Marvel Studios has packed X-Men '97 Season 2 with more mutants than it did with Season 1 of the show, and a fresh wave of promotional art now confirms which characters fit in the diverse teams being introduced this season. X-Men '97 is a Marvel Studios production, made through the studio's own Marvel Animation division, and it continues the story of the beloved 1990s cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series. Season 1 left the team scattered across time and space, so a second season built around new groupings always felt likely.
The full X-Factor roster for X-Men '97 Season 2 is now official. Marvel Studios released art showing the team as Havok, Polaris, Strong Guy, Wolfsbane, Multiple Man, and Val Cooper. Polaris, Val Cooper, and Strong Guy turned up in Season 1, while Havok, Wolfsbane, and Multiple Man are new to this version of the franchise. The lineup pulls directly from the government-backed X-Factor that comic fans know, and it points to a much bigger mutant world in the new season.
The new art arrives as Marvel Animation rolls out a steady stream of promotional images for X-Men '97 Season 2, which premieres on Disney+ on July 1. One of those images sorts the cast into teams, and the X-Factor piece names every member. The group is a government-sanctioned squad of mutants, the same concept Marvel used in the comics and in the original cartoon's "Cold Comfort" episode.
X-Factor mixes returning faces with first-timers. Havok features at the center of the art in the X-Factor uniform he wore in X-Men: The Animated Series, with Polaris appearing beside him. Strong Guy can also be seen on one side of the image in his yellow and purple gear. Wolfsbane crouches in her wolf form, and three copies of Multiple Man round out the picture. Val Cooper, the human government official who manages the team, completes the roster.
How Powerful Are Marvel Studios’ New X-Factor Members?
Havok
Alex Summers, who goes by Havok, is the younger brother of X-Men leader Cyclops. His mutant power lets him soak up cosmic energy and fire it back as plasma blasts, a hot, destructive ability that contrasts with his brother's controlled optic beams.
In the comics, Havok led the government version of X-Factor for years and proved himself a strong field commander away from his brother's shadow. He already showed up in X-Men: The Animated Series, where he was part of X-Factor and grew close to Polaris, so his arrival here continues a thread the original show started.
Polaris
Polaris, real name Lorna Dane, is the green-haired mutant at the heart of the X-Factor art. She controls magnetism much like her father, Magneto, and can manipulate metal, along with magnetic and gravitational fields.
Fans have already seen her in this continuity. Polaris appeared in X-Men '97 Season 1, both inside Magneto's mind during the finale and in a longer look at the dark future ruled by the villain Bastion. Her place on X-Factor lines up with her comic history and her relationship with Havok, which gives the new season plenty of material to draw from.
Strong Guy
Guido Carosella, better known as Strong Guy, is the towering figure on one side of the X-Factor art. He absorbs the kinetic energy from any hit and turns it into raw strength, though the trade-off leaves his body permanently swollen and hunched.
Strong Guy got a small moment in X-Men '97 Season 1, Episode 7, "Bright Eyes," where he was among the mutants helping clean up Genosha after a Sentinel attack. He picked up his code name on the spot at a press launch in the comics, and his long friendship with Wolfsbane could carry over into the show.
Wolfsbane
Rahne Sinclair, who fights as Wolfsbane, is a Scottish mutant who can shift into a wolf or a hybrid wolf-human form. Both forms come with sharper senses, greater speed, and added strength.
She started out in the comics with the New Mutants before moving to X-Factor, and she has bounced between mutant teams for decades since. Wolfsbane was part of X-Men: The Animated Series, but her only trace in X-Men '97 Season 1 was a cameo in a photo on Forge's wall showing his old allies. The new art shows her mid-transformation, fangs bared, in X-Factor colors.
Multiple Man
Jamie Madrox, the mutant called Multiple Man, creates a fully thinking duplicate of himself every time he takes a hit. Each copy acts on its own, which turns him into a one-man squad in any fight. Three versions of him appear in the X-Factor art.
In the comics, Madrox later founded X-Factor Investigations, a mutant detective agency, and became one of the brand's most recognizable names. He briefly appeared in X-Men: The Animated Series in "Cold Comfort," but stayed out of X-Men '97 until now. He also appeared in the X-Factor image from Season 1.
Val Cooper
Valerie Cooper, or Val Cooper, is the one member of the group without mutant powers. She's a U.S. government official who oversees X-Factor and serves as the bridge between the team and the people who fund it.
Val already factored into X-Men '97 Season 1, tied to the season's larger plot. In the comics, she recruited the founding members of the government X-Factor, so her presence signals how official this version of the team really is.
Marvel Studios' decision to go with this X-Factor roster is exciting, as it rewards anyone who watched the original cartoon. X-Factor's appearance in "Cold Comfort" was a brief tease, and the team never got a real spotlight. Building a full lineup out of Havok, Polaris, Strong Guy, Wolfsbane, Multiple Man, and Val Cooper finishes a story the 1990s series left hanging.
Check out the promotional art for Marvel Studios' X-Factor team roster:
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
