X-Men '97 Season 2 Episodes 1-3 Review: Bigger Battles, Bigger Heart, Bigger Stakes

After one of the best first seasons Marvel Animation has ever produced, X-Men '97 somehow comes back even more ambitious. The first three episodes of Season 2 waste absolutely no time throwing the team into another massive time-spanning story, and as someone who grew up with these characters, I was hooked from the opening minutes.

Episode 1, "Days of Future Past," picks up with Bishop and Forge trying to reunite the X-Men after they were scattered throughout time. The one constant no matter where they end up? Apocalypse.

The split between the past and the future works really well. Forge's reunion with Storm is one of my favorite moments in the premiere. Alison Sealy-Smith once again reminds everyone why she IS Storm. Every speech she gives carries so much weight.

One of the biggest emotional moments comes from Scott and Jean, voiced by Ray Chase and Jennifer Hale. Instead of immediately trying to return to the present, they're focused on Nathan. Watching them struggle with whether they're raising Cable or simply preparing him to become the hero he was always meant to be adds a lot of heart to the episode.

Nathan dealing with the techno-organic virus is heartbreaking. Jean helping him suppress the pain through her telepathy while keeping the truth about who they really are from him creates some genuinely emotional scenes. The payoff finally comes when they reveal that they are his parents. Scott's speech telling Nathan to "dig deep and be our son" hit exactly the way it was supposed to.

And then there's Storm.

Her summoning the solar storm is one of the coolest sequences Marvel Animation has ever produced. The animation, the music, and Storm declaring, "We are the dawn that breaks his night," gave me chills. That's exactly who Storm is. Morph turning into Thor during the final battle was another great surprise that had me smiling.

By the end of the episode, Nathan Dayspring Summers embraces his destiny, and seeing the older Cable assembling his own team immediately got me excited for what was coming next.

Episode 2, "A Force to Be Reckoned With," feels almost like Marvel saying, "Here's X-Force."

Cable recruits Jubilee and Sunspot, not because he needs more heroes, but because he needs soldiers. That's a huge difference, and the episode constantly reminds you that Cable doesn't think like the X-Men. He's willing to make the hard calls, even ordering Archangel to kill if necessary.

Jubilee serves as the audience's moral compass throughout the episode. She's uncomfortable with how Cable operates, which creates some nice tension within the group.

Emma Frost once again proves why she's one of the smartest people in any room she's walks into. Her deal with Jubilee doesn't exactly go as planned, leading to one of the episode's biggest surprises involving X-Factor.

One of my favorite moments in the episode belongs to Polaris. Seeing her decide to free imprisoned mutants instead of following orders was fantastic. The action sequence that follows is one of the highlights of the episode and really shows how powerful she can be. By the end of the , X-Force is officially on the run, and honestly, I can't wait to spend more time with this version of the team.

Episode 3, "Rise of Apocalypse – Part 1," slows things down just enough to focus on the group stranded thousands of years in the past.

Professor Xavier, Magneto, Rogue, Beast, Nightcrawler and Bishop all find themselves witnessing the early life of En Sabah Nur before he becomes Apocalypse.

This might be my favorite episode of the season so far because it asks a fascinating question: What if you knew someone would become one of history's greatest monsters? Would you still try to save them?

Magneto believes Nur deserves guidance and a chance to become someone better. Charles isn't nearly as convinced. Their philosophical debate has always been the heart of X-Men, and seeing that conflict placed in Ancient Egypt gives it an entirely new perspective.

Watching Nur casually throw an elephant and defeat the Pharaoh's forces reminds you that even before becoming Apocalypse, he was already extraordinary. Also the pharaoh being kang the conqueror , Nathaniel Richards was a nice surprise. They keep growing this universe more and more.

The episode also continues showing how desperate the team is to get back to 1997, but every attempt seems to make things worse. Meanwhile, Charles crosses a line by using his telepathy in ways he normally wouldn't, proving just how high the stakes have become.

The cliffhanger leaves the story in a great place and has me counting down until Part 2.

Through three episodes, Season 2 is already matching the momentum of Season 1. The animation somehow looks even better, the action is top tier, and the emotional moments land just as hard as the fight scenes.

More importantly, the series still understands what makes X-Men special. Yes, there are incredible battles, time travel, and mutant powers everywhere, but at its core this story is still about family, hope, redemption, and making impossible choices.

If the rest of the season is anywhere near this good, Marvel Animation may have another masterpiece on its hands.

What did you think?

Change Image

• Loved it
• Hated it
• So/So