X‑Men ’97 Season 2 Returns on Disney+ with Time‑Travel Battle Against Apocalypse

The revived animated series X‑Men ’97 premiered its second season on Disney+ on 1 July 2026. The three‑episode launch shows the mutant team split across two eras – a dystopian future ruled by Apocalypse and ancient Egypt where a young En Sabah Nur rises – after Mother Askani sends them through time. In the future the X‑Men confront the Final Horsemen and a sand‑bound Ozymandias, while in the past Magneto mentors the adolescent Apocalypse. Parallel storylines introduce X‑Force, led by Cable, and a government‑backed X‑Factor unit, expanding the comic‑book lore. Critics have responded enthusiastically; the season holds a 99 % Rotten Tomatoes score and a perfect Tomatometer rating. Production notes reveal that original showrunner Beau DeMayo wrote the season before his March 2024 dismissal, and while his scripts formed the backbone, later rewrites by Matthew Chauncey and a team of writers shaped the final tone and dialogue. Producer Larry Houston has pledged that the long gap between seasons will not recur, with season 3 already in production and season 4 green‑lit, aiming for annual releases. The series also sparked controversy as DeMayo alleged he was treated as a “DEI hire” and faced discrimination, claims he discussed in interviews following his departure.