X-Men ‘ 97 Season 2 continued to be a major showcase of X-Men lore and characters for Marvel fans who grew up on the Avengers and other heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The second season introduced some advanced lore, including the rivalry between the X-Men, the villain Apocalypse, and Cable, which extended from Ancient Egypt into the distant future. This time around, there was a much bigger roster of characters from the X-Men universe who got a chance to shine, whether in substantial arcs or cool cameo moments.
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However, X-Men ’97 Season 2 continued to commit a flagrant foul against a franchise character who not only deserves more screen time, but a slot on the roster of main characters. And even though X-Men ’97 has dropped that ball, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now perfectly stocked and ready to pick it up, run with it, and score big.
X-Men ’97 Has Not Respected the (White) Queen
Emma Frost has made brief cameo appearances in both X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97. Emma’s significant moments included being White Queen of the Hellfire Club’s Inner Circle, as they turned Jean Grey into the Dark Phoenix; surviving the Genosha Massacre by unlocking her diamond form as a secondary mutation; and being used by the government-sponsored mutant team X-Factor to lure Cable and X-Force into an ambush. Each of these appearances has presented Emma Frost as a beautiful, haughty, vapid socialite. While those are indeed all qualities the White Queen possesses, her character has also become so much more than that.
Starting in the early 2000s, Marvel Comics creative teams maneuvered Emma Frost into a new role within the X-Men universe. Her character was developed to have intelligence, wit, and unabashed confidence, becoming one of the leading mentors and teachers for young mutants, offering a much-needed third-party option to the two-party system of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto. X-Men ’97 tapped into the real history of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run, in which Emma survived the Genosha Massacre by unlocking her diamond form, while her students all perished. That tragedy led Emma to finally join Xavier’s school and the X-Men, officially changing her status from villain to (anti-)hero.
However, many Marvel fans know Emma best for being the lady who turned Scott Summers/Cyclops’ head away from Jean Grey (at least for a time…). Emma and Scott’s “psychic affair” started a love triangle that ran throughout the 2010s, and actually offered much deeper dramatic substance than some of the titillating X-Men hookups Marvel tried (such as Psylocke’s sudden and very explicit seduction of Cyclops in the late 1990s). In fact, “Emma or Jean?” has become one of the bigger (and messier!) debates within the X-Men fandom, proving that the White Queen has become a much bigger staple than the hyper-sexualized caricature she began as.
The MCU Cast the Perfect Actor to Do Emma Frost Right (So Do It!)
The announcement that Samara Weaving (34) has been cast as Emma Frost in MCU X-Men reboot has been met with almost universal acclaim from fans, and there’s a good reason why: Weaving’s biggest breakouts have been playing a badass “Final Girl” in the horror-comedy series Ready or Not (which is currently blowing up on streaming), or a badass getaway driver in the heist film Eenie Meanie (2025). Fans love everything from Weaving’s witty banter to her now-famous primal screaming – a combination of charisma that almost guarantees Emma Frost will be a major scene-stealer. That is, if Marvel Studios and the creative team behind the X-Men reboot finally use the character properly!
X-Men ’97 hasn’t handled Emma Frost properly – but then again, the live-action movies haven’t done any better. Frost had a bit cameo in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (played by Tahyna Tozzi), where she was one of many mutant prisoners Logan set free; X-Men: First Class elevated her to a henchman working for villain Sebastian Shaw (played by January Jones). Neither of those cinematic depictions has been on par with White Queen’s character, and to modern X-Men fans who only know “Emma Frost” since making her heroic turn, they are downright insulting.
We have to believe that Marvel Studios is aware of all this, and cast Weaving as a means of serious course correction. Otherwise, what’s the point? Whether she starts in her classic villain role or has already advanced to a mentor and teacher, there are now decades of rich character work and storytelling to mine. And, with Weaving being ten years older than Kit Connors (Cyclops) and Sadie Sink (Jean Grey), the Scott-Jean-Emma triangle already seems like it’s going to be juicy in a whole new way.
X-Men ’97 is streaming on Disney+. The X-Men reboot film is in development.
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Forum Conversation: X-Men '97 Season 2
Go to ForumGive us more of that X-Force X Factor stuff, That bad ass opening credit scene was an awesome surprise. However Season two has been hit or miss it’s been too expansive. It was some much to keep up with. It should be a little more linear. Season one came out in batches of episodes that were their own arcs with an overall through line that connected the whole season they should go back to something more like that story structure wise. I definitely liked seeing the other teams and loved adult jubilee she was bad ass. Her fight to Veruca Salt’s Volcano Girls is pure late 90s magic.
They need to stop trying to recreate X-Men: TAS, we’re past all that. We had a great serialized arc off the initial three episodes, and then tried to do standalones like the classic series. NO MORE OF THAT. Be modern. Be serialized, with minor side-quests only. Especially if we’re only getting less than a dozen episodes per season.
It’s definitely suffering a bit from the “look how cool it is to see X fight Y or A team-up with B”. These are all cool things but it did feel more like watching a Mortal Kombat game at times – loosely stitched together cool ideas.