Marvel Studios has released the official release schedule and episode titles for X-Men '97 Season 2 on Disney+, and some of the titles hint at the season's big plot points. X-Men '97 is a spiritual successor to the beloved 1990s animated TV show, X-Men: The Animated Series. Following the Season 1 finale, the X-Men find themselves stranded across time in Season 2, and the new season is already promising to be bigger and more epic than the first.
Marvel Studios revealed the official titles and release dates for the upcoming episodes of X-Men '97 Season 2 on social media. Unlike Season 1, Season 2 will have one fewer episode, releasing 9 episodes over 7 weeks instead of 10 episodes. After a historic three-episode premiere on Disney+ on July 1, the episodes will be released weekly through August 12.
The official titles and release dates are as follows:
- Episode 1: "Days of Past Future" - July 1
- Episode 2: "A Force To Be Reckoned With" - July 1
- Episode 3: "Rise of the Apocalypse - Part 1" - July 1
- Episode 4: "Rise of the Apocalypse - Part 2" - July 8
- Episode 5: "Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs" - July 15
- Episode 6: "Danger.exe" - July 22
- Episode 7: "Strange Land, Savage Heart" - July 29
- Episode 8: "The Dead Man's Hand" - August 5
- Episode 9: "Survival of the Fittest" - August 12
X-Men '97 is produced by Marvel Studios Animation and features the voice talents of original X-Men: The Animated Series cast members, including Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, Alison Sealy-Smith, George Buza, Christopher Britton, and Adrian Hough.
X-Men '97 Season 2's Episode Titles Hint at Big Plot Twists
While audiences have some idea of what's to come in X-Men '97 thanks to trailers and teasers, these official episode titles may hint at some major plot twists to come in the new season.
Starting with Episode 1, "Days of Past Future," this appears to be a play on the name of the iconic comic book arc "Days of Future Past" in The Uncanny X-Men, which also inspired the 2014 X-Men: Days of Future Past film adaptation. With the X-Men spread across time, some stuck in a dark vision of the future and others in the Ancient past, this title could hint at the two brand-new timelines the episode will explore.
Episode 2's title, "A Force to be Reckoned With," is likely to be a nod to the X-Force's introduction. The new superhero team has formed in the present timeline under the leadership of Cable to fill in for the X-Men's absence.
The third and fourth episodes of X-Men '97 are a two-part event titled "Age of Apocalypse." X-Men '97's previous multi-part episode arcs have often resulted in huge narrative changes, so this is one to definitely keep an eye on. Apocalypse is the X-Men's most notorious mutant foe, and the villain will be a big part of the new season. "Age of Apocalypse" seems to be another nod to an iconic X-Men comic storyline in which Apocalypse enacts his war.
"Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs" is the season's fifth episode. Marvel fans may be aware that Weapon X is often the codename for Wolverine, or is sometimes used more broadly as the name of the secret government project that gave Wolverine and similar mutants their powers. Wolverine and his nemesis, Sabretooth, are both linked to Weapon X, suggesting this episode may delve deeper into their history or the Weapon X program.
The next notable episode title is Episode 7, "Strange Land, Savage Heart," which hints at the Savage Land. The Savage Land, featured in Uncanny X-Men, is a prehistoric land hidden in Antarctica that is filled with ancient wildlife, including dinosaurs. It appears the X-Men will travel to the strange land in Season 2 of X-Men '97.
Episode 8's title of "The Dead Man's Hand" seems to be not-so-subtly referencing the return of Gambit, the card-wielding X-Men member who died in season 1. It's been theorized that Gambit will return in Season 2, possibly as one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen.
The finale episode "Survival of the Fittest" doesn't give much away except to suggest a major showdown between the X-Men and Apocalypse. The Darwinian "Survival of the fittest" methodology is something of a mantra for Apocalypse's reign, and it seems this will be where it all comes to a head. The question is, which X-Men will survive?
