James Marsden comes back to Marvel in ‘Avengers: Doomsday'

James Marsden is back in the Marvel spotlight as Scott Cyclops Summers in the latest Avengers: Doomsday teaser, marking an emotional return for the actor and the iconic X-Men team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

The new teaser, released this week, brings fan-favourite characters from the X-Men films into the MCU in a way fans have long dreamed of, with Marsden joining Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen on screen again.

The short clip opens with a haunting look at a ruined Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, signalling darker times ahead for mutants and heroes alike. 

Professor Charles Xavier (Stewart) and Magneto (McKellen) share a quiet moment over a chessboard, a familiar moment for fans of the original franchise. 

That calm quickly shifts as Cyclops appears battle-ready, removing his visor and unleashing a powerful optic blast, a defining moment that highlights his role in the story.

Marsden’s return as Cyclops is particularly meaningful because it bridges the early X-Men films with the MCU’s sprawling multiverse narrative. 

He last played the character more than 20 years ago in X-Men: The Last Stand, and his comeback reflects Marvel’s broader effort to unify fan-favourite mutants with its existing universe.

The teaser has sparked excitement online, with fans praising the comic-accurate blue-and-yellow design of Cyclops’ costume and the emotional resonance of seeing original cast members reprise their roles in a new context. 

Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be a major event film when it hits cinemas on December 18, 2026. 

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the movie also reunites other MCU favourites and promises to launch a new chapter of interconnected stories, leading into Avengers: Secret Wars the following year.

For Marsden, returning to Cyclops isn’t just a cameo, it’s a homecoming to a role that helped define his early career. 

Fans of both the classic X-Men films and the MCU will likely be watching closely to see how these characters reshape the future of Marvel’s film universe.