TV Review: X-Men '97 Season 2 (2026)

X-Men '97 Season 2 (2026) created by Beau DeMayo based on the 1990s series based on the Marvel Comics

This series has the X-Men fighting the supervillain Apocalypse. He starts out in ancient Egypt as an insignificant slave and rises to become the first mutant. He lives on for thousands of years. The X-Men fight him in the far future, the past, and the present. The far future is dominated by Cable, the son of Cyclops and Jean Grey, who is fated to kill Apocalypse. Cable knows about his fate and has become obsessed by it. His aggression leads him to form his own mutant team, X-Force, who travel through time to fight Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Professor X and Magneto try to stop En Sabah Nur from becoming Apocalypse in 3000 BC. When all the X-Men return to modern day (1997, that is), they have to deal with X-Factor, a group of mutants hired by the American government to keep mutants in line. Naturally, the three X-groups come into conflict with each other as they are trying to deal with Apocalypse in their own ways.

The show gets a little convoluted as it goes along. The main story line gets scattered, especially when filler episodes show up, like the one where Wolverine gets his adamantium back while on a mission to the Weapon X facility. The stories are exciting even if they don't all gel together. The finale introduces a new problem, the election of an anti-mutant president of the United States. Also, Mystique takes over the identity of the head of X-Factor, which probably won't be good news in season 3. I enjoyed this season enough to be looking forward to next season.

Recommended, highly for X-Men fans.

As I write this (September 2026), this is only available streaming on Disney+.

TV Review: X-Men '97 (2024)

X-Men '97 (2024) created by Beau DeMayo based on the 1990s series based on the Marvel Comics

This series, a continuation of a popular cartoon from the 1990s, starts with the X-Men in crisis. Professor Charles Xavier has died, leaving a leadership gap for the team. Cyclops/Scott Summers naturally thinks he has to step up as leader, though he is reluctant since his wife, Jean Grey, is pregnant and soon to give birth. He was hoping they could live a more normal family life. The problem gets worse when Magneto shows up at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters with Charles's will. Xavier has bequeathed the leadership of the school and the team to Magneto. None of the X-Men are happy about the situation (except maybe Rogue). Scott feels he has to stay to make sure Magneto behaves. The narrative plays out from there.

This ten-episode arc covers a lot of ground. Scott and Jean have their baby though the infant is kidnapped and infected with a cyber-disease and has to travel to the future with the time-traveling mutant Bishop to get cured. Storm loses her powers in a fight and winds up on a journey of self-discovery. Jean discovers that she is a clone of the actual Jean Grey created by Mister Sinister, leading to lots of complications. The island country Genosha, set up as a mutant refuge, is trying to join the United Nations but is under attack both politically and literally. The stories move at a breakneck pace. If I hadn't read some of these story arcs in the comics, I think I would have been a little lost (seeing the movies helps a bit too). The series leans on nostalgia and prior knowledge too much, with a lot of characters lacking any development or depth. 

The animation does a good job looking like something from thirty years ago without looking cheap or rushed. The action sequences are creative, hewing to the X-Men's random set of abilities and applying them as best they can in given situations. Rogue is an exception--she never using her absorbing power, she just flies around and punches a lot of stuff.

Mildly recommended--this needs a bit of context to be appreciated. Of course, the series ends on a cliffhanger implying another season to come.