It's been a bit of a rough stretch for the various Marvel Studios shows on Disney Plus, but there is a bit of hope on the horizon. This new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the small screen all started in 2021 with the Emmy Award-winning WandaVision but there have been plenty of highs and lows since then. Now, a few years later, Marvel only has one ongoing live-action series and multiple animated offerings.
While fans are still understandably upset after the unexpected reverse-cancellation of Wonder Man, which won't return for a second season despite a renewal earlier this year, they can take some solace in the fact that Marvel does still renew shows. In some cases, they even renew them well, well, well, well in advance.
X-Men '97 season 4 renewal makes Marvel Studios history
It's official: X-Men '97 season 4 is happening at Disney Plus. Marvel Studios' Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, made the announcement at San Diego Comic-Con, confirming long-standing reports and rumors that the critically-acclaimed show would be back for at least two more seasons. He also added that the animatics for the fourth season are already being worked on.
It's been clear that X-Men '97 season 3 is happening for some time, and Winderbaum also confirmed that production on that season has already wrapped. It doesn't have an official release date as of yet, but we do know that it's coming in 2027. The fact that the studio is confident enough to move on to producing the next season before season 3 has even premiered is a testament to its popularity. Heck, the second season is currently streaming new weekly episodes on Disney Plus, so that gives you an idea of how ahead of schedule they are - and, again, how much faith they have in the project.
X-Men '97 now officially makes history as the Marvel Studios production with the most seasons. The studio has historically produced standalone miniseries, only occasionally going back and renewing a live-action project. Although its animated shows have fared better, the X-Men are now out in front of the rest. To put that in perspective, here is the list of Marvel shows with more than one season, just to give you an idea of where X-Men '97 ranks among them:
- X-Men '97 - 4 seasons
- What If...? - 3 seasons
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - 3 seasons
- Daredevil: Born Again - 3 seasons
- Loki - 2 seasons
- I Am Groot - 2 seasons
- Marvel Zombies - 2 seasons
- Everything else - 1 season (mostly miniseries, some cancelled)
Just like that, X-Men '97 has set the record for the most seasons of a Marvel Animation - and Marvel Studios - series. There is a pretty high chance that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which has been renewed through to season 3, could match that record in the months and / or years ahead, which is really a sign of how the studio is investing in animation on the TV side of things. Even Marvel Zombies, which was originally produced as a movie (and then miniseries) has been renewed for a second season after the positive response to the first season.
Over on the live-action front, only two Marvel Studios shows have ever achieved a renewal that ultimately produced more seasons. Loki was the first, earning a season 2 renewal to complete its two-season story, before Marvel shifted its TV goalposts to tell long-running multi-season stories on Disney Plus instead. Daredevil: Born Again therefore earned a season 2 renewal and has since been renewed for a third season. Wonder Man was also set to join that rare class of MCU show before the studio reversed the renewal.
It shouldn't come as a surprise to learn that X-Men '97 is popular. The Disney Plus series is a revival of the classic X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran for five seasons between 1992 and 1997, so to say that fans have been waiting years for this would be a major understatement. In having its fourth season confirmed, it is now close to matching its predecessor's five-season run. While the original series had far more episodes per season, it's still a testament that the Mighty Mutants are still so popular after all these years - these versions of them, specifically.
The second season of the sequel series has seen the team battle their old enemy Apocalypse, who rose from the darkness once again to threaten them across the past, present, and future. Their ultimate showdown has been set for the 1990s, however, as the villain hopes to shock the heroes by resurrecting their fallen teammate Gambit as one of his Four Horsemen.
Just like the first season, it has gripped audiences throughout its run. Now, it's even better knowing that the show has at the very least two more seasons left. Although we wouldn't be surprised if those rumored season 5 plans ended up coming to fruition, too, given how successful the series has been. Regardless, we're just happy that we can say "To Me, My X-Men" for many more years to come!
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