Fans will finally receive X-Men '97 Season 2 in Summer 2026, and it was confirmed that the upcoming installment will include a historic main villain, which will break an 18-year-old MCU streak. X-Men '97 Season 1 was a pleasant surprise for many X-Men and MCU fans, as it was generally regarded as one of the best projects ever produced under Marvel Studios' leadership (for reference, it came from the Marvel Animation branch of the company). It has already been more than two years since the first season debuted, and it ended on a massive cliffhanger and introduced a terrifying villain.
At the end of X-Men '97 Season 1, the X-Men were scattered throughout different points in time. Some members were sent thousands of years into the past to ancient Egypt, where they encountered one of the most formidable villains in X-Men history: Apocalypse. The character's inclusion in the finale set up his role as the main antagonist for the show's second season, and Marvel Animation has since confirmed that will be the case.
Notably, X-Men '97 Season 2 will mark the first time in Marvel Studios history that a main villain from one of Fox's X-Men movies will be used as the main antagonist in an MCU project (the MCU began 18 years ago in 2008, so it will be breaking an 18-year-old streak). It is important to remember that X-Men '97 does not connect to the greater MCU and is not a part of the main MCU universe, but it is still a Marvel Studios project and considered an MCU title.
Apocalypse appeared in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse as the movie's central villain. He was portrayed by Oscar Isaac (who went on to star in the MCU's Moon Knight as the titular character) in that film, but it was a different version of the character than the one who will appear in the animated X-Men series.
As mentioned, no other villain from any of the Fox X-Men films has ever been presented as the main antagonist of an MCU project. Magneto acted as a villain in X-Men '97 Season 1, but he was more of a secondary villain, as Bastion was the main one. Notably, Bastion never appeared in the Fox films.
Other X-Men '97 Villains Who Were in the Fox Movies
Magneto
Despite Magneto not being the main villain in X-Men '97 Season 1, he still appeared in the series as an antagonist. Magneto's role in the show was quite complex, as he didn't carry himself like a traditional villain.
The character actually led the X-Men for most of the first season, but after certain events, he resorted to more extreme measures that wouldn't often be associated with a hero. So, in a way, he was more like an anti-hero who skewed a bit more toward the dark side.
In the Fox films, Magneto was presented as the main villain in the first three movies. He had his own motivations and good intentions toward Mutants, but he was still willing to wreak havoc and commit irrational acts to achieve his goals.
Magneto's role in the other movies was more complex, exploring his backstory and his fall from grace.
Sabretooth
Sabretooth has not appeared in X-Men '97 yet, but it was confirmed that he will play a role in the show's second season. He did show up throughout the original Animated Series in the 1990s, and his inclusion in the MCU title will most likely center on him going after Wolverine.
The character appeared in the original X-Men film from Fox in 2000, serving as a secondary antagonist focused on locating Wolverine. Sabretooth was never the central antagonist of that film, though, as those honors went to Magneto.
Sebastian Shaw
Sebastian Shaw was a minor villain in X-Men '97 Season 1, with limited screen time. Specifically, he was on the Genosha ruling council and played a role in the behind-the-scenes operations that led to a lot of the conflicts in Season 1, but he was eventually killed during a Sentinel invasion.
The character also appeared in one of the Fox movies. Specifically, in X-Men: First Class, Shaw (played by Kevin Bacon) was introduced as a horrific villain with ties to the Nazis. He worked at Auschwitz and directly experimented on Erik Lehnsherr (aka Magneto), who was just a young boy at the time.
Later on in the movie, Shaw was killed by Magneto, who then united the remnants of Shaw's Hellfire Club under his own leadership.
Emma Frost
Emma Frost is another villain who appeared in X-Men '97 in a minor role. It was revealed that she had moved to Genosha and became a part of the country's government. When the Sentinel attack came, she survived thanks to her diamond skin and was rescued by the X-Men.
The character also showed up in X-Men: First Class, played by January Jones. She played a larger role in that film, as she was a member of the Hellfire Club and Sebastian Shaw's consort. By the end of the movie, Emma was incarcerated, but it was revealed through dialogue in Days of Future Past that she died between the events of the two films.
Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask is another minor villain who briefly appeared in X-Men '97 Season 1. In the X-Men: The Animated Series continuity, Trask created the Sentinels. Originally, Trask tried to sacrifice himself to destroy the Sentinels, but he survived.
Trask appeared in essentially the same way in X-Men: Days of Future Past, just with a more prominent on-screen role. He was still the creator of the Sentinels, but everything happened differently. In that film, he performed experiments on Mutants, so Mystique killed him in 1973. However, his death prompted the government to continue funding the Sentinel project, which was set to lead to humanity's extinction by 2023.
However, time travel was involved, and Charles Xavier convinced Mystique to spare Trask's life. In turn, the government shut the Sentinel program down and arrested Trask.
Henry Gyrich
Henry Gyrich is another character who is not a fan of Mutants in the X-Men '97 continuity. He did not make a prominent appearance in Season 1, as it was revealed he had been imprisoned on Ryker's Island. Ultimately, he was killed by Bastion.
Henry also had a small role in 2000's X-Men film. He was an assistant to Senator Robert Kelly but was killed by the Brotherhood of Mutants.
Sentinels
Sentinels are robots whose only goal is to track down and kill Mutants. They have often been depicted throughout different X-Men titles, such as X-Men '97.
However, the Sentinels also appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past, as Bolivar Trask's Sentinel program was one of the main aspects of that movie.
It is also worth noting that the Sentinels will seemingly appear in Avengers: Doomsday, as the foot of one could be seen behind Cyclops in a teaser.
