Do our eyes deceive us or are there mutants among us? Following Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine, it looks like the Marvel Cinematic Universe is filling its coffers with X-Men. Marvel made the announcement at a livestreamed cast event for Avengers: Doomsday on YouTube. Alongside a host of existing MCU actors—many familiar names from the Fox films were also announced.
X-Men Expected in Avengers: Doomsday
Surprisingly, despite being the only X-Man to lead an MCU film, Hugh Jackman was not included in the cast list for Avengers: Doomsday. Neither was Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool.
However, among the X-Men we have seen in the MCU, Kelsey Grammer will be returning as Hank McCoy/Beast. He was introduced in the MCU during the post-credits scene of The Marvels. Also returning will be Sir Patrick Stewart as Professor Charles Xavier. In the Fox films, Professor Xavier was last seen in X-Men: Days of Future Past, where he was still running his school for mutants after Wolverine saved mutantkind. In the MCU, Doctor Strange encountered a version of Professor Xavier on Earth-838 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But that Professor Xavier was killed by the Scarlet Witch.
Despite fans calling for her return, it doesn’t look like Elizabeth Olsen will be back as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch any time soon.
Surprising Additions to Avengers: Doomsday
Numerous other X-Men actors were also announced, and they’re almost all from the Fox films that Deadpool & Wolverine seemingly said farewell to.
Sir Ian McKellen will be making his debut in the MCU as Magneto. His last appearance was also in X-Men: Days of Future Past, but only in the apocalyptic timeline where the sentinels were killing mutants. What happened to Magneto after the timeline changed is unknown.
In extremely surprising news, Alan Cumming will be joining Avengers: Doomsday, presumably as Nightcrawler. Cumming’s Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler was only seen in X2: X-Men United. Cumming was reportedly offered a role in X-Men: The Last Stand but declined due to the extensive time required to do the make-up for the character.
Another blue character will be making her MCU debut. Rebecca Romijn will be returning as Mystique. Though Mystique lost her mutant abilities in The Last Stand, Romijn did make a cameo in the prequel film X-Men: First Class. In the comics, Mystique is Nightcrawler’s biological mother, though this storyline was not explored in the film universe.
James Marsden’s Cyclops was resurrected at the end of Days of Future Past and he too will be making his MCU debut with Avengers: Doomsday. Cyclops was killed early on in The Last Stand, but appeared in a cameo alongside his long-time partner, Jean Grey, who had also been resurrected.
Outliers
The only real reference to Deadpool & Wolverine in the Avengers: Doomsday cast announcement was the inclusion of Channing Tatum as Gambit. Tatum made a surprise appearance in Deadpool’s third outing as a wacky version of Gambit, following years’ of speculation about Tatum’s unproduced Gambit film. The Fox films already had a Gambit—Taylor Kitsch played the only live-action version of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But it looks like Tatum has taken the Gambit crown.
The X-Men Roster Appears Thin
While X-Men fans will be delighted to see so many actors reprising their roles from the Fox films, we can’t ignore the fact that Rebecca Romijn is the only female X-Men actor announced, at least, so far. It would be strange to have Cyclops without Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey. And the lack of Halle Berry’s Storm, one of the X-Men comics’ most popular characters, hasn’t gone unnoticed.
We can’t yet know if these are the only X-Men joining the MCU. But fans will certainly hope for more X-reveals soon.
Avengers: Doomsday is slated for release on May 1, 2026