New Avengers: Doomsday Teaser Hints at a Mutant Comeback Set to Take Captain America's Mantle

File this under rumors that actually make sense: the next Avengers: Doomsday teaser might finally put a certain X-Men leader back in the spotlight, and it could shake up who calls the shots on the team.

'The third Avengers: Doomsday teaser will reportedly feature Cyclops, Charles, and Magneto.'

- per insider Daniel Richtman (via a ScreenTime tweet on Dec 25, 2025)

Why Cyclops showing up would be a big deal

If this pans out, it is not just a cool cameo dump. Cyclops has been treated like the hall monitor of the X-Men in the movies for years, largely because Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine ate the room starting with the 2000 film. Not Jackman’s fault, just the reality.

Comic-book Cyclops is a very different animal: a hard-edged tactician who treats every mission like life or death because for his team, it is. He is a field general who literally thinks in angles, ricocheting optic blasts off walls in split seconds and using the environment like a chessboard. Not a jealous boyfriend, not a rule robot — a radical survivor who carries the weight for everyone in the fight. The 2023 animated series X-Men '97 finally gave that version of Scott Summers the respect he deserves.

The baby Cap teaser and the leadership handoff theory

Marvel previously teased footage of Chris Evans’ Captain America holding a newborn. Nobody has officially said who the baby is. Cue the theories.

The working idea floating around: if Cyclops is in Doomsday, he could be the person who teaches that kid how to lead — strategy, discipline, the whole playbook — setting up a path toward a Young Avengers lineup while still honoring the Captain America legacy. If the baby is Steve and Peggy Carter’s child (a popular guess), that raises timeline headaches: Old Man Steve eventually hands the shield to Sam Wilson, which suggests Steve exits that branch of time and leaves family complications in his wake. In that mess, Cyclops mentoring the kid makes practical sense. Again, this is theory territory, but it fits the ingredients on the board.

So what does this mean for Avengers: Doomsday?

If the third teaser really does drop Cyclops alongside Professor X and Magneto, it hints at Marvel finally using Scott Summers as the battlefield leader he is — potentially even the guy who can fill the leadership void when Captain America is not front and center. That would be a welcome course correction and a nice way to bridge Avengers and X-Men dynamics without turning it into just another cameo parade.

• Directors: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
• Cast (so far): Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Vanessa Kirby
• Release date: December 18, 2026 (USA)
• Studio: Marvel Studios
• Rumor watch: Daniel Richtman says the third teaser features Cyclops, Professor Charles Xavier, and Magneto
• Teaser chatter: Footage has shown Chris Evans’ Cap holding a newborn, identity unknown
• Status check: Cyclops/Xavier/Magneto appearances and the baby’s identity are unconfirmed until Marvel makes it official

I’m all for Cyclops finally getting to be the adult in the room. If he shows up here as the strategist who can coach the next generation, that is the right use of him. Do you think Marvel will actually give Scott the keys this time?