Two years ago, Beau DeMayo relaunched one of the most beloved Marvel shows of all time when X-Men: The Animated Series returned as X-Men ’97, and almost perfectly recaptured the feel of the Saturday morning original. Crucially, the revival was also bold enough to make changes, updating the tone and introducing more adult themes that more enthusiastically aligned with the activist spirit of the comics. There was nothing radically different, because DeMayo made the show as a fan, but there was just enough to completely validate the decision to bring it back. And now, the hotly anticipated second season is almost here, and I’ve seen the first 4 episodes.
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The biggest question for X-Men ’97 Season 2 was always how the series would navigate the removal of DeMayo from the creative high table. He is still credited as an executive producer and writer on several episodes, suggesting his influence prevails, but the former showrunner has previously been quite vocal about how his vision has been somewhat wrestled away from him. Season 2 picks up immediately from the cliffhanger ending of the first, with the X-Men split across three different time periods – 3000 AD, 1997, and the distant future, with the past and future timelines bringing two versions of iconic Marvel villain Apocalypse (Ross Marquand) to the show, and Bishop and Forge left in the ’90s to mastermind a mission to find their allies. The best news here is that, unlike the live-action 2016 X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men ’97 Season 2 delivers a great story worthy of the villain.
Score: 4 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Great story and action sequences | Some characters are sidelined |
| Apocalypse is an excellent villain (again) | The flow of the episodes didn’t entirely work |
| The same commitment to lore and the fans as Season 1 |
X-Men ’97 Mostly Continues the Good Work of the First Season
While it’s always nice to be able to review a full season, this time we were only given access to the first four episodes ahead of the July 1 premiere on Disney+. And given the arc that plays out over those episodes, you can understand and forgive the restriction. The four chapters focus on the immediate aftermath of the X-Men ’97 finale, exploring the mystery of why the mutants time-travel, why they’re split across time, and paying off the reunion of Cyclops, Jean and their son Nate. There’s plenty of action – with one battle against Apocalypse standing up alongside the best sequences of the first season – and there’s been no attempt to change the charming animation style. It’s not for everyone, but I love it, and it fits the nostalgic feel. The voice acting remains just as great as last time, too.
Focusing X-Men ’97 Season 2 on Apocalypse is inspired. After last season’s great villains, Marvel again wisely chose to deliver a truly evil villain, not compromised by the MCU’s favoured moral complexity. Yes, En Sabah Nur’s tragic origin story offers depth, but Apocalypse is not at all a sympathetic character, and there’s very much a sense of building dread as the story plays out. There are also real stakes and an emotional gut punch that’s almost as heartbreaking as Gambit’s death, and crucially, further development of Xavier and Magneto’s relationship, which was already a highlight last season.
There is, of course, also some deep thinking at play. Apocalypse might feel like an inevitability, but half of the X-Men are sent back to the past to try and prevent him from becoming the future God-level threat, and that leads to an existential challenge that engulfs more than just the world’s first mutant. We also get to see Cyclops and Jean forced to reckon with their love for their son and the weight of destiny that forbids their relationship. And in the second episode, there’s more of the examination of terrified bigotry that blossomed out of the sentinel attacks in Season 1, as Jubilee is forced to reckon with what she’s willing to do for the greater good. Again, this isn’t just a normal kids’ cartoon any more. If it ever was.
What Didn’t Quite Work in X-Men ’97 Season 2
I am perhaps biased here, but there is a somewhat inevitable Gambit-shaped hole in X-Men ’97 now, but his removal from the story determines a bigger narrative change in the first four episodes of Season 2. This is also partly determined by the decision to split the X-Men into separate groups and have their dynamic completely altered. For my taste, there’s just not enough of the soap opera spirit that made the first season so compelling. That could change when the action isn’t so driven by the twin-pronged Apocalypse storyline, but it’s notably dialled down in the episodes I have seen. For better or worse, this is more like a sci-fi action show, though there is an interesting focus on Cyclops, Jean, and their unknowing son Nathan in the future (even if it does get rather melodramatic).
The episodes are sort of organically portioned off, with the first focused entirely on the future timeline, the second back in the 1990s and the two-parter of episodes 3 and 4 mostly set back in 3000 AD. It’s a smart decision that stops the action getting too muddied. The only problem is that the order of the episodes doesn’t feel particularly logical, and it interrupts the cadence of the story. The result is that the subplot introduced in the 1990s-set episode 2 feels shoe-horned in, which is a shame because it includes some great new characters and is, individually, a good story. It’s just a little odd to have it play out the way it does. And really, the Apocalypse arc that plays out in these first four episodes could have been the full season. The only reason I bring that up is because I worry there won’t be enough stories to sustain the 10 seasons of X-Men ’97 I want if they keep going this fast. A selfish concern, but a very real one.
My only other real gripe pertains to character balance, and I’m reluctant to really criticize too much, because some of them may resolve with more episodes. Some of the main characters of Season 1 are rather unceremoniously sidelined, which does feel necessary, but is also a shame. Morph is barely in the first 4 episodes, and there’s not really enough Nightcrawler or Wolverine – with the caveat that there is a tease for an excellent storyline for the rest of the season. John de Lancie’s Rama-Tut is also underused, and I’m hopeful he’ll be back, given how his story develops. Somewhat by design, everyone is also a lot more angsty than in Season 1, but they are dealing with rather unprecedented times, so it’s not like it’s without logic. Magneto’s character development may be jarring for some too, but it’s not entirely out of place.
All in all, I had a good time with the first part of X-Men ’97 Season 2, and I’m glad it’s back. It was absolutely worth the wait. It’s still the best thing Marvel animation is doing, and remains one of the best Marvel shows of all time. Even with the change at the top of the table, there’s still the same commitment to celebrating comics lore, with major storylines brought to screen, and a whole rainbow of characters – including characters returning from X-Men: The Animated Series who didn’t turn up last season. Apocalypse returning as the overarching villain is a great move, and episode 4 promises that there will be more to the season than his arc, just as Season 1 intertwined several storylines. I look forward to seeing more episodes when the other 5 eventually release.
X-Men ’97 Season 2 debuts on Disney+ on July 1. Are you looking forward to it? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
