Following the success of X-Men ’97, Marvel fans are eager to see where the revival of the beloved ’90s animated series will go next. Collider‘s Steve Weintraub caught up with Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation, to discuss the future of the show. While anticipation is sky-high, Winderbaum confirmed that Season 2 won’t be arriving until 2026, tragically. That means all of the Rogue and Magneto shippers out there will have a long 2025. When asked if Season 2 could arrive later this year, Winderbaum set the record straight:

“Season 2 of X-Men ‘97 is going to be in ‘26. We’re working on it now. It’s exciting. That world of the ‘90s is just… Honestly, Steve, I can’t believe they let me make it. I grew up at Marvel, as you know, clocked a lot of time here, and I feel like I used a lot of currency to revive this thing that I loved watching after school. So, the fact that we get to play in that universe with those actors is honestly why I went into this business in the first place.”

While the long wait might be disappointing for some, it’s clear that Winderbaum and the Marvel Animation team are taking their time to ensure Season 2 lives up to the high bar set by the first. Weintraub followed up by asking how the overwhelming positive reception for X-Men ’97 has impacted Marvel’s approach to animation going forward.

“I think, certainly, the viewership has opened up some opportunities on the development side for us on animation,” he explained. “To me, it’s important to try to get to an annual cadence with these shows and to have something that people can rely on. This has been a challenge for streaming in general, but I really want to create television shows that feel like shows. So, part of that is creating a seasonal cadence that people can rely on. So, we do have other things we’re working on, but X-Men ‘97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are the top priorities in trying to get to a place where we can reliably have very strong seasons every year.”

Will We Get More Animated Marvel Series?

While X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are top priorities, Weintraub pressed Winderbaum on whether another animated series or even a film was close to being announced.

“It’s all in the preliminary. As you know, we’re developing more than we make, so I don’t want to announce anything before it’s ready. But there’s hopefully some exciting stuff on the horizon.”

X-Men ’97 is streaming now on Disney+.

via Collider