Yesterday, we learned that X-Men '97 season 2 is unlikely to premiere on Disney+ until 2026. The reason supposedly boils down to rewrites, a surprise following reports the second batch of episodes was pretty much finished.
As you'd expect, former showrunner Beau DeMayo isn't happy. If you believe Marvel Studios, was fired for sexual misconduct; his story is that it was retaliation for calling out their racist, unethical practices. Either way, he's hit back by revealing his scrapped plans for season 2 and beyond.
DeMayo started by confirming that the original plan was for Onslaught to appear in the season 2 finale. The way he puts it, Marvel Animation wasn't on board with his ambitious ideas for one of the X-Men's most formidable, iconic foes.
It also sounds like DeMayo planned to take X-Men '97 down a much darker route which, even before his dismissal, Marvel was pulling away from.
However, this means we'll no longer get a third season taking place entirely in the "Age of Apocalypse" timeline, the third arc in what the showrunner describes as his five-year plan for the show.
DeMayo also shared a few insights into why this has likely led to season 2 rewrites, noting that he'd constructed "a season-long mystery of clues and foreshadowing that lead to Onslaught."
Onslaught speculation began shortly after season 1 of X-Men '97 concluded and DeMayo pointed his social media followers to when and where they could find the first hints about Onslaught's eventual creation.
X-Men '97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
All episodes of X-Men '97 are now streaming on Disney+. Stay tuned for updates as we have them.