After Marvel Confirmed The OG X-Men Will Be Back For Avengers: Doomsday, I Hope The MCU Learns This Important Lesson From X-Men: The Animated Series
Marvel Studios bringing back several surprising actors in Phase 6 of the MCU gives us hope that Avengers: Doomsday will copy X-Men: The Animated Series in order to solve some of 20th Century Fox's biggest X-Men franchise mistakes. In recent months, updates and developments regarding Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars have raised a huge amount of anticipation for the upcoming crossover events. The returning directing duo, the Russo brothers, know how to handle the MCU's Avengers, but whether Doomsday's returning X-Men cast will be handled correctly remains to be seen.
Avengers: Doomsday will mark the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU, but not as Tony Stark's Iron Man, rather Victor Von Doom's villainous Doctor Doom. This legendary Marvel antagonist will be fought by a huge number of returning heroes, many of whom were announced by Marvel Studios in a lengthy chair-laying ceremony on March 26. Doctor Doom will battle the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the Thunderbolts in Avengers: Doomsday, but, surprisingly, he's also expected to take on a classic version of Marvel's X-Men team.
Avengers: Doomsday's Cast Includes Multiple Original X-Men Stars
Marvel Studios Included Many Surprises In Its Avengers: Doomsday Cast Reveal
While the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman might have been expected, but weren't actually included, in Avengers: Doomsday's cast reveal, Marvel Studios did reveal that several other X-Men stars would be reprising their roles in the MCU's Phase 6. This includes actors Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn and James Marsden, as well as Channing Tatum, who made his Marvel debut only last year. The fact that these classic actors are reprising their roles is very exciting, as it tells us a lot about Doomsday's narrative.
Returning X-Men Character | Actor | Debut Project | Last Seen |
|---|---|---|---|
Hank McCoy's Beast | Kelsey Grammer | X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) | The Marvels (2023) |
Charles Xavier's Professor X | Patrick Stewart | X-Men (2000) | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) |
Erik Lehnsherr's Magneto | Ian McKellen | X-Men (2000) | X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) |
Kurt Wagner's Nightcrawler | Alan Cumming | X2: X-Men United (2003) | X2: X-Men United (2003) |
Raven Darkhölme's Mystique | Rebecca Romijn | X-Men (2000) | X-Men: First Class (2011) |
Scott Summers' Cyclops | James Marsden | X-Men (2000) | X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) |
Remy LeBeau's Gambit | Channing Tatum | Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) | Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) |
The most popular subsequent theory has suggested that the universes of the MCU and Fox's X-Men franchise will be engaged in a dramatic and destructive incursion event. The latter reality could replace Earth-1610 from Marvel Comics' Secret Wars event in 2015, with these universes combining, leading to the destruction of both. This constitutes the return of Fox's X-Men team, though there are still missing members, and this gives Marvel Studios the opportunity to fix some of the worst crimes committed against this version of the iconic mutant superhero team.
The MCU Needs To Learn This Lesson From X-Men: The Animated Series
X-Men: The Animated Series Got The Titular Team Spot-On
Both X-Men: The Animated Series and its 2024 revival, X-Men '97, introduced perhaps the most accurate depiction of the titular team ever brought to the screen. The X-Men have never been handled right in live-action, as 20th Century Fox refused to make them comic-accurate and failed and neglected many iconic and central mutants. Marvel Studios can learn a lot from X-Men: The Animated Series to make the new depiction of the classic X-Men in Avengers: Doomsday much stronger, better-developed and more comic-accurate.
10 X-Men Stories From The Animated Show That The MCU Needs To Steal
X-Men: The Animated Series was so effective and iconic that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be wise to consult for compelling narratives.
It's a shame that the X-Men team is likely to have only a small amount of screen-time in Avengers: Doomsday, as the Phase 6 crossover movie will also be exploring a plethora of the MCU's own heroes' stories. This means that Marvel Studios will need to make every second count to establish a strong team dynamic and stress any changes that have been made for their MCU debut. After Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Marvels and Deadpool & Wolverine, this may include giving the X-Men comic-accurate costumes and developing some more of their more comic-accurate relationships.
Avengers: Doomsday Could Give Me The Live-Action X-Men Team I've Always Hoped For
Fox Never Quite Got The X-Men Right In Its Live-Action Marvel Franchise
20th Century Fox made a lot of pretty huge changes to the X-Men when adapting them for live-action back in 2000, many of which have become controversial. The revival of X-Men: The Animated Series with X-Men '97 has reminded us just how perfect this line-up was for the X-Men, and has shown how effective and enjoyable relying more on the pages of Marvel Comics can be. Marvel Studios has the opportunity to debut a new line-up for Fox's X-Men team that is closer to that of The Animated Series, and far better for the MCU.
After the events of Logan and Deadpool & Wolverine, the X-Men team in Avengers: Doomsday likely won't feature Wolverine as a prominent member or leader, as he was throughout Fox's X-Men franchise. The MCU's new version of the classic X-Men is also set to finally feature Gambit, which Fox avoided repetitively. It's yet to be seen whether Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, and more from Fox's X-Men franchise will also be returning in Avengers: Doomsday, but it would be incredible to see a fully-fledged, comic-accurate X-Men team portrayed by these legendary Marvel veterans.
Avengers: Doomsday
- Release Date
- December 18, 2026
- Director
- Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
- Writers
- Stephen McFeely, Michael Waldron, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee
Cast
Thor
Vanessa KirbySue Storm / Invisible Woman
Johnny Storm / Human Torch
Ebon Moss-BachrachBen Grimm / The Thing
