Key takeaways
- X-Men '97's second season faces delays due to behind-the-scenes complications, including the firing of showrunner Beau DeMayo.
- Marvel Studios scrapped DeMayo's plans for Season 2, which affected the number of episodes and dismissed storylines like Onslaught/AoA.
- Fans may be disappointed by the new direction of X-Men '97 under a new head writer, which deviates from DeMayo's comics-first approach.
X-Men '97 may have one of the most anticipated second seasons of any show connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but some behind-the-scenes complications mean fans won't be getting it anytime soon, and a former creative force on the show has had his say on the matter clear.
X-Men '97 was an unexpected breakthrough for Marvel at a time when the mainline MCU franchise was struggling and marked one of the few attempts at a revival that was met with any reasonable degree of success. Picks up there original X-Men: The Animated Series ended when it was canceled in 1997 (hence the name), the show was well received in its first 10-episode season, with particular interest in where the final episodes would lead in the next. Much of the credit for X-Men '97's success went to Beau DeMayo, who served as showrunner until he was puzzlingly fired shortly before the show premiered. Despite this dismissal, DeMayo would eventually break his silence on the show after X-Men '97's fifth episode, spends the rest of season one trolling fans and giving a behind-the-scenes look at what his creative process was like while working on the show.
While the jury is still out on why exactly DeMayo was fired as X-Men '97 showrunner, the effects of his removal are clear to see in the extended timeline of the show's second season, and the man himself has now given his opinion on those changes. Given his official account on X, DeMayo would respond to a fan complaint that the team at Marvel Studios scrapped his already-made plans and scripts for the show's second season in light of a report that the show would be returning in 2026. “Yup, pretty sad. Also, season 2 is only 9 episodes because of this and that they know my Onslaught/AoA finale. But Marvel loves to shoot themselves in the foot, especially when some directors and executives push their “we know better than the comics” -the agenda backwards #xmen97″
Onslaught, a character created by Magneto's Psyche who took over Charles Xavier's after their deadly altercation following Magneto's retaliatory attack on Wolverine, is one of Marvel Comics' most interesting villains and would have been a great addition to the show in many ways. However, that character's inclusion and accompanying storylines appear to have fallen victim to the conflict between Marvel Studios and DeMayo, which took a wild turn when the company broke with tradition to specifically say that DeMayo had been fired from his role due to alleged behavior by ” outgoing character”. The 2026 timeline that started the discussion is also a side effect of this, as DeMayo had overseen the completion of a season two script before leaving the project.
While X-Men '97's director is certainly pleased with Season 3's new head writer, there's no telling how fans will react to the new direction the show will take now that DeMayo's original vision is set aside. For better or worse, the comical initial approach to the series really resonated with both new and returning fans of the X-Men, and many were excited to see the Season 1 finale lead to the creation of Onslaught and the Apocalypse Age of Apocalypse the action is adapted. Any deviation from this plan, no matter how well-crafted, is bound to rub some fans the wrong way. Depending on how you look at it, the fault for this disappointment can be laid at the feet of Marvel Studios or DeMayo, as the change of plans is really only a problem because fans have a way to confirm what the original plans were. However, this is unlikely to seriously deter anyone interested in the show. The bigger issue is clearly the 2026 release window that has been put forward, as well as the nine-episode schedule.
It has been said that the future of the MCU needs to be modeled after X-Men '97but that sentiment cannot be allowed to extend to the volatility surrounding the project's showrunner and long-term narrative goals. Fans won't know the full story behind the debacle that led to these events, but everyone can agree that the less of this sort of thing that happens, the better off the franchise will be for it. Meanwhile, viewers have a long wait for season two of the show to stream.
X-Men '97 is available to stream on Disney+, with a second season rumored for release in 2026.
Source: Beau DeMayo/X