X-cuse me!? Marvel tees up major ‘X-Men’ and ‘Avengers’ returns for ‘Doomsday’

By Dan Heching, CNN

(CNN) — Perhaps attempting to prove that reports of its box office demise have been greatly exaggerated, Marvel on Wednesday announced major casting news for its upcoming “Avengers” sequel that both flex the power of its history and set it up for the future.

A major component to their plan: The return of characters and actors from the original “X-Men” franchise, a Marvel property that was under the 20th Century Fox banner before Disney purchased that studio in 2019. The “Avengers: Doomsday” cast now includes Sir Patrick Stewart, who has portrayed Professor X in multiple “X-Men” movies, Sir Ian McKellen as adversary Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique and Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler.

All of these actors last appeared together in 2003’s beloved sequel “X2: X-Men United.”

Kelsey Grammer, who famously played Beast in 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” and showed up in a post-credits scene in 2023’s “The Marvels,” will also appear, Marvel revealed.

The jam-packed cast for “Doomsday” – set to premiere in theaters in 2026 – was announced via livestream over the course of roughly five hours and included 27 names in all, including the previously announced return of Robert Downey Jr. in the role of Doctor Doom.

Joining the “X” alums are Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) mainstays Chris Hemsworth, who has played Thor since 2011, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, and Simu Liu, who played Shang-Chi in his 2021 standalone film.

Later in the livestream, it was announced that Tom Hiddleston – who has played Loki in both the MCU and in his namesake Disney+ series – will also be featured in “Doomsday,” as will Channing Tatum, who portrayed X-Man Gambit in an extended (and thought to be jokey one-off) cameo in last summer’s “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Namor and Letitia Wright as Shuri – from the “Black Panther” and previous “Avengers” films – will also make appearances, Marvel announced. Florence Pugh is also set to return as Yelena Belova, after her debut in 2021’s “Black Widow” and following this spring’s “Thunderbolts*.”

Alums won’t have all the fun. All four actors set to be introduced in this summer’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps” – Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn – were also announced as part of the “Doomsday” mega-cast.

While many of these actors have enjoyed previous appearances in the MCU or other Marvel properties, it remains unclear how substantive their roles will be in the new film, and going forward.

Notable absences from the superheroic lineup include Scarlett Johansson – who last week sounded off on the dim outlook of her return to the MCU – along with Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Strange and Mark Ruffalo’s fan-favorite Hulk.

The Avengers’ last official team-up was in 2019, for the record-breaking “Endgame,” which saw both the defeat of intergalactic supervillain Thanos (Josh Brolin) and the death of flagship MCU superhero Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

However, it was revealed last year that Downey Jr. will be back for this next go-round, but as the titular baddie Dr. Doom. At the end of Wednesday’s livestream, Downey Jr. appeared and sat in a director’s chair with his name on it, before the stream concluded.

After the success of “Endgame,” the MCU has faced several hurdles and box office misfires including 2021’s “Eternals” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in 2023, but still enjoyed some success in the form of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

But with last month’s “Captain America” sequel and the upcoming “Thunderbolts*” slated to fall short of the expectations that “Endgame”-era MCU fare was able to muster, there’s a palpable sense that the hardy MCU superheroes have peaked.

“Doomsday’s” monstrously stacked cast list is perhaps the studio’s answer in part and a look at how it plans to find its way back to the glory days – with a little help from a couple dozen friends.

“Avengers: Doomsday” is currently in production and set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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