Thanks to an unbelievably epic new trailer, we now know that Marvel Animation's Emmy-nominated series X-Men '97 will return to Disney+ with its second season on July 1.
Touted as "the most-watched Disney+ Original animated series (based on hours streamed globally)," the series was a critical hit when it launched in 2024 and remains one of Marvel Studios' best-reviewed titles with 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the trailer, we see the full scope of the threat these mutant heroes will face when they find themselves forced to wage war with Apocalypse. The villain plans to strike at the team when it's most vulnerable, but he isn't the only threat shown here.
The Brood also make an appearance, as does Danger, the living embodiment of the Danger Room first introduced in Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men run. There are heaps of cameos, too, with X-Factor, Colossus, Rama-Tut, and Deadpool (a transformed Morph) all making their presence felt.
We also get to see the X-Men in their comic-accurate costumes from the early 2000s. In this sneak peek, the heroes don suits identical to those featured in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's acclaimed New X-Men series. Does that mean the show will move past 1997?
X-Men '97 Season 2 continues 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.
The second season of the original animated series features 9 episodes, and the voice cast includes Ross Marquand as Professor X, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, and George Buza as Beast.
The series is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, Julia Lewald, Eric Lewald, Larry Houston, and Beau DeMayo. The supervising producer is Jake Castorena. Episodes written by JB Ballard, Beau DeMayo, Bailey Moore, Antony Sellitti, Brian Ford Sullivan, and Mariah Wilson. The episodic directors are Emmett Yonemura and Chase Conley.
As noted, X-Men '97 Season 2 premieres on Disney+ on July 1.