Sorry Avengers: Doomsday, This Is Marvel’s Most Exciting Mutant Project of 2026

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Marvel has been gradually adding mutants to its universe. They’ve revealed that existing characters like Ms. Marvel and Namor are mutants, and they’ve also brought in actors from the old X-Men movies made by 20th Century Fox. This is all building up to the new Avengers: Doomsday film, where actors like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Kelsey Grammer, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and Channing Tatum will return to play their mutant characters.

Fans are thrilled the X-Men are joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and many are excited to see versions of the characters they remember from the early 2000s Marvel movies. While there’s a lot of buzz about Doomsday, another Marvel project planned for 2026 is expected to be even bigger for the X-Men.

One of Disney+’s Highest-Rated Shows Will Return in 2026

Disney+ will release the second season of X-Men ’97 in July, five months after the show’s debut in 2024. The first season was a continuation of the popular X-Men: The Animated Series from the 1990s. While new viewers could easily enjoy the story, longtime fans also appreciated how it continued storylines and brought back familiar characters and voice actors.

Compared to the original X-Men cartoon, X-Men ’97 had a more serious and grown-up feel. However, it didn’t feel jarringly different – it felt like a natural progression from the ’90s series, now free from the limitations of being a Saturday morning show. The season ended with the X-Men scattered throughout time – some far into the future, others in Ancient Egypt – which sets up Apocalypse as the main villain for the next season.

X-Men fans have more reason to be excited about the next season of X-Men ’97 than about Doomsday. In Doomsday, the X-Men won’t be the central focus; they’ll have to share the story with the MCU’s established heroes and potentially other characters from across the multiverse. Plus, beyond Wolverine and Deadpool, characters from the previous Fox X-Men films have mostly just appeared in brief cameos within the MCU so far.

Disney’s focus on bringing back the X-Men suggests they’ll have a bigger role than in recent Marvel movies like The Marvels and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, the Avengers, New Avengers, and Fantastic Four will likely remain the main focus. While it’s understandable that Marvel is prioritizing its established characters, X-Men fans might be a little let down by how much screen time the mutants actually get.

Unlike some superhero shows, X-Men ’97 primarily focuses on the X-Men themselves. While characters like Captain America did appear in the first season, they played supporting roles, ensuring the spotlight remained on the mutants’ adventures. The show consistently centered on characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue, Gambit, and Magneto, which helped viewers become deeply invested in their challenges.

X-Men ’97 Season 2 is Primed for Success

Building on the success of its first season, X-Men ’97 will continue the story right where it left off, offering a more solid base for the mutant characters than the Doomsday storyline. The show has been a critical and audience hit, currently holding a 99% rating from critics and a 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 2 promises to resolve any remaining plot points and deliver more of the exciting action and compelling character relationships that fans have already enjoyed.

Unlike the original X-Men movies, which wrapped up over ten years ago with X-Men: Days of Future Past, some characters haven’t appeared in a film for even longer. For example, Nightcrawler was only in the 2003 movie X2: X-Men United. Before Doomsday can start telling new stories, it will need to reintroduce these characters, help audiences get to know them within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and show how they fit into the larger Multiverse Saga.

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The villains in these stories emphasize this point. The X-Men have a long history with villains like Magneto, both in the comics and the original animated series, which means there’s a lot of personal stake for the heroes in the second season of X-Men ’97. Doctor Doom, however, hasn’t often fought the X-Men in the comics and has never been a threat to them in the previous Fox animated shows. While heroes don’t always need a strong emotional connection to their enemies, it generally creates a more compelling and impactful story.

Everyone is eagerly anticipating Doomsday as the next big Marvel event, with Disney hoping it will be as popular as Avengers: Infinity War. However, animation is a powerful art form in its own right, and it’s particularly well-suited for adapting comics, allowing for a visual style that stays true to the original artwork. While Doomsday promises to be thrilling and a treat for X-Men fans, the next season of X-Men ’97 might actually be the best Marvel release of the year.

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2025-12-25 07:43