X-Men characters Cyclops, Professor Xavier, Magneto return to MCU
The third teaser trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday” officially confirmed the long-rumored return of iconic X-Men characters: Cyclops (James Marsden), Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The trailer, which debuted on Tuesday, Jan. 6, opened with gloomy dialogue about death between Stewart’s Professor X and McKellen’s Magneto.
“Death comes for us all,” pondered Magneto. “The question isn’t whether you are prepared to die. The question is: Who will you be when you close your eyes?”
Marsden’s Cyclops then appears in action, tearing off his visor to unleash a powerful optic blast amid ruins. The teaser ends with stark text: “The X-Men will return in Avengers: Doomsday.”
The trio first appeared together in the 2000 film “X-Men.” Stewart’s Professor X made a brief MCU cameo in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022) before this full return.
McKellen’s Magneto and Marsden’s Cyclops, on the other hand, were last seen in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014).
“Avengers: Doomsday” arrives in theaters on Dec. 18. It will also see the return of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, the original Captain America; and Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder, Thor.
The upcoming film is part of Phase Six of the MCU, serving as the first part of a two-film culmination of The Multiverse Saga, alongside its sequel “Avengers: Secret Wars,” which is slated for 2027 release. /ra
