AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY - Bringing Back The Original X-MEN Might Be The Multiverse Saga's Biggest Mistake

AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY - Bringing Back The Original X-MEN Might Be The Multiverse Saga's Biggest Mistake

Earlier this week, Marvel Studios announced the Avengers: Doomsday cast. Several of them were X-Men, but is it a mistake to shine a spotlight on that era of 20th Century Fox storytelling? Here's our take.

Editorial Opinion
By JoshWilding - Mar 29, 2025 12:03 PM EST
Filed Under: Avengers: Doomsday

Last summer, Deadpool & Wolverine took us back to the X-Men Universe for an unforgettable team-up. We'd expected and hoped the movie to feature some familiar faces from the franchise's past; instead, the spotlight was put on other pre-MCU Marvel properties like Fantastic Four, Blade, and Daredevil

When the credits rolled, a video played reflecting on the legacy of 20th Century Fox's Marvel movies. However, by far its biggest achievement was it somehow making that era of storytelling look...good.

X-Men, X2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: First Class are all titles that have their fair share of fans, and objectively speaking, they're far from bad. At the same time, they were also pretty poor adaptations of the comics - Bryan Singer's disdain for the source material is no secret - and the less said about X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Dark Phoenix (to name just a few), the better. 

The point is, no matter what Deadpool & Wolverine's credits or this clear nostalgia bait suggests, the X-Men franchise - where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige got his start in Hollywood - was neither particularly beloved nor an era worth remembering. 

It stands to reason then that Marvel Studios is making a mistake by throwing Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler), Rebecca Romijn (Mystique), James Marsden (Cyclops), Kelsey Grammer (Beast), Deadpool & Wolverine's Channing Tatum (Gambit), and no doubt plenty more familiar faces from X-Men, into Avengers: Doomsday

Not necessarily. 

Yes, the vast majority of fans cried out in joy when the Disney/Fox merger ended the latter studio's time in charge of Marvel's mutants. Despite that, both The Marvels and Deadpool & Wolverine have offered a glimpse at how these characters can and will evolve in the MCU, both tonally and visually. There's something undeniably exciting about seeing the actors listed above in comic-accurate costumes and portrayed in a way that respects the source material instead of shying away from it. 

An argument could be made that Marvel Studios should have introduced a new team of X-Men either before or during Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, similar to what we're getting from The Fantastic Four: First Steps. After all, these big returns do somewhat overshadow the actors who will inherit the roles a few years from now.

Love or hate it, we're in the thick of the Multiverse Saga and, if Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Deadpool & Wolverine have proven anything, it's that people want to see actors and characters they never expected to meet interact on screen (not stunt casting like John Krasinki's forgettable turn as Mister Fantastic).

As of now, all signs point to Avengers: Doomsday pitting the heroes of Earth-616 against the denizens of the X-Men Universe for a loose take on Avengers vs. X-Men. That wouldn't have had anywhere near the same impact had it been with a new cast, and this way, we get to see these characters go out on a high before they're inevitably rebooted and reintroduced. 

Ultimately, Marvel Studios is relying heavily on nostalgia, but where better to do that than in the Multiverse Saga? If the result is anything close to seeing the three live-action Spider-Men swing into action together in No Way Home, then we're in for a treat next summer. 

Of course, for those now ready to move on from the Multiverse - and the concept has grown stale - Avengers: Doomsday is another movie relaying heavily on the past and "Oh, look it's [Insert Name Here]" to sell itself. If regular moviegoers aren't enthused by seeing the Avengers (especially a team lacking the original Captain America, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Iron Man right now) and X-Men share the screen, then this could be a huge mistake. 

It could also be a triumph, so all eyes are now on the Russo Brothers to deliver the sort of greatness we got from them between 2014 and 2019. Surely, they can fix Fox's X-Men, right?

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Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 3/29/2025, 12:24 PM
It's their way to guarantee at least a huge opening based on the nostalgia factor. The overall box office would depend on how good the movie is.

