X-Men 97 First Look Reveals 34 Mutant Shake-Ups — And Rewrites Wolverine’s Fate

X-Men '97 just hit the big red button. Marvel finally dropped the Season 2 trailer (after it quietly slipped online from Comic Con Revolution ), and yeah — it is going hard on time travel, En Sabah Nur, and a very specific '90s vibe you probably guessed the second Season 1 rolled credits.

The setup: back to the '90s, literally

Season 1 teased a massive pivot to En Sabah Nur, and the new trailer confirms it: we are squarely in an 'Age of Apocalypse'-style timeline shuffle. The whole mission is framed around one very simple mandate: 'Get the X-Men back to the '90s.' Marvel has now put the trailer out officially, and the scope is huge — the end stinger alone is stuffed with nods — with a wild 32 mutants flashing by between returning faces and fresh arrivals.

Wolverine 's metal mess, cleaned up (sort of)

The show is also swiping at one of the more notorious comic detours. In the books, Magneto ripped the adamantium out of Wolverine, which kicked off a feral, animal-style mutation — and some truly odd moments (yes, including the time Logan tried to wake Cyclops by licking him). Season 2 is clearly doing the animal mutation beat, but the trailer also sets up the fix: new adamantium is going back in.

'We're back, baby.'

That is Logan, sounding way too happy about getting metal bones again. Presumably the show is streamlining this arc so it plays better than it did on the page.

The roster just exploded

There are 32 mutants in play in the trailer. X-Factor and Colossus — who showed up in the original series — are back with real screen time. The bench is deepening with characters who actually hail from the 2000s era, which tracks since Season 1 already pulled from Grant Morrison's run (the Genosha storyline, still one of Marvel's darkest). Not in this specific trailer but confirmed via another one: Quentin Quire, aka Kid Omega — a rebellious Omega-level telepath who, in the comics, is on a collision course with the Phoenix. That addition opens a lot of doors.

Deadpool, but also not Deadpool

There is a blink-and-you-miss-it Deadpool nod. The character looked off-limits in Season 1 (no shock, given the Ryan Reynolds movies ), and technically he still might be. The workaround: it is Morph wearing a Deadpool skin before a fight, not Wade himself. Cheeky, and it gets the laugh without breaking whatever rules are in place.

Quick trailer takeaways

• First shown at Comic Con Revolution, leaked fast, now officially released by Marvel.
• Core arc riffs on 'Age of Apocalypse' and even tips toward 'The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix.'
• Time travel is front and center, with a mission to 'Get the X-Men back to the '90s.'
• Wolverine goes feral but gets fresh adamantium — he literally says, 'We're back, baby.'
• 32 mutants pop up across new and returning rosters; the trailer's end is loaded with Easter eggs.
• X-Factor and Colossus return in major roles.
• Quentin Quire is confirmed in a different trailer; big implications if they chase his Phoenix ties.
• Deadpool appears as Morph in disguise, not the real deal — a clever sidestep if the character is still off limits.

Bottom line

Season 2 is swinging for the fences: big nostalgia, bigger canon swings, and a cast list that looks like someone dumped an entire longbox onto the writers room table. If they can keep the Season 1 momentum while sanding down the messier '90s beats, this could be a blast.