Published on: Aug 08, 2025 03:19 pm IST
In a recent interview, James Marsden shared his excitement about reprising the X-Men character more than two decades after he first played him.
American actor James Marsden has finally broken his silence about stepping back into the shoes of Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops, for Avengers: Doomsday, slated to release in December next year. Speaking to Vanity Fair during a conversation centered around his Emmy-nominated performance in Paradise, the 51-year-old described his casting in the Marvel epic as “a nice little homecoming to a role that really put me on the map.”
James Marsden will return as Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday
Reflecting on returning to the superhero genre after two decades, James admitted, “I’m getting a little long in the tooth to put on the superhero costume,” before laughing off the challenge. “I was excited because you’re a part of something gigantic, and I’ve spent 20 years listening to people say, ‘When are you coming back? When are you coming back? Are you coming back?’” he added.
James originally brought Cyclops to life in 2000’s X-Men, the first installment in 20th Century Fox’s film series based on Marvel’s iconic mutant team. He returned for its sequels, X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), where his character was seemingly killed off. However, alternate timelines and multiversal storylines later brought him back in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
“I’m dead. Well, maybe not,” he quipped, addressing the winding path his character has taken over the years. “So it’s been a blast. It really has… a very beloved character, this icon from the comics. And so to step back into that role was pretty special,” he said.
With Disney now holding the reins of the X-Men franchise following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the studio is integrating the mutants into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. James will reunite with several of his former co-stars in Avengers: Doomsday, including Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), and Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), as confirmed during a Marvel livestream teasing the film’s massive cast.
News / HTCity / Cinema / James Marsden felt ‘pretty special’ returning as X-Men’s Cyclops in Avengers: Doomsday after 20 years
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