Fans will see many X-Men characters in 2026 with the release of X-Men '97 Season 2 and Avengers: Doomsday, with some appearing in both projects.
For the past few years, the MCU has slowly integrated members of the X-Men and mutants in general into the franchise. The biggest instances include Charles Xavier appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine being a main character in Deadpool & Wolverine.
After Season 1 of Disney+'s animated X-Men '97 series was a hit, the show was confirmed to be returning for a second season, meaning that some X-Men members would be coming back into the fold in the future. However, some actors who have been in X-Men films were also announced to be in Avengers: Doomsday.
Every X-Men Character in the MCU's 2026 Slate
Charles Xavier - X-Men '97 & Avengers: Doomsday
In 2026, the X-Men's leader will appear in two MCU projects, with different actors portraying each version.
Fans will remember that Charles (aka Professor X) was featured at the end of X-Men '97 Season 1 when he and some other heroes traveled back to ancient Egypt after Asteroid M imploded.
In Season 2, it seems as though that storyline will pick up where it left off, meaning that Professor X and Magneto will be alongside Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Beast at least at the beginning of the season.
As far as live-action goes, Professor X will be coming back to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday. The character (played by Patrick Stewart) was last seen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that Variant of him was killed by Wanda Maximoff, so a version of him from a different universe will be in the upcoming movie.
Details about Charles' role in Doomsday have not been revealed, but Stewart was included in Marvel Studios' March cast announcement. According to reports, multiple scenes will take place at the X-Mansion, so fans can assume that Charles will be present there.
Magneto - X-Men '97 & Avengers: Doomsday
Like Charles Xavier, Magneto will also be present in both X-Men '97 and Avengers: Doomsday.
Footage for X-Men '97 Season 2 was revealed at D23 in August 2024, but most of it focused on new characters that would be present in the upcoming installment.
However, Magneto was last seen in ancient Egypt alongside Charles Xavier and some other characters, so fans can expect to see him still in that storyline when Season 2 begins.
In Avengers: Doomsday, Magneto will make his epic live-action return for the first time in years and will be played by Ian McKellen, the same actor who portrayed the character in Fox's live-action X-Men movies.
McKellen was part of the same casting announcement that revealed Patrick Stewart's comeback, but, like Stewart, no details about Magneto's role in the movie have been given.
It is worth noting, though, that McKellen was spotted near Doomsday's main filming location, so it seems as though he will be a fairly major part of the film.
Cyclops - X-Men '97 and Avengers: Doomsday
Cyclops is another character who will be seen in multiple MCU projects in 2026.
Cyclops was one of, if not the main character, of X-Men '97, and it seems that trend will continue for Season 2. At the end of Season 1, he and Jean Grey were sent 2,000 years into the future while other characters were sent into the past.
Footage from D23 confirmed that Cyclops will be donning a new costume based on Grant Morrison's New X-Men comic run. Those suits are navy blue and have a giant yellow X across them.
Cyclops' involvement in X-Men '97 was highly expected. His involvement in Avengers: Doomsday, on the other hand, came as a bit of a surprise.
During that casting announcement, it was revealed that James Marsden would be returning to the comic book movie genre. Since he played Cyclops in the Fox X-Men films, he is expected to reprise that role in Doomsday.
Beast - X-Men '97 & Avengers: Doomsday
In X-Men '97 Season 1, Beast was one of the characters who got transported back to ancient Egypt with Magneto and Charles Xavier. When that plotline is continued in Season 2, fans can expect to see Beast return.
Like the other characters mentioned so far, Beast has also been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. After making a surprise appearance in The Marvels, Kelsey Grammer will reprise his role as the blue genius in Doomsday.
Grammer's name showed up during Marvel Studios' cast announcement for Doomsday, but no details about the extent of the character's role have been revealed.
Gambit - Avengers: Doomsday
Technically, Gambit has only been confirmed to return in Avengers: Doomsday. Channing Tatum was part of the Doomsday cast announcement, then played coy about reprising his role as Gambit, but Marvel Studios all but confirmed that he would be playing that character.
However, it is safe to assume that Gambit will likely appear in X-Men '97 as well. In Season 1, Gambit died, but it heavily teased that he would be resurrected by Apocalypse and become Death.
Gambit wasn't included in the D23 footage for X-Men '97 Season 2. While it is possible that he could not be a part of the upcoming installment, he most likely will be.
Nightcrawler - X-Men '97 & Avengers: Doomsday
Nightcrawler was one of the characters briefly featured in X-Men '97's D23 trailer. The footage highlighted him wearing Egyptian robes in the midst of a fight scene. This is not surprising considering he was one of the characters who got transported 5,000 years into the past.
As many were when Ian McKellen's name was shown on-screen, it was a huge shock to learn that Alan Cumming had been announced as a cast member of Avengers: Doomsday.
Cumming played Nightcrawler in 2003's X2 but has not been a part of the X-Men franchise since. However, he will be joining Doomsday in some capacity, bringing the character to life for the first time in over 20 years.
