Desperate for X-Men ’97 season 2? Understandable, but Marvel’s streaming boss wants you to remember how long animation takes

It sure sounds like X-Men ’97 season 2 is happening, but Marvel’s head of streaming has offered a friendly reminder of how long animation takes to make.

X-Men: The Animated Series might have wrapped up almost 30 years ago, but as evidenced by the success of X-Men ’97, it’s clear people were hungry for more of that particular take on the beloved world of mutants. Marvel could see that success coming too, clearly, as a second season was greenlit before the show even aired. However, it is an animated series, and a lot of people just don’t seem to realise how long animation takes from script to screen. In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Marvel streaming boss Brad Winderbaum gave an update as to where X-Men ’97 season 2 is at, so that people can put their expectations in the right place.

“It’s still an animatic phase. Animation takes so long to make as I’m sure you know. There was a great bit about this in Invincible Season 2,” Winderbaum explained, referencing a scene in the Prime Video series that pokes a bit of lighthearted fun at the animation process. They just nailed it so hard, it is the greatest. And it takes a long time. Because the studio wants to see how successful the first season is before they greenlight the second season there’s a lag. We were lucky enough to get the greenlight before we aired so there’s maybe less of a lag. People are just going to have to be patient with us.”

Essentially, it sounds like you’re going to have to wait a while until there’s any word on when X-Men ’97 season 2 might drop. Animation normally takes years to develop, a lot longer than most people assume, so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t arrive until something like 2026. Hey, at least there’s Deadpool & Wolverine to look forward to, right?