X-Men ’97 Season 2 Review: A Powerful Exploration of Hate, Trauma, and Mutant Identity

A rejuvenated Wolverine (Cal Dodd) beckons to his enemies.

Source: Disney

Story

Mutants try to pick up the pieces after Genosha while the X-Men traverse the timelines that they’ve been strewn across. Some try to change the hands of fate only to find their hopes dashed and their efforts likened to those of ants. 

The writers examine the root cause of hate and posit that deep down, those who are prejudiced against others hate themselves for their own inadequacies.

From left to right, Psylocke (Naoko Mori), Arcangel (Christopher Barger) and Cable (Chris Potter) have a meeting about the future of X-Factor.

Source: Disney

Character

Ross Marquand/Charles Xavier/Professor X

Charles finds himself at a place that he’s never been before. He abhors Apocalypse for what he has taken away from him. He truly wishes that the villain's mother had deleted him. But deep down, he blames himself and wishes he had been strong enough to stop him.

Though unlike others, Charles doesn’t allow his feelings towards Apocalypse to devour him or change who he is. It's a moment of pain and weakness. He still has his dream and refuses to let it go.

Matthew Waterson/Eric Lehnsherr/Magnus/Magneto

Eric’s idea of mutant freedom and how to get there has always been different than Charles’. But he realizes that he plays Charles’ foil to drive people toward his rival's dream. He posits that for non-mutants, Charles perhaps appears to be the lesser of two evils.

Michael Johnston/Young Nathan Summers/Chris Potter/Cable

As a boy, Nathan wonders about his purpose. But he's more concerned about why his mother and father would abandon him.

As Cable, the mission is everything. Every fiber of his being burns with the will to defeat Apocalypse. He'll do and become whatever he needs to, so he can accomplish this task.

Graydon Creed

Graydon Creed hates mutants with all his heart and soul. He internalized his father's beliefs about him from his childhood. He was hated for being less than, so he decided to hate back. To him, mutants are subhuman. 

How he comes to that conclusion is puzzling, given that mutants are superhuman. But People like Creed aren’t the most logical. 

Adetokumbo M'Cormack/En Saba Nur/Ross Marquand/Apocalypse

En Saba Nur hates the pharaoh for his abuses. But what he hates more is not being able to protect his friends and family—his people from the pharaoh. This viewer isn't sure how he squares that with what he becomes.

En Saba Nur is angry at his own weakness. And when he has a chance to seize power, he views anyone who stands in his way as the enemy. As Apocalypse, he doesn't want to protect anyone. Instead, he seeks to cleanse the world of weakness.

From left to right, En Saba Nur (Adetokumbo M'Cormack) and Magneto (Matthew Waterson) gaze upon the pharaoh's city.

Source: Disney

Animation

The art style and animation are truly epic. It maintains the nostalgic style of the original 90s series. But animation has grown so much over the years. So the artists and animators make sure to blend contemporary styles that lend themselves to epic fight scenes.

Final Thoughts

Season 2 of X-Men 97, like its previous season, is an excellent follow-up to the original series. This viewer isn't sure where the series will go next. But it's bound to be a good place.