In X-Men '97's Season 2 finale, Nightcrawler made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that Rogue and Gambit could get their happy ending. Offering himself up to the Celestial who granted Apocalypse his powers, Kurt Wagner gave his life to save his sister in what proved to be a heartbreaking send-off for the hero.
Countless mutants have died over the years, only to be somehow resurrected (death and resurrection became a major plot point during the X-Men's Krakoan Age). Could the same be true for Nightcrawler when X-Men '97 returns to Disney+ with Season 3 in 2027?
In an interview with ScreenRant (via Toonado.com), Supervising Producer Jake Castorena was asked about Nightcrawler's fate and initially replied, "First and foremost, I will say: is anyone ever really dead in comics? Is anyone ever really dead? Make no mistake, Nightcrawler is dead; you'll just have to watch season 3 to see how it all may play out. That's what I can say."
He seems to be at least hinting at Kurt's return, which would follow the comics. In those, Nightcrawler died at the hands of Bastion, but was eventually restored to life when the team tracked the teleporter down in the afterlife.
Another big moment in X-Men '97's Season 2 finale saw Mystique make her shocking return, seemingly killing Valerie Cooper before taking her place. That could spell major trouble for the show's mutant heroes and America next year.
What you may not have realised is that X-Men: The Animated Series star Randall Carpenter reprises her role as the shape-shifting mutant for the first time in over three decades in that post-credits scene.
"She was game from the get-go, which is great," Castorena revealed. "That's the best part about a lot of our legacy cast that we are able to reach out to. They want to play! It's like, 'Oh hell yeah, I'm back in, let's go.' And the best part about her voicing Mystique again is that she's like, "These are old shoes." It's just so great watching our legacy cast just fall right back into that groove."
"That being said, you'll just have to watch season 3 to see if she does become as prominent of a character as people may or may not hope or ponder," the producer continued. "I'm answering the question without really answering the question, I'm aware. That being said, I don't think Mystique fans will be disappointed."
As for whether a resurrected Magneto and the villainous Onslaught will be in Season 3, Castorena said, "Our goal in storytelling is always to subvert expectations. So, we don't want to be too predictable, but we also don't want to not do things."
With Beau DeMayo no longer involved with X-Men '97 (he'd mapped out most of Season 2 before being fired), all eyes will be on that next batch of episodes to see whether the show can maintain the same level of quality. There have already been complaints about the second half of Season 2, which may or may not indicate what the show will look like under showrunner Matthew Chauncey's watch.
X-Men '97 Season 1 and Season 2 are now streaming on Disney+.