We Almost Got an Iconic Villain in X-Men ’97 Season 2, If Beau DeMayo’s Claims Are True

X-Men ’97 has been one of the most well-received Marvel’s Disney+ series ever. It built on the events of X-Men: The Animated Series from the 90s and took the story forward. The original series’ end shows Charles Xavier almost dying after an assassination attempt. 

X-Men ’97 begins a year after that when former adversary Magneto becomes the new leader of X-Men. The show is filled with plot references and elements from comics. However, according to showrunner Beau DeMayo, it almost set up one iconic villain.

Marvel Cancelled Onslaught’s Debut in X-Men ’97

X-Men ’97 features a number of events and scenes that were referenced from comics and that also set the emergence of one of the most powerful villains of Marvel, Onslaught. Onslaught is a sentient psychic entity that was created with the combined consciousness of Professor X and Magneto.

In the Fatal Attractions storyline, Magneto crosses the line after a battle at Asteroid M and pulls out all the adamantium from Wolverine’s body. Professor X then pushes his limits to stop Magneto and tries to control his mind, which in turn creates Onslaught.

The storyline began as an X-Men story, but later it became a crossover as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four also got included to stop Onslaught. It seems like Beau DeMayo wanted something similar to happen in X-Men ’97 until Marvel decided to scrap his idea completely. 

After DeMayo got fired from Marvel following an internal investigation, it looks like the studio wanted to redo the script for X-Men ’97 season 2. Nexus Point News confirms that the next season has been pushed until 2026.

Responding to this news, DeMayo wrote on X that the studio has scrapped his Onslaught and Age of Apocalypse idea from the Season 2 finale.

Yep, pretty sad. Season 2 is also only 9 episodes because of this and them canning my Onslaught/AoA finale. But Marvel loves shooting themselves in the foot, especially with certain directors and execs pushing their backwards “we know better than the comics” agenda. #xmen97

— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) September 24, 2024

X-Men ’97 featured certain events that could have given rise to Onslaught, which shows how DeMayo was looking to set up the villain. The show combined the storyline of Operation Zero Tolerance, with the introduction of Bastion and Sentinels, and the storyline of Fatal Attractions, with the battle on Asteroid M and ripping off adamantium from Wolverine.

What Could Be Expected from X-Men ’97 Season 2

X-Men ’97 has been a hit among the viewers and the critics. The show is currently rated 99% on Rotten Tomatoes by the critics, and with such a response, it is natural to expect another season. However, with the departure of the original showrunner, there has been some change of plans.

The end of Season 1 shows Xavier, Storm, Rogue Logan, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Magneto end up in 3000 BC Egypt, while Jean Grey and Cyclops end up in the future. It also features En Sabah Nur in the past, who is none other than Apocalypse. However, after DeMayo’s revelation, it is doubtful if season 2 will go with his Age of Apocalypse storyline.

However, in a conversation with Collider, X-Men ‘97 executive producer Brad Winderbaum teased,

There’s many teams, in Marvel, that have the letter “X” that are followed by a hyphen. I would put it to you like this… there’s two other X teams in Season 2.

As Beau DeMayo has been fired from the project, Matthew Chauncey took the position of showrunner for Season 2. Judging by Winderbaum’s comments, it can be expected that two X teams will work together from two different timelines to stop the main villain, who may or may not be Apocalypse.

X-Men ’97 is available to stream on Disney+.