X-Men star James Marsden breaks silence on Avengers Doomsday return

James Marsden has finally opened up about returning to the role of Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops, for Avengers: Doomsday.

The actor first played the iconic X-Men leader in the 2000 film and went on to reprise the role in sequels and a cameo in X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014.

Now, over a decade later, his character is confirmed to return alongside several other original Fox X-Men stars when Doomsday hits cinemas on December 18, 2026.

In a chat with Vanity Fair about his Emmy-nominated role in Paradise, the 51-year-old called his Marvel casting “a nice little homecoming to the role that first put me on the map.”

Looking back on returning to the superhero world after 20 years, James joked, “I’m getting a little long in the tooth to put on the superhero costume,” before laughing it off.

He added, “I was excited because you’re a part of something gigantic, and I’ve spent 20 years listening to people say, ‘When are you coming back? When are you coming back? Are you coming back?’”

James first played Cyclops in 2000’s X-Men, then reprised the role in X2 (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), where the character was apparently killed off. Thanks to alternate timelines and multiverse twists, he returned Days of Future Past.

“I’m dead. Well, maybe not,” he joked, referring to his character’s complicated history. “It’s been a blast. He’s such a beloved character, a real comic book icon. Getting to play him again was pretty special.”

Marsden has been spotted training with Shang-Chi star Simu Liu, who will also appear in the film.

Both actors looked in top shape as they prepared to take on Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. 

Joining Marsden in Doomsday are returning X-Men stars Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Ian McKellen as Magneto, and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler.