Avengers: Doomsday might be the swan song for a few notable Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes. After deciding to hand over the shield to Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers is back in the fold, and while his role in the movie is unclear, he’s obviously going to have something to say about Doctor Doom’s assault on the multiverse. Thor, another old-timer, is also returning, and his dialogue in Doomsday‘s second teaser sure makes it seem like he isn’t long for the superhero game. There’s even a chance that Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom is one-and-done, as the powers that be at Marvel Studios may want to open the door for another villain.
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A few other characters that should be on their way out the door are Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, and the rest of the mutants who will appear in Doomsday. While their parts are sure to be small, it’s hard to believe they even made the cut because they’ve had their fair share of send-offs in recent years. In fact, I’m getting tired of having to pretend that Fox’s franchise is worth celebrating in the 2020s, and I hope you feel the same way.
Fox’s X-Men Franchise Continues to Get Second and Third Chances
The first two X-Men movies deserve a lot of credit for showing the world that the superhero genre could be more than campy. They take their themes very seriously and never miss an oppurtunity to have their characters show off in the action department. However, the magic is gone by X-Men: The Last Stand, and it doesn’t return until X-Men: First Class, a full-blown reboot. Now, the new generation still wants to show respect to its predecessor, so they meet on common ground in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which serves as a perfect bookend to the series, righting all the wrongs from The Last Stand, including the deaths of Jean Grey and Charles Xavier. But that’s not the end of the story because we do it all over again in Logan.
At least James Mangold’s film has the decency to kill most of the X-Men off-screen rather than showing them in agony again. However, it still covers similar ground, following characters who have seen better days as they hand off the baton to younger, hungrier heroes. The end of the movie even sees Laura change the cross on Logan’s grave to an “X,” marking the end of an era. It’s a beautiful moment, but once again, the story continues. Wade Wilson visits the grave in Deadpool & Wolverine, and while he doesn’t bring that version of Logan back to life, he goes and recruits another one, also played by Jackman. And as if that isn’t bad enough, a number of Jackman’s former castmates are about to join him in the MCU.
We Just Want the MCU’s Version of the X-Men Already
The MCU gets a bit of a pass for bringing back Jackman because he’s synonmous with the role. Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, and James Marsden, while great actors, have already said goodbye to their characters on multiple occasions and have watched others step into their shoes. There’s no good reason to have them reprise their roles, unless Kevin Feige and Co. really are throwing up their hands and saying that nostalgia is what their franchise needs to get back on track. That couldn’t be farther from the case, though, because Doomsday is the perfect oppurtunity for the MCU to put its stamp on the X-Men, who are sure to be at the center of the next couple of phases.
Even if it’s just casting a couple of actors to bring members of the time to life, it would go a long way to proving that the MCU is serious about embracing the future, not living in the past. Maybe Stewart and the rest will really take Doomsday to the next level. There’s even a slim chance that they’re the best parts of the movie. But no amount of great action and mind-bending character interaction will make up for the fact that the old X-Men are stealing the spotlight from a new team that’s going to need as much help as it can get.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
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