The MCU finally has its X-Men leader, and Marvel Studios made the call right in the middle of Phase 6. The current phase kicked off in theaters last summer with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, followed by Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are still ahead, set to close out both Phase 6 and the Multiverse Saga. A fully rebooted X-Men lineup isn't coming until 2028, but this actor is turning back the clock this December, returning to the character 20 years after being initially killed off.
Marvel Studios confirmed who the Phase 6 X-Men leader is in an unlikely place: a Hasbro Pulse product listing for a new Avengers: Doomsday action figure. The description leaves no doubt:
"The leader of the X-Men, Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, gears up to defend mutantkind from extinction against a multiversal threat."
That confirms Cyclops (James Marsden) is leading the X-Men into Phase 6, and for the first time on screen, he's wearing a comic-accurate suit.
His new visor is silver with a red tint, the closest his look has ever come to the comics. That detail carries more significance than it might seem: the sunglasses resemble those he wore in the closing moments of X-Men: Days of Future Past, connecting this new iteration to the past 20th Century Fox timeline.
Marsden has played Scott Summers since the 2000s X-Men, reprising the role in X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, plus the brief cameo in Days of Future Past (2014). It looks like Doomsday is picking up years after the Days of Future Past continuity, with much of the original X-Men conflicts and deaths no longer experienced.
This is a huge moment for Marsden to once and for all make his mark on the character, as someone not seen as an iconic comic book movie casting choice, with the next generation (Kit Connor) coming in Phase 7.
Marsden's Cyclops was famously cut short after he left to shoot Superman Returns with director Bryan Singer, a move that conflicted with The Last Stand's production schedule. Fox wrote the character out of the film and the universe, sending Marsden to Marvel fandom obscurity.
Now, Marsden is back, taking charge against Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), with plenty of returning and new X-Men to lead in Phase 6.
Old and New X-Men in Phase 6
Professor X
86-year-old Patrick Stewart returns for his ninth live-action appearance as Professor X, most recently popping up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Don't expect him to see much physical action this time, despite him being one of the most powerful X-Men. With Cyclops now leading the team, it'll be worth watching whether Xavier has actually stepped back from any type of leadership role.
Magneto
Magneto (Ian McKellen) has never been much of a team player, more loyal to mutantkind as a whole than to Xavier's group specifically.
That said, after 26 years of movies, Erik finally wears the X-Men's belt buckle, along with the rest of the mutants, suggesting he has actually joined the team this time. It'll be worth watching how that alliance holds up against Doctor Doom and how Magneto's incredible abilities mix into the fight.
Gambit
Channing Tatum gets another chance at playing Gambit after his own solo project was never made at Fox. He only just made his MCU debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, and now he's suiting up again for Avengers: Doomsday.
He's never been much of a team player either, but between his kinetic-charged playing cards and his staff, Gambit brings plenty of firepower to the fight and could be a great resource to Scott and the rest of the crew.
Mystique
Rebecca Romijn is making her MCU debut as Raven Darkhölme, aka Mystique, and she's one of several Doomsday characters who have been recast. These timelines get confusing, but many were confused why she wasn't played by Jennifer Lawrence when the first Doomsday trailer dropped.
In the original trilogy, her Raven and Marsden's Scott were never personally head-to-head, just ideological enemies, with her allegiances falling to Magneto.
Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (The Traitors' Alan Cumming) is getting thrown right into the action this time. His new look leans closer to the comics than any of his previous appearances: gray hair, a black jacket with the X-Men logo, and swords instead of just his teleportation.
Beast
Beast (Kelsey Grammer) hasn't shown up in any Doomsday footage yet, but he's getting a new look when he does: shirtless for the first time in live action, with brighter blue fur, an X-Men belt buckle, and no more lab coat.
Grammer first played Hank McCoy in The Last Stand, popped up again in Days of Future Past, and returned via a mid-credits MCU cameo in The Marvels.
Jean Grey
The latest, greatest mutant, Sadie Sink's Jean Grey, made her debut as the lead antagonist of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, largely on her own.
That's expected to change in Avengers: Secret Wars, the closing chapter of Phase 6, where, if she does in fact return, she's likely to be surrounded by other mutants.
As it stands, there's no confirmation that the new rebooted X-Men will overlap with the OG squad confirmed in Doomsday, but the possibilities are endless in 2027.
Rogue
The same logic applies to Rogue, freshly recast by Obsession star Inde Navarrette. She's confirmed for Marvel's 2028 X-Men reboot, but there's a real chance she shows up as early as Avengers: Secret Wars, too.
It's worth noting that the young, new X-Men cast is expected to have signed on for more than just that 2028 film, so an earlier, Phase 7 cameo wouldn't be the most shocking thing.
Wolverine
Nothing is official yet, but Hugh Jackman is expected to reappear as Wolverine in Doomsday as well.
Logan was never the type to fall in line under anyone, let alone Marsden's Scott Summers, but seeing them share a screen again would still be a thrill for many Marvel fans dating back to the early 2000s.
Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds isn't confirmed for Doomsday either, but the signs are there: he showed up at SDCC in a new Deadpool suit and crashed Marvel's Hall H panel with the cast.
No one controls Wade Wilson, least of all Cyclops, but watching him mess with Scott and the rest of the X-Men from inside an Avengers movie would be a great place for some comedic relief.
