After a massively successful revival, the highly anticipated X-Men ’97 season 2 just received a promising update from an official Marvel source. X-Men ’97‘s explosive season 1 finale saw the titular team scattered across time, with three disparate groups finding themselves more vulnerable than ever. It revealed that En Sabah Nur, AKA Apocalypse, will play a central role in the next season, setting up several plot lines from Marvel Comics, including Apocalypse’s recruitment of four new Horsemen.
To help stoke the anticipation, Marvel Studios’ head of streaming, television, and animation, Brad Winderbaum, took to The Official Marvel Podcast to promise major plans for season 2 that already look like they will measure up to the incredible season 1. One of the biggest X-Men ’97 season 1 highlights was how emotional it was, with episode 5, “Remember It,” making an especially lasting impression. Thankfully, Winderbaum promises even more emotion in season 2, delivered “in very X-Men fashion,” stating:
“We got big plans for the second season. I’ve already seen all the animatics, we’re well on our way to creating something that hits the heights of the first season. I know the first season is an emotional ride – that ride continues in very X-Men fashion in the second season.”
How X-Men ’97 Has Already Teased Season 2’s “Emotional Ride”
X-Men ’97 season 1 ostensibly ended with the death of its mutant-hating arch-villain, Bastion. Nevertheless, the anti-mutant sentiment he helped stoke will no doubt linger in the wake of Magneto’s nearly catastrophic attack on Earth. With Magneto and most of the X-Men now in the distant past, and Jean Grey and Cyclops in the distant future, it falls to a handful of mutants in the present to deal with the fallout. Among these are Wolverine – who is at death’s door – and Morph, who just admitted their romantic feelings for their unconscious friend.
X-Men ’97 creator, Beau DeMayo, confirmed via social media that Morph’s admission of love to an unconscious Wolverine was reflective of Morph’s own feelings, despite being transformed into Jean Grey.
This drama will play out at the same point in time as Apocalypse looks poised to resurrect the character that caused rivers of tears to flow in season 1: Gambit. His resurrection, however, will be tainted by the role he’s destined to fulfill as Apocalypse’s Horseman, which will no doubt force him to turn on his fellow mutants after sacrificing himself for so many. According to another theory, a similar fate could also befall Wolverine, whose bravery helped to quell Magneto’s reckless fury. Knowing what audiences do of Morph’s true feelings for Wolverine, this could lead to exceptionally tragic results.
Turning X-Men against X-Men so soon after their tooth-and-nail fight for mutant survival would be a heart-wrenching plot thread for season 2 to follow. Those in the present day are also leaderless, with Xavier trapped in the past alongside Magneto, and Cyclops uniting with a young Nathan Summers in the distant future. Whatever happens, it seems safe to place faith in Brad Winderbaum’s assertions based on these myriad X-Men ’97 season 2 plot threads alone.
