The reveal that two surprising actors will be returning in MCU.

Avengers: Doomsday has very quickly become one of the MCU's most exciting projects, and the inclusion of many classic X-Men actors from 20th Century Fox's two-decade-long Marvel movie franchise has contributed to this. While there have been some key omissions, it will be great to see the likes of Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden and more reprise their roles. There are two returning X-Men stars that have us excited about a very different reason, however, as the MCU can explore a story Fox never even touched.

Mystique & Nightcrawler Are Two Of Avengers: Doomsday's Most Surprising Cast Confirmations

Rebecca Romijn & Alan Cumming Have Been Confirmed To Be Returning

Marvel Studios confirming that Rebecca Romijn and Alan Cumming would be reprising their respective roles of Mystique and Nightcrawler came as quite a shock. Aside from a very brief cameo in X-Men: First Class, Romijn hasn't appeared as Mystique since 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, which ended with her receiving the temporary "mutant cure." Cumming's return is even more surprising, as he only made one appearance as Kurt Wagner's Nightcrawler back in 2003's X2: X-Men United. Both were subsequently replaced in Fox's revised X-Men timeline.

Rebecca Romijn was replaced by Jennifer Lawrence from 2011's X-Men: First Class onwards, while Kodi Smit-Mhee appeared as a younger iteration of Nightcrawler in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse and 2019's Dark Phoenix, with a brief cameo in Deadpool 2. These iterations saw more development and more action, but Avengers: Doomsday promises to put the spotlight back on Romijn and Cumming's classic characters. This will bring them together for the first time in over 20 years, and is the best chance to finally explore a fantastic Marvel Comics story.

I Need The MCU To Explore Mystique & Nightcrawler’s Familial Connection Properly

Mystique Is Nightcrawler's Father In Marvel Comics

While X-Men: Apocalypse might have teased a connection between Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique and Kodi Smit-Mhee's Nightcrawler, the pair's familial relationship was never explicitly explored in Fox's X-Men franchise. In Marvel Comics, Nightcrawler is the son of Mystique and her wife, precognitive mutant Destiny, with Mystique having shape-shifted into a male form to become Kurt Wagner's father. In Fox's franchise, it was teased that Nightcrawler may have been the son of Mystique and Jason Flemyng's Azazel, but this was never confirmed.

With Mystique and Nightcrawler both returning in Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Studios can finally address the elephant in the room with these two iconic X-Men characters. 2024's X-Men '97 explored this connection, despite not featuring Mystique, so it would be great to see this repeated in the live-action MCU. Alternatively, it's possible Marvel might wait to investigate this connection until a new Mystique and Nightcrawler appear in the MCU, but Avengers: Doomsday could still begin to tease this relationship, which would add a new layer to their dynamic.

MCU Movies

• 

  Thunderbolts*

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• 

  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• 

  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• 

  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse
• 

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Powered by

  

  Expand Collapse