Could X-Men ’97 season 3 reverse its most shocking season 2 death after Gambit?

Well, after that absolute bombshell of a X-Men '97 Season 2 finale—Gambit having his redemption arc, only for Nightcrawler to bite the dust in his place—naturally, everyone wants to know: is Kurt Wagner really gone for good, or will Marvel stick to tradition and drag him back from the abyss? Turns out, the powers that be are keen to keep us guessing.

Nightcrawler: Dead, for Now

In case you missed the event, Nightcrawler sacrificed himself to the Celestial Eson in order to save Rogue and set Gambit back on the straight and narrow. Quite the heroic sendoff, but Marvel being Marvel, death rarely puts anyone out of commission for long. Just look at Gambit—he died in Season 1 during the Genosha massacre, then popped back up in Season 2 as Apocalypse’s brainwashed henchman. Nothing ever really sticks.

As supervising producer Jake Castorena told ScreenRant when pressed on the subject: 'First and foremost, I will say: is anyone ever really dead in comics? Is anyone ever really dead? Make no mistake, Nightcrawler is dead. You'll just have to watch Season 3 to see how it all may play out. That's what I can say.'

Best translation: for now, he’s dead, but don’t bank on that lasting if you’ve got even a passing acquaintance with how comics work.

Behind the Scenes Updates

Castorena was also happy to let slip where things stand in the animation department. The team is knee-deep in work for both seasons 3 and 4 as we speak. To break it down:

• The season finale for Season 3 has already been shipped off for animation.
• They've got early animation coming back for the first few episodes.
• Storyboarding and animatics for Season 4 are well underway.

Season 3 of X-Men '97 is currently in production, with its finale already sent out to be animated.

As for actually seeing the next chapter, there’s no official date at the moment. Disney+ is expected to drop X-Men '97 Season 3 in 2027—not exactly next week, but at least the wheels are turning.