REVIEW | X-Men ’97 Season 2 trades civil rights commentary for high-stakes spectacle

 

Rather than wrestling with civil rights allegories, this season prioritizes grand superhero spectacle, pitting the heroes against a Celestial-powered Apocalypse across time. The sprawling narrative spans an alternate future featuring a reunion between young Cable, old Rachel Grey/Phoenix II, and their parents, Cyclops and Jean Grey; ancient Egypt, where En Sabah Nur rises against Rama-Tut (Kang the Conqueror); and the 1990s, where X-Force takes decisive action against a Horseman of Apocalypse.

The story also shifts focus to X-Factor, following government liaison Valerie Cooper’s efforts to step into the power vacuum left by the X-Men. This dynamic paves the way for the reintroduction of Polaris, a former team member bound by both magnetic powers and personal ties to Magneto.

This season also successfully fleshes out the origin of the X-Ternal, a somewhat filler character from the original series whom the Assassins’ and Thieves’ Guilds served in X-Men: The Animated Series. Here, her backstory is seamlessly integrated into the core X-Men mythos

However, a major misstep this season is the episode where Wolverine brings his old allies to a Brood-infested Weapon X facility. It feels completely out of character for Logan—a hero defined by his self-sacrificing nature—to put his friends in harm's way for purely selfish reasons without showing a single shred of remorse. That said, the episode’s homage to the Alien films was a welcome and enjoyable highlight.

Similarly, the adaptation of the “Danger” storyline from Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run suffered from compressed pacing and a sterilized tone, falling well short of the comic book source material. Grant Morrison’s X-Corp concept wasn’t given enough exposition to explain its role in the post-Genosha world, although I love seeing the Frank Quietly jackets from their comic run. Wolverine’s “bone claw” era was also compressed, and we missed out on seeing his savage side and his team-up with Elektra from the comics.

I loved seeing Colossus finally join the X-Men as an official member. On the other hand, Nightcrawler’s choices left me scratching my head—specifically his decision to defend his bigoted half-brother—though it did effectively foreshadow his selfless sacrifice in a later episode.

Rogue’s grief received very little buildup this season, and her anger felt noticeably muted compared to the raw emotion of season one. As a result, the finale's emotional payoff fell flat, relying on a deus ex machina plot device to resolve her arc.

Overall, Season 2 remained an absolute delight, particularly for comic fans who grew up reading these eras brought vividly to life. The post-credits scene delivered an exciting tease by reintroducing a long-absent figure from the original series, making it clear she won't be taking what society did to her children lightly. 

Rating: 8

X-Men '97 Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+