One of the returning X-Men ’97 seasons 1 and 2 directors opens up on the new creative direction of the Marvel animated series in season 3. Following the big success of X-Men ’97 season 1, Marvel Animation is planning beyond season 2. Currently in development, X-Men ’97 season 3 will have a new showrunner as Matthew Chauncey is set to take over from Beau DeMayo.

Screen Rant recently chatted with X-Men ’97 director Emi/Emmett Yonemura, who directed several episodes in season 1, including episode 5, “Remember It.” While X-Men ’97 season 2 has not premiered yet, they were asked about the new showrunner change for season 3, with Yonemura sharing their exciting experience of having begun working with Chauncey, saying the following:

Emi/Emmett Yonemura: Oh, he’s lovely. I absolutely love working with him. He hasn’t even been on super long, and he’s already a super sweet, incredibly talented writer, so we’re already having a blast over here, and I’m really excited for fans to kind of see what he helps bring to the table because it’s amazing, he’s a genius.

How X-Men ’97 Season 3 Will Be Different Than Seasons 1 & 2

The way X-Men ’97 season 1 concluded made it clear that the previous creative lead was planning the first two seasons to rely heavily on each other. Since the X-Men ’97 finale finished with several mutants getting sent across different time periods, getting them back to the present will obviously take up most of season 2. However, since X-Men ’97 season 2 was DeMayo’s final season as showrunner, this raises questions regarding how season 3 will be handled.

It’s very possible that X-Men ’97 season 3 will kick off a whole new storyline that isn’t directly tied to season 2. With Chauncey as the new showrunner, it will not come as a shock if X-Men ’97 season 2 ends without any major cliffhangers, allowing season 3 to feel more standalone. At this point, X-Men ’97 season 3 will probably premiere sometime in 2026 since season 2 will most likely debut in 2025.

The bigger question now is how long the Marvel audience will have to wait for X-Men ’97 season 2 to premiere on Disney+. Since they have been working on X-Men ’97 season 2 for quite some time, there is always the chance that the show will be back in early 2025. But until then, fans can relive X-Men ’97 season 1 as they get ready for the next two seasons of the series.

X-Men ’97 season 1 is available for streaming on Disney+.