James Marsden returns as Cyclops as Marvel signals full X-Men comeback in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

James Marsden is officially returning as Cyclops, marking one of the most significant X-Men comebacks yet as Marvel prepares to fold the mutant team into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A new teaser for Avengers: Doomsday confirms Marsden’s return alongside original X-Men cast members, signalling Marvel’s clearest move so far towards reassembling the team on the big screen rather than limiting them to brief multiverse cameos.

The short teaser shows Cyclops unleashing his signature optic blast inside the ruins of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, a moment that has fuelled speculation about how central the X-Men will be to Marvel’s next phase. The setting and tone suggest the team will play a meaningful part in the story, rather than appearing on the margins.

Marsden last appeared as Cyclops in X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014. His return comes more than a decade after the original franchise wound down, before Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019 reshaped Marvel’s long-term plans for the characters.

The teaser also features Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier and Ian McKellen as Magneto, reinforcing Marvel’s decision to lean into legacy casting as it formally introduces the X-Men into the MCU.

While the footage offers little in the way of plot detail, it strongly hints at a larger conflict tied directly to mutant identity. Brief glimpses of towering mechanical figures in the background appear to point towards Sentinels, long-time enemies of the X-Men.

Avengers: Doomsday will mark the first official MCU appearances for both Marsden and McKellen. Stewart previously appeared as a variant of Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while other mutants, including Wolverine and Beast, have already crossed into recent Marvel projects.

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, the crossover event will also feature Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, alongside established Avengers and characters from Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to release in cinemas on December 18.