Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: X-Men '97

  • Marvel Adds Two Projects to Its 2026 Slate

    Marvel Adds Two Projects to Its 2026 Slate

    Bob Iger‘s return to the Disney throne may have come with a mandate for the company’s major production studios to slow their respective rolls in terms of the quantity of streaming projects being released per year but in the case of Marvel Studios, no slowdown has been detected just yet.

    We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three. And we’re working hard on what that path is.

    -Bob Iger

    A busier than expected 2025, featuring three films and a total of six streaming series, has just gotten underway and is about to ramp up significantly with the highly-anticipated Daredevil: Born Again set to launch on March 4th. Following the return to Hell’s Kitchen, fans still have plenty to look forward to the rest of the year and it’s starting to look as though 2026 might be nearly as busy, including second seasons of two of the studio’s most well-received streaming series to date.

    According to Marvel TV chief Brad Winderbaum, the sophomore seasons of both X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are planned to hit D+ at some point in 2026.

    Of course, in the world of animatied projects things can often move a little slower than expected; however, Winderbaum reminds, at the very least, cautiously optimistic that Season 2 of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will be ready for next year. “Season 2 in ’26, I think,” said Winderbaum before addressing the studio’s even grander plans for the hit series.

    Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Hudson Thames) in Marvel Animation’s YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2025 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

    “We will have a Spider-Man season every year if I have anything to say about it,” said Marvel’s head of TV, streaming and animation. “What usually happens, as you know, in animation, is that there’s a bigger gap between Season 1 and Season 2 than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar in Friendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for Season 2, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully. “

    Pragmatically speaking, a second season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man might not hit arrive on D+ until mid-2026. That’s ok, however, considering fans are already looking forward to a jam-packed follow-up which will introduce Gwen Stacy, follow Peter and Harry’s plans with the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, follow Tombstone’s rise in Harlem and, hopefully, address how Peter’s father ended up in prison, among other things. It’s also ok because it sounds like another amazing animated adventure might be on track to return sooner than that.

    (L-R): Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    “Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 is going to be in ‘26. We’re working on it now,” Winderbaum told Collider, confirming previous reports. The longtime Marvel exec then explained that as part of Marvel Television’s new approach, the hope is to have X-Men ’97, like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, ready for yearly release. “To me, it’s important to try to get to an annual cadence with these shows and to have something that people can rely on,” he said. “This has been a challenge for streaming in general, but I really want to create television shows that feel like shows. So, part of that is creating a seasonal cadence that people can rely on.”

    The season finale cliffhanger set the stage for multiple major storylines to unfold in Season 2 of X-Men ’97; however, with Ms. Marvel and What If…? writer Matthew Chauncey taking over for a fired Beau DeMayo, the new season required a little more time to prep as Chauncey redirects it from the original 5-season plan.

    As it stands, fans have 4 streaming projects confirmed to arrive in 2026 (X-Men ’97 Season 2, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, The Punisher Special Presentation, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Season 2) with another likely (Vision). Theatrically, the studio has set dates for Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man 4 while still keeping dates set aside for a pair of untitled films. All told, 2026 does indeed look to be another busy year for Marvel, Iger’s mandate be damned.

    Source: Collider and Collider

  • Marvel Studios’ Best Animated Series Missing from Official 2025 Slate

    Marvel Studios’ Best Animated Series Missing from Official 2025 Slate

    Ahead of the two-episode series finale of Agatha All Along, Marvel Studios abruptly revealed its 2025 streaming slate through a video shared across its social media platforms. The impressive plans include 3 live-action and 3 animated series sprinkled in throughout the year. Combined with the studio’s theatrical release schedule, the hefty slate means that fans can look forward to new content in nine months in 2025. However, despite giving fans much to look forward to next year, the slate does have one very noticeable omission.

    While Marvel Animation will roll out Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda and Marvel Zombies in 2025, Season 2 of X-Men ’97 was not included in the studio’s release schedule.
    (L-R): Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Roberto Da Costa (voiced by Gui Agustini), Nightcrawler (voiced by Adrian Hough), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), and Morph (voiced by JP Karliak) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    The x-clusion of the sophomore season of the animated does not come as a complete surprise despite the studio having greenlit a second batch of episodes in 2022. A recent report indicated that the series was undergoing some reconfiguring following the firing of showrunner Beau DeMayo and would be delayed until 2026.