I hope it's good. The casting announcement definitely helped with excitement but these projects have so little build up as phase 4 was meandering
TrentCrimm
TrentCrimm - 3/29/2025, 12:32 PM
@Wahhvacado -

I wouldn't even say box office depends on how good the movie is.

People don't like to admit it but No Way Home isn't a good movie, the script is erratic, the plots flimsy and all over the place, it's stuffed full of filler, but no one really cared or noticed because the nostalgia kicks ass and it all comes together nicely in the end lol

I think we'll get a lot of that with this movie too, I hope it's a good movie, but nostalgia is gonna drive the box office up regardless I think. This is gonna be another multi-generational draw.
Wahhvacado
Wahhvacado - 3/29/2025, 12:57 PM
@TrentCrimm - Valid points. I do think this move makes it extremely likely these films will be profitable.

I'm less sure that it would take them into the 2b range without a strong (but simple for GA) plot and definitely the quality of the action
Spike101
Spike101 - 3/29/2025, 1:34 PM
@TrentCrimm - totally agree on NWH, it’s an awful movie, the script is 100% Disney teen adventure flick. The only redeeming features are Doc Ock, the Goblin, and the few seconds we got to see the Sandman and the Lizard. I never liked that take on Electro.
ShamusG
ShamusG - 3/29/2025, 2:34 PM
@TrentCrimm - I saw NWH in theaters probably 3-4 times, and each time the items you mentioned were more noticeable. But each time I left there smiling ! LOL
Vigor
Vigor - 3/29/2025, 5:11 PM
@TrentCrimm - I think if you look at NO WAY HOME by some movie quality metric where you have to check boxes in just the right way for a movie to be good, then sure No Way Home didn't hit the mark. But I hate watching movies that way. It's like I'm studying the film instead of enjoying it for what it is -- entertainment
NonPlayerC
NonPlayerC - 3/29/2025, 11:44 PM
@TrentCrimm - I just rewatched no way home for the first time the other day and yeah it's not a perfect movie but it's fun. I did not like the FoX-men movies but if they can finally find a good way to end that universe id be happy to see it.
TrentCrimm
TrentCrimm - 3/30/2025, 7:45 AM
@ShamusG -
That's how I feel watching it, every time I rewatch it the issues get more noticeable, but the movie is still a fun ride at the end of the day.

@Vigor
It's not about checking boxes, it's just a badly made movie, of no fault of it's own, Disney couldn't get their heads out of their asses at the time and this movie and Dr Strange 2 suffered for it. Those two movies were made at probably the worst time they could have been made.
But yeah it's still a fun movie with entertainment value, those types of movies have their place and purpose, hell I've rewatched NWH at least 5 times, it's just not a well made movie is all. There are lots of movies that aren't good movies, but are still fun to dig into.
Mrcool210
Mrcool210 - 3/29/2025, 12:28 PM
Why have the multiverse saga in the first place if not to have fun with the idea of brining back previous versions of these characters? Besides these versions are clearly beloved, not all their movies are amazing yes but people are attached to these versions of the characters. So having them back (as well as obviously jackman, Maguire, Garfield, etc) as a final celebration of everything marvel, MCU and otherwise before they reboot the xmen proper into the MCU is a nice sentiment. Will it fully succeed? I don't know but damn it if it's not exciting.

Lets just say there is a reason images like this have existed for as long as they have on the internet.

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Vigor
Vigor - 3/29/2025, 12:39 PM
@Mrcool210 - that image goes hard
Chris827
Chris827 - 3/29/2025, 12:45 PM
@Mrcool210 - and if they did recast all the characters for this movie you'd get the article you had popular characters from the old movies and not using them here is a mistake.

You already got people complaining that F4 isnt established for multiple movies and Doom before heading into DOomsday and Secret Wars.

They are gonna bring it all together, finish it out, soft reboot into one new timeline and then move on with new characters and cast in certain roles.

and not for nothing people are already waiting to hate these movies, shit on them if they dont become biggest grossing movies in history which aint happening but thats the bar people are setting. You'd already seen how big Endgame was and you see how big Spiderman and Deadpool and Wolverine were so clearly using nostalgia works so bringing back X Men who have 20 years of history on screen makes sense.

