Despite recent reports saying X-Men '97 would see a Disney+ release in early 2024, a new report from Marvel indicates that this may not end up being the case.
X-Men '97 will be the third fully-animated addition to the MCU, following What If...? and I Am Groot, both of which saw second seasons released in 2023.
Beyond that, as Phases 5 and 6 continue, Marvel plans to bring in even more animated content, with shows like Marvel Zombies and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (originally Spider-Man: Freshman Year).
While none of these projects saw an official premiere date following the wiping of all MCU release windows in March 2023, reports did indicate that X-Men '97 would be the first of the unreleased animated shows, with an early 2024 Disney+ debut.
X-Men Reboot Seemingly Delayed
Marvel released an article on December 21 announcing a four-issue comic series leading up to Disney+'s X-Men '97 which will begin in March of 2024. This indicates that the show itself will not actually hit Disney+ until April at the earliest, despite a reported release of early 2024.
Sharing its name with the show, the X-Men '97 comics will "lead directly into the hotly anticipated new series," with their first issue releasing on March 27.
The comic will star characters including Storm, Wolverine, and Jubillee, among other X-Men from the '90s animated series, before the characters return to the screen in the Disney+ reboot.
Given this is a prelude comic, it can be assumed the show will release on Disney+ following the fourth issue — though this is not technically confirmed. As such, fans should expect to see X-Men '97 on the streaming service no earlier than April 2024, depending on the frequency of release for the comics.
When Might X-Men '97 Release?
There are a few different possibilities for when X-Men '97 will hit Disney+, based on what the release schedule of this four-issue comic series ends up being.
The two factors to consider are how long there will be between each issue, and how long there will be between the last issue and the show's first episode.
With this in mind, the absolute earliest possible date for the show to premiere would be April 17, 2024. That would be the case if the four issues released weekly, and if the first episode of X-Men '97 on Disney+ premiered on the same day as the fourth comic hitting shelves.
Once-a-week comics are fairly rare, though, and there likely would be at least a week between the fourth issue and the show's premiere.
With that in mind, there are two more realistic, though discouraging for eager fans, release schedule possibilities to consider. Most comic runs will typically release either once or twice a month.
If the X-Men '97 prelude series followed the former of the two, that would mean one issue would release in March (on March 27, as confirmed), one in April, one in May, and one in June. As such, the show would not release until June, if not even later.
If the new comic were to release on the twice-a-month (every-other-week) model, new issues would likely come on March 27, April 10, April 24, and May 8. With that schedule, the animated Disney+ series could end up on the streaming service in early May.
However, all three of these possibilities are dependent on very specific variables, none of which are confirmed as of now.
The first issue of the X-Men '97 comic will release on March 27, with the animated Disney+ series set for sometime after.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