    X-Men ’97 was a massive hit for Marvel Studios, providing much-needed positive vibes for the company following an unprecedented rough patch. The Season 1 finale left off with a cliffhanger that set up the series for an adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Age of Apocalypse event which DeMayo indicated was indeed part of his five-year plan for the show. With Ms. Marvel and What If…? writer Matthew Chauncey taking over for DeMayo and reportedly rewriting much of Season 2, it remains to be seen how much, if any, of the original arcs planned for the series come to fruition.

  • One of Marvel Studios’ Highest-Rated Series Reportedly Facing a Major Season 2 Slowdown

    One of Marvel Studios’ Highest-Rated Series Reportedly Facing a Major Season 2 Slowdown

    After a rough 2023, Marvel Studios turned to the X-Men to help reclaim its position at pop culture’s top dog in 2024. Deadpool & Wolverine was always expected to do big business at the box office (and it did just that, currently sitting as the 5th highest-grossing MCU project of all time) but it was another X-Men project that provided a spark of renewed hope when the studio needed it most.

    While Deadpool & Wolverine landed as expected, Marvel Studios’ animated streaming series, X-Men ’97, delivered more than anyone could have hoped, immediately capturing its audience and holding onto it over its 10-episode run. The animated revival, dripping with nostalgia, showed fans just what stories about the band of mutant heroes can be and left fans on the edge with its season-finale cliffhanger. In the wake of the finale, the studio shared encouraging news that Season 2 wouldn’t be too far off but now, a new report brings some potential bad tidings on that front.

    According to Nexus Point News, Season 2 of X-Men ’97 is unlikely to hit Disney Plus before 2026, citing changes to the story following the firing of showrunner Beau DeMayo earlier this year.
    (L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Roberto Da Costa (voiced by Gui Agustini), Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), and Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    Before his dismissal, DeMayo had completed work on the scripts for the sophomore season and had outlined a 5-season plan for the series which he teased involved the villain Onslaught and an adaptation of the revered Age of Apocalypse Marvel Comics crossover event. Ms. Marvel and What If…? scribe Matthew Chauncey landed the job as the new head writer of the series and while his duties were expected to begin with Season 3, NPN reports he is now rewriting DeMayo’s drafts for Season 2.

    Earlier this year, it was reported that Season 2 of X-Men ’97 was in post-production and eyeing a 2025 debut on D+. However, in May, Marvel TV and Animation head honcho Brad Winderbaum cautioned fans to exercise patience, saying the series was “still in animatic phase“, adding that “animation takes so long to make.” Should this new report hold true, it looks like fans will have to exhibit a bit more patience than they’d probably care to do.

    Source: Nexus Point News

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ and ‘What If…?’ Writer Taking Over for Fired ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ and ‘What If…?’ Writer Taking Over for Fired ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner

    Marvel Studios’ most recent foray into animation, X-Men ’97, checked all the boxes. From beginning to end, the revival captivated the audience with shockingly high stakes and ended on such a high note that fans were clamoring for news about Season 2. The good news is that the sophomore season of X-Men ’97 is already deep into its production and could hit D+ as early as 2025; however, with showrunner Beau DeMayo being let go by Marvel Studios despite having a long-term plan for the series, the question of who would take the reigns of the successful series continued to hang overhead. Now, that problem has been resolved.

    According to Deadline, Matthew Chauncey has agreed to join the creative team of the animated series as the head writer for Season 3 of X-Men ’97.

    Chauncey is an in-house hire for the studio, having worked both in live-action on Ms. Marvel and in animation on Seasons 1 and 2 of What If…? and the upcoming Eyes of Wakanda. With Season 2 of X-Men ’97 currently in production, Chauncey will have plenty of time to get to work on drafting Season 3 which should allow for him to find his groove with the characters and the pre-existing stories and churn out some banger episodes. While he has writing credits for more than a half-dozen episodes of What If…?, he was the sole writer for Season 2, Episode 7, “What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?”, which was one of the season’s most fascinating installments.