If after SW they tried to keep a bunch of the old actors then I could see not being happy about that or thinking its the right move but dont get how anyone would think this isnt the right move to tie up the multiverse storyline.

Goldboink
Goldboink - 3/29/2025, 12:56 PM
@Mrcool210 -
So, you bring in the old X-Men from the other universe or whatever and then at the end of all of this hoo ha there will magically be younger versions of the same characters introduced into the MCU? New younger Xavier? A younger Logan just slumming around 616?

I don't buy it. Those stories have been told before and I just can't see them retelling the same story.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/29/2025, 1:13 PM
@Chris827 - It's the right horses for the right courses. The older versions of these characters (the X-Men and hopefully the classic Avengers too🤞) and then younger rebooted versions for after SW. Everything in it's proper place.
RegularPoochie
RegularPoochie - 3/29/2025, 1:44 PM
@Mrcool210 - this, it's like long kiss good night for them.
GodHercules20
GodHercules20 - 3/29/2025, 2:35 PM
@Mrcool210 - They're going to do all the good stuff with FoX-Men. MCU X-Men won't be special

This is why I think bringing FoX-Men to the MCU will be a huge mistake
BrainySleep
BrainySleep - 3/29/2025, 12:29 PM
Cheer up Wilding it's the weekend!
MGSSnake1988
MGSSnake1988 - 3/29/2025, 12:29 PM
The Multiverse Saga's biggest mistake is not taking advantage of the Multiverse.

Bringing back Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Ryan Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman earned Marvel $3 billion, as opposed to the MCU mainstays that didn't make money.
gambgel
gambgel - 3/29/2025, 1:02 PM
@MGSSnake1988 - BINGO.
Alucard28
Alucard28 - 3/29/2025, 12:37 PM
Tbh I expected a new cast of X Men but I get that they are trying to ensure a box office hit.
XKnight
XKnight - 3/29/2025, 2:22 PM
@Alucard28 - Marvel is obviously killing off the Fox X-Men that’s their only purpose in this storyline is to be killed off by Doom.
Vigor
Vigor - 3/29/2025, 12:37 PM
It's obvious the foxmen universe won't make it. Why introduce new characters just to kill them off
This is their final send off and then we get recasted xmen

This is so easily figured out. I wonder if I'm way off the mark or people really can't follow the clues
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 3/29/2025, 2:13 PM
@Vigor - Or they (some of them at least) simply go back to their own timeline, either way in a multiverse saga makes sense to have the multifranchises meet prior to the soft reboot of a reformed 616 with recast mutants part of it.

If we assume the FoxMen are from DP's timeline post secret wars I'd go with that timeline is also soft rebooted so RR can cont to have fun spoofing Marvel (and everything else) without messing with the 616 timeline and a chance some of the FoxMen could cameo. Then we get all new mutants cast for the main 616, simples.
OptimusCrime
OptimusCrime - 3/29/2025, 12:39 PM
Biggest mistake was clicking on this article.
n1ghtw1ng2832
n1ghtw1ng2832 - 3/29/2025, 12:41 PM
@OptimusCrime - i agree 100%
Jackraow21
Jackraow21 - 3/29/2025, 1:46 PM
@OptimusCrime - Totally agree. More whining about the FOX-men and acting like all of those films were universally hated. Also, these aren’t the same versions, rather they’re just being played by the same actors. And the casting was not the problem with the FOX-men films that were bad.
RockBottom
RockBottom - 3/29/2025, 12:39 PM
Or it could just be their way of writing the OG X-Men off (retire in a way) to pave the way for the new X-Men in the MCU.
RitoRevolto
RitoRevolto - 3/29/2025, 12:40 PM
"Of course, for those now ready to move on from the Multiverse..."

