Marvel has officially confirmed that X-Men '97 Season 2 will introduce major new characters and teams to the series. The show is expected to stream on Disney+ sometime in summer 2026, and Marvel recently revealed a new prelude comic series to bridge the gap.
Marvel Comics announced X-Men '97: Season Two, a five-issue limited series written by Steve Foxe with art by Salva Espin, launching June 3, 2026. In doing so, Marvel confirmed X-Men '97 Season 2 will spotlight major new characters and teams, directly bridging the Season 1 cliffhanger to the upcoming new episodes.
Following the catastrophic Season 1 finale, where an asteroid threatens Earth, the X-Men are scattered across time. Based on the NYCC 2025 trailer and D23 2024 footage, we have a fair idea of the additions Marvel is teasing for Season 2 and how they play into the plot.
On the villain side, Season 2 brings in three formidable new threats. Sabretooth returns to the animated world, having been absent in Season 1. Wolverine's most notorious rival, the savage mutant Victor Creed, was a central figure in the original X-Men: The Animated Series, and looks to be fully integrated into the new season's story. Lady Deathstrike is also confirmed, another villain with deep ties to Wolverine.
According to the NYCC trailer, both characters appear to have formed an uneasy alliance with the X-Men against a shared enemy, though their allegiances are unlikely to hold. In the comics, Lady Deathstrike is the daughter of the man who engineered the Adamantium bonding process, and after Wolverine kills him, she coats her own bones in Adamantium and dedicates herself to revenge.
The third new villain is Omega Red, a former Soviet soldier fused with a dangerous metal called Carbonadium. He featured briefly in the NYCC trailer, unleashing his signature Carbonadium tentacles in what appears to be a major battle sequence. Omega Red has long been one of Wolverine's deadliest adversaries in the comics.
On the hero side, Psylocke is confirmed to take on a more prominent role in Season 2. The psychic warrior, Betsy Braddock, appeared in several episodes of the original 1990s cartoon and was briefly spotted at the end of X-Men '97 Season 1 alongside what appeared to be Alpha Flight, Canada's premier superhero team. That moment teased Alpha Flight's potential inclusion going forward, and with Psylocke's confirmed return, the team could be set to play a role in Season 2's expanded world. Psylocke also has a history with Bishop in the comics, and with Bishop confirmed as a central figure in Season 2's plot, the two may cross paths again.
Also joining the roster is Polaris, voiced by Neve Campbell. The daughter of Magneto, Lorna Dane, carries magnetic powers comparable to her father's, but her approach to the world is notably more grounded. This marks the character's first appearance in the animated universe. Havok, the younger brother of Cyclops, is confirmed as well. Alex Summers can absorb ambient cosmic energy and release it as devastating plasma blasts. Interestingly, Cyclops and Havok are completely immune to each other's powers.
Two more new additions also stand out. Danger is a sentient artificial intelligence that evolved from the software running the X-Men's Danger Room training facility. Then there's Warlock, a techno-organic alien mutant confirmed as far back as D23. A member of the Technarchy race, Warlock is unusual for his species because he possesses deep compassion rather than the predatory nature of his kind.
Several other new faces round out the expanded cast. Archangel returns as Warren Worthington III, and he has a dark back story. He was transformed into one of Apocalypse's Four Horsemen in the original series. He will definitely have a bone to pick with his former master going into Season 2 of '97.
Colossus joins the fight too, the steel-skinned Russian mutant having appeared in the original cartoon before his absence in Season 1. Kid Omega (Quentin Quire), an Omega-level telepathic mutant, makes his animated debut alongside Hollow, a striking mutant known for her red skin, which is as hard as diamonds, and her natural resistance to telepathic attacks. Multiple Man, Wolfsbane, and Strong Guy are also confirmed to appear.
Teams Confirmed For X-Men ’97 Season 2
One of Season 2's most significant additions is the formal introduction of X-Factor, the classic Marvel mutant team. As confirmed via the NYCC 2025 trailer, Season 2 will bring this group to modern animation for the first time. X-Factor's original roster in the comics consisted of the five founding members of the X-Men: Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and Iceman.
The trailer's version of the team appeared noticeably darker and more menacing than their heroic counterparts, suggesting they may hail from an alternate timeline or dimension, setting them up as a complex new wrinkle in the season's story rather than straightforward allies.
It's also worth noting that this season breaks the X-Men into four distinct units, each stranded in a different point in time after the Season 1 finale scattered the team. The first group, led by Professor X, includes Magneto, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Beast, and finds themselves transported to ancient Egypt in 3000 BC, where they encounter a young En Sabah Nur, the man who will eventually become Apocalypse.
Bishop and Forge remain in 1997 as the representatives of the present-day team, tasked with pulling everyone back to the correct timeline. Cyclops and Jean Grey are pushed to the far future, landing in the year 3960 AD among the Clan Askani, where they come face to face with a teenage version of their son, Nathan Summers.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