    Source: Deadline

  • The ‘X-Men ’97’ Season Finale Introduced a Major Marvel Comics Character That Most Fans Missed

    The ‘X-Men ’97’ Season Finale Introduced a Major Marvel Comics Character That Most Fans Missed

    The season finale of X-Men ’97 was so chock-full of goodness that fans could be forgiven if they overlooked a thing or two. With all the cameos from heroes across the Marvel Universe to the introduction of Apocalypse and the post-credit tease of Gambit’s resurrection, the episode was quite simply one of the best examples of what Marvel Studios can–and should–be capable of. However, with a Mr. Fantastic here and a Sauron there, some fans seem to have completely missed the appearance of a major X-Men character.

    Following an emotional good-bye between Scott, Jean and Cable, the appearance of a young Nathan in the future to which his parents where whisked away was certainly an attention grabber. The reunion gives Cyclops and Marvel Girl the opportunity to spend at least some time raising the son they’d lost…but the scene also introduced a daughter they didn’t know they had… because they hadn’t…not yet, at least.

    When Scott and Jean arrived in the year 3960, they were met by a hooded woman who introduced herself as Mother Askani. From there, Nathan’s appearance took all the attention but it’s all but a sure thing that Mother Askani’s identity will become a significant part of whatever goes on in Season 2. If showrunner Beau DeMayo is staying relatively close to the comics–and there’s plenty of evidence to suggest he is–then Mother Askani will be revealed to be Rachel Summers, the daughter of Scott and Jean.

    Though she remains hooded and her face partially hidden, Rachel’s trademark face markings are clear. What’s more, the markings on her chin and the long, white braid are consistent with the appearance of the alt-Earth version of the character who first appeared in 1993’s Cable #6.

    As the founder of Clan Askani, Rachel became known as Mother Askani. The clan believed that a Messiah, known as Dayspring or Askani’son, must be saved from the past to protect the future and overthrow Apocalypse. That messiah is, of course, Nathan Summers, who was alive and well under Rachel’s watch in the season finale.

    This isn’t Rachel’s first appearance in the animated universe as she showed up in X-Men: The Animated Series when the show adapted Days of Future Past. However, given the timey-wimey nonsense that comes with Marvel’s mutants, this Rachel is probably not that Rachel and she’s probably not the daughter of that Scott and that Jean. In that sense, saving the full reveal of the true identity of Mother Askani for Season 2 was a wise move as it gives Scott, Jean (and the emotional fans) time to process one reunion before moving on to a potentially more awkward one.

  • X-Men ’97 Season 2

    X-Men ’97 Season 2

    Premiere: Summer 2026

    Announced in 2022, the second season of X-Men ’97 was delayed following the firing of showrunner Beau DeMayo and will now debut Summer 2026 on D+

  • ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Reveals How Many Seasons He Had Planned, Teases a Major Potential Storyline

    ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Reveals How Many Seasons He Had Planned, Teases a Major Potential Storyline

    Not since WandaVision has a Marvel Studios’ streaming project generated as much positive online hype as X-Men ’97. The animated revival has been overwhelmingly well-received and has fans clamoring for more projects set within a connected animated universe. With Season 1 nearing the end of its run, fans are already looking ahead to Season 2, which is deep in development. A third season of the series was recently given the green light but with a comic book history as deep and storied as that of the X-Men, it’s a series that could certainly make a long run. Just how long is unclear but it seems as though there was a clear plan in place at one point.

    According to Beau DeMayo, who served as the showrunner for Season 1 and the yet-to-be-released Season 2 before being relieved of his duties, there was a 5-season plan in place for X-Men ’97.

    (L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Professor X (voiced by Ross Marquand), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), and Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    Though he’s no longer officially associated with the series, DeMayo has been incredibly active on social media. Whether addressing fan questions and concerns, explaining creative decisions or supplying fans with weekly “homework assignments” to prepare them for the next episode, DeMayo has been a major part of the weekly water cooler discussion. When asked this week if the impending Season 1 finale would end of a cliffhanger, DeMayo skirted the question while also providing a very interesting bit of information.

    While we’ll have to wait until next week to see how things will be left, it seems as though the studio, at one point in time, had big plans for the series. Whether or not the studio will go through with DeMayo’s original plan remains to be seen but with the amount of positive attention the show has received to date, it’s hard to imagine they won’t milk it for everything they can.

