After the cliffhanging finale of the first season, all eyes are on X-Men ‘97 Season 2. The animated series’ second installment was in the works even before the first season was released on Disney+ in March 2024. Now, Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television and Animation Brad Winderbaum gives a major second season production update, revealing it’s currently in the animatic stage.
In an interview with ComicBook, Winderbaum hinted that X-Men ‘97 Season 2 would not come anytime soon, knowing that animation works take a long time to make. He even cited Invincible Season 2 as an example, as it wasn’t released until over two years after the first season ended.
“They just nailed it so hard, it is the greatest,” he said. “And it takes a long time. Because the studio wants to see how successful the first season is before they greenlight the second season, there's a lag.”
However, fans don’t have to worry as X-Men ‘97 Season 2 may not experience the same. Compared to Invincible, which received a second-season renewal after the first-season finale, the work for X-Men ’97 Season 2 began in July 2022, while the writing on its finale started in July 2023. That said, it may come sooner than expected.
“We were lucky enough to get the greenlight before we aired, so there's maybe less of a lag,” Winderbaum explained. “People are just going to have to be patient with us.”
How X-Men ‘97 Season 1 sets the stage for X-Men ‘97 Season 2?
Meanwhile, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the reboot’s supervising producer and head director, Jake Castorena, said the first season set the stage for X-Men ‘97 Season 2 after leading all roads to the introduction of Apocalypse. Winderbaum revealed that the show’s creator, Beau DeMayo, pitched bringing the supervillain in at a certain point, which happened in the mid-credits scene of X-Men '97 Season 1's final episode, Tolerance is Extinction - Part 3.
“Season 1 was always going to be Magneto and Sinister with Bastion being the surprise villain in the second half,” Winderbaum elaborated. “Apocalypse was never really on the table for Season 1, but he was always top of mind as we thought about the future.”
Apocalypse was among the most formidable villains in the original X-Men: The Animated Series. Though he was last seen in the fourth season finale, Beyond Good and Evil Part 4: End and Beginning, episodic director Chase Conley claimed he was laying low and figuring out how to return after being separated from his Lazarus Chamber, which helped prolong his life.
Another episodic director, Emi Yonemura, explained that Apocalypse entered the picture to ruin Magneto and Xavier's perception of the world, put the two powerful mutants at odds, and challenge their thoughts. However, compared to the two, Apocalypse’s ultimate goal is power, and X-Men ‘97 Season 2 may reveal what it means and how it will manifest. However, as Conley added, the animated series has always made its own adaptation, and no one really knows what will happen next.
“Our writers definitely put it there to make people think,” he continued. “Every single word in the series is very intentional and combed over four times.”
So far, there are no words on when X-Men ‘97 Season 2 will be released. But with these teases, fans can expect it to be as good as the first season.
All 10 episodes of X-Men ‘97 Season 1 are available on Disney+.
