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Interview: ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ Showrunners Eric and Julia Lewald Talk ‘X-Men ‘97’ and How Season 2 Brings the X-Men’s Adventures Full Circle
June 29, 2026Ben MK
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One of the most beloved Saturday morning cartoons of the 1990s, X-Men: The Animated Series defined Marvel's iconic mutant superhero group for an entire generation. And with season one of X-Men '97, which premiered in 2024 and picked up where the ongoing battle between the X-Men and such foes as Magneto, Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister left off, it was as if the 27-year gap between the two shows didn't even exist. Now, with season two of X-Men '97 about to reveal just what happened to everyone's favorite mutants after the cliffhanger ending to its first season, it's safe to say that the X-Men are back in a big way. But just what can viewers and diehard fans expect from the X-Men's highly anticipated, triumphant return to the small screen? And is this season's Apocalypse-centric storyline one that's been three decades in the making? I caught up with X-Men: The Animated Series' showrunners Eric Lewald and his wife, Julia, to chat about season two of X-Men '97, for which they both serve as executive producers, as well as to find out more about how this season of the Disney+ series builds upon the impressive legacy of the original. Season two of X-Men '97 picks up right where season one ended, with the X-Men separated and stranded in two separate points in time — 3000 BC and 3960 AD. When the team behind the show first set out to continue the story of X-Men: The Animated Series, was it always in the plan to have it all come full circle and lead to the X-Men contending with Apocalypse in both the past and the future? Eric Lewald: I think the way to think about it is we had 30 years of books to work with in 1992 when we started. And there's been 30 years more of books. I'm sure they did a great deal of research and focus at Disney before they even called us to help out as consultants on '97. And I'm sure the first thing they did when they sat down was [ask] "What's been the most impressive thing in the last 30 years that has come out of the X-Men canon?" And it's gotta be Age of Apocalypse. So, I'm sure before they even had a creative team set, that was probably one of the two three major notes on their notepad, saying we've gotta address this at some point. They had worked out the foundation of season one and the notes towards season two when they called us in. So, we really don't know at what point they decided, "Well, let's really set up X-Men '97 properly, and then we'll get into the Age of Apocalypse." We're not sure exactly how that evolved, but we can imagine. It's kind of a real common-sense thing. It's so important to the books that they had to address it at some point. 
The original '90s series is such an iconic show, and such an important one, not only for Marvel, but for animation in general. How did the team behind X-Men '97 season two set out to make it different from season one, while also having it be a continuation of the original's legacy?Eric Lewald: I think, really, we felt this when we did the old show — that [in the] first season you're setting the ground up so that everybody understands what this world is, what the rules are, and who has relationships with who, and powers and interests. And then, the second season, there's more freedom. You can branch out and introduce all sorts of crazy adversaries. But what I think they had to be more careful in the first season to establish [was] Gambit's relationship to Rogue, and Rogue's to Magneto, and get a lot of the background layered through those first ten episodes. Now, I think they're free to go wildly in the directions they want to go. Basically, in the first four episodes, we learn all sorts of things about the history of Apocalypse and Cable that we were never introduced to in our series. At the time, Cable was almost brand new, and so we basically just used him as this adult time-traveller. So, they were able to really spend screen time with those two and also showcase Jubilee a bit. When we used her, when we started, she was thirteen. And now, suddenly, she's a real member of the team. And they spend some time in these first four episodes setting her up as being more prominent. So, that's where we see this second season taking bigger risks and introducing more outside people that you get to know in more depth than we were able to do, or they were able to do, in the first season. One of the standout episodes of season two so far is episode two, "A Force to be Reckoned With," which focuses on X-Factor and X-Force, with the latter team even getting a special custom intro created especially for this episode. Can you tell me how the idea for all of that came about? Julia Lewald: Everyone working on X-Men '97 are just huge fans of X-Men and X-Men: The Animated Series. I think that playing out the fantasy is when they make the choices to have some fun with the opening title sequence. Ours was pretty much fixed in stone when it happened. [laughs] Eric Lewald: We never had the budget to change the title sequence. And that was great fun to see them do that. I think part of [the reason for] introducing X-Force was a way to split a couple of the X-Men away so that we'd have these three groups that need to get back together at some point in the season. And so that gave them a place to land. Rather than they're just off by themselves, they're part of a new group. And X-Factor gave a contemporary problem for the X-Men to deal with. One provided a home for peeled-off X-Men, and one provided an ongoing antagonist that represented the government. That was where they fit in, creatively. 
Last but not least, Head of Marvel Television Brad Winderbaum dropped the news recently that there are two more seasons of X-Men '97 in the works. Is there already somewhat of a clear roadmap as to where the narrative is headed? Can you give fans a hint of what they can expect?Eric Lewald: Not unless we want to get fired. [laughs] Julia Lewald: But we are so grateful for the response that we're hearing for the first four episodes of season two. Season one is still a fantasy come true — that they chose to come back with an X-Men show and pick up right where X-Men: The Animated Series left off. [They've] been doing an amazing job ever since. |
X-Men '97: Season Two premieres July 1st, exclusively on Disney Plus.
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