Marvel is changing how it handles its television output, and X-Men '97 is at the center of that shift.
According to Screen Rant, series producer and writer Eric Lewald confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that work on season 4 is already underway. "They want everyone to know it's only gonna be a year now between seasons, not two-and-a-quarter years... It's gonna be a year until the next one and a year until the next one [after that]... we are in season 4 giving script notes. So that's how deep they are into the development," Lewald said.
That is a meaningful change. Marvel has spent much of its recent television history producing one or two seasons of a show before moving on. Series like WandaVision were designed to be self-contained, and the format allowed the franchise to test a wide range of concepts over a short period. The approach made sense early in the MCU's television expansion, but it limited how deeply any single show could develop its story or characters.
X-Men '97 returned in 2024 as a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, the 1990s cartoon that remains a touchstone for a generation of Marvel fans. The revival blended nostalgia with new storytelling ambition and drew strong responses from both critics and audiences. Season 2 was confirmed, then season 3, and now season 4 is already in development before season 2 has even aired. That kind of pipeline is unusual for Marvel's television division.
Screen Rant notes that Daredevil: Born Again is following a similar path, already moving into its third season. Together, the two shows suggest Marvel is willing to commit to longer runs for properties that connect with audiences.
The one-year turnaround between seasons, if it holds, would be faster than the gap between X-Men '97 season 1 and the seasons that follow. Lewald's comments indicate the production is far enough along to support that timeline, even if season 4 remains some time away from reaching screens.
