5 leading members of the X-Men will be featured in both X-Men '97 Season 2 and Avengers: Doomsday, with the only differences being the actors portraying them, and the fact that one will be in live-action while the other is animated. The X-Men renaissance is upon MCU fans. X-Men '97 was a smash hit on Disney+, Mutants have been namedropped and even included on-screen in both TV shows and movies (such as Deadpool & Wolverine), and the Marvel Studios X-Men film is finally in development.
In 2026, a few X-Men heroes will find their way into two Marvel Studios projects: X-Men '97 and Avengers: Doomsday. More X-Men will be appearing in both titles, but only a few will be crossing over between them. It is important to note, though, that each project will showcase different versions of the same character.
X-Men '97 Season 2 does not have a specific release date yet, but Marvel Studios announced that it will be coming sometime in 2026. Avengers: Doomsday, on the other hand, will be coming to theaters on December 18, 2026.
5 Heroes Who Will Appear in X-Men '97 Season 2 and Avengers: Doomsday
Cyclops
Cyclops picked up the baton and led the X-Men after the disappearance of Professor X in X-Men '97 Season 1. He was confirmed to be returning for Season 2, where he will undoubtedly continue to play a major role. Notably, he was sent 2,000 years into the future alongside Jean Grey.
During the massive cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday that was held in March 2025, fans were delighted to see James Marsden pop up. Marsden portrayed the character in Fox's X-Men franchise, and many believe that his character was not handled properly in those movies.
Fans are hoping that Marvel Studios will right the ship with his appearance in Doomsday, and it is possible that he could end up appearing in Avengers: Secret Wars as well.
Professor X
X-Men '97 Season 1 ended on a major cliffhanger. Essentially, Professor X and some of the show's other major characters were dragged across time and spit out around 5,000 years in the past in ancient Egypt. Professor X's story will pick up there when Season 2 premieres, which is also expected to feature Apocalypse due to how the first season came to a close.
Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier already made an appearance in the MCU. Specifically, he was a part of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but he was brutally killed by Wanda Maximoff alongside the other Illuminati members.
However, a different version of Charles will be appearing in Avengers: Doomsday, as Stewart's name was included in that same cast announcement mentioned above.
Beast
Beast is another character who will be appearing in both X-Men '97 Season 2 and Avengers: Doomsday. Played by Kelsey Grammer, who was another actor included in the cast announcement, Beast will be fighting alongside the X-Men and the Avengers against Doctor Doom.
It is worth noting that Grammer has already been featured as the philosophical character in The Marvels. Particularly, in the movie's post-credits scene, Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau found herself in an alternate universe. The scene also showcased Grammer's Beast, setting up his and the X-Men's appearance in Doomsday.
At the end of X-Men '97 Season 1, Beast was with the group that was sent to ancient Egypt, so that is where his storyline will pick up in Season 2.
Nightcrawler
Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler played an important role in X2, the second installment of Fox's original X-Men trilogy. He will be returning in Avengers: Doomsday, but the extent of his role has not been revealed. However, he has commented on returning to portray the character again.
Like Beast, Nightcrawler found himself in ancient Egypt at the end of X-Men '97 Season 1. He could find himself in the middle of a battle between a younger Apocalypse and Rama-Tut, who is notably a version of Kang the Conqueror.
Magneto
Ian McKellen's Magneto was not deemed a hero in Fox's X-Men franchise. In fact, he was the main antagonist across multiple films. However, he will be returning in Avengers: Doomsday, and there is a good chance that he will join the X-Men and the Avengers in the fight against Doctor Doom. If there is one thing Magneto believes in, it is the safety and survival of Mutants. If Doom puts Mutants in jeopardy, he will stop at nothing to bring Doom to justice.
Magneto will also play a major role in the second season of X-Men '97. He was also transported back in time, so he is with the other characters in Egypt.
BONUS: Gambit
Gambit will be returning in X-Men '97 Season 2 and will be featured in Avengers: Doomsday, but he will likely not be a hero in the former. In Season 1 of the animated series, Gambit was killed. However, a post-credits scene showcased Apocalypse holding Gambit's playing card, hinting that he will be resurrected as the Horseman of Death.
Channing Tatum was revealed to be a cast member of Avengers: Doomsday. He played coy when asked about returning as Gambit, but since the actor recently appeared as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, it is safe to assume that Gambit will be the one he portrays in the upcoming film.