Mystique - Avengers: Doomsday
As of writing, Mystique has only been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday. In the original Fox X-Men trilogy, the character was played by Rebecca Romijn. Romijn was announced alongside Alan Cumming as a cast member of Doomsday, meaning that she will likely reprise that role from the early 2000s.
Mystique was one of the biggest X-Men characters to not appear in '97. It is always possible that she could be introduced in Season 2, but since she was not featured in the D23 trailer and no official source has noted that she will be in the upcoming installment, her absence is expected (for now).
Jean Grey - X-Men '97
Jean Grey is another character at the center of X-Men '97's Season 1 storyline. At the end of that installment, she found herself 2,000 years in the future alongside Cyclops.
As mentioned, the X-Men will debut new costumes in Season 2. One of those costumes was seen on Jean in the D23 trailer.
Once again, it is possible that Jean Grey could show up at some point in Avengers: Doomsday, but she has not been announced by Marvel Studios. The company did hold a cast announcement, but it didn't reveal every cast member and/or surprise for the film. So, Jean could appear in that movie as well.
Wolverine - X-Men '97
Wolverine took a bit of a backseat in X-Men '97 Season 1, but the character has been confirmed to return in Season 2.
The footage revealed at D23 heavily featured Wolverine. The trailer confirmed one major plot point: Wolverine has recovered from Magneto ripping out his Adamantium. Wolverine was seen with his claws out, so it seems as though he will be returning to his normal state. He was also sporting one of those new costumes.
As mentioned with Jean Grey, it is possible that Wolverine will also be in Doomsday, but that has not been confirmed. Wolverine's involvement would be even more likely than anyone else's since he already appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine, but since Marvel Studios hasn't announced his inclusion, one has to assume that he won't be in the film.
Rogue - X-Men '97
Rogue was one of the characters forced back in time at the end of '97 Season 1. Since it was confirmed that those characters will stay in that timeline at least at the beginning of Season 2, fans should see more of Rogue there.
Rogue voice actress Lenore Zann confirmed in an interview with Screen Rant that she had already recorded all her lines for Season 2 as of June 2024 while also teasing what is to come for Rogue.
Zann didn't give much away but did reveal that Rogue "wants justice for Remy:"
"In season two, I have already recorded season two and I love Rogue's journey. She is continuing on her journey and she wants justice for Remy, and she won't let anything or anybody stop her."
It seems as though Rogue will be on a personal mission to get justice for Gambit in Season 2, which could point to his return as Death being even more likely.
Bishop - X-Men '97
Bishop was one of the only characters in '97 Season 1 to stay in the present timeline.
At the end of the season, the show teased that he was going to reassemble the X-Men alongside Forge. Since Forge is involved, Season 2 could feature the return of X-Factor while the X-Men are gone.
Whatever the case may be, Bishop in Season 2 is a high likelihood.
Danger - X-Men '97
Danger is one of the new faces who will be showing up in X-Men '97 Season 2.
Not much has been revealed about her role in the upcoming season, but the D23 footage confirmed her involvement. The character was only briefly shown in the footage, but she will be in physical form.
Havok - X-Men '97
Another major character who showed up in the Season 2 footage at D23 was Havok (aka Alex Summers, Cyclops' brother).
Havok was featured in the D23 footage alongside Polaris (another hero), joining Forge and Bishop. As mentioned, X-Factor could take care of things in the present timeline while the X-Men are gone. The fact that Polaris and Havok were seen in the trailer only adds fuel to that theory, as they were a part of X-Factor in the original X-Men animated series.
Polaris - X-Men '97
Polaris was also seen in the D23 footage alongside Havok and appeared to be joining Forge in the present timeline.
Polaris (aka Lorna Dane) is one of Magneto's many children. She has powers similar to his, where she can manipulate magnetic metal.
Sabretooth - X-Men '97
The D23 footage also showed that Sabretooth will be a villain in X-Men '97 Season 2.
The character may not play a huge role, but he will likely square off with Wolverine, seeing as how the two are such big rivals.
Lady Deathstrike - X-Men '97
Lady Deathstrike is another Wolverine villain who was confirmed for Season 2. In the footage, Lady Deathstrike was briefly showcased, but no details about the extent of her role were revealed.
Warlock - X-Men '97
Warlock will be making his return to X-Men animation when he is featured in '97 Season 2. Warlock is part of the hive-mind called The Phalanx, which was featured in the original animated X-Men series.
Warlock made a brief appearance in that show, but the D23 trailer confirmed that he will return in Season 2.
Apocalypse - X-Men '97
Based on the D23 footage, Apocalypse will be a major antagonist of X-Men '97 Season 2. The character was featured in Season 1 across multiple plotlines. In the present, it appeared as though he was trying to resurrect Gambit; at the same time, a young version of him was in ancient Egypt, where Charles Xavier, Magneto, and the others were.
Fans can expect to see Apocalypse a lot in Season 2, as the trailer suggested his role will be extensive.
