Marvel Animation's new trailer for the second season of X-Men '97 has revealed nine characters set to also appear in Avengers: Doomsday. The footage, which confirmed a July 1 release date, showcased the X-Men groups scattered across different time periods as they battle Apocalypse throughout various eras of his reign. With the X-Men poised to play a major role in the MCU's 2026 slate, the character overlap between the animated series and Avengers: Doomsday has not gone unnoticed.
After months of anticipation, basically since New York Comic-Con 2025, fans finally got their first official look at X-Men '97 Season 2 with a trailer that instantly delivered on the hype.
As promised, the trailer shows a huge roster of X-Men scattered across time, with Rogue, Xavier, Magneto, Beast, and Nightcrawler stranded in Ancient Egypt during Apocalypse's early rule, while the Summers family finds themselves in a distant future where the villain has conquered all.
It falls to Bishop and Forge to reunite the team, with X-Force, X-Factor, and a host of fan-favorite characters, including Havok, Polaris, Archangel, and Psylocke, all set to play major roles in the battle against En-Sabah-Nur.
Some of the X-Men '97 Season 2 heroes are already confirmed to serve major roles in Marvel Studios' blockbuster Avengers: Doomsday, which opens on December 18. In addition to the returning cast, there are more characters who appeared in the fresh trailer that may also be joining Doomsday.
Confirmed X-Men '97 Characters in Avengers: Doomsday
Professor X
Charles Xavier finds himself in one of the most disorienting situations in X-Men '97 Season 2, stranded in Ancient Egypt, face-to-face with a young En Sabah Nur.
On the live-action side, Patrick Stewart is suiting up once more as the iconic telepath in Avengers: Doomsday. Stewart was glimpsed in the exclusive CinemaCon trailer, apparently gazing out at what many believe to be an Incursion event, something that even he may not be able to stop.
Magneto
Also marooned in Ancient Egypt, Erik Lehnsherr is a striking figure in the Season 2 trailer, with long white hair, a full beard, and clearly still a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. His dynamic with Xavier during this ancient chapter of Apocalypse's rise promises to be one of the season's most compelling aspects.
Meanwhile, Ian McKellen is set to reprise his role as Magneto in Doomsday, continuing the live-action legacy he's carried since 2000. While Stewart has returned more recently in Logan and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, McKellen hasn't played Magneto since 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Cyclops
Scott Summers has never looked cooler in animation or live-action. Pulled into a bleak, Apocalypse-ruled future alongside Jean Grey, the Season 2 trailer shows Scott reuniting with his son Nathan, a teenage Cable.
Back in live-action, James Marsden returns as Cyclops in Doomsday, this time in a far more comic-accurate, colorful suit that longtime fans are sure to appreciate.
Beast
Hank McCoy is doing his best to survive ancient Egypt in X-Men '97 Season 2, roughing it alongside some of the other X-Men. His particular blend of brains and brawn should prove useful, even a few thousand years before mutant politics got complicated.
Kelsey Grammer, who memorably returned to the role in The Marvels, is once again stepping into Beast's CGI blue fur for Doomsday. He wasn't featured in the first exclusive trailer shown at CinemaCon, but his confirmed involvement signals that Marvel isn't done finding ways to use him in the Multiverse Saga.
Nightcrawler
Kurt Wagner may be a man of deep faith, but he's never been one to shy away from a fight, and Season 2 wastes no time reminding audiences of that. The trailer shows Nightcrawler crossing swords with an Omega-Level threat, Exodus.
He also gets one of the trailer's best lines: "I believe in the X-Men."
Alan Cumming, who last played the character in 2003's X2, is returning as Nightcrawler in Doomsday. Like Beast, he wasn't visible in the first Doomsday footage, but his involvement has not only been confirmed, but Cumming has already shared minor spoilers.
Gambit
Remy LeBeau is gone, but X-Men '97 Season 2 clearly isn't ready to let him go. His death in Season 1, a sacrifice during the Sentinel massacre on Genosha, set the emotional tone for everything that follows. The new trailer leans into that grief hard, with Rogue's mourning front and center.
In live-action, Channing Tatum brings his long-awaited Gambit to Doomsday, building on the character's surprise debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, giving fans the big-screen Cajun they waited decades for.
Rumored X-Men '97 Characters in Avengers: Doomsday
Jean Grey (Sadie Sink)
Trapped in a ravaged future alongside Scott, Jean Grey's emotional arc in Season 2 centers on coming face-to-face with her son Nathan as a teenager.
On the MCU side, Sadie Sink is heavily rumored to be making her debut as Jean Grey, though she's been more closely linked to Avengers: Secret Wars than Doomsday. Her character in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains officially unconfirmed, keeping the fan speculation alive for now.
Deadpool
Morph is one of the more unsung highlights of X-Men '97, and Season 2 is giving them a moment that's already breaking the internet. Still at the mansion with Forge, trying to piece together where the rest of the team disappeared to, Morph taps into their shapeshifting abilities and transforms into Deadpool.
Ryan Reynolds is expected to return as Wade Wilson for Doomsday, continuing his MCU run following the major success of Deadpool & Wolverine.
Wolverine
Still stuck in the 1990s with Storm while the rest of the team is scattered through time, Logan seems to have gotten fresh adamantium following Magneto ripping it clean from his skeleton in the Season 1 finale: "We're back, baby." He's also front and center on the Season 2 key art, making his importance to the story clear.
As for Doomsday, rumors are swirling that Hugh Jackman will be suiting up once more, and he's been connected to arguably the most iconic superhero of the 21st century.
