Most of the hype surrounding Avengers: Doomsday is thanks to Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rather than reprising his role as Iron Man for the next team-up movie, the Oscar-winning actor will be a villain this time around, bringing Doctor Doom to the big screen for the first time since 2015. However, Downey Jr. isn’t the only actor who’s getting another chance to put on a costume in a comic book movie. Many of the actors from Fox’s original X-Men films are also set to appear in Doomsday, including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Kelsey Grammer, and James Marsden.
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One mutant that’s flying under the radar is Nightcrawler, played by Alan Cumming. Despite being a major part of X2: X-Men United, Nightcrawler doesn’t return in X-Men: The Last Stand. Cumming is ready for his encore, though, telling anyone who will listen about how excited he is to return in Doomsday. Well, the actor may have gotten a little ahead of himself because he posted an image that might spoil his character’s new look in the MCU.
In addition to releasing a photo of a set of teeth, Cumming showed off what appears to be a cardboard box with a couple of interesting images on it from the set of Doomsday. Next to the word “waste” is an image of Nightcrawler from Marvel Comics, and next to the word “Confidential” is another version of the character, one that bears a resemblance to Cumming. While there is some speculation online that the box could be repurposing fan art and doesn’t mean anything, it’s not unusual to find visual aids on sets, especially on a production as large as Doomsday.
In X2, Nightcrawler doesn’t wear his comics-accurate suit, donning a trench coat and long pants. However, based on Cumming’s post, the MCU might be taking a different approach with the character, putting him in his comics-accurate red and black suit. If that’s the case, it could be good news for the rest of the X-Men, who never got a chance to embrace their campy roots.
Avengers: Doomsday Could Be Giving the Original X-Men Cast a Chance to Escape Black Leather
It’s no secret that Fox’s first few X-Men movies chose not to embrace their comic book history. There’s even a joke about Wolverine feeling uncomfortable in his costume, with Cyclops quipping, “What would you prefer, yellow spandex?” While later films would let up a little bit and put the mutants in more colorful outfits, there was still an effort by Fox to avoid getting too “comic book-y.” The MCU takes the opposite approach, which could mean the X-Men are about to have a lot of fun in Doomsday.
Professor X already got to use his yellow chair in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be back in that in 2026. Cyclops may also add some yellow to his look if his outfit takes inspiration from the one the mutant dons in X-Men ’97. No matter what costumes the MCU chooses for its iconic team of mutants, it just has to be better than black leather, which went out of style long before the characters stopped wearing it.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.
What do you think of Nightcrawler’s look in Avengers: Doomsday? Do you hope the rest of the X-Men get comics-accurate costumes? Let us know in the comments below!
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