Every Confirmed Original X-Men Actor Making Their MCU Debut in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

The mutants are finally making their entrance into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Marvel Studios has not just selected a couple of familiar faces. The studio has confirmed the return of multiple stars from Fox’s early 2000s ‘X-Men‘ films as part of the cast for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, joining MCU veterans like Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Anthony Mackie’s Captain America in this exciting ensemble.

For fans who grew up with the original ‘X-Men’ trilogy, this crossover event is something they never imagined Disney and Fox’s corporate history would actually facilitate. Several original Fox X-Men actors are set to reprise their roles in ‘Avengers: Doomsday‘, likely for one last hurrah before the franchise undergoes its full MCU reboot.

Patrick Stewart – Professor Charles Xavier

Patrick Stewart is returning as Professor Charles Xavier after last appearing in ‘Logan’ in 2017. This marks the eighth time Stewart has portrayed the X-Men’s telepathic leader.

Stewart first took on the character in live action in ‘X-Men’ back in 2000. Given the somber history of Xavier’s various on-screen deaths, fans online have already begun speculating about whether he will survive this outing as well.

Ian McKellen – Magneto

Ian McKellen is reprising his role as Erik Lehnsherr, better known as Magneto. McKellen portrayed the character throughout the original Singer trilogy and returned for 2014’s ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’. ‘Doomsday’ marks his first-ever MCU role, confirmed during the March 2025 cast reveal.

Marvel later showcased McKellen prominently in the third ‘Doomsday’ teaser, which featured the Fox X-Men lineup alongside Stewart’s Professor X and James Marsden’s Cyclops. In that footage, McKellen delivers a chilling monologue about death as chaos unfolds at the X-Men mansion, and many fans consider it one of the strongest teasers Marvel has released for the film so far.

James Marsden – Cyclops

James Marsden is also confirmed to return as Scott Summers, known to comic readers as Cyclops. Marsden last portrayed the role in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ in 2014.

Marsden’s version of Cyclops famously met an untimely end in the original Fox trilogy, dying early in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’. His resurrection for ‘Doomsday’ is precisely the kind of continuity twist that has multiverse theorists buzzing.

Kelsey Grammer – Beast

Kelsey Grammer is returning as Dr. Hank McCoy, better known as Beast, following his surprise appearance in the post-credits scene of ‘The Marvels’. Grammer has long been a fan favorite in this role, and his blue-furred alter ego getting another chance on the big screen has been warmly welcomed by longtime ‘X-Men’ viewers.

Robert Downey Jr., who is stepping into the MCU as Doctor Doom, even commented on the energy the returning cast brought to the set. During a post Hall H interview at San Diego Comic-Con, Downey described how the excitement generated by Rebecca Romijn and Kelsey Grammer, reprising their roles as Mystique and Beast, immediately energized the cast already assembled for the film.

Rebecca Romijn – Mystique

Rebecca Romijn is rounding out the blue mutants of the cast, returning as the shapeshifting Mystique. Romijn hasn’t played the character in nearly twenty years, since ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’.

Her return is one of the more surprising reveals given her long absence from the franchise, prompting fans to revisit her early appearances in the original trilogy with fresh perspectives.

Alan Cumming – Nightcrawler

Alan Cumming, who portrayed Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler, in ‘X2: X-Men United’, is confirmed to return as well. Cumming reportedly disliked the makeup process for the character so much that he never returned for any subsequent ‘X-Men’ sequels, making his ‘Doomsday’ return even more unexpected.

Notably Absent From the Reunion

Despite the star power assembled, Famke Janssen, Shawn Ashmore, and Ben Foster are not currently set to return as Jean Grey, Iceman, or Angel respectively. Some fans have noted that this leaves out the original five X-Men from the 1963 comics, as ‘Doomsday’ features six actors from the original Fox films plus Channing Tatum’s Gambit, who had his moment in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.

There’s already speculation that Marvel may be reserving Jean Grey for a future reboot, especially with rumors suggesting Sadie Sink might portray a young version of the character in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.

With this many original ‘X-Men’ faces confirmed for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, which reunion are you most excited to see unfold on screen this December?