X-Men Movies Star Addresses MCU Avengers Return (During Lie Detector Test)

Years before playing Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman, Nicholas Hoult portrayed Hank McCoy/Beast in four of Fox’s X-Men films (plus a cameo in Deadpool 2). With Marvel Studios bringing several of the stars from Fox’s franchise back for the upcoming Avengers films, many have wondered if Hoult will be among them. On the promotional tour for Superman, Hoult and his co-star David Corenswet took lie detector tests for Vanity Fair. At one point, Corenswet asked Hoult if playing Lex Luthor hurt his chances at a Marvel comeback. Hoult responded that it didn’t — if only because he never thought he was going to return.

“No,” Hoult said in response to Corenswet’s query about Superman diminishing Hoult’s prospects of an Avengers: Secret Wars cameo. The polygraph reader confirmed Hoult was telling the truth. “I don’t think I had a high chance anyway,” the actor said through a laugh.

Hoult first portrayed Beast in 2011’s X-Men: First Class and reprised the role in three sequels. His last appearance as the character came in 2019’s Dark Phoenix. In the past, Hoult has expressed a desire to play Beast again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but nothing has happened on that front. As Fox-era actors return for Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios is prepping an X-Men reboot that will seemingly use an all-new cast. Elle Fanning was recently rumored to be in the running for Jean Gray.

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Beast is set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, but it will be Kelsey Grammer bringing the mutant to life. Grammer played Beast in X-Men: The Last Stand before returning years later in the post-credits scene from The Marvels. Back in May, the actor revealed he hadn’t seen a full Doomsday script yet, citing Marvel’s penchant for secrecy.

Given how prevalent comic book adaptations are these days, there have been plenty of actors who have starred in both Marvel and DC productions. What isn’t as common is those actors appearing in both simultaneously. Hoult made his DC Universe debut in Superman, and while future appearances for his character haven’t been confirmed yet, it stands reason to believe he will appear in a few more projects. DC Studios has a 10-year plan in mind for the franchise, and Lex Luthor is one of DC’s most legendary villains. It would be a shame if his iteration was a one-off. So even if Hoult was more optimistic about his chances of returning for Secret Wars, Superman and the DCU might have prevented him from doing so. There just isn’t much precedent for actors starring in Marvel and DC movies at once.

It would have been fun to see Hoult back as Beast in the MCU, but he’s carved out a spot for himself in the DCU. His Lex proved to be a compelling adversary for Corenswet’s Superman, delivering a comics-accurate portrayal of the villain, and it’ll be great to see him show up in subsequent films. And Marvel fans will still have a version of Beast to enjoy when Doomsday hits theaters next year — one who’s a favorite despite his limited appearances. Seeing Grammer back in action as the mutant should be one of that film’s many highlights.