The X-Men are scattered throughout time, from Ancient Egypt to the 40th century. In both periods, they fight against their most dangerous enemy: Apocalypse.
Streaming On: Disney+
Episodes Viewed: 4 of 9
It’s hard to get the Marvel fandom to agree on anything — especially post-Avengers: Endgame — but X-Men ’97 was one of the few exceptions to the rule. The über-positive reception and appointment-viewing status it earned was about more than just the iconic, unskippable intro. The show married creative, ambitious action with rich storytelling and pointed, quotable conversations about the limits of mutant co-existence with humanity. Thankfully, Season 2 gives us more of what worked the first time, in addition to a pleasingly complex depiction of En Sabah Nur, aka Apocalypse, a formidable X-Men foe.
The massive cliffhanger of Season 1, which left groups of X-Men stranded in different timelines, is cleverly built upon here. First, we journey to the future at the height of Apocalypse’s reign, in which Cyclops (Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale) debate how much to tell their young son Nathan, aka Cable (Michael Johnston), about his heritage and future. Then — in an episode that comes complete with an arresting bespoke intro — we’re back in the ’90s as Jubilee (Holly Chou) and Sunspot (Gui Agustini) team up with other mutants to fill the void left by the X-Men’s sudden departure.
An exceptionally strong start to the show’s sophomore season.
Next — and most compellingly — we go to Ancient Egypt, where Professor X (Ross Marquand) and Magneto (Matthew Waterson) find themselves allying with a not-quite-Apocalypse-yet En Sabah Nur (a superb Adetokumboh M’Cormack), who is engaged in a slave revolt against evil Pharaoh Rama-Tut (John de Lancie). In addition to adding tons of nuance to Apocalypse’s story, it’s also the gateway to the lofty ideological questions that underpin the season. Is the future set? Can destiny be altered? And if so, what could it mean for mutantkind?
Just like the first season, these episodes plough through the story at quite a clip. And while there were storylines in the first season that could definitely have used more screen time, it doesn’t feel like too much meat is being left on the bone in these first four episodes. Apocalypse being clearly established as the overarching villain spanning multiple timelines proves a structural boon.
It all looks fantastic, too. The introduction of some new characters means there are more opportunities to flex with the animation when it comes to depicting powers in fluid, colourful and dynamic ways, while the different eras the show plays in also lend themselves to fresh visual delights. All in all, this makes for an exceptionally strong start to the show’s sophomore season. Whatever their future holds, it feels likely to make for a thrilling watch.
X-Men ’97’s second season continues to build on the mutants’ rich history in fresh, exciting and unpredictable ways. The years-long wait for its return was worth it.