So far X-Men: Dark Phoenix's cast mostly consists of returning faces. Nearly all of the major players from X-Men: Apocalypse will be back for another round, and in Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Nicholas Hoult's case, this will be their fourth X-Men outing. Now it looks like Daniel Cudmore, who appeared as Colossus in two of the original X-Men movies, will be back for more mutant mayhem. However, it's possible that this time, Cudmore isn't reprising the metal-skinned superhero and is instead playing a different character. When asked about his involvement in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Cudmore responded:
I can't comment on what character I'm playing, sorry..
Daniel Cudmore seemingly confirmed on Twitter that he will be participating in X-Men: Dark Phoenix while deflecting a question about if he'll play Colossus or the cosmic character Gladiator. Since X-Men: Dark Phoenix takes place in the early 1990s, nearly a decade before the first X-Men movie took place, having Cudmore appear as an older Colossus would be a strange move. There's also the fact that a vocally and visually more faithful version of Colossus recently appeared in Deadpool, and will return next year for Deadpool 2. So the character is already accounted in the present day X-Men universe, indicating that Cudmore could indeed be playing someone else.
Gladiator (seen above) is certainly a good alternative for who Daniel Cudmore could be playing given not only his build, but the movie's content. Like X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is adapting the Dark Phoenix Saga, only this time there will be more of a cosmic twist. In the comics, Gladiator was the leader of the Shi'ar Empire's Imperial Guard, and he battled the X-Men with his troops when the Shi'ar Empire sought to eliminate the threat posed by the Phoenix-possessed Jean Grey. Although X-Men: Dark Phoenix will not be as intergalactic as the original tale, it's possible that the story will feature Gladiator or a different character who serves in a similar capacity, meaning that Cudmore is the alien tasked with making sure that Sophie Turner's Jean Grey doesn't become dangerous to the entire universe.
Daniel Cudmore debuted as Colossus in 2003's X2: X-Men United, where he saved Siryn from being abducted by William Styker's soldiers and led some of the students at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters to safety. He returned in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand as part of the movie's main X-Men lineup, although he was silent for most of the movie. Cudmore's Colossus returned a third time in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past in the Sentinel-filled apocalyptic future, and thanks to Wolverine's efforts in the 1970s, he was alive in the revised timeline. If Cudmore is playing someone new for X-Men: Dark Phoenix, hopefully this will be more a substantial role for him beyond being the muscle.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix hits theaters on November 2, 2018. You can also browse through our X-Men guide to find out what other movies are in development for the franchise.
