By all appearances, the series X-Men ’97 swiftly secured the championship belt as an unrivaled fan-favorite Marvel manifestation broadcast on the virtual stage of Disney+. The show’s debut saw a torrent of applause from critics, while ardent admirers of the charismatic mutant crew and the classic animated narrative that served as the keystone for the later series were thrilled.

However, it seems there was a somewhat significant snafu lurking behind the scenes, a troublesome wrinkle in the fabric of this mutant masterclass. Beau DeMayo, the inaugural puppeteer and wordsmith pulling the strings of the saga, was abruptly shuffled off stage, severing his bond with the production prior to the show’s grand reveal on Disney+. Consequently, to maintain the trajectory of success previously charted, a new creative conductor must don the mantle and pick up the baton.

Who might this brave soul be, you wonder? Enter, stage-right, Matthew Chauncey. This veteran of the Disney+ Marvel milieu is no stranger to the serpentine realms of animation, having crafted and nurtured narratives for the intimate series What If…? Deadline, an infallible oracle of Hollywood happenings, orates that “Chauncey will unite his skills with those of X-Men ’97 director Jake Castorena, who has faithfully overseen the animated offshoot’s birthing process to this point. Renowned producers Larry Houston and Eric and Julia Lewald, who held the reins of the original X-Men: The Animated Series, are set to maintain their wise positions as consulting producers.”

DeMayo, despite his premature exit, had already left an indelible imprint on the saga’s blueprint, having intensely toiled on the transcripts for Season 2. Since his departure, these articulate instructions for narrative conduct have supposedly undergone minor surgical renovations. Production on these highly anticipated episodes is now in full swing. Chauncey, meanwhile, has begun sank his imaginative teeth into the meaty task of molding Season 3.

With the conclusion of the inaugural season dangling an assortment of tantalizing narrative bait for eager audience members, Chauncey’s plate is far from empty. The noble act of rescuing the world from cataclysmic ruin catapulted the X-Men squadron through the currents of history, offering tempting snippets of narrative threads to tug for the forthcoming seasons. A futuristic Cylops and Jean Grey find familial peace with their young son, Nathan (later known as the time-hopping hero, Cable), while Xavier, Magneto, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Beast gallivant in ancient Egypt with a fresh-faced Apocalypse. Back in the 90s (a more familiar era for our tale), Bishop and Forge embark on a gallant quest to retrieve their comrades and restore the temporal order.

Each of these narrative avenues is at minimum, a hearty meal for the next season’s plot and possibly even enough to assuage the appetite of a sequel. Despite this rich banquet of storylines feeding the enthusiasm of fans, no official schedule has been uttered for the launch of X-Men ’97 Season 2 or its anticipated successor. The stage, it seems, is set for suspense—both in and outside of the animated universe. As they say, stamp out the candles, the show is about to begin.