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X-Men '97 Season 2 is a "funhouse mirror" of the second season of the 1990s animated series, say showrunners

X-Men '97 season 2 has the seal of approval from X-Men: The Animated Series producer Julia Lewald

A still from the X-Men '97 season 2 trailer
Image credit: Marvel Animation

Today, Marvel Entertainment dropped the long-awaited trailer for season 2 of X-Men '97, and it's never been better to look back on the final decade of the last millennium. Featuring '90s favorites like Apocalypse, Psylocke, Exodus, Nate Grey, Chamber, Penance, and more, the '90s are alive and well in X-Men '97. Apocalypse even says in the trailer, "I must strike them at their most vulnerable. The 1990s," which is a hilarious statement.  

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Julia Lewald, producer of the original X-Men: The Animated Series show from the 1990s, referred to season 2 of X-Men '97 as "a funhouse mirror" of the show she crafted with her husband, Eric. Season 1 of X-Men '97 ended in a similar place to where season 2 of X-Men: The Animated Series began. The characters of '97, most notably Magneto and Professor X, are scattered across space and time, not unlike how ol' Erik and Chuck were stuck in the Savage Land together in X-Men: The Animated Series. Thus, the mutants are splintered. "You have the fun of playing with very specific groups of X-Men together, trying to figure out how to get where they need to go," said Julia Lewald. 

It's tragic that Gambit, the prince of '90s X-Men comics, seemingly won't be around to take part in the '90s festivities. But who knows, this season of X-Men '97 is all about Apocalypse. And if you know anything about X-Men comics, you'd know that Gambit once served as one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse (Death, to be specific). Since Gambit is, you know, dead right now in X-Men '97, could our boy Remy be making an undead comeback? Let's hope so. 

I'll also be holding out hope that X-Men '97 will take another page from X-Men comics and bring back Banshee (who has also served as the Horseman Death) from the dead. 

X-Men '97 season 2 will begin streaming on Disney+ on July 1, 2026. 


Jules Chin Greene

Jules Chin Greene: Jules Chin Greene is a journalist and Jack Kirby enthusiast. He has written about comics, video games, movies, and television for sites such as Nerdist, AIPT, and Multiverse of Color.

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