One of Avengers: Doomsday's X-Men stars said goodbye to his iconic MCU role after an incredible 22-year tenure with the character. Doomsday is expected to be the MCU's biggest movie in history, largely due to the inclusion of legacy Marvel stars playing roles as the X-Men from past 20th Century Fox movies. While many of those actors thought they left these characters behind years ago, now may be the time for a few to say their true farewells to the franchise.
Avengers: Doomsday star Alan Cumming confirmed that he is finished filming his material for the movie. Cumming's Nightcrawler was a surprise announcement for Doomsday's cast, marking his second time playing the character and the first since his debut in 2003's X2.
Speaking with Variety, Cumming was asked how he prepared to return to the role after a 22-year hiatus with Marvel. However, Cumming confirmed that he had "already done it" and "finished it" when reflecting on filming.
Cumming has been vocal about his filming experience on Avengers: Doomsday, even potentially spoiling a scene between his Nightcrawler and Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards. However, it is still unclear how big his role in the film is, as is the case for everybody in the cast outside of Robert Downey Jr.'s (RDJ) Doctor Doom (who is expected to be the main character).
Avengers: Doomsday will be the MCU's next major team-up movie, coming over seven years after Avengers: Endgame helped close out Phase 3 and the Infinity Saga. As of writing, the movie stars at least 27 MCU and legacy Marvel actors, who will join forces to fight RDJ's Doctor Doom as his undisclosed mission puts the sanctity of the multiverse in jeopardy. Avengers: Doomsday is currently filming and will debut in theaters on December 18, 2026.
Is Alan Cumming Fully Done With Work on MCU's Avengers: Doomsday?
While Cumming's work on principal filming for Avengers: Doomsday appears to be finished, the film is expected to continue shooting through the end of the year. That will leave about a year for Marvel to finish post-production and VFX work for the highly anticipated sequel, although that is usually not all that Marvel has on its plate for any given movie.
Most MCU films set aside extra time before release for reshoots, which are scheduled based on test viewing results and internal decisions during post-production. This is almost sure to happen for Avengers: Doomsday next year, which could mean Cumming may come back for filming should Marvel decide to change anything up for the X-Men's roles later.
Also in question is whether Cumming will be back with Marvel Studios for a second time in Avengers: Secret Wars, which has yet to reveal most of its cast ahead of filming. The Scottish star could surely return to the Nightcrawler costume for that movie, as it is still teased to include nearly every legacy Marvel character possible in its plot.
While Cumming's Marvel future is still somewhat of a mystery, the stage is set for him to make a new mark on the franchise alongside countless other legacy stars in the Avengers' next chapter.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