    With Season 1 ending soon, fans are already looking ahead to what future seasons may hold. While the most recent episode has generated a lot of speculation about the Marvel Comics villain Onslaught making an appearance, another major X-Men villain has been the subject of most fan theories for quite some time: Apocalypse. When asked by a fan if adapting the villain’s most famous story, Age of Apocalypse, into a future season of X-Men ’97 was part of the plan, DeMayo made it pretty clear things are headed in that direction.

    Of course, there’s plenty left to wrap up in next week’s season finale and with the fast pace of the animated series, it’s not as though an adaptation of Age of Apocalypse–or any other revered comic book story–would last an entire season. However, given the success of the series, it’s good to know that even though he’s no longer part of the team, DeMayo may have left behind a very complete road map to success for future seasons.

  • Marvel’s ‘X-Men ’97’: Revealing the Big Bad Behind the Mutant Massacre

    Marvel’s ‘X-Men ’97’: Revealing the Big Bad Behind the Mutant Massacre

    A common theme with many of Marvel Studios’ streaming series has been a concern that they would need to “stick the landing” in order to ultimately be considered successful. At this point, it seems as though X-Men ‘97 could not only wobble a little bit on the landing but perhaps miss the mat entirely. With 7 strong episodes now under its belt, Marvel Animation’s revival series has been a weekly topic of conversation. The latest episode, Bright Eyes, not only gave Rogue center stage to express her rightful rage but also finally revealed the big bad behind the mutant massacre on Genosha…and it’s exactly who we thought it was…the second time around at least.

    Bright Eyes revealed that as far as X-Men ‘97 goes, there’s an even bigger fish than Mister Sinister. As speculated here (and hinted at heavily over the course of the series), the cyborg known as Bastion was indeed behind the Wild Sentinel’s attack on Genosha and it looks like he’s just getting started.

    Who is Bastion?

    Bastion, a formidable antagonist within the Marvel Comics universe, embodies the relentless pursuit of mutant extinction. As a Sentinel mastermind, Bastion represents the pinnacle of anti-mutant technology, leading the charge in hunting down and eliminating mutant-kind. His origins trace back to the depths of Nimrod and the Sentinel program, where he emerged as a genocidal force determined to eradicate all mutants. With Trask Industries backing his efforts, Bastion wages a relentless campaign against mutants, employing advanced AI technology and ruthless tactics to achieve his goal of mutant eradication.

    Bastion’s attributes are as ruthless as they are deadly, with a fanatical devotion to his cause and an indomitable will to succeed. As the leader of Humanity’s Last Stand, he commands an army of Sentinels and Purifiers, relentless in their mission to exterminate mutants. His actions provoke confrontation and opposition from the X-Men and other mutant groups, who view him as a persistent threat to their existence.

    In the ongoing struggle between mutants and their adversaries, Bastion remains a formidable adversary, challenging the X-Men and testing the limits of their resilience. His genocidal agenda and advanced technological capabilities make him a persistent menace, driving the X-Men to confront him time and time again in a battle for survival.

    Who is Voicing Bastion?

    As theorized in a recent Connecting Imaginary Dots piece, Bastion was voiced by Theo James. James has made quite a name for himself as a voice actor and has had a solid career renaissance of late by taking on villainous and somewhat shady roles. James knocked it out of the park in his debut as Bastion, especially in the way he comfortably and easily knocked Mister Sinister down a peg.

    With three episodes left to go that seem to all be inspired by Bastion’s first major comic book arc, Operation: Zero Tolerance, the good news is that James is just getting started as Bastion and we’re likely to be treated to a delicious performance that will give fans a new face to hate.

    The first seven episodes of Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97 are now streaming on Disney Plus.

  • Kevin Feige Nearly Made a Major Change to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline

    Kevin Feige Nearly Made a Major Change to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline

    Be honest with yourself: do you truly know the rules of Marvel Studios’ Multiverse? If the answer is yes, good for you; however, the vast majority of fans tuning in to watch the latest streaming series or heading into theaters for the next big MCU film don’t know a Nexus Point from a Jump Point. So while hardcore fans might love to debate what should or should not be counted as canon or what projects should be on the Sacred Timeline, it’s really not that big of a deal to most fans. However, according to Emi Yonemura, who directed two episodes of Marvel Animation’s X-Men ’97, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, almost made a change so big it would have grabbed everyone’s attention.

