'X-Men '97' Season 2 Trailer Scatters the Mutants Across Time as Fans Brace for a Frank Miller-Inspired Return
Marvel Animation has dropped the first trailer for X-Men '97 Season 2, which premieres on Disney+ July 1, 2026, sending the mutant team across an ancient past, present, and distant future. A tribute poster paying homage to Frank Miller's Wolverine #1 cover has fans buzzing on r/marvelstudios.
Marvel Animation has officially scattered the X-Men across time. The first trailer for X-Men '97 Season 2 dropped today ahead of its July 1, 2026 debut on Disney+, sending the mutant team into an ancient past, the present, and a distant future — and immediately set fan forums alight with theories about how the team finds its way back home.
The Buzz
- Where It's Trending: r/marvelstudios on Reddit
- Engagement: 519 upvotes, 33 comments
- Outlet Pickup: Picked up by 4 major outlets
- Premiere Date: July 1, 2026 on Disney+
- Episode Count: 9 episodes
- Originating Outlet: Marvel.com
A Time-Lost Premise
According to the official synopsis from Marvel Animation, the team kicks off Season 2 separated and stranded across different eras of mutant history, struggling to reunite while back in the 1990s a new wave of "suspicious foes and new strains of mutant intolerance" rises in their absence. That gives the season license to swing between time periods — exactly the format that fueled comics-era classics like Days of Future Past and the X-Men's various Bishop-led future arcs.
A Frank Miller Cover Homage in the Season Poster
Alongside the trailer, Marvel Animation released a Season 2 tribute poster that long-time comic readers immediately recognized: it's an homage to the iconic cover of Wolverine (1982) #1 by Frank Miller — the four-issue limited series widely credited with elevating Wolverine from team player to solo icon. Folding a Miller nod directly into the marketing is a clear signal that Season 2 is leaning hard into its '90s comic DNA.
The Returning Voice Cast
The original animated series' voice cast is back across the board for the second season. Marvel Animation confirmed the following ensemble:
- Ross Marquand as Professor X
- Matthew Waterson as Magneto
- 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
Sealy-Smith, Dodd, Zann, and Buza are all reprising their roles from the original X-Men: The Animated Series that ran from 1992 to 1997 — one of the rare cases where a continuation revival has kept its full original cast intact.
Behind the Camera
Season 2 is executive produced by Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, Julia Lewald, Eric Lewald, Larry Houston, and Beau DeMayo, with Jake Castorena serving as supervising producer. Episodes are credited to writers JB Ballard, Beau DeMayo, Bailey Moore, Antony Sellitti, Brian Ford Sullivan, and Mariah Wilson, with directing duties split between Emmett Yonemura and Chase Conley.
Why Fans Are Buzzing
The first season of X-Men '97 was a critical phenomenon when it launched in 2024 — fans treated its mid-season finale "Remember It" as one of the strongest pieces of Marvel animation in years. A nine-episode follow-up that leans into time travel, '90s nostalgia, and a Frank Miller comic homage is exactly the swing that built that audience in the first place. Season 2 streams on Disney+ starting July 1, 2026.