Two-dimensional (2D) materials like transition metal dichalcogenides and Xenes are expected to bring exciting advancements in many fields of nanotechnology. The wealth of their electronic properties makes them appealing for a broad range of applications. In particular, in the framework of optics and photonics, three emerging routes where the key role of 2D materials will push forward the current state-of-the-art will be here outlined and discussed. Exerting control over the light-driven generation of spin-polarized dissipationless currents, enhancing the photon harvesting, and engineering the light-matter interaction are three challenges for 2D materials-based optics and photonics.