I never understood this sentiment. Do people really think that the multiverse will cease to exist after Secret Wars? 😂 Marvel will still utilize it as it sees fit.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 3/29/2025, 12:43 PM
Mistake? Only if they don't want to make money off of nostalgia alone😂
gambgel
gambgel - 3/29/2025, 1:01 PM
"the X-Men franchise - where Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige got his start in Hollywood - was neither particularly beloved nor an era worth remembering"

what era is more worthy? the Thor 3, 4, Antman 2 and 3 era?

I LOVE the original trilogy era, and that cast (even if Fox/Ratner dropped the ball on X3). But that was a very special era to a lot of us. and the X-Men franchise started it all.
thedrudo
thedrudo - 3/29/2025, 1:04 PM
It’s the least intriguing thing about the project so far but I’m hoping they will finally say goodbye to the Fox versions for good.
CreateNowSlpL8r
CreateNowSlpL8r - 3/29/2025, 1:05 PM
I dont know. That is an odd X-men lineup. I don't have any nostalgia factor driving me to go. Where is Storm, Jean, Colossus, Logan, Iceman, Rogue. This lineup never led a movie. Its weird too because after DOFP, these actors were essentially recasted in Apocalypse and beyond.

The other thing for me is whoever that list of Avengers are is a snooze fest. I knew they were going to put a C level team together but why do I care about these X-men fighting Avengers I don't care about?

Falcon Cap
Shang Chi
Shuri Panther
Antman
Thor
Falcon II

Are you serious? If you were doing AvX, I want to see a mainline X-lineup against an A-list team. You couldnt at least get Rhodey, Vision, Hulk, Hawkeye?


RitoRevolto
RitoRevolto - 3/29/2025, 1:35 PM
@CreateNowSlpL8r - I think it's been said that they're still figuring out some actors' summer schedules and that's why some aren't present. I'm gonna be so mad if Storm and Jean at least aren't there lol. Even a Rogue with Captain Marvel's flight and super strength not present is dropping the ball.
JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 3/29/2025, 1:50 PM
@CreateNowSlpL8r - I mostly agree. But I don’t think they’re going for an AvX type movie. Though I could be wrong. Either way it’s going to be chaotic. I’m curious enough to see it, but it’s not building up the hype needed.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/29/2025, 1:52 PM
@CreateNowSlpL8r -
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ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/29/2025, 2:02 PM
I think there will probably be at least one more chairs video announcing more of the cast. At least one more, maybe three more.

Hugh Jackman.
Famke Janssen.
Anna Paquin.
Shawn Ashmore.
Chris Evans.
Mark Ruffalo.
ScarJo.
Michael Douglas.
Michelle Pfieffer.
That chick from Lost.
All the little Champions.
Oscar Isaac.
Charlie Cox and co.
Agatha.
Chris Pratt.
and a supermassive black chair for ARISHEM!!!!

And we'd still need more chairs!

If this be the end of the MCU as we know it, I won't feel fine until I see chairs for everyone. Just to poke the eyes and pour the teas.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/29/2025, 2:05 PM
They should end one with Hugh, end another with Tobey and end the final one with Chris Evans.

And where the hot assed honey drizzle is Halle Mother[frick]ing Berry?!
CreateNowSlpL8r
CreateNowSlpL8r - 3/29/2025, 2:28 PM
@JustAWaffle - If they are following Time Runs Out. The X-men would be taking the place of the Ultimate Universe. So not a direct AvX story but the 2 worlds fighting for their own survival.
Yellow
Yellow - 3/29/2025, 5:42 PM
@CreateNowSlpL8r - no one wants Rhodey, let's be honest
hue66
hue66 - 3/29/2025, 1:07 PM
Best idea bringing back Marsden, Franke and Patrick. Use the CGI beast. Cummings is okay as well. Would nice to see Colosus cgi but a less goofy version that was in Deadpool 2.
cadunovaes01
cadunovaes01 - 3/29/2025, 1:09 PM
people have short memories. If it weren't for X-Men rescuing the credibility of superhero films that was destroyed by abominations like Batman & Robin, the precious MCU wouldn't even exist
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