‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Review: An Epic Blast From the Past

The following review is spoiler-free and covers X-Men ’97 Season 2 Episodes 1-4.

The X-Men have been a staple of superhero television across multiple eras, from making Saturday mornings with a bowl of cereal on the couch extra special with X-Men: The Animated Series in the 90s, to now becoming one of the premiere series on Disney+ with X-Men ’97. Everything from the iconic theme to a variety of classic costumes returns for Season 2, with a new adventure spanning across multiple timelines.

While the new installment introduces multiple new characters, it’s the classic group split apart, facing unique challenges that remain the heart and soul of the series. With the iconic theme and legendary voice actors returning for a new story, X-Men ’97 Season 2 continues to raise the already high bar set with the first season.

‘X-Men ’97’ Fixes a Storytelling Flaw From Season 1

Season 1 of the series is a hall-of-fame entry in comic book storytelling, but there are often compelling stories that get breezed past without much time spent in the characters’ minds. X-Men ’97 Season 2 solves that problem by using one overarching story throughout the first four episodes, allowing for more cohesive storytelling. Despite the story jumping back and forth between characters in different timelines, the X-Men remain united by a single overarching goal that connects the fractured teams.

Having three different X-Teams split across time, in different periods of their most fearsome foe’s reign of terror, allows additional time to be spent fulfilling individual character stories. As the X-Men track Apocalypse (Ross Marquand) across timelines, Magneto (Matthew Waterson) and Professor X, also voiced by Marquand, are back, teaming up and providing fun, intense banter that was missing from the first season. As the duo tries to control the younger version of Apocalypse, En Sabah Nur (Adetokumboh M’Cormack), they’re confronted with tougher decisions than they’ve ever faced before.

Meanwhile, more emotional stories also get a chance to take center stage, as Rogue (Lenore Zann) explores her grief from losing Gambit (AJ LoCascio), and the duo of Cyclops (Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) struggle to balance their parental duties with their responsibility to save the world. Plus, after being sidelined most of the previous season, Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) gets more time in the spotlight as she explores the depths of her mutant abilities. Additionally, Jubilee (Holly Chou) is featured in one of the most beautiful character stories in the first four episodes.

‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Explores Exciting Characters Throughout the Timeline

Although the first four episodes of X-Men ’97 Season 2 feature multiple new teams and characters not seen in the series before, it’s the unique groupings of core X-Men characters that remain the main focus. While some new additions, like former X-Men member and Magneto’s daughter, Polaris (Neve Campbell), get their time to shine, it’s still the variations of the original crew that get the most screen time, as Cyclops and Jean remain the focal point, much like the first season.

The new characters, teams, and time periods give composers The Newton Brothers exciting new opportunities to play with the series’ score, and they knock it out of the park. They provide unique twists on classic themes throughout the season, while also accentuating some of the more intense moments beautifully. The X-Men are known for their iconic themes and scores, and The Newton Brothers continue to meet the challenge.

‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 Continues To Be in the Top Tier of Superhero Television

While it’s difficult to fathom a season of superhero television getting much better than the first installment of X-Men ’97, Season 2 may do just that. The first four episodes explore different characters across the timeline while maintaining a single focused purpose, creating a more cohesive story than the first season’s arcs.

The screen time and story beats are well-balanced across the wide range of interesting characters in the series, as each gets their own big moment to shine. Jubilee and Storm have two of the coolest individual moments of the series, while the fate of the story falls largely on Jean Grey and Cyclops, and on who they decide to be as parents.

It’s not an easy task to balance a gigantic cast of characters, nor is it easy to tell a proper time-travel story. However, through the first four episodes, X-Men ’97 Season 2 passes both of those tests with flying colors.

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