X-Men Star Confirms Major Detail About His Avengers: Doomsday Return (And Fans Should Be Excited)

Alan Cumming has revealed that his return as Nightcrawler in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday will feature practical makeup effects rather than CGI, like his original portrayal from 2003’s X2: X-Men United. This significant production detail marks a departure from recent Marvel Cinematic Universe practices, where characters like Kelsey Grammer’s Beast appeared as a CGI creation in the post-credits scene of The Marvels. The Scottish actor’s confirmation comes amid growing excitement about the unprecedented crossover that will unite the original Fox X-Men with the current MCU heroes on screen for the first time. Cumming’s comments also indicate Marvel Studios’ is committed to maintaining visual consistency with the original X-Men films, which helped launch the modern superhero movie era over two decades ago.

“Isn’t it nuts? I’m excited and amazed. It’s been 23 years since I was a superhero,” Cumming shared during an interview on “Today With Jenna and Friends,” expressing his enthusiasm for reprising the teleporting mutant role. “I’ve had some makeup tests already for the role, but what’s great about it was that before, it was about four and a half hours to apply it, but now it’s only 90 minutes.”

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Cumming’s original portrayal of Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2 was widely praised for its emotional depth and memorable action sequences, particularly the opening White House attack scene that showcased the character’s teleportation abilities through groundbreaking visual effects. The makeup process for the original film was notoriously arduous, requiring Cumming to endure lengthy application sessions that contributed to his decision not to return for X-Men: The Last Stand. The streamlined makeup process he describes indicates that Marvel Studios has developed more efficient techniques to recreate the look while reducing the physical toll on the actor, potentially allowing for more extensive screen time for the Nightcrawler in the upcoming crossover event.

How Are the X-Men Returning for Avengers: Doomsday?

Integrating Fox’s X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe represents one of the most ambitious narrative undertakings since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019. Alongside Cumming, Marvel Studios’ lengthy cast announcement for Avengers: Doomsday confirmed the return of several original X-Men actors, including Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), and James Marsden (Cyclops). This unprecedented assembly of mutant heroes from outside the MCU’s established timeline suggests that Doomsday will directly address the multiverse implications first explored in projects like Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The groundwork for this crossover appears to have been strategically laid in recent MCU productions, particularly through the concept of “incursions” — catastrophic events where different universes collide. The post-credits scene of The Marvels provided the most direct setup, with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) awakening in what appeared to be the X-Mansion from the Fox films, where she encountered a variant of her mother Maria (Lashana Lynch) and Grammer’s Beast. This deliberate connection suggests that Monica’s interdimensional journey may have created awareness of the multiverse within the X-Men reality, potentially spurring the mutant team to investigate these phenomena and eventually cross paths with the Avengers.

The complexity of merging these separate continuities raises questions about the long-term future of these returning characters. Marvel Studios is simultaneously developing plans for its own integrated X-Men franchise with new actors, suggesting that the appearance of the Fox-era mutants might serve as both homage and farewell to these beloved interpretations. This dual approach would allow the studio to honor the legacy of the original X-Men films while establishing a fresh foundation for mutants within the primary MCU timeline, potentially through the reality-altering events expected in Avengers: Secret Wars, the culmination of the current Multiverse Saga scheduled for 2027.

Avengers: Doomsday has officially begun production and is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027.

Are you excited to see Alan Cumming wearing the Nightcrawler makeup again in Avengers: Doomsday? Share your thoughts in the comments!