X-Men ’97 Season 2 is Officially Fixing Two of the Worst X-Men Stories Ever Told

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As a huge X-Men fan, I was so excited to see the first trailer for Season 2! It looks like they’re tackling the iconic “Age of Apocalypse” storyline, which is a big deal for comic book readers like me. Apparently, the team’s going on a wild time travel ride – from a really bleak future all the way back to ancient Egypt to see how Apocalypse started. And wow, they’re packing in so many characters – seriously, it’s awesome to see so many familiar faces, plus they’re even throwing in a version of Kang the Conqueror! It’s shaping up to be an epic season.

The first season of the show wasn’t afraid to tackle some of Marvel’s trickiest X-Men storylines, like the connection between Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor. This new trailer shows Season 2 will cover classic stories like The Rise of Apocalypse and The Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix, along with a look at two more of Marvel’s biggest mistakes.

We’re Going to See Wolverine at His Most Animal

The first season of X-Men ’97 concluded with a twist on the classic “Fatal Attractions” storyline. The X-Men made a debated decision to attack Magneto’s space station, and he retaliated by stripping Wolverine of his adamantium skeleton. This event mirrored a bizarre period in the comic books, where Wolverine’s healing abilities went into hyperdrive, slowly turning him into a more primal creature.

This storyline happened during a period of significant changes at Marvel Comics, leading to inconsistent story planning across different titles. This was especially problematic for Wolverine, who appeared in many comics each month, and each writer portrayed his animalistic side differently. The situation worsened when a time traveler named Genesis experimented on him, resulting in a bizarre new look created by artists Val Semeiks and Chris Hunt, alongside writer Larry Hama.

The change didn’t stick for long, as later creative teams reversed it—and Wolverine quickly regained his adamantium skeleton. Since Season 1 of X-Men ’97 concluded with the beginning of the “Fatal Attractions” storyline—which caused the initial change—the show needs to address this directly. The trailer confirms Wolverine will have his adamantium restored by the end of Season 2. Surprisingly, this gives Marvel a unique opportunity to improve one of the most criticized Wolverine storylines of all time.

X-Men ’97 is Exploring the Twelve

This leads us to “The Twelve,” a major storyline hinted at in the comics for years. However, production issues meant the final event – which peaked in Uncanny X-Men #377 – didn’t quite live up to expectations. The plot revolved around Apocalypse assembling twelve powerful mutants, including some X-Men members. He intended to use a special machine to elevate himself to god-like status and become unbeatable.

The core concept was straightforward: powerful mutants were spread throughout different times and locations. Apocalypse was hunting them down, and Cable was the only one aware of the threat and capable of stopping him, though he was quickly captured. Unfortunately, the storyline didn’t live up to expectations, and many felt that only the first two issues were essential to understanding the entire event – the rest felt like filler. After years of anticipation, what should have been a grand battle against Apocalypse ended disappointingly, with little impact.

Fans are already noticing similarities between the upcoming season of X-Men ’97 and the storyline “The Twelve.” Both feature stories focused on Apocalypse and show the X-Men team broken apart. The trailer includes a visual nod to “The Twelve,” and characters who were important in that storyline, like Polaris, have bigger roles – Polaris was even used by Apocalypse in a plan involving Magneto. Bishop now seems to be the one trying to reunite the X-Men, a task that Cable usually handled in the comic books, but didn’t accomplish.

As a huge X-Men fan, I’ve been really surprised by X-Men ’97. It seems to be taking more inspiration from the ‘Twelve’ storyline than ‘Age of Apocalypse,’ which is a really interesting and brave move. Honestly, it feels like they’re trying to right a wrong – that ‘Twelve’ event never quite lived up to what it could have been. It’s still early days, but after watching the first season, I’m genuinely optimistic about where this show is going.

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2026-05-28 21:44