Every mutant makes their mark in the premiere of X-Men ’97 Season 2. The team is divided between the past, present and future as they all face the threat of Apocalypse.
Episode 1 “Days of Future Past” is a proper Summers’ family affair. Forge (Gil Birmingham, Under the Banner of Heaven) arrives in the future to find that Cyclops (Ray Chase, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle) and Jean Grey (Jennifer Hale, Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic) have taken their chance to raise their son Nathan (Michael Johnston) in the post-apocalyptic world they were tossed into. This opening episode builds a strong foundation for the rest of the season while feeling like its own exciting adventure.
Out of the three episodes released, the second episode “A Force to Be Reckoned With” is the strongest. This episode features Cable (Chris Potter, Kung Fu: The Series) assembling his X-Force to prepare for Apocalypse in the present while the other X-Men are M.I.A. The X-Force faces off against the government-sanctioned X-Factor when searching for clues to find Apocalypse. Not only do these two teams give less-mentioned mutants (e.g. Psylocke, Archangel, et. al) a chance to shine, their inclusion also showcases the current social status of mutants within the world. This world-building is a great way to establish how mutant-human relations have changed since the Genosha attack in the first season.
Episode 3 “Rise of Apocalypse” brings us back to the past, where Magneto (Matthew Waterson, League of Legends) is trying to teach the pre-Apocalype En Sabah Nur (Adetokumboh M’Cormack, Blood Diamond) how to master his mutant powers. Professor X (Ross Marquand, Avengers: Endgame) warns against this mentorship while Beast (George Buza, X-Men: The Animated Series) tries to build a way home before they have to deal with the technologically advanced Pharaoh Rama-Tut (John de Lancie, Star Trek: The Next Generation). While this episode felt like the weakest and most expository of the three-episode premiere, it uses the animation to portray Professor X’s telepathic abilities beautifully.
Out of the new voices we hear, the standout performance is Zehra Fazal (Voltron: Legendary Defender) as Emma Frost. The perfect amount of elegance and judgement can be heard when the X-Force approaches her for information. Michael Johnston, who was recently in the hit movie Obsession, nails young Nathan’s scared-yet-capable attitude in the future.
The writing has never been more solid, with each episode connecting the common goal of defeating Apocalypse while still giving each team unique conflicts. The animation is dynamic, allowing each character a full range of emotions and colorful aesthetics for each superpower. Jubilee’s fireworks crackle and pop in every color thanks to the animation team.
With the main characters spread through time, it’s now a question of who will take center stage when they all reunite. Balancing a cast of characters this big means that some will move to the sidelines for certain arcs. Looking at the rest of the season, it’s likely the Apocalypse arc will wrap up soon. If the next few episodes are as tightly wound-together as these few episodes were, viewers are in for a packed yet satisfying rest of the season.
