Marvel Never Called: Jean Grey Star Says She Wasn’t Asked Back After the Fox Era
I didn’t realize that was such a big part. The candid admission lays bare a glaring blind spot at the center of a high-stakes decision—and raises sharp questions about oversight, accountability, and what else was missed.
Marvel is raiding the old X-Men toy box for Avengers: Doomsday, and it is not messing around. The movie is stacked with familiar mutant heavyweights. One big name, though, is not in the mix: Famke Janssen says she has not been asked to dust off Jean Grey.
Who is back for Avengers: Doomsday
Here are the returning vets from the Fox-era X-Men films who are set to appear:
- James Marsden as Cyclops
- Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
- Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
- Patrick Stewart as Professor X
- Kelsey Grammer as Beast
- Ian McKellen as Magneto
But no Jean Grey (for now)
Janssen debuted as the Omega-level telepath in 2000’s X-Men and popped up throughout that run — often stuck between Logan’s moony looks (Hugh Jackman) and Scott Summers’ selective attention (Marsden) — before Sophie Turner eventually took over the role in the later prequel-era films. Janssen’s last on-screen turn was a brief appearance in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, and since the Fox-to-Marvel Studios handoff, fans keep asking if she will be back.
She told Entertainment Weekly she has not gotten the call.
'Never.'
'Never ever.'
She also sounded a bit amused that the question keeps following her around: 'Every time I do an interview, it’s mentioned... I didn’t realize that was such a big part.'
Could that change?
Look, actors deny this stuff all the time — and for good reason. In the last few years alone we have seen a Wolverine return, two Spider-Men swing back in, and an '80s Batman suit up again. So, sure, never say never.
There is also the next big domino: Marvel is gearing up an X-Men movie that is expected to finally mash the mutants into the core MCU. The version people are whispering about right now is the one Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier is attached to. If that comes together, that would be the logical place for a Jean Grey encore. As of today, though, Janssen says no one has asked, which feels pretty definitive for Avengers: Doomsday.
Bottom line: Doomsday is bringing back a surprising number of the classic X-Men. Just don’t expect Jean Grey in this round. If the Phoenix rises again, it probably won’t be here.