A new report seemingly revealed how many seasons the upcoming X-Men '97 will run on Disney+.
The mutant-focused animated series is set to debut sometime later this year on Disney’s streaming service, with audiences getting reintroduced to the world of the X-Men: The Animated Series.
For skeptical fans, this spiritual sequel project will "respect the work" of what has come before while also getting the rare opportunity to "add to its legacy," and that was something that has been instilled in the creative team behind the series from day one.
Other than a small piece of art promoting the X-Men team that will be seen in the series, not much else has been shown from X-Men '97, but Marvel has remained adamant that the project remains on schedule.
The Future of X-Men '97
Noted insider KC Walsh revealed that Disney+'s X-Men '97 is being planned as a four-season effort from Marvel Studios.
Walsh tweeted replying to a fan asking about the upcoming animated series, remarking that "it’s expected to go 4 seasons" and should come out in "Fall 2023."
This comes mere weeks after X-Men '97 voice actor Cal Dodd revealed work had already begun on Season 2 of the series.
In a video on her personal Twitter account, Dodd showed himself back in the studios and called this sophomore effort, "just the beginning" of the X-Men '97 journey.
Season 2 had been previously confirmed, but it was unknown that the recording was already in progress.
How Important is X-Men '97 to the MCU?
While not an official confirmation from Marvel Studios, the super-powered giant seemingly has some big plans for this X-Men follow-up series.
The original X-Men: The Animated Series ran for a total of 5 seasons with 76 episodes to its name.
Assuming X-Men '97's 10-episode first season will be the norm for the series, this follow-up will add a more than 50% jump in that total episode count.
While '97 will showcase the X-Men world as a "very different place than when [The Animated Series] was first made," the pseudo-sequel will have plenty of time to honor the legacy left behind by the beloved original series.
With Season 1 set to debut this year and Season 2 already in production, fans can likely expect the animated Disney+ series to continue until at least 2026. That leaves one season per year running right through to the end of the MCU's Multiverse Saga.
And if fans were anticipating Marvel's band of Mutants to appear in the MCU before the end of Phase 6, then this new X-Men '97 report may dash some of those hopes.
Marvel Studios will likely let this series run its course before introducing any of its own takes on these X-Men characters. That is not to say there will be no X-Men or mutants appearing in the MCU until '97 is over, they will just likely be legacy characters like these animated Variants or former Fox actors.
X-Men '97 has no official release date but is expected to debut on Disney+ this fall.
