The long-awaited second season of “X-Men ’97” has arrived on Disney+, bringing Marvel’s mutant heroes back to one of the streaming platform’s most devoted fan bases.
Its return follows a breakout first season, which became one of Disney+’s most-watched original animated series and reignited enthusiasm for the beloved franchise.
Part of that success may come from the deep history behind the series. The creative team’s connection to the X-Men stretches back to the 1990s, when the animated version of the superhero team first became a defining part of Saturday morning television.
“We developed the show over our dining room table,” says Executive Producer Eric Lewald, “and this is the one where all the magic came together.”
Eric Lewald and Julia Lewald, married television writers, producers and showrunners, serve as executive producers on the series.
Their work with the X-Men dates back decades, giving them a rare perspective on why these characters continue to resonate with audiences across generations.
For longtime fans, the mutant team has always represented more than superpowers and battles. The X-Men have attracted a passionate following by telling stories about identity, isolation and acceptance.
“I think the genius in what the X-Men are is a group of teens, young people, who were being shunned or ostracized because they started to become different because of the way they were born,” says Julia. “Society didn’t like that.”
“All sorts of people come up to us that don’t quite feel like they’re part of their community, who don’t quite feel like they’re part of the mainstream culture,” adds Eric. “The word that came to us when we started doing the cons and talking to fans was it’s like a ‘found family.’ They accept each other and look out for each other.”
In this new season, the X-Men have to find each other as they’re divided and thrown across different eras in time.
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They are struggling to navigate their way home and they are also up against a familiar foe.
“It gets to be pretty much all about them dealing with Apocalypse,” says Eric.
Larry Houston is also an executive producer who has been with the X-Men since the ’90s.
As a mega fan himself, he describes this animated series as “a comic book that was never printed, but we are giving it to you on screen.”
“Working on this series has been an enormous amount of fun,” says Houston.
But can they beat Apocalypse this time?
“That’s the thing everybody’s got to wait for,” laughs Houston. “You’ll enjoy it when you get there.”
Season 2 of “X-Men ’97” returns to Disney+ with a special three-episode premiere on July 1.
The remaining six episodes will air over the subsequent weeks, with the final episode airing August 12.
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