Marvel has made an exciting announcement regarding its first X-Men movie, albeit in an indirect manner. As part of the extensive cast reveal for Avengers: Doomsday, several actors from the original Fox X-Men series are set to return, likely reprising their original roles. The list includes Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, and Kelsey Grammar, to name a few.

While the full cast has not been disclosed, it is expected that these actors will play their iconic characters, namely Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, Mystique, Nightcrawler, and Beast. As more names are announced, the cast list will be updated accordingly.

This development is intriguing for several reasons. Notably, there are two distinct X-Men casts: the original from the 2000 film X-Men and the reboot/prequel X-Men: First Class from 2011. Although the two casts merged in a subsequent film, it was anticipated that the younger cast would be the one to transition to the MCU. However, it is worth noting that both Stewart and Grammar have already reprised their roles in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels, respectively.

Another question that arises is the narrative role these characters will play in an Avengers movie, given that they are X-Men, not Avengers. It is possible that they might be introduced as adversaries for Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., to demonstrate his superiority. However, it seems unlikely that these actors would return solely to be killed off.

At this point, many details remain unclear, including whether the characters in Doomsday are the same as those from the original universe. The film Deadpool & Wolverine, the first X-Men movie in the MCU, has established that multiple versions of these characters exist. With Channing Tatum reprising his role as Gambit, it is possible that these characters might be new iterations or entirely different characters altogether.

Despite the uncertainty, the return of these beloved characters is thrilling for long-time fans of superhero films. The Fox universe has had opportunities for closure in the past, but their inclusion in an Avengers film marks a new and exciting chapter.

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