There are various upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows to look forward to in 2026, although in the latter category, not all of them take place within the main MCU continuity. X-Men ’97 is one of those shows, as it instead continues to explore the universe that was originally introduced in X-Men: The Animated Series. I’m among the many who’s looking forward to the “very, very dark” X-Men ’97 Season 2 premiering on the 2026 TV schedule, but I also have to admit that the Disney+ show’s latest casting update is disappointing.
No, I’m not griping about an actor I don’t like being cast as one of the next season’s characters. This is about someone I was looking forward to hearing, but who evidently isn’t involved with the show at all. You may recall that in May 2025, former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo said he’d cast Neve Campbell as Polaris for Season 2. And yet, when The Movie Dweeb brought this up while speaking to her about Scream 7, which is now playing on the 2026 movies schedule, she said:
I have not. No, I haven’t… This is a rumor though, isn’t it?
Ok, so assuming Neve Campbell isn’t lying about her involvement in X-Men ’97 at Marvel Studios’ behest, then what happened here? Beau DeMayo made it sound like Campbell had already recorded her dialogue as Polaris, Magneto’s daughter who’s also capable of manipulating magnetism. Did we misread his previous comments? Did the casting not actually go through? Is possible that Campbell’s recordings were actually shelved, and Polaris was recast following DeMayo’s exit?
Whatever the answers to these questions are, it’s a shame we won’t get to hear Neve Campbell voicing Polaris. After decades of being horror genre royalty from playing Sidney Prescott in all but one of the Scream movies, I was looking forward to her contributing to the superhero genre too. At the same time, I’ll keep an open mind for whomever will voice Polaris in X-Men ’97 Season 2, as they could still perform the role quite well.
At the end of X-Men ’97 Season 1, Cyclops and Jean Grey were flung 3960 A.D., where they met Mother Aksani (voiced by Gates McFadden). Rogue, Nightcrawler, Beast, Xavier and Magneto were sent to Ancient Egypt in 3000 B.C., where they met a young En Sabah Nur, a.k.a. Apocalypse. Storm, Wolverine and Morph’s whereabouts remain unknown, while Jubilee, Sunspot, Forge and Bishop remain in the present day, though the latter two intend to travel through time to rescue the missing X-Men. Oh, and let’s not forget how it was seemingly hinted that ‘90s Apocalypse intends to resurrect Gambit as one of his Four Horsemen.
That’s a lot to follow up on in X-Men ’97 Season 2, along with all the plot threads that haven’t been revealed to the public. The new season is expected to premiere sometime this summer on Disney+. However things shake out with these new episodes, fans can take comfort knowing that X-Men ’97 Season 3 is also in the works.
