Marvel’s X-Men ’97 was nothing short of a massive success, and the wait for the highly anticipated second season is almost over. Following a cliffhanger that left fans reeling, the hit animated series is officially gearing up for its return, starting with a world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival in New York City.
While an exact screening date has yet to be announced, the Tribeca Festival is slated to run from June 3 through June 14, locking in an early summer debut for the mutant team. This festival screening gives a strong indication of when fans can expect the new season to hit Disney+, with a streaming release likely following shortly after in July to give the show a little breathing room after its festival debut.
Created by Beau DeMayo, the first season of the revival series picked up a year after the iconic 1990s animated show left off.
It immediately struck a chord with both longtime fans and new audiences, debuting to a near-perfect 99% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and shattering Disney+ viewership records for Marvel animation.
X-Men ’97 Season 2 has a lot of ground to cover following the chaotic finale of its freshman run. After narrowly stopping Bastion from destroying Earth with Asteroid M, the team was left fractured and scattered across time.
Cyclops and Jean Grey found themselves stranded in the desolate future of 3960 A.D., while Magneto, Professor X, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Beast were transported to Ancient Egypt, where they crossed paths with a young Apocalypse.
Meanwhile, in the present day, Wolverine remains in critical condition, and a modern-day Apocalypse was seen ominously picking up Gambit’s playing card.
Fans attending Tribeca will be the first to see how these wild storylines resolve, but the good news doesn’t stop there. Marvel is already hard at work on Season 3, with What If…? alum Matthew Chauncey stepping in as the new showrunner. With the production pipeline moving quickly, the mutant era is clearly here to stay.
Stay tuned for official Disney+ release dates as the Tribeca premiere approaches!
