The X-Men Crash Avengers: Doomsday and Instantly Steal the Show
Avengers: Doomsday finally finds its spark as the OG X-Men crash the party, turning lukewarm teasers into the crossover fans have been waiting for.
I was ready to snooze through another Avengers: Doomsday teaser, and then Disney finally dropped one that actually lands. After a string of promos since the holidays that felt like studio homework, the third teaser hit with something fans have been waiting for: X-Men history crashing into the MCU in a way that actually feels fun.
The one that finally worked
The first teaser brought back Captain America (or at least Steve Rogers), and it was... fine. Kind of an anti-climax. The second teaser paraded Chris Hemsworth as Thor again, now with short hair, which was somehow the headline. Neither moved the needle.
The third teaser? Different story. We get Patrick Stewart back as Professor X and Ian McKellen back as Magneto, sharing the screen like it is 2003 in the best way. And then it ends with James Marsden in full Cyclops mode. That last bit matters more than the runtime gives it credit for: Marsden’s Cyclops has historically been sidelined by the movies. Let the man actually be Cyclops for once.
For what it is worth, teaser number four is still MIA at the time I’m writing this, but the word is it features some Black Panther characters. Curious what that looks like in this lineup.
About those 'final goodbyes'
The trailer sells this as one last ride for the old guard, which is a little funny considering how many times we have already said goodbye. Charles Xavier got a perfect exit in Logan — and then, like Logan himself, retirement did not stick. Honestly, Patrick Stewart barely seems to age and still fits the role like a glove. Seeing him with McKellen again is undeniably warming in that 'I didn’t realize I missed this until now' way.
Who is actually in Doomsday so far
- Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
- Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler — his first time playing the role since X2: X-Men United
- Kelsey Grammer as Beast — yes, that rules
- Channing Tatum as Gambit — not from a proper X-Men movie, but he did finally suit up in Deadpool & Wolverine
The bigger picture (and the likely reboot)
Plenty of other X-adjacent faces could pop in, if not here then almost certainly in Secret Wars — including Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. The chatter is that Doomsday and then Secret Wars are the on-ramp to a full X-Men reboot via the Multiverse, with a new cast waiting on the other side.
Will this really be the last hurrah for the original crew? Feels more like a victory lap before the handoff. Either way, the X-Men angle is easily the coolest thing about Doomsday so far. If the movie leans into that energy — and gives Cyclops a real moment — we might actually be onto something.