The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for keeping fans on their toes, thanks to surprises arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Perhaps the most anticipated upcoming Marvel movie is Avengers: Doomsday, which will feature a giant group of characters. Marvel's live stream cast announcement revealed that a bunch of actors from the X-Men movies will be back, including Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler. And the actor and Emmy-winning TV host revealed one seriously "great" thing abut his forthcoming return to the superhero genre.
What we know about Avengers: Doomsday has been limited, but news about the blockbuster is slowly trickling out. Fans are hyped about so many X-Men alum are included, including Cumming (who hasn't played Nightcrawler since 2003's X-2). While appearing on Today with Jenna & Friends, he shared a crucial to this long-awaited return, offering:
Isn’t it nuts? I’m excited and amazed. It’s been 23 years since I was a superhero. I’ve had some makeup tests already for the role, but what’s great about it was that before, it was about four and a half hours to apply it, but now it’s only 90 minutes.
Honestly, this seems like a game changer. While practical makeup and prosthetics help to bring comic book characters to life, the experience of sitting in the chair before filming even begins can be grueling. For example: Dave Bautista called his Drax makeup "a nightmare", while Jennifer Lawrence went through this process to play Mystique in the X-Men movies. Although it sounds like the technology has really move forward, at least where Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler is concerned.
Despite only appearing in one X-Men movie previously, Alan Cumming made a big impact as Nightcrawler. This also made the announcement of his return for Avengers: Doomsday doubly surprising. Although given how many eyes are on Cumming as host of The Traitors (which is streaming with a Peacock subscription), it seems like the perfect time to bring him into the fun of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Cumming only appeared in X-Men 2, Nightcrawler got more time on the big screen thanks to the First Class trilogy (plus Dark Phoenix). Played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, we were introduced to a younger version of Kurt Wagner who shared the same vulnerability that Alan Cumming brought to the character. Alas, it is the OGs who are being brought back for Avengers: Doomsday, including Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden. Although Kevin Feige has teased that this is "some not all" of the casting for that blockbuster.
It sounds like the Goldeneye actor will have to spend way less time in the makeup hair this time around, and it should be interesting to see if that changes his performances as Nightcrawler at all. Either way, fans are excited.
Avengers: Doomsday is currently expected to arrive in theaters May 1st, 2026. But first up is Thunderbolts* on May 2nd as part of the 2025 movie release list.
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