“X-Men ’97” Season 2 – Episodes 1 – 4 – Disney+ Original Review
This summer, “X-Men ’97” returns for a second season on Disney+ and it picks up where the first season finale ended 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, prompting new teams of mutants to come together.
The second season of the original animated series features 9 episodes, and I’ve watched the first 4, which are all interconnected into a single storyline involving the evil villain Apocalypse, split across two time periods thousands of years apart.
Bringing back the classic “X-Men” series from the 90s has been a great step for rebuilding Marvel’s animated lineup and it’s very clear that this series is meant for the kids who grew up on the original series, rather than an introduction to new fans, as there’s we’re basically in season 8 of the “X-Men” animated series, so there’s so much history being utilised for its stories.
The cliffhanger set the tone for the storyline of these four episodes, so we’ve got one team stuck in ancient Egypt, trying to stop En Sabah Nur from becoming Apocalypse and the other team in a dystopian future where Apocalypse still rules. The lineup of each team keeps it interesting, with Magneto and Professor Charles Xavier, doing their traditional argument over the best way to help mutants and humans live together. While the future team generally focuses on Cyclops and Jean Grey’s relationship with their long-lost son Nathan, who could be the key to fixing everything.
One of the biggest advantages Marvel has in continuing “X-Men” as an animated series, is that they can tell stories that just couldn’t be done in live action, or at least not at this scale with the different settings and so many characters being featured. Which is why “X-Men ’97” feels so far ahead of anything else Marvel Animation has put out in years. They might lean a little more on the connection to the larger Marvel universe now, especially in the last episode I watched, which I personally enjoyed.
Marvel is very committed to “X-Men ’97” and has plans to have it as a recurring series for many more seasons to come, which, after watching the latest episodes, is certainly refreshing, as there’s something special about this animated series, and that’s why it’s so loved after all these years. It also feels like Marvel is trying to balance the show’s nostalgia with the need to deliver a high-quality show for today’s modern audiences, which I think they manage very well.
The animation style still stays close to the original, though it’s noticeable that it does look much better than the 90’s version, and that introduction theme song is still awesome (and once again stuck in my head for days).
My only real complaint is that with so many characters being featured in these episodes, some of them just feel like they’ve been thrown into the background and are unnecessary, except for when the action hits, and they can hit all their signature moves.
Overall: This initial batch of four episodes from “X-Men ’97” is top-notch animation, which basically felt like I was just watching an animated movie (probably because I binged all four episodes back to back, because they were that good!). If you want your “X-Men” stories to be bigger than ever, full of different characters and teams running around doing different missions (like they do in the comics) and, more importantly, loved the previous seasons of “X-Men”, you’ll love this new season too. This is very much a “Marvel is Back” moment.
Rating: 4.5 Out Of 5
“X-Men ’97” season two is coming to Disney+ on July 1st 2026.
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