The First ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Clip Is Here and the Wait for July 1 Just Got a Lot Harder
Few animated series in recent memory have built the kind of devoted following that ‘X-Men ’97’ earned during its debut run on Disney+. The show’s first season married creative, ambitious action with rich storytelling and pointed conversations about the limits of mutant co-existence with humanity, earning near-universal praise from both critics and fans who rarely agree on anything in the Marvel space. For a generation raised on the original nineties cartoon, the series felt less like a revival and more like the show that was always supposed to exist.
After a near-three-year wait between seasons, the beloved animated series is finally making its return, and the anticipation has reached a fever pitch. Early reviews from critics who have already seen the first four episodes suggest the sophomore run is shaping up to be everything fans were hoping for. TVLine described each of those screened episodes as containing at least one goosebump-inducing moment, whether triggered by the dramatic arrival of a pivotal character, a well-delivered plot twist, or a tragic turn of events.
Now, just hours before the premiere, @cosmic_marvel on X shared what is being described as the first official clip from ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2, sourced via Rotten Tomatoes, offering a fleeting but charged look at the visual style and energy waiting for fans when the season drops. Season 2 picks up in the immediate aftermath of the first season’s dramatic finale, scattering the mutant team across different eras in time. In the far future, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, and Morph find themselves united with a grown Nathan, who has become a kind of messiah figure destined to defeat Apocalypse, while in the past, Magneto, Professor X, Rogue, Beast, and Nightcrawler are stranded in ancient Egypt face to face with a version of En Sabah Nur before he became the villain the world will come to fear.
Actor Ross Marquand, who voices both Professor X and Apocalypse in the series, pulled double duty to memorable effect in speaking to the tone of the new season. Speaking to Collider, Marquand revealed he was genuinely surprised by how far the creative team pushed things, saying he was “amazed Disney greenlit it because it’s so dark. It’s very, very dark. A lot of people die, and so many people don’t talk about it.” For a show that already delivered the gut-wrenching Genosha massacre in its first season, that is no small statement.
The season officially premieres on Disney+ on July 1, with the first three episodes expected to drop together at midnight Pacific, giving fans a substantial opening night to dig into. New episodes will then continue arriving every Wednesday until the season wraps up on August 12. The full nine-episode season features returning voice cast members including Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, and Ross Marquand, alongside a host of fresh faces joining the fight.
Critics who screened the early episodes note that the show delivers a great Apocalypse story, one that finally lives up to the villain’s fearsome reputation in a way that prior adaptations never quite managed, with a tragic origin for En Sabah Nur that offers genuine depth without turning him into a sympathetic figure. And with a third season already confirmed to be in development, the mutants are clearly not going anywhere anytime soon. Whether you are a longtime fan of the original nineties run or someone who discovered the X-Men for the first time through ‘X-Men ’97’, July 1 is the date circled in red on every calendar that matters right now. With all the build-up, the first clip, and the early critical buzz pointing toward something genuinely special, how are you feeling about the ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 premiere?