    In an interview with Inverse, Yonemura revealed that Feige considered setting the events of X-Men ’97 firmly within the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. “That has always been something we know was on Kevin Feige’s mind, do we make this part of the MCU? Do we not make this part of the MCU?” said Yonemura. “It’s actually gone back and forth quite a few times, and I think we did land in a smart place because [X-Men: The Animated Series] was its own thing, and I think that to continue it we needed to be our own thing.“

    (L-R): Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Magneto (voiced by Matthew Waterson), and Morph (voiced by JP Karliak) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.

    While it’s not entirely clear how X-Men ’97–or its predecessor, X-Men: The Animated Series–would have fit within the current parameters of the Sacred Timeline, another member of ’97s creative team is glad the decision was made to keep it separate. “We’re getting the X-Men in this format and we’re doing it justice not just by ourselves, but also other fans as well, and we’re starting to get a resurgence of the X-Men in film again,” said director Jake Castorena. “I love that. And I think it’s great that we can have different things, let them be different.”

    According to Castorena, “it’s all connected” actually presents its own set of problems. “If you try to connect things like that, it may or may not, I dare not say hinder storytelling, but let them do their stories,” Castorena continued. “Let us do our stories and let the rest of the world eat it up, man.” With a Multiverse full of possibilities and hundreds of great X-Men stories that have yet to be told through animation or live-action, there should be plenty for the world to eat up for the foreseeable future.

    Source: Inverse

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: Theo James’ Role in ‘X-Men ’97’

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: Theo James’ Role in ‘X-Men ’97’

    The attack on Genosha in Episode 5 of X-Men ’97 took the lives of an as yet unrevealed number of mutants. Despite Cable’s attempt to warn his mother, Madelyne Pryor joined key players such as Magneto and Gambit as casualties of the Wild Sentinel’s devastating attack. While mutants and fans alike are still mourning the dead and recovering from the massacre, the question of who orchestrated it remains.

    Though the Genoshan genocide seen in “Remember It” was partially inspired by a similar event seen in Grant Morrison‘s “E is for Extinction” arc in New X-Men, X-Men ’97 supervising producer Jake Castorena made it clear that the mastermind behind the attack was not Cassandra Nova, who perpetrated the terror in the comics.

    A close look at some clues have led to the theory that the Sentinel Android known as Bastion could be behind the attack. There’s plenty of compelling evidence to suggest Bastion as a possibility but continuing to connect the dots has lead us to not only double down on the identity of the perp but also wonder if the voice actor for the villain hasn’t been in front of our eyes all along.

    Theo James Is Bastion

    Before the first episode of X-Men ’97 debuted on Disney Plus, showrunner Beau DeMayo revealed that Theo James was set to voice a “fan-favorite” character. Through five episodes, the identity of that character has remained a mystery but DeMayo’s insistence that the role would “surprise people” ties nicely into the idea that James will voice Bastion.

    Connecting the dots from James voicing a surprising fan-favorite character to Bastion isn’t really all that crazy. With only five episodes left and the big bad behind the attack on Genosha left a mystery, there’s plenty of reason to think it was Bastion. From the picture of him in Forge’s lab to his brief presence at the gala to the use of “Tolerance is Extinction” as the title of the three-part season finale (Bastion was introduced in the comics in an event titled Operation: Zero Tolerance), plenty of markers point in the direction of Bastion.

    If we accept it’s Bastion, the idea of James voicing him is the easy part. James likely didn’t sign on to voice a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo character and there just aren’t that many major characters left to come into play in this season. While the idea of him voicing Captain America gained some traction online after Cap’s shield was seen in a recent sneak peek, it’s preposterous. James is as British as tea and strumpets and though he’s grown into a bloody brilliant actor, his American accent is a bit rubbish, innit? While he’d be chuffed to bits to voice Cap, he is not.

    James‘ career renaissance has been impressive. He recently led Netflix’s The Gentleman for which he received high praise. However, it was his role as the bad guy in White Lotus: Sicily that showed his range. We won’t have long to wait to find out if we connected the dots well or not but the idea of James as the voice of Bastion is just too good to pass up.