Marvel’s ‘X-Men ’97‘ ended its first season on quite a brutal note. The X-Men fought Bastian, and the last episode showed them scattered across timelines. Some even presumed they were dead, but this is where Season 2 changes the entire POV.
The recent trailer for the upcoming season dropped major hints, most specifically about the show’s brutal arc. It is adapting one of the crucial arcs from the comic, and here’s a breakdown of what fans can expect from the upcoming season.
Cyclops And Phoenix’s Dystopian Time-Travel Trajectory
In Season 2’s trailer, Cyclops and Phoenix are stranded in a land governed by the Clan Askani in 3060 AD. They are seen traveling on a horse alongside their son, Cable.
It was earlier revealed that while Scott is his father, his mother is actually Madelyne Pryor, who died in Season 1 during the Sentinel Attack in Genosha. She was the clone of Jean Grey created by Mr. Sinister, who was defeated by Jean Grey in the end.
Phoenix uses her powers to cripple and weaken him, reducing him to his old, debilitating state. She, along with other mutants, was sent flying into a different timeline altogether with her husband Scott.
They are now in an era of the future and possibly in a time where they meet nomads and, most specifically, a cloaked woman named Mother Askani.
The character is, in fact, Rachel Summers in disguise. The upcoming season will also expand on Scott’s and Jean’s dynamic as they traverse their life in the future timeline.
The second season will take up events from Fatal Attraction and possibly flesh out the pair’s marriage and their relationship with their children.
Interestingly, Jean and Scott’s astral forms are brought to the future, all thanks to Mother Askani. To make it simple, it was all done smartly to avoid both characters being shredded away during the time-travel.
Season 2 will navigate the characters’ harsh lives as they teach Cable to harness and maneuver his powers and abilities, while both parents remain as normies. This also brings us to Logan’s trauma and his subsequent reinvention in the upcoming season.
Wolverine’s Reinvention In Marvel’s X-Men 97
Season 1 was horrific in the way it showed Wolverine’s adamantium extraction. It is often deemed a near-death experience, and even in the movies, it is no less than a traumatic experience.
In the 1991 Marvel Comics, the entire process of injecting adamantium into his bones is quite graphic, and if it were any other character, the procedure could have ended their life. Logan, here, had resistance, and thus his regenerative abilities helped him withstand the entire ordeal.
With X-Men 97, it takes that gore to another level in the comics. The show, on the other hand, tones it down, and Wolverine is returned to his normal state. He now has his bone claws as he finds himself stranded in 3000 BC alongside Storm and Morph.
The stripping away of adamantine also took away a sense of restraint, come to think of it. Rather, it gave him an animalistic flair, almost that of a berserker, where he experiences an overdrive of sorts.
His transformation and trauma eventually affected his peers, Jean and Scott, who helped him survive in the comics. In the series, however, he was left to deal with the entire thing alone, and he may retain his adamantine form later on.
The trailer ends with the character sporting his adamantine claws, saying, “We’re back, baby!” It only proves that he will reinvent himself as the story progresses and tap into his strength while being stuck in a past timeline alongside his peers.
He looks smug, and it only makes one thing certain: that it is all connected to the Apocalypse and other adversaries.
Related: Marvel Might’ve Teased Deadpool’s Return In An Unexpected ‘X-Men ’97’ Moment
Adversary, Adversities, And So On
Right off the bat, the trailer is narrated by Rogue, who longs for Gambit. It is then followed by other X-Men characters and their time in their respective timelines. They steer themselves through the dangers, the most central one being Apocalypse, aka En Sabah Nur.
While Scott and Jean travel to the future with their son Gable, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Magneto witness the reign of Apocalypse. The first season itself foreshadowed Gambit’s transformation as the Four Horsemen of Death.
It is almost Biblical, considering how the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse brought death and destruction. Gambit becomes Death, as many fan theories suggest, and even the trailer somewhat confirms it.
As Rogue narrates her lament, there are flashbacks of her backstory with Gambit. The season finale showed Apocalypse holding a playing card that belongs to Gambit, saying, “So much death.”
In the comics, Gambit comes back and returns, but he isn’t the same. Rather, the character is a brainwashed and hollowed-out version, most specifically, a personification of the Horseman of Death.
There have also been speculations that Polaris is another horseman for the Apocalypse. She becomes pestilence in the comics, while her peers, including Sunfire and Gazer, become Famine and War.
So the adversary is Apocalypse; the adversities do not present themselves simply as time, but also through psychological terrors. The X-Men will be forced to confront their fears through these very trials and tribulations. This brings us to the aftermath and the conclusion.
You may have missed: Why Nicolas Cage’s ‘Spider-Noir’ Feels Too Big To End After One Season
The Aftermath
In conclusion, fans can expect major plot twists and reveals in the upcoming season. Logan will get his adamantine claws back, but it will be an eventful battle between him and Sabretooth, as shown in the comics.
Rogue, meanwhile, will be faced with Gambit’s brainwashed form, but he will survive and thrive and break free from the mind control.
The show also teased the formation of the Twelve: 12 powerful mutants that will likely battle Apocalypse in the end.
Morph also turns into Deadpool, but what’s so delightful about this series is that it retains the iconic theme from the animated series. It is an ode to the 90s after all, but that’s not all. The upcoming season 2 is a nod to the back-to-school animation style that people in their 40s are going to enjoy thoroughly. It is a blast from the past in every aspect!
‘X-Men ’97‘ Season is slated for release on July 1, 2026.
You might also want to read: ElevenLabs Licenses Marvel Legend Stan Lee’s Voice For New AI Narration Deal
