It is hard to get the Marvel fandom to agree on anything—especially after *Avengers: Endgame*—but *X-Men ’97* was one of the few exceptions to the rule. The series' overwhelmingly positive reception and "must-watch" status stemmed from more than just its iconic, unskippable opening sequence.
The production combined creative, ambitious action with rich storytelling and sharp, memorable dialogue regarding the limits of coexistence between mutants and humans. Fortunately, the second season delivers more of what worked in the first, alongside a gratifyingly complex portrayal of En Sabah Nur—aka Apocalypse—a formidable X-Men adversary.
Stars: Ray Chase, Cal Dodd, Ross Marquand
The season successfully picks up where the first season's shocking cliffhanger left off, with various X-Men groups scattered across different timelines. First, we travel to the future—at the height of Apocalypse’s reign—where Cyclops (Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) debate how much to reveal to their young son Nathan (aka Cable, voiced by Michael Johnston) about his origins and future. Then—in an episode featuring a stunning opening sequence created specifically for the occasion—we return to the 1990s, as Jubilee (Holly Chou) and Sunspot (Gui Agustini) join forces with other mutants to fill the void left by the X-Men's sudden departure.
The visuals are fantastic as well. The introduction of new characters offers fresh opportunities for the animation to shine by depicting their powers in fluid, colorful, and dynamic ways, while the series' various time periods provide compelling new visual elements. All in all, this makes for an exceptionally strong start to the show's second season.
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