James Marsden clarifies speculation about whether Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is joining the confirmed X-Men in Avengers: Doomsday.
For the first time since a cameo in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, Marsden is reprising the role of Scott Summers/Cyclops. He is only one of several characters from Fox’s X-Men movies who are part of Avengers: Doomsday‘s cast, with the other confirmed members being Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique. It has not been confirmed whether Jackman will also be back as Wolverine, even though he returned to the role in the MCU’s 2024 film Deadpool & Wolverine.
In an interview with ComicBook, Marsden was asked if he was happy to be in Avengers: Doomsday without his character having to deal with Wolverine this time. He shared that “I love Hugh Jackman, and I love the dynamic between Wolverine and Cyclops. It was always a brotherly, healthy competition between the two of them, where they were annoyed with each other. It did feel like a brotherly relationship. I wouldn’t say that I was excited to slide into that role without him barking in my ear. He was missed. I’m trying to… answer, without saying too much… Yeah, that’s my answer. “
This is not a direction confirmation, but it strongly indicates that Wolverine is not in Avengers: Doomsday alongside many of his fellow X-Men. It does not entirely rule out Wolverine showing up, though, as Marvel Cinematic Universe movies sometimes keep certain character appearances under wraps. Another possibility is that Jackman’s version of the character is being saved for Doomsday‘s sequel, Avengers: Secret Wars, meaning he will still be part of the upcoming story despite his absence in the movie being released in theaters on December 18.
Even with the announcement of a massive cast and four teaser trailers, little is known about the actual story of Avengers: Doomsday. Bringing in so many of the X-Men from the movies made before the MCU was launched and not including Wolverine seems like a strange narrative decision. Wolverine has been a staple of the live-action X-Men, including his relationship with Cyclops, and his absence will inherently alter the dynamics of the characters in the upcoming film.
One Avengers: Doomsday theory is that the villainous Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) goes after Cyclops’ son, Nathan Summers, which is why Marsden’s character is so devastated in the movie’s X-Men teaser trailer. The theory also points to how Doom is already interested in Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), and the other teaser trailers highlight the children of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth).
As speculation continues about Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, an MCU X-Men movie is in the works, with Thunderbolts* director Jake Schreier helming the film. It is unclear how the return of Wolverine two years ago and the return of Cyclops and other X-Men in Doomsday will affect the in-development movie, which is expected to provide a new take on the iconic characters.
The confirmed X-Men, Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four, Steve Rogers, and Thor are being joined in <em>Avengers: Doomsday</em> by Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie), Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), Joaquin Torres/Falcon (Danny Ramirez), Shuri/Black Panther (Letitia Wright), King M’Baku (Winston Duke), Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia), Gambit (Channing Tatum), and all members of the Thunderbolts/New Avengers.
