While preparations for Avengers: Doomsday continue, Disney has now confirmed a three-part X-Men comeback that’s the perfect primer for Doomsday. Despite going through many struggles since Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand on both TV and film, though it’s still more popular on the latter. At the time of writing, the MCU is preparing for the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in July 2026 and Avengers: Doomsday in December 2026.
Avengers: Doomsday is the MCU’s next massive crossover event and the first since Endgame. As such, Doomsday will bring together most of the remaining original Avengers, the New Avengers, heroes like Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Fox’s X-Men, and more. However, before their long-awaited appearance in Doomsday, which will be their first proper appearance in the MCU’s multiverse, the X-Men are coming back in X-Men ‘97.
Although not a part of the MCU’s TV shows, X-Men ‘97 is one of the best animated TV shows in recent years, not just in the superhero genre but in general. X-Men ‘97 debuted on Disney+ in 2024 and has since become a critical success, as well as a hit with general audiences and fans of the famous mutants. Now, Disney has officially confirmed their return in an exciting three-part release ahead of Avengers: Doomsday.
X-Men ‘97 Will Return With A 3-Part Premiere
Created by Beau DeMayo, X-Men ‘97 is a revival of the classic 1990s TV show X-Men: The Animated Series, thus continuing the characters’ stories from that show. X-Men ‘97 is set a year after the end of the original show, in which Professor Charles Xavier almost dies in an assassination attempt and is taken to space to be healed. The remaining X-Men now have to face new challenges without their mentor and under the leadership of none other than Magneto.
Season 1 of X-Men ‘97 saw the team facing Bastion and his Sentinel program, and at the end of the season, the X-Men were scattered throughout time. Their mission for season 2, then, is to find their way back to their 1990 timeline to stop Apocalypse. X-Men ‘97 season 2 is set for a July 1, 2026, release on Disney+, and the studio has now confirmed a three-part premiere, beginning with the episode “Days of Past Future.”
The second episode is titled “A Force To Be Reckoned With”, and the third one is “Rise of Apocalypse – Part 1”, which will surely leave the audience with a cliffhanger. Like season 1, X-Men ‘97 season 2 has a weekly release schedule, with the final episode being released on August 12, 2026. Disney knew exactly what it was doing by having part 1 of “Rise of Apocalypse” as the third part of a three-episode premiere, which makes the return of X-Men ‘97 even more exciting.
Why X-Men ‘97 Is A Perfect Watch Before Avengers: Doomsday
X-Men ‘97 is not only a perfect watch for fans of the title mutant team and superhero animated shows in general, but it’s also the perfect preparation for Avengers: Doomsday. The confirmation of the MCU’s multiverse has made it possible for the universes of other studios to be integrated, as happened with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, and Fox’s X-Men were eventually confirmed to also be part of the multiverse.
Although an alternate version of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X had a brief appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the original X-Men team from Fox’s movies hasn’t appeared in the MCU – until now. Doomsday will be their official return, though it’s still unknown exactly what their role in the story will be. Until then, X-Men ‘97 is the perfect show to watch before Doomsday, giving viewers a good idea of what to expect from the mutants in the upcoming crossover event.
Luckily, X-Men ‘97 has a bright future beyond its upcoming second season, as it’s already confirmed to continue with a third and fourth season, expected to be released in 2027 and 2028. Although X-Men ‘97 isn’t an official MCU show, it’s as important as those within the Sacred Timeline.
- Release Date
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March 20, 2024
- Network
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Disney+
- Directors
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Jake Castorena, Emi Yonemura, Chase Conley
