BREAKING: James Marsden Confirms Cyclops Return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘ – Actor reveals he’s reprised his role as Scott Summers/Cyclops in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film, addressing years of fan speculation.
Emmy-nominated actor James Marsden recently discussed his return to the X-Men universe with Vanity Fair,confirming his participation in the Russo Brothers’ avengers: Doomsday,slated for release on December 18,2026. Marsden initially portrayed Cyclops in Bryan singer’s X-Men (2000), followed by appearances in X2: X-men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last stand (2006).
“I’m getting a little long in the tooth to put on the superhero costume,” Marsden joked, acknowledging the passage of time. He expressed excitement about being part of such a large-scale project, noting the consistent fan demand for his return over the past two decades. “I’ve spent 20 years listening to peopel say, ‘When are you coming back? When are you coming back? Are you coming back?'”
Despite his character’s apparent death in X-Men: The Last Stand at the hands of Dark Phoenix (played by Famke Janssen), Marsden briefly reprised the role in a cameo during the time-travel narrative of 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, effectively altering the timeline and negating his character’s demise. This established a precedent for potential returns within the evolving X-Men continuity.
“I’m dead. Well,maybe not,” Marsden quipped,adding,”I’m going to have a tough time struggling to get into costume if they waited a couple more years.” He described the experience as a “nice little homecoming” to a role that launched his career, emphasizing the character’s meaning as a comic book icon and the frist major event project he was involved in.
Avengers: Doomsday, part of Marvel’s Phase Six, will feature Robert Downey Jr. as the central villain, Doctor Doom, a long-standing antagonist of the Fantastic Four. The film is being directed by Joe and anthony Russo, known for thier work on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.Principal photography began on February 24, 2025, at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayetteville, Georgia.
Along with Marsden and Downey Jr., the confirmed cast includes Chris Hemsworth (thor), Anthony Mackie (Captain America), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Letitia Wright (Shuri), florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Simu liu (Shang-Chi), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Wyatt Russell (John Walker/U.S. Agent),David Harbour (red Guardian),Winston Duke (M’Baku),Danny Ramirez (White Tiger),Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost),Patrick Stewart (Professor X),Ian McKellen (Magneto),Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler),Rebecca Romijn (Mystique),Kelsey Grammer (Beast),Channing Tatum (Hans Van Dyke/Cyclops – alternate universe),Tenoch Huerta Mejía (Namor),Lewis Pullman,and the core cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps – Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mr.Fantastic), Vanessa kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing).