X-Men team fighting together in X-Men '97

Two more Marvel superhero teams will officially be joining X-Men ’97 season 2 when the show returns from its hiatus. One of the biggest hits of 2024 was the X-Men ’97 TV show, serving as a continuation of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series. The end of X-Men ’97 season 1 did conclude with a massive cliffhanger following the defeat of Bastion.

At a recent X-Men ‘97 season 1 screening (via Collider), Marvel Studios’ Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, was one of the panel participants. During the panel, Winderbaum revealed that the X-Men ’97/X-Men: The Animated Series universe will be introducing two more Marvel teams, as he shared the following:

There’s many teams, in Marvel, that have the letter “X” that are followed by a hyphen. I would put it to you like this… there’s two other X teams in Season 2.

Which X-Teams Could Be Introduced In X-Men ’97 Season 2?

Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor cuddling in X-Men '97

The X-Men ’97 finale ended with several of the beloved heroes getting stuck in time, with some of them getting sent to Ancient Egypt in 3000 B.C. Meanwhile, Jean Grey and Cyclops got stranded in 3960 A.D., which will obviously now be a big focus for X-Men ’97 season 2 in trying to get all of them back to the present. However, time travel is looking to be one of the major themes of the next season, allowing X-Men ’97 to tap into some interesting X-teams from the comics.

With the main X-Men group essentially defunct for the time being, this could serve as the opportunity for the X-Force team to finally come to life in this universe. The X-Force could be something that comes into play to basically fill the void of the missing mutants. Since Cable is already a recurring player in X-Men ’97, having him create the X-Force in the present timeline would only be fitting.

In terms of the future timeline, a variation of X-Men 2099 could also be explored in X-Men ’97 season 2, showing Jean and Scott what mutant alliances are like in the future. It’s also possible that the X-Men ’97 season 2 writers are bringing in other X-teams that many are not expecting to appear. But for now, the audience will have to wait and see what happens in X-Men ’97 season 2.