The X-Men are back, but they are not where they belong. X-Men ’97 Season 2 premiered on Disney+ with three episodes that immediately resolve the massive cliffhanger from Season 1. The team, scattered across different eras, must find their way home while facing the rise of Apocalypse.
The new season opens with the X-Men split into two groups after their fight with Bastion. One group is stranded in a dark future, while the other is thrown back to ancient Egypt. As they struggle to survive, a mysterious figure named Mother Askani reveals her plan to stop Apocalypse before he becomes unstoppable.
What Happens to Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Their Son Nathan
The premiere episode, “Days of Past Future,” focuses on the team in the year 3960 AD. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, and Morph find themselves in a devastated world ruled by Apocalypse. Forge, who stayed behind in the present, builds a time machine and travels to the future to rescue them.
When Forge arrives, he discovers that Cyclops and Jean have been reunited with their son, Nathan. Nathan was sent to the future as an infant to cure a techno-organic virus. Now, he is being trained by Mother Askani to become the warrior known as Cable.
Cyclops and Jean face a tough decision. They want to stay with Nathan and help him fulfill his prophecy. However, Apocalypse’s forces attack the camp and capture Nathan along with his parents. Ozymandias, Apocalypse’s servant, plans to use Nathan’s body as a new vessel for his master.
The team launches a rescue mission. Askani reveals she is actually Rachel Summers, the daughter of Cyclops and Jean from another timeline. She admits she pulled the X-Men through time to change history and stop Apocalypse. The X-Men manage to save Nathan, and he uses Apocalypse’s own technology to forge his signature metal arm.
X-Force and X-Factor Form in the Present Timeline
Episode 2, titled “A Force to Be Reckoned With,” brings the action back to the present day. With the X-Men missing, two new mutant teams rise to fill the void. Cable, the older version of Nathan from the future, recruits Jubilee and Sunspot to join his new black-ops team called X-Force.
The team includes Psylocke and Archangel, who was once one of Apocalypse’s Horsemen. They track down Apocalypse’s Horseman of War to get information. However, Jubilee starts to question Cable’s violent methods. Cable orders Archangel to execute a captured enemy, which disturbs the young hero.
Meanwhile, the government creates a replacement team called X-Factor. This group is led by Havok, Cyclops’s brother, and includes Polaris, Wolfsbane, Strong Guy, and Multiple Man. X-Factor arrests mutants in the name of public safety. This puts them on a direct collision course with X-Force.
X-Force walks into an ambush set by X-Factor. Jubilee gets captured and taken to a government helicarrier. She convinces Polaris to help her escape, and she frees all the imprisoned mutants. This makes the X-Force members fugitives, making their mission even harder.
Magneto Tries to Change Apocalypse’s Destiny in Ancient Egypt
The third episode, “Rise of Apocalypse,” jumps back 5,000 years to ancient Egypt. This is where Professor Xavier, Magneto, Rogue, Beast, and Nightcrawler were sent. They meet a young mutant named En Sabah Nur, who is destined to become the villain Apocalypse.
Magneto believes he can change history. He tries to guide En Sabah Nur toward peace instead of conquest. He encourages Nur to show mercy to his enemies. Professor Xavier is skeptical and questions whether Apocalypse can be redeemed.
Nur is fighting a war against the evil ruler Rama-Tut, who has an army of robots powered by future technology. After a difficult battle, Nur defeats his enemy’s general, Logos. However, when he learns that his trusted ally has betrayed him, Nur kills the general in a rage.
Magneto’s efforts appear to fail. The team prepares to escape, but Rama-Tut unleashes a powerful attack from his temple. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, with the X-Men potentially buried under a mountain of rubble. Fans of the comics know that Rama-Tut is actually another identity of the villain Kang the Conqueror.
The X-Men ’97 Season 2 Cast and Voice Actors
The returning voice cast for X-Men ’97 Season 2 includes Ray Chase as Cyclops, Jennifer Hale as Jean Grey, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue, George Buza as Beast, Matthew Waterson as Magneto, and Ross Marquand as Professor X. JP Karliak returns as Morph, and Isaac Robinson-Smith plays Bishop. Gil Birmingham voices Forge, and Adrian Hough plays Nightcrawler. Michael Johnston voices the young Nathan Summers, and Gates McFadden portrays Mother Askani.
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Release Schedule for X-Men ’97 Season 2 on Disney+
X-Men ’97 Season 2 premiered on July 1, 2026, with three episodes. The season will have nine episodes total, which is one less than the first season. New episodes will release weekly on Disney+.
The episode schedule is as follows:
- Episode 4: “Rise of Apocalypse – Part 2” – July 8
- Episode 5: “Weapon X, Lies, and DVDs” – July 15
- Episode 6: “Danger.exe” – July 22
- Episode 7: “Strange Land, Savage Heart” – July 29
- Episode 8: “The Dead Man’s Hand” – August 5
- Episode 9: “Survival of the Fittest” – August 12
Early reviews for the second season premiere have been positive. Critics note that the show maintains the high energy and character drama of the first season. The season currently holds a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score based on early reviews.
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