Summary
X-Men ‘97is easily the most highly acclaimed Disney+ show from Marvel Studios, and while fans have been ravenous for more of the stellar revival, a recent statement from a studio executive puts a damper on optimism around the next installment’s release window.
X-Men ‘97had the benefit of being a revival ofX-Men: The Animated Series, but ultimately had a lot to live up to as the spiritual successor to one of Marvel’s most compelling projects ever. Despite the initial skepticism that met the announcement,X-Men ‘97pleasantly surprised fans and critics alike when it finally started releasing episodes on Disney+. While the show was held to modern visual standards and exceeded expectations in that regard, it was alsoa masterclass in mixing the old and the new in Marvel animation. This was true of the character designs, overall visuals, and the way the show approached its cast of X-Men, updating and refining everything for a more mature audience. This winning formula all but guaranteed a renewal, and fans were delighted when it was confirmed thatX-Men ‘97had been renewed through a third season.
Fansgot some big updates on the next season ofX-Men ‘97as far back as August last year, and have been waiting eagerly for concrete news on when the next set of episodes will hit streaming. Unfortunately, the answer has arrived, and it’s not what fans wanted to hear about the show. Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation Brad Winderbaum seems to have unwittingly broken the bad news while talking to Steve Weintraub fromCollider.“Season 2 ofX-Men ‘97is going to be in ‘26. We’re working on it now. It’s exciting,”Winderbaum revealed.“That world of the ‘90s is just… Honestly, Steve, I can’t believe they let me make it. I grew up at Marvel, as you know, clocked a lot of time here, and I feel like I used a lot of currency to revive this thing that I loved watching after school. So, the fact that we get to play in that universe with those actors is honestly why I went into this business in the first place.”
While Winderbaum is excited about the second season (as he should be), fans will be far less enthused than he is about the 2026 release window. While there was no official word from Marvel Studios to that effect, many fans took the early renewal and consistent season-long acclaim as proof of a 2025 release for the next season. Having someone in the know confirm that it won’t be coming out this year is sure to upset a whole bunch of people, not least of all because it’s been rumored that a lot of finished material was jettisoned following the release of former showrunner Beau DeMayo. Fortunately,X-Men ‘97has all the goodwill in the world from fans at the moment. The show has earned its place as the rightful successor to one ofthe best superhero TV series of all time, and has arguably come around at a better time. While the ’90s were a golden era for animated superhero shows, the wave of live-action adaptations from the MCU and subsequent competition has made the genre more mainstream than it’s ever been. With more people willing to give these heroes a chance,X-Men ‘97stands poised to outdo its acclaimed predecessor in terms of real reach and cultural relevance.
It’s hard to dispute thatthe MCU’s future projects could learn fromX-Men ‘97and emulate its stellar approach to storytelling, characterization, and paying homage to what fans already love. With these key characteristics down, the show’s upcoming second season is sure to knock its rumored additions and storylines out of the park in like fashion to the first installment despite the change in leadership. Fans might have to wait a bit longer than anticipated, but in the long run it’s far more important that the wait be worth it. Viewers will be able to decide for themselves whether that’s the case when the season premieres in 2026.
X-Men ‘97is available to stream on Disney+, with a second season set to premiere in 2026.
X-Men ‘97
The animated X-Men team returns in the Disney Plus reboot, X-Men ‘97. With Professor X gone, Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and the rest of the mutants find themselves under the leadership of Magneto and facing a new threat. X-Men ‘97 is the first project under the newly created Marvel Animation banner.
