X-Men ’97 season 2 arrives as He-Man’s reboot struggles at box office
Marvel’s animated mutant revival returns July 1, while Mattel’s live-action Masters of the Universe faces weak early ticket sales.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Marvel’s X-Men ’97 is returning for a second season on Disney Plus on July 1, while Mattel’s new Masters of the Universe film is already in theaters. The Verge reported that the two releases show how legacy franchises depend on more than fan-service references to regain broad audience attention.
The Verge’s Charles Pulliam-Moore reported that both projects are built around well-known animated heroes from earlier decades and include references aimed at longtime fans. He wrote that the difference is the amount of ongoing work Marvel has done to keep the X-Men visible in comics, television and film compared with He-Man’s weaker recent presence in popular culture.
According to The Verge, season 2 of X-Men ’97 separates the mutant team across different eras. One group lands in ancient Egypt, while another is sent thousands of years into the future. The Verge reported that both teams are trying to return to the 1990s while also looking for a way to stop Apocalypse, voiced by Ross Marquand, from destroying the world.
The Verge reported that the new season does not adapt a single comic arc. Instead, it uses material from several limited series, including 1994’s The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix and 1996’s Rise of Apocalypse, while also bringing in more recent X-Men comic lore to expand the show’s setting.
X-Men ’97 continues X-Men: The Animated Series, The Verge reported, but Marvel has changed parts of the older continuity to keep the revival from feeling like a static recreation. Variety reported in 2024 that the series was a ratings success after its debut, and The Verge argued that long-running audience familiarity with the X-Men helped fuel that response.
The contrast with Masters of the Universe is sharper at the box office. Yahoo Entertainment reported that the movie had earned $54.4 million against a $200 million production budget. The Verge described that performance as a weak start for Mattel’s attempt to turn He-Man into a major theatrical draw.
The Verge reported that there have been newer shows based on the original Masters of the Universe cartoon, but said He-Man has not remained as consistently present in mainstream culture as the X-Men. The original animated series aired weekday adventures featuring Prince Adam and his allies from 1983 to 1985, according to The Verge.
The Verge also compared Mattel’s strategy with the success of Barbie, saying audiences responded to that film’s comic and feminist treatment of a widely recognized brand. Pulliam-Moore wrote that Masters of the Universe makes some effort to examine toxic masculinity but has not given many viewers outside its core fan base a strong reason to care about He-Man’s world.
Marvel has more mutant projects ahead. The Verge reported that the second season of X-Men ’97 and the planned Avengers: Doomsday place X-Men characters near the center of Marvel’s current slate.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.