The highly anticipated second season of X-Men '97 has a stacked roster of heroes and villains, and a good chunk of them appeared as Variants in the Deadpool trilogy. The original 1990s X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men '97 have featured a long list of mutant characters who also appeared on the big screen, including Wolverine, Cyclops, and Professor X. The introduction of the Deadpool films expanded the roster of characters who made an appearance in movies, adding characters like Lady Deathstrike and Omega Red to the list.
The sophomore run of Marvel Television's successful animated series will bring back most of the core characters as the X-Men are scattered across time following a temporal disruption in the Season 1 finale, leading to an ultimate clash against Apocalypse. X-Men '97 Season 2 is expected to premiere later this year.
Every X-Men '97 Season 2 Character Who Appeared in Deadpool Movies
Wolverine
Wolverine is a central character in X-Men '97 due to being part of the core team of mutants ever since the show's inception. At the beginning of Season 2, Wolverine must grapple with the trauma of having the adamantium ripped from his bones, meaning that he is not at full strength early on.
Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine was pushed to the forefront in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine after being relegated to cameo appearances in the sequel's post-credits stingers. Wolverine's recent appearance in the third Deadpool movie is quite significant because its Multiverse-related storyline opened the door for him to be part of the MCU, leading to dream crossovers with the rest of the Avengers in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
Cyclops
As the leader of the X-Men, Cyclops is a key part of X-Men '97 Season 2's time-travel storyline, as he and Jean Grey are transported 2000 years into the future. Cyclops and Jean's arrival in a future timeline means that the present-day X-Men have no leader, but thankfully, there are still remaining members who can hold the fort while they are gone.
What's interesting about Cyclops' storyline in the show's sophomore season is the fact that the future timeline where they ended up has a version of their son, Nathan Summers (aka Cable in the far future), meaning that this will allow both of them to be proper parents to their son.
Tye Sheridan's version of Cyclops briefly appeared in a cameo in Deadpool 2 alongside other members of the X-Men. The character appears in the sequence where Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool tours the X-Mansion.
Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler's journey at the end of X-Men '97 Season 1 saw him being transported to ancient Egypt around 3000 BC alongside Magneto, Beast, Rogue, and Professor X. They are in a precarious situation because they came face to face with En Sabah Nur, a lone warrior who would eventually become the villainous Apocalypse.
Similar to Cyclops, Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) also appeared in a cameo role during the brief X-Mansion sequence in Deadpool 2.
Professor X
Charles Xavier has had quite the narrative trajectory in X-Men '97, and things will get even messier for him as he is sent back in time to try and prevent Apocalypse's ascension to a dangerous threat. If he manages to return to the present day, Xavier and the rest of the X-Men must deal with the ongoing scrutiny against mutants on top of the looming threat of Apocalypse in the background.
Elsewhere, James McAvoy's version of Professor X also appeared during the fun X-Mansion sequence in Deadpool 2 (read more about whether James McAvoy will return as Charles Xavier in Marvel's future projects).
Beast
Beast joins Magneto, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Charles Xavier in ancient Egypt at the beginning of X-Men '97 Season 2. While he already has scientific expertise, it would be hard for Beast to pinpoint the solution to bring everyone back to the present day, given the limited resources in the distant past.
Nicholas Hoult's version of Beast also appeared as a cameo during Deadpool 2's scene of Wade Wilson touring the X-Mansion as a joke.
Storm
The fate of Storm is unknown after the team's game-changing clash with Bastion in X-Men '97's Season 1 finale, but it's reasonable to assume that she is still alive. The real question is when exactly Storm ended up, considering that the rest of the team is scattered across time. Some have theorized that Storm is still in the present timeline, while others pointed out that she may have been stuck with Jean and Cyclops in the far future.
Meanwhile, Deadpool 2 already featured Alexandra Shipp's version of Storm during the same fun sequence at the X-Mansion alongside Cyclops, Beast, and the others.
Gambit
X-Men '97 Season 1 took a big swing after the show killed off Gambit midway through the show's debut run on Disney+. Gambit died after he sacrificed himself in Genosha during a massive Sentinel attack, completely devastating Rogue in the process. However, Season 1's ending hinted that Gambit might be resurrected by Apocalypse and transformed into one of his Horsemen, setting up his villain arc in Season 2 and an imminent clash with the X-Men.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in Deadpool & Wolverine is Channing Tatum's debut as Gambit as a member of the Resistance against Cassandra Nova's regime in the Void. Tatum's version of the X-Men will also appear alongside other mutant heroes in Avengers: Doomsday.
Colossus
Colossus is confirmed to be part of the new roster of mutants in X-Men '97 Season 2, and he is expected to play a major role in the fight against Apocalypse, presumably in the present day. It's possible that he is recruited by Forge and Cable to defend Earth while the core X-Men heroes are scattered across time.
Colossus is an integral part of the Deadpool trilogy, serving as a recurring ally (and moral anchor) to Wade Wilson.
Psylocke
Another brand-new addition to the roster of heroes in X-Men '97 Season 2 is Psylocke. While 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse revealed a version of Psylocke who eventually became part of the titular villain's Four Horsemen, the animated version of the X-Men hero appears to be on the side of good this time around, seemingly as a member of Forge and Cable's team in the present timeline.
Deadpool & Wolverine highlighted a version of Psylocke in the Void, and she was part of Cassandra Nova's group of lackeys who went up against the Resistance.
Sabertooth
Sabretooth was only referenced through Morph's shape-shifting abilities in X-Men '97 Season 1, but the trailer for Season 2 from New York Comic-Con confirmed that Wolverine's brother will play a more integral role in the sophomore run, possibly tied to Logan's ongoing recovery from adamantium loss.
Deadpool & Wolverine prominently featured Tyler Mane's Sabretooth during a brief yet memorable fight sequence against Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in the Void.
Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike's complicated history with Wolverine after the X-Men: Animated Series confirmed that she blamed him for her father's death. Ahead of her confirmed comeback in Season 2, Lady Deathstrike seems poised to play a big part in Wolverine's road to recovery from his adamantium loss, either as an ally or an enemy.
Deadpool & Wolverine also introduced a version of Lady Deathstrike in the Void, who was a loyal member of Cassandra Nova's army.
Omega Red
Omega Red is one of the confirmed villains who will appear in X-Men '97 Season 2. The highly dangerous and powerful X-Men villain is capable of draining the life force from his enemies on top of his superhuman strength, stamina, and combat expertise.
It's possible that he would serve as a key antagonist of Forge and Cable's X-Men team in the present day, considering that the Season 1 finale revealed a sequence of him fighting Bastion's Prime Sentinels.
A version of Omega Red appeared in Deadpool 2 as one of the mutant prisoners being held in the high-security prison called the Icebox.
