How Many Episodes are in X-Men ’97, and When Does It Release?

When Disney acquired Fox, Marvel fans knew that it was only a matter of time before mutants made their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, in 2021, Disney declared November 12 “Disney+ Day” and gave us a bonanza of teasers and trailers for new series, including a new animated show called X-Men ’97. It’s official: the mutants are back! So when is X-Men ’97‘s release date? How many episodes can we expect? Here’s what we know.

A 25-year old cliffhanger

According to Marvel.com, X-Men ’97 will pick up where the original series left off, and an “impactful event” will send the reunited team on a new series of adventures.

As dedicated fans of the original series will recall, the final season of X-Men ended with Professor Xavier getting gravely injured while Magneto prepares to take over the world. Lilandra knows of a potential cure for Xavier, but he has to go off-world to get it, and the series ends with the X-Men saying goodbye to him as Lilandra takes him to the planet Shi’Ar to try and save his life.

The new series promises to be as good as the original, since many of the original cast and creators have returned to work on it. The original showrunners, Eric and Julia Lewald, are returning as consultants, while Beau DeMayo, who’s previously written for The Witcher, will take over as head writer and executive producer. Cal Dodd, Lenore Zann, Alison Sealy-Smith, Chris Potter, Catherine Disher, and others will return to voice their original characters, while other voice actors will take on new roles.

When does X-Men ’97 come out?

In 2021, Marvel.com announced that X-Men ’97 would be released some time in 2023. However, after Kevin Feige announced in 2023 that Marvel would be spacing out its Disney+ shows—and after Secret Invasion and Loki were both delayed—X-Men ’97‘s release window was thrown into question.

Still, there’s reason to hope that the series will still premiere in 2023. In February, DeMayo seemed to confirm on Twitter that the show is still on track for a 2023 release date by responding to a fan account claiming that the series will premiere in fall 2023.

Although DeMayo didn’t explicitly confirm the release window, his winking emoji, followed by a tweet saying “Trust me, I’d be the first to say something if something changes,” are very good signs.

And although we don’t have an episode list yet, Eric and Julia Lewald said in an interview that Season 1 will most likely have 10 episodes. Will there be more seasons to follow? What is the “impactful event” that will set off the action? And is Professor X okay!?

Which character are you most excited to see return? Do you have any theories about how the show will kick off, or where the plot will take it? Do you think X-Men ’97 will tie into Professor Xavier’s cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? And most importantly, do you think they’ll bring back the original opening theme, which is one of the greatest bangers in history?

We may get all the answers to these questions this fall.

(featured image: Marvel)

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