X-Men '97
X-Men '97 is one of the biggest success stories of the year. The animated show is a revival of X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran from 1992 until 1997 and earned its place in history as one of the most thought-provoking, compelling, and greatest cartoons ever made. It's also credited with helping expose the X-Men to a much wider audience, as kids who grew up with the animated series knew of them even if they didn't read the Marvel Comics. That's why there was so much pressure on the revival to succeed. We were all happy to report that it did that, and so much more.
Streaming on Disney Plus earlier this year, it picked up shortly after the previous series left off and quickly delved into storylines that we had been longing to see adapted in the show or storylines that completely caught viewers by surprise. Either way, fans were hooked. Let's be honest, they were hooked from the very moment that the iconic theme music began playing and those instantly-recognizable (but updated) opening credits appeared on-screen, but the show that came after them was worthy of its classic predecessor.
The 10-episode first season was a thrill and it's good to know that a second and third season are on the way. Unfortunately, season 2 will not be premiering on TV screens this coming year. Marvel Studios recently released a video package highlighting all of the upcoming TV shows coming to Disney Plus next year, and X-Men '97 season 2 was not part of the line-up.
You can expect to see shows such as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Daredevil: Born Again, Ironheart, Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, and Wonder Man (as well as the third and final season of Marvel's What If...? which comes out during the holidays this year). But the wait for X-Men '97 season 2 will be quite a lot longer, as it is now expected to return in 2026 instead.
The show is obviously a lot better off than some of the projects on this list that won't return for another season at all, but its apparent delay was a blow to fans who were hoping that next year would bring new episodes of the beloved series.
But hey, the X-Men will be back - and that is the main thing!