The Only Recap You Need Before X-Men '97 Season 2

Pop on your rollerblades and crank up Ace of Base on your boombox, because "X-Men '97" is taking us back in time. The second season of Marvel's mega-hit television series arrives after a two-year wait, so check out the above video for all the information you'll need to catch up on this action-packed, animated soap opera.

"X-Men '97" Season 2 premieres on July 1^st on Disney+, so time is running out for Marvel's mutant heroes and their days of future past. Based on the comic series created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, it is a revival of "X-Men: The Animated Series," which aired from 1992 to 1997 on Fox Kids and remains one of the most popular animated superhero shows ever made. The original show's two-part premiere, "Night of the Sentinels," introduced the X-Men as a secret paramilitary force of mutants — people possessing an X-gene that gives them superpowers — who protect a world that hates and fears them.

Previously on "X-Men '97," the team was shattered by the death of Gambit (A. J. LoCascio) and the countless other mutants massacred by Sentinels on the island of Genosha. Cyclops (Ray Chase) and his Blue Team confronted Magneto (Matthew Waterson) on Asteroid M to restore Earth's power grids. At the same time, Gold Team, led by Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), fought the technopathic villain Bastion (Theo James) from enacting his plans for world domination. The explosive season finale promised that the X-Men would never be the same, and now fans will finally see what happens next.

In its first five days on Disney+, "X-Men '97" Season 1 hit a record-breaking four million views. It proved to be the network's most successful animated series premiere since "What If...?" Season 1 first streamed in 2021. That's a fitting passing of the torch, since "X-Men: The Animated Series" paved the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The new series was highly anticipated by multiple generations of X-Men fans, who were shaken by the surprise firing of Beau DeMayo, the show's creator and head writer, only days before its March 20^th release. Resulting fears about whether the series would be a worthy successor to "X-Men: The Animated Series" were relieved when the first reactions for "X-Men '97" all said the same thing: it was excellent.

With a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes, "X-Men '97" won near universal acclaim among critics and audiences, with special attention paid to the returning voice actors like Wolverine's Cal Dodd and Rogue's Lenore Zann, the stunning animated action sequences, and, in the words of ComicBook critic Jamie Jirak, "THE DRAAAMAAAAA!"

Will the X-Men survive their latest time-bending adventure? Be sure to watch "X-Men '97" Season 2 on July 1^st on Disney+ to find out. Check out the video above for the ultimate explainer on the animated X-Men before binging on the new season's three-episode premiere.