PLOT: With the X-Men scattered throughout time and space, it’s up to Forge and Bishop to unite the team before the rise of Apocalypse dooms the timeline.

REVIEW: After making true believers out of X-Men fans with the first season of X-Men ’97, Marvel Animation delivers more mutant mayhem that’s equal to, if not better than, the series’ celebrated return. More so than superheroics, catchphrases, popping of claws, and Boy Scout behavior, I want X-Men to be dramatic, direct, emotional, and boundless. In its way, the second season of X-Men ’97 is about evolution, coming to terms with harsh truths, and being seemingly unable to change one’s destiny. Granted, Disney only sent the first four episodes of the second season for review, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t lose my s**t for a portion of what I saw.

The second season of X-Men ’97 picks up after the first, with the X-Men scattered throughout time and space by an unknown force. The first two episodes bring us to 3960 A.D., where Forge is determined to escort Wolverine, Ororo, Cyclops, and Jean Grey back to the present. Naturally, Forge’s plans become derailed when he learns that Scott and Jean have reunited with their son Nathaniel, a mutant destined to become the antihero Cable. Forge insists on returning home, knowing that the longer they remain in the future, the more irreparably the past will break. However, Scott and Jean are like, nah, at least give us a chance to say goodbye. Forge agrees, and that’s his first mistake.

Ultimately, the two-episode arc (at least for now) is a great story about mending internal scars while trying to make up for a lifelong absence. In this case, it’s Scott and Jean trying to put Nathaniel on a good path before losing him again. At first, I thought Scott and Jean were being selfish, possibly jeopardizing an entire timeline for the chance to spend more time with their son. However, after taking a day to think about it, I realized that any parent with love in their heart would likely do the same, the universe be damned. The story offers a satisfying push-and-pull of emotions as Scott and Jean come to terms with their circumstances.

The first two episodes are also a fantastic showcase for Jubilee, who’s not only given more depth this season, but also has the best sequence in the show so far with a needle drop that’s going to make fans of ’90s grunge smile like a Cheshire Cat. I want to spoil what song it is, but I’m not going to do it. Other reviews might, but I want you to have that moment—also, shoutout to Sunspot, whose blossoming relationship with Jubilee is a joy to watch.

As good as those two episodes are, three and four are where it’s at, y’all! This two-part story arc focuses on the X-Men trapped in 3000 B.C.E., where En Sabah Nur, the world’s first mutant, stands on the precipice of becoming the all-powerful villain Apocalypse. I loved this portion of the show. The depiction of En Sabah Nur, along with all his trauma, ambition, and darkness, is all there. We watch him go from an abandoned child to a slave, a revolutionary, a leader, and a force for destruction in the span of an hour, and it’s awesome.

Episodes three and four hinge on Magneto thinking he and select members of the X-Men (Charles Xavier, Rogue, Nightcrawler, Bishop, and Beast) can change the past by steering En Sabah Nur toward a less violent future, one where he’s not an arbiter of misery and pain. From this foundation grows an epic origin story with genuine emotion, sacrifice, and a struggle to save human and mutantkind alike, but one that fails miserably.

These two episodes also include a great story arc for Rogue, who continues to struggle with a significant loss toward the end of the first season. While stuck in the future, Rogue questions if returning to the past is the right path. If she goes back, who is she going back to? She thinks all her pain is in the past, but she’s still carrying it with her like an old ghost. The war inside her head causes her to make some poor decisions, and the writers do a great job of making this element of the story as compelling as the En Sabah Nur stuff. Overall, it’s great storytelling, especially when we tap into the X-Men’s pain, something they’ve always had, and that’s part of who they are.

I also want to shout to Charles and Erik, or Magnus, if you’re nasty. For real, Charles and Erik need to kiss already because the heat between these two characters is palpable. Regardless of their opposing ideologies, they respect and care deeply about the other in a way that’s unique to them. This season does a great job of showing the depths of their care for one another and their desire to create a future where humans and mutants can live as equals. The trifecta of Charles, Erik, and En Sabah Nur this season is a powerhouse combination X-Men fans won’t forget. At least I hope that’s how people end up feeling about it. These episodes were fantastic.

Overall, the first four episodes of X-Men ’97 Season 2 feel more dramatic, mature, and compelling than what’s come before. It’s an outstanding revival of something that could have easily fallen apart. The show feels like Marvel made it in the mid-90s, but reads like a modern, more mature X-Men story. We get a decent amount of action this season, but for me, it’s all about the stakes. At some point, you begin to ask yourself philosophical questions about who the leaders of the X-Men are and why they think their actions are the righteous path. It’s a battle for self-preservation as they continue living in a world that doesn’t want them. Compelling stuff, really. I can’t wait to see the remaining episodes of the new season. If they’re any bit as good as the first four, we’re in for a hell of a good time.

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