Critical reviews for the second season of X-Men '97 are almost here, and fans are eagerly awaiting news about the upcoming season. It's been over two years since Marvel Animation released an episode of X-Men '97, and nearly 27 months since the debut of the first season on Disney+, but that will all change when the second season of the popular animated series returns to the streaming platform. Fans will not only get a brand-new season dedicated to the X-Men, but they won't have to wait as long for the third season (which has already been confirmed), as Marvel plans to release future seasons of the series annually.
As reported by @EmbargoLiftsFor via X, the review embargo for X-Men '97 season 2 will be lifted on Saturday, June 13th, at 4:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT. If that seems too early for the review embargo to be lifted, that's because it is, as X-Men '97 season 2 is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on July 1st, approximately two and a half weeks from now. Notably, the social media embargo will also be lifted that same day, meaning viewers will be able to see short reviews on social media at the same time as the full reviews are published.
It's worth noting that by this time, critics will have already watched the first four episodes of season two and will only be reviewing those episodes. The press will likely receive the remaining episodes later, and it's quite possible that these later episodes will contain significant spoilers, which explains why Marvel is delaying releasing them to the media until later.
It's also worth noting that the first four episodes of X-Men '97's second season will be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 13, which is another reason the review embargo was lifted on that date.
The fact that Marvel Animation will air the first four episodes on June 13 and allow reviews so far ahead of the season's Disney+ premiere should be a promising sign for the series' future. In most cases, allowing reviews so early indicates a high level of confidence in the project and an expectation of overwhelmingly positive reviews. This wouldn't be surprising, given that the first season was such a success for Marvel Animation and is often considered one of the best superhero projects released in the last decade.
While the first season was generally considered a huge success, it wasn't without its flaws. Hopefully, reviews of the first four episodes will indicate that these issues will be addressed early in the second season.
What could be improved in X-Men Season 2 compared to Season 1?
Pace
Many fans thoroughly enjoyed the first season of X-Men '97 overall, but one common complaint was that it was too fast-paced. This isn't uncommon for an animated series with only 10 30-minute episodes, but the show presented so many different storylines and focused so much attention on the various character arcs that it would have been more beneficial if the second season had slowed down a bit to allow these storylines to develop organically and unfold.
Wasted cameo roles
As mentioned, the first season of X-Men '97 featured a variety of major characters. However, it also featured a few cameos from other team members, and many viewers felt these appearances were somewhat wasted. It's important to note that some of these characters, such as Magik, Archangel, and Multi-Man (who appeared in cameos in the first season), will return in more significant roles in the second season. However, many would have appreciated it if the cameos in the second season hadn't felt empty and had directly impacted the plot or existing character arcs.
More effective use of Marvel characters outside of the X-Men.
In the first season of X-Men in 1997, the X-Men team included not only superheroes but also non-X-Men heroes like Iron Man and Captain America. Season two will continue the trend of introducing characters who aren't X-Men heroes and villains, as it was recently confirmed that Rama-Tut, a variant of Kang the Conqueror, will appear at some point. This likely means that season two will also feature more non-X-Men characters, as did season one, and hopefully, season two will be able to better utilize them and integrate them into the overall story, rather than simply featuring them in cameos.