X-Men ’97 Season 2 Is Officially Forming X-Force
The most anticipated mutant teams are finally on their way.
When the first season of X-Men ’97 came to a close two years ago, it did so on the heels of a shattering cliffhanger ending. An epic battle in space set the stage for a time-travel twist that was nothing short of blindsiding, and by the time the dust settled, the titular mutant squad found themselves scattered across time. As X-Men ’97 gears up to return for Season 2, it does so with some X-Men stranded in ancient times, others making do in the future, and the rest holding it down in the present day. Most assumed (or rather, hoped) that this shake-up signaled the formation of new mutant teams, teams that most fans of the comics already know and love. Marvel has been stingy with any updates about X-Men ’97 — but some officially licensed merch might have just given up the game.
Thanks to some new apparel now available via Amazon Prime, Marvel just gave us our first look at the different teams assembling for X-Men ’97 Season 2. It’s an odd way to get an update about an animated series, but it’s no less welcome, given the dearth of updates Marvel has offered otherwise. It also confirms what many already hoped for: X-Factor and X-Force are coming to the animated series.
Our first look at X-Force in official X-Men ’97 merchandise.
At the end of Season 1, the X-Men were split across four timelines. Professor X, Magneto, Rogue, Beast, and Nightcrawler were in ancient Egypt with En Sabah Nur, aka Apocalypse. Cyclops and Jean Grey found themselves in the year 3960, an era where Earth has already been conquered and destroyed by Apocalypse. Storm, Wolverine, and Morph are totally MIA — and that leaves only Jubilee, Sunspot, Forge, Cable, and Bishop to defend the world in the present day. Season 2, however, will bring a handful of familiar heroes into the fold. Cable is indeed forming X-Force, recruiting Jubilee and Sunspot into the group alongside newcomers like Psylocke and Archangel. For those unfamiliar with the team, the X-Force is kind of like the X-Men’s edgier older brother. More militant and far less compromising, they’ll go to any length to protect the world’s mutants.
Then, there’s X-Factor. In the comics, the group was first formed by Xavier’s first class of mutant heroes, who were looking to do more good than they were able to as the X-Men. In X-Men ’97, however, the X-Factor seems to have new origins. In a brief tease in Season 1, they’re introduced as Forge’s former team, a key part of his past. Though they’ve been estranged for years, they evidently find some reason to reform in Season 2. Forge doesn’t appear with X-Factor on the merch we’ve seen thus far. It’s just Multiple Man, Polaris, Havok, Wolfsbane, Strong Guy, and Val Cooper (the latter a new addition to the team) running things for now — but maybe he can rejoin their ranks in the season to come.
X-Factor will form again in X-Men ’97 Season 2.
There are plenty of other surprising developments to glean from Marvel’s new drop. A new design featuring Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, and Morph helps to flesh out the details of X-Men ’97’s “Wasteland” timeline. Then there’s our first look at the mutant squad forming in ancient Egypt, which sees the time-hopping mutant Bishop joining its ranks. These teases, however small, go a long way to reigniting some excitement for the upcoming season. There’s no official release date for Season 2 yet, but the sooner the series returns to satisfy our curiosity, the better.
