James Marsden, who played Cyclops in the original X-Men movies, comments on the chances of reprising the Marvel mutant in the MCU. In the early 2000s, long before Marvel Studios launched its cinematic universe that has become a global success, the superhero genre looked very differently. The comic book movie landscape was still something Hollywood didn’t believe in following box office disasters like Batman & Robin. As comic book properties slowly started to win over mainstream audiences, 21st Century Fox’s X-Men movies were one of the earliest franchises to accomplish that. However, by the late 2010s, the series had lost its steam before Disney eventually acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019.

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With the X-Men rights back at Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige has stated multiple times that the Mutants will be joining the MCU. However, no solo projects have been announced thus far, likely due to Phase 4 heavily focusing on the Multiverse. Films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are two of the major components to help introduce the concept of alternate realities. As Doctor Strange 2 is a month away from hitting theaters, the sequel is seemingly featuring Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in some capacity, likely as a variant. Since one former X-Men star is joining the MCU, it does theoretically leave the door open for other original cast members to come back.

In the current era of actors revisiting their past comic book roles, another X-Men veteran wants in on the MCU fun. During Screen Rant’s exclusive interview with Marsden at the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 premiere, the 48-year old actor was asked about his thoughts on returning to the X-Men mythology as Cyclops. While there are no official plans for him to reprise his role, Marsden is more than game to portray Scott Summers if the opportunity was presented, stating the following:

“I have been too! I have seen it too. I’m watching those headlines as a fan as well. That’d be fun. I’ve been doing it for almost 30 years and it’s very rare to say that you’ve had experiences like the first X-Men. We did three of them, I was part of three of them, and you become a family. You really do love these characters, the cast, the crew, everybody — and the same thing’s happening on this film, which is kind of bringing back memories of that experience. So I would always be open to that, revisiting that world.”

The last time fans saw Marsden’s iteration of Cyclops was at the very end of X-Men: Days of Future Past in a cameo appearance. While Scott didn’t show up in Logan, which was seen as the end of the original X-Men Cinematic Universe, he was presumed to be dead. As Xavier’s psychic powers had begun to degenerate, it’s alluded to in Logan that Cyclops was one of the X-Men who died at the hands of their leader’s abilities. If the MCU really wishes to re-explore the original X-Men universe, that is definitely within the realm of possibilities. Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to bring back dead villains from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy through Doctor Strange’s magic.

Given Logan’s finale to that franchise, Marsden would likely have a bigger shot at portraying a Cyclops variant than the same exact character he played for over a decade. Not only does it avoid ruining Logan’s compelling ending, but the MCU wouldn’t have to deal with the baggage that comes with FOX’s X-Men movies. That’s probably how Doctor Strange 2 will feature Stewart’s Professor X in the story rather than resurrecting the version of the character who died in Logan. Since the X-Men will be entering the MCU in one way or another, time will tell if Marsden’s Cyclops will be part of those plans in any capacity.

Key Release Dates
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  • Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)Release date: May 06, 2022
  • Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)Release date: Jul 08, 2022
  • Black Panther: Wakanda Forever/Black Panther 2 (2022)Release date: Nov 11, 2022
  • The Marvels/Captain Marvel 2 (2023)Release date: Feb 17, 2023
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)Release date: May 05, 2023
  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)Release date: Jul 28, 2023
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About The Author


Andy Behbakht
(1028 Articles Published)

Andy is a senior writer at Screen Rant as he has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, including superhero/comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast while running and producing the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015. Andy has previously written for sites such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It’s Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more.

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