Disney+'s X-Men '97 Season 2 is bringing back Wolverine with a game-changing twist that will make him more savage than ever. Last season closely-mirrored Marvel Comics' "Fatal Attractions" arc as Magneto tore the adamantium from Wolverine's skeleton. The animated Disney+ series may not be the last time Marvel Studios brings back Wolverine in 2026, as rumor has it that the savage mutant will also appear this December in Avengers: Doomsday.
Marvel Studios released the first official poster for X-Men '97 Season 2 that includes a glimpse at Wolverine, who looks to be ripped straight from an era of the comics when Logan became more savage and powerful than ever.
Funko offered a much better look at Logan's new costume with a new Pop! Vinyl of Wolverine (Wasteland), officially giving a label to his savage new form.
In Marvel Comics, Wolverine's terrifying feral form came about when Magneto stripped the adamantium from his skeleton, something that fans just recently saw happen in X-Men '97's Season 1 finale before the team was scattered across time.
Interestingly, Funko confirmed that Storm will receive a "Wasteland" figure for X-Men '97 Season 2, indicating Asteroid M's destruction left them in the same place.
Logan was originally born with his healing factor, enhanced senses, and his retractable bone claws that were enhanced when the Canadians' covert Weapon X program bonded his skeleton with adamantium.
However, after Magneto stripped the powerful metal from Wolverine's skeleton in the comics, it was revealed that the adamantium was actually poisoning him and suppressing his mutation, confirming that he was always fated to be savage.
That storyline left behind a noseless Wolverine who was completely animalistic in nature and barely able to speak. While the change to a more savage Wolverine seemed to be the status quo for some time, Logan eventually got over the mental deterioration, but not before a crazy Apocalypse-related story.
The feral Wolverine was abducted by Apocalypse and pitted against his old adversary Sabertooth to become his Horseman of Death. Fearing what Sabertooth would do with that power, Wolverine won the fight and fell under Apocalypse's control, who also rebonded his skeleton with adamantium.
For a time, Wolverine was replaced among the X-Men with a Skrull while the real Logan acted as a hooded, sword-wielding assassin for Apocalypse. Eventually, several members of the X-Men managed to free him from mind-control.
As part of his feral era, Wolverine wore a more torn and tattered version of his classic blue and yellow suit that was often paired with a blue bandana. Marvel Studios looks to be following that design closely, even giving him a set of sharpened teeth to make him more lethal than ever.
Marvel Animation hasn't confirmed exactly when X-Men '97 Season 2 will premiere just yet, but the series is expected to land on Disney+ over this summer.
How Savage Wolverine Will Shape X-Men '97 Season 2
X-Men '97 ended with the destruction of Asteroid M that scattered the mutant team across the past, present, and future, although the whereabouts of Wolverine, Storm, and Morph weren't revealed. It now seems likely that all three ended up in this mystery Wasteland as Apocalypse's arrival looms.
As always, Apocalypse's arrival will be heralded by four Horsemen, with many expecting that Gambit will be resurrected after his tragic Season 1 death as one. That leaves three spots still open, possibly to be filled by the missing wastelanders, Wolverine, Storm, and Morph, in X-Men '97 Season 2.
Interestingly, in the X-Men '97 Season 2 trailer shown at New York Comic-Con, Wolverine declared "I'm back" while brandishing his adamantium claws. It seems more likely than ever that Wolverine will make a deal with Apocalypse to regain his adamantium, likely restoring him to normality after a short-lived savage era.
The X-Men will somehow need to reunite from across time if they hope to free their allies from Apocalypse's control and defeat him once and for all in Season 2.
