The official trailer for X-Men '97 season 2 was incredible, but it revealed a glaring problem with the show's core storyline. The first season of X-Men '97 depicted the shocking Genosha massacre, which wiped out countless mutants in a single, devastating Sentinel attack. The horror was astounding and impactful. But the scale of the loss extended to off-screen deaths, which remained unconfirmed until the season 2 trailer. These confirmations hit some beloved characters hard, and for them, it was a major disappointment.
At the 1:21 mark, the trailer for X-Men '97 season two confirmed that Magik (Illyana Rasputin) died during the attack on Genosha. Another shot briefly shows Magik's brother, Colossus, cradling her lifeless body in the ruins.
This was followed by her prominent portrait at a memorial for the fallen (alongside Gambit, Marrow, and others). The image of Magik in the foreground directly ties into Colossus's storyline. In the Marvel comics, Magik's death pushes Colossus down darker paths, such as joining the Acolytes.
However, Magik's death is at the center of the controversy surrounding the X-Men '97 season two trailer. Some argue that Magik is merely being used to set the stage for Colossus' darker character arc in season two (possibly as a member of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse), disappointing many who would have liked to see Magik in a full-fledged role on the show.
Magik's only appearance in the first season of X-Men '97 was a brief cameo as Morph in Episode 3, where he transforms into her (in a New Mutants-style training uniform) during Madelyne Pryor's interrogation. While it was a fun Easter egg, it didn't serve as a true introduction or development of Illyana's character.
Killing off Magik offscreen to advance the Colossus plot feels like exploiting a fan-favorite character as a plot device, rather than giving her the meaningful role she deserved. The X-Men story and The New Mutants established Magik as a powerful heroine, a sorceress with a Soulsword, and one of the most popular X-Men characters in recent years. Fans wanted Magik to shine in season two, not become another victim of someone else's tragic story.
The trailer for the second season of X-Men '97 also indirectly confirmed Iceman's death thanks to a photograph found in the same sanctuary. A founding member of the X-Men, Iceman, despite his minor role in the original animated series, had already left fans eager for more. His off-screen death in Genosha was a devastating blow to both Magik and Iceman.
Iceman's omega-level powers and his development in modern comics make him an ideal candidate for larger-scale storylines. Instead, in 1997's X-Men, Iceman and Magik were reduced to emotional subtext, serving as the foundation for the stories of other characters (in this case, Colossus and Polaris).
Watch the official trailer for X-Men '97 Season 2 here:
The second season of X-Men '97 will premiere on Disney+ on July 1.
Why the 1997 X-Men movie failed to capture the magic, but there's still a chance to fix it.
X-Men '97 clearly excels at capturing the emotional depths of the series and paying homage to its source material while simultaneously modernizing it. The Genosha massacre in the first season (which resulted in the on-screen deaths of at least eight mutants, including Gambit) served as a storyline designed to have a strong impact, while Magik's death felt like a convenient addition to the secondary plotlines.
Despite this, given Magik's popularity among fans, it seems her death in the first season of X-Men '97 wasn't final. X-Men stories are known for their unexpected plot twists. In the comics, Magik has died and returned several times. The second season's overarching storyline, centered around time travel, certainly opens up a lot of possibilities.
In X-Men lore, Illyana's connection to Limbo could allow her to return as a demon, transform into Darkchilde, or be resurrected through a portal. There were rumors that Magik would join his brother Colossus as one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse in 1997. Given the rumors of Gambit's return as a villain and the series' already established premise for a resurrection, this plot twist seems entirely logical.
Overall, not introducing Magik properly before her death was a clear mistake, but X-Men '97 has all the tools (and comic book precedents) to fix it.