All the hype surrounding the X-Men's return in Avengers: Doomsday takes away from the fact that other mutants are blazing trails in the MCU. For starters, Deadpool & Wolverine was one of Marvel Studios' most successful movies in recent memory. The Merc With a Mouth was firing on all cylinders, and he brought a few friends along with him.
Two members of Wade Wilson's X-Force squad, Shatterstar and Peter, returned for the third film in the franchise, having been brought back to life after the titular character's time travel shenanigans in Deadpool 2.
Marvel Studios had to throw the team a bone, as fans didn't exactly take kindly to the bait-and-switch that Fox allowed back in 2018. But the powers that be could've washed their hands after that and moved on. Instead, they're giving X-Force a second wind in a critically acclaimed project, X-Men '97.
Promotional images from the animated series reveal the three teams that will work to secure a future for mutants in the highly anticipated second season: X-Factor, X-Corp, and, most importantly, X-Force (via Nexus Point News).
The new lineup for the covert group is interesting, to say the least, as Deadpool is notably absent. However, if the heavy hitters on the team live up to their potential, they won't need the fourth-wall-breaking anti-hero to make some noise.
X-Force's Roster In X-Men '97 Season 2
Cable
X-Men '97 put Cable through the wringer. He returned to the past hundreds of times in an effort to stop the attack of Genosha, but failed to stop it, losing his mother, Madelyne Pryor, in the process. Wanting revenge, he joined up with the X-Men to take down the man behind the curtain, Bastion. Sadly, the conflict only led to more loss for Cable, who watched his father, Cyclops, disappear during Asteroid M's destruction.
Rather than throwing in the towel, Cable will get back on the horse in Season 2 and seemingly lead X-Force in the present day. There's no better mutant for the job, as he knows a thing or two about weathering the storm during unprecedented times.
Jubilee
Mojo learned the hard way what Jubilee is capable of in X-Men '97 Season 1, attacking her on her birthday and losing in spectacular fashion. Once her big day came and went, Jubilee, like the other members of her team, focused on protecting mutants from Bastion, Mr. Sinister, and anyone else who looked at them funny.
Having lost her friends in the Asteroid M incident, Jubilee's mindset going into Season 2 is a bit of a mystery. She's still in the present, but without Cyclops and Co., there's sure to be a target on her back. Joining X-Force will be a way for her not only to protect herself but also to position herself as one of Earth's greatest protectors.
Sunspot
Roberto Da Costa was fine living as the heir to a fortune, but the Friends of Humanity threw a wrench in those plans by exposing him as a mutant who can project intense heat. Roberto's family disowned him, forcing him to seek asylum in the X-Mansion. Jubilee took him under her wing, at least until Mangeto presented a more enticing offer. Eventually, Roberto saw the error of his ways and helped the X-Men during their mission on Asteroid M.
Despite not being a member of the X-Men for long, Roberto learned what it meant to be a hero pretty quickly. He'll pick up the baton from Wolverine, Cyclops, and the rest in Season 2, joining Jubilee in X-Force. A new costume is also in his future, which means he's sure to have more confidence moving forward.
Archangel
Most members of the original X-Men team still called the X-Mansion home in Season 1 of the sequel series. Warren Worthington III, aka Angel, left the team behind in the original series and got caught up in Apocalypse's schemes, turning into Archangel and becoming one of the villain's four Horsemen. Warren turned bitter after losing his feathered wings and vowed to kill Apocaylpse.
While Archangel never got the chance to finish the job in the original series, X-Men '97 is sure to light a fire under him. Apocalypse is back in the picture and is putting together another group of Horsemen. With the rest of X-Force at his side, Archangel stands a decent chance of putting Apocalypse down for good.
Psylocke
Archangel found himself the victim of a robbery attempt in X-Men: The Animated Series when Psylocke broke into his home to steal a couple of artifacts. Before he could get answers, though, his new enemy was kidnapped by Sabertooth and Mystique, who were kidnapping telepaths for Apocalypse. Rather than letting Psylocke get tortured or worse, Archangel teamed up with the X-Men to save her.
All these years later, Psylocke hasn't forgotten what Archangel and the rest of the X-Men did for her. She's part of the new X-Force lineup, bringing a unique powerset to the table in the fight against Apocalypse. It remains to be seen what kind of dynamics she has with the other members of the team, but they're sure to be interesting at the very least.
