you invite one person to come play, but not somebody else?
“Especially when they’re game and they want to. It’s like, ‘we’ll find something for you’.”
X-Men ’97 season 2 plot speculation
As for what stories X-Men ’97 could tell next, there’s certainly plenty to choose from.
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Castorena explained: “X-Men, it is a rich IP, with tons of stories and characters, so there’s always an avenue or a path that we can go down.
“What I can speak to is… we are in production on season 2, and… that is about as much as I can say right now!”
The series has already taken a major element from Grant Morrison’s post-’90s run on New X-Men – that being a mutant genocide in Genosha – so it’s possible that the creatives could look to more modern comics for further inspiration.
Former showrunner Beau DeMayo had completed work on season 2 scripts prior to his surprise exit from the project, meaning it should hopefully strike a similar pace and tone. There’s no word yet on who will replace him.
Is there a X-Men ’97 season 2 trailer?
Not yet! We’ll update this page when new footage is released.
X-Men ’97 is available to stream on Disney Plus. Sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.