If Season 1 of X-Men ’97, Marvel Animation’s revival of X-Men: The Animated Series revived the heart of the beloved classic cartoon, Season 2 reanimates its soul…at least that’s what it seems like through the first four episodes of the sophomore season.
While Season 1 provided a nostalgic trip to the 90s, full of feel-good releases of dopamine and serotonin, Season 2 delivers a far more intoxicating rush, releasing a surging cocktail of chemicals for those who loved not only the original show but the true vastness of the X-Men’s comic book lore.
The first four episodes manage to address the Season 1 cliffhanger with multitudinous references to the original series while also priming the audience for something entirely new. And so, the first four episodes of Season 2 work as a fulcrum between the return to the emotional center of Season 1 and the very intentional shift in the purpose of the new episodes, which seems to be to remind audiences of the incredible depth and breadth of the X-Men mythology.
Whether in the comics, live-action or animation, the mutant have never needed to interact with the rest of the Marvel universe. As fun as the crossovers can be, the mutants have their own interesting heros and villains capable of leading some of The House of Ideas greatest stories and Season 2 makes it clear that Cable and Apocalypse are chief among them.
Full of the timey-wimey shenanigans that have long been a staple of their stories, Season 2 of X-Men ’97 fully embraces the full weirdness of the X-Men’s time travel adventures. By taking on En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse in the past, present and future, the sophomore season holds the potential of seeing each team dealing with the fallout of the others’ actions across time…and it also clearly seems to set the stage for an impending schism not only between Charles and Magneto but also between core members of the team.
Though it’s just four episodes, X-Men ’97 feels like a fresh spin on a classic X-Men tale. The animation remains top tier and the action sequences continue to be inventive and show that there are plenty of ways to continue to let these mutants evolve on screen.
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