Marvel Studios' X-Men Are Officially Returning In 3 Weeks

6 days ago 21

Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine

Published Jun 8, 2026, 6:02 PM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Prepare for the return of the X-Men, as the mutants will come back in Marvel's next release in only three weeks. 2026 is a great year for superhero releases. Recently, Prime Video's Spider-Noir debuted a new standalone universe for Nicolas Cage's Ben Reilly. The show has been trending around the world, which comes ahead of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

While Marvel's slate of releases is undoubtedly spearheaded by the new Spider-Man movie and Avengers: Doomsday, multiple Marvel shows are also on the way in 2026. That includes a mix between releases that work within the canon of the MCU and projects that exist in their separate realities, as Sony did for Cage's Spider-Noir, keeping it unrelated to the actor's Spider-Man Noir from the Spider-Verse movies.

No matter which type of project you are looking at, 2026 is a major year for the X-Men. Avengers: Doomsday, the biggest release in years for the MCU's canon, brings back James Marsden's Cyclops, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, Ian McKellen's Magneto, and more players from Fox's X-Men franchise. On TV, Marvel Studios' next release also focuses on the X-Men, although it is not MCU canon.

Marvel · Mutant Profile Which X-Men Character Are You? “Mutation: it is the key to our evolution.”

🐺 Wolverine The Loner

🧠 Professor X The Visionary

🧲 Magneto The Survivor

ACTIVATE CEREBRO →

Humans discover your mutant abilities. What do you do?

ADisappear. Go off the grid before anyone can come after me — I don’t owe them an explanation BReach out calmly and try to have a dialogue — fear comes from misunderstanding, and I can help bridge that gap CMake a show of strength — they need to understand that mutants will not be hunted or controlled, ever

Anti-mutant protesters surround a school full of young mutants. What’s your first move?

AGet between the kids and the mob. If anyone raises a hand, they answer to me BAddress the crowd telepathically or publicly — show them the children are just scared kids, not threats CEvacuate the children to safety, then make the protesters deeply regret their choices

A team of mutants needs a leader for a dangerous mission. What role do you naturally fall into?

AI work alone, but I’ll take point — someone’s gotta make sure nobody gets killed BI coordinate the team, play to each person’s strengths, and keep morale steady CI lead from the front — my vision, my plan, my responsibility if it fails

A powerful mutant threatens innocent humans. How do you respond?

APut them down fast — talk later. Innocent people don’t have time for a debate BTry to reach them mentally — understand why they’re doing this and find a peaceful resolution COffer them a place at my side — their power is wasted on chaos when it could serve a greater cause

A human politician offers to champion mutant rights — but has a shady past. What do you do?

AGive them a chance — people can change, and this alliance could mean real progress for coexistence BI don’t trust politicians. Watch them closely, and the second they betray us, I’ll be right there CUse them — let them think they’re in charge while I control the narrative from behind the scenes

What’s your biggest flaw?

AI push people away — I’d rather be alone than risk losing someone I care about BI’m too idealistic — I keep believing in people even when the evidence says I shouldn’t CMy anger — once I commit to a path, I’ll burn everything down before I admit I was wrong

Sentinels are hunting mutants in your city. What’s your move?

AHunt the hunters — tear them apart before they find anyone else BCoordinate an underground network to hide and protect every mutant in the area CSeize control of the Sentinels — turn the weapons of oppression into instruments of liberation

What do you believe about coexistence between humans and mutants?

ACoexistence is a fantasy. Humans will always fear what they can’t control — mutants must secure their own future BI don’t care about the big picture — I protect the people I care about, and everyone else can sort themselves out CIt’s possible and worth fighting for — the dream of a world where humans and mutants live in peace is everything

REVEAL MY MUTANT IDENTITY →

Cerebro Scan Complete Your X-Men Identity

🐺

Wolverine (Logan)

“I’m the best there is at what I do. But what I do best isn’t very nice.” You’re the fierce loner who acts first and philosophises later — but beneath that adamantium-plated exterior beats a heart that cares far more than you’d ever admit. You’ve been burned enough times to distrust the world, so you keep people at arm’s length, yet you’d throw yourself into any fight to protect the ones who slip past your defences. You don’t need a cause or a manifesto — you just need someone worth fighting for. Like Logan, your greatest strength isn’t your claws or your healing factor; it’s the stubborn refusal to let the people you love face danger alone.

Fierce Protective Resilient Untamed

🧠

Professor X (Charles Xavier)

“Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.” You’re the visionary who sees the best in everyone — even when the world gives you every reason not to. Your greatest power isn’t telepathy; it’s an unshakeable belief that understanding and compassion can bridge any divide. You lead not through force but through hope, building bridges where others build walls. Some call you naive, but you know that real strength lies in extending a hand to your enemy. Like Charles Xavier, you carry the weight of a dream that most consider impossible, and you refuse to let it die.

Visionary Empathetic Diplomatic Hopeful

🧲

Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr)

“Peace was never an option.” You’re the survivor who learned the hardest lesson life has to offer: the world will not protect you, so you must protect yourself. Your conviction is unbreakable and your patience is terrifying — you’ll wait years to set the right plan in motion. You don’t hate humanity; you simply refuse to let your people be victims ever again. Every action you take, no matter how ruthless, is driven by a profound love for those who share your struggle. Like Erik Lehnsherr, you are both revolutionary and tragic — a leader forged in pain who will bend the world before it bends you.

Resolute Strategic Ruthless Unyielding

↻ PLAY AGAIN

X-Men '97 season 2 will debut on Disney+ on July 1, arriving in only three weeks. The animated series is one of the best projects Marvel has released in years, with season 1 doing a phenomenal job of revitalizing the image of X-Men characters like Cyclops. Ahead of Marvel Studios' own live-action X-Men, the Disney+ series shows the studio understands the mutants.

X-Men '97 Season 2 Marks The Return Of The Mutants At The Perfect Time

The X-Men's next live-action appearance comes in Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives in theaters on December 18. At the time of writing, Marvel Studios has yet to announce whether Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool will appear in the film alongside the other confirmed X-Men from the Fox era of the franchise. That said, both characters show up in the X-Men '97 season 2 trailer, with Wolverine donning his brown and tan suit with the return of Logan's adamantium claws, and Deadpool briefly appearing in a fight scene as Morph takes over his form.

That said, X-Men '97 serves as much more than just the next step for those beloved characters. The Fox X-Men franchise made Jackman's Wolverine the fan-favorite, but it led to Cyclops and others seeing their roles shrink as the franchise continued. Avengers: Doomsday will lift those characters to new heights. Ahead of the new Avengers movie, X-Men '97 season 2 is a project that focuses on a large X-Men roster and does not shine the spotlight on Wolverine. It is all about core X-Men relationships and the development of complex characters, making it the perfect warm-up for Avengers: Doomsday.

July Could Also Introduce The MCU's First New X-Men Member

Sadie Sink's Max in her high school graduation gown in Stranger Things series finale

On July 1, X-Men '97 brings back a standalone Marvel franchise. However, the month might end up being a major one for the MCU's version of the mutants too. After all, Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is reportedly playing the X-Men's Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which swings into theaters on July 31. If that turns out to be accurate, it would mean that July would both start with an X-Men release and end with one. Debuting the MCU's version of Jean Grey in a Spider-Man movie would be a bold and unexpected choice for Marvel Studios.

That said, I believe it makes sense. Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are likely the Marvel movies to say goodbye to Fox's X-Men and other multiverse heroes, like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of Spider-Man. Secret Wars is said to reboot the MCU, and by having Sink debut as Jean Grey before it, Marvel could create a link between the two franchises, with a passing of the baton as the Multiverse Saga concludes. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but X-Men '97 season 2 comes at the right time to boost interest in Marvel's mutants.