AlthoughDeadpool & Wolverinewas crammed with cameos of mutants from Fox’s X-Men franchise, none of the original X-Men (save for the eponymous Wolverine) were involved in theMCUmovie, and after theAvengers: Doomsdaycast reveal, I think I now know why.Avengers: Doomsdaywas recently hyped up byMarvel’s surprise stream, which announced many ofAvengers: Doomsday’s main cast. While much of the cast was expected, including Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, and the cast ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, fans watching the five-hour live stream were stunned by some of the biggest reveals toward the end.
The reveal that many of Fox’s X-Men and X-Men villains would be returning toAvengers: Doomsdaycontinues a recent trend within the MCU that spotlights mutants. ThemanyDeadpool & Wolverinecameoswere a recent prime example of this, as the movie itself was seen as a love letter to the X-Men movies of yesteryear. It’s somewhat surprising, then, that while villains like Pyro, Sabretooth, and Juggernaut were front and center,Deadpool & Wolverinerefrained from including their nemeses. Namely, the X-Men themselves. I would wager thatAvengers: Doomsdayhad something to do with that.
Avengers: Doomsday Is Bringing Back A Number Of Original X-Men Stars
One Of Them Hasn’t Reprized His Role For 23 Years
Marvel’s surprise live stream lasted for 5 and a half hours, steadily revealing names in a move that dominated online discourse for the entire day. Aside from rumors,there was no inkling that the X-Men would be joining this long list of names until Kelsey Grammer’sbecame the twelfth to appear. Given that Grammer was the most recent member of the team to appear in live-action (apart from Wolverine) in thepost-credits scene ofThe Marvels, this began to prove that Marvel intended forAvengers: Doomsdayto pay off that credits scene.
Remy LeBeau/Gambit
Deadpool & Wolverine(2024)
He was then joined by a cavalcade of erstwhile co-stars, including Alan Cumming, whose Nightcrawler hasn’t been seen since 2003’sX2.It wasn’t just X-Men team members, either, with Ian McKellan and Rebecca Romijn presumably poised to reprise their roles of Magneto and Mystique, respectively. The list ofmutants joining theAvengers: Doomsdaycastended with Channing Tatum, giving rise to the exciting prospect that he’ll be incorporated into the X-Men as Gambit whenAvengers: Doomsdayis released.
I’m Convinced Marvel Was Saving The OG X-Men For Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Probably Told The Deadpool & Wolverine Filmmakers To Refrain From Including The OG X-Men
Channing Tatum is the only actor whosecharacter appeared inDeadpool & Wolverine. Given this was where he was first introduced, as part of a tonally perfect cameo that addressed his time in development hell, this stands to reason. As for the others, it now makes a lot of sense thatthe likes of James Marsden’s Cyclops and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X were not involved in a movie as recent asDeadpool & Wolverineto help preserve the surprise of their upcoming involvementin the climax of the Multiverse Saga.
This also explains why Halle Berry never received a call, despite expressing a willingness to cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine.
I think thatMarvel may have ruled thatDeadpool & Wolverinecouldn’t use these characters, even if Ryan Reynolds and co. were keen to. It would have fit theDeadpool & Wolverinenarrative, after all, to have Charles Xavier interact with his sister, Cassandra Nova. Instead, he was consigned to a smattering of mentions as part of the movie’s exposition. It would likewise have been compelling to see Worst Wolverine interacting with Cyclops, with his remorse over losing his teammate variant being counterbalanced by their traditional rivalry.
Every X-Men Character Recast For Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine paid tribute to the history of non-MCU Marvel movies, bringing back several X-Men, but not all the original actors returned.
This also explains why Halle Berry never received a call, despite expressing a willingness to cameo inDeadpool & Wolverine. When asked byComicBookif there were attempts to get her involved, Berry responded:
No. Blake [Lively] asked me one time, I ran into her at a Marc Jacobs fashion show, and she said, ‘Would you ever be in my husband’s movie as Storm?’ I said, ‘Yeah, if he asked me,’ but he never asked me.
This points to two things. The first is that there was a general appetite for involving more mutants inDeadpool & Wolverine, but outside forces (aka Marvel Studios) put a stop to it. The second is, if this is true, then Halle Berry may soon jointhe cast forAvengers: Doomsdayin a new wave of announcements.
Will More X-Men Actors Be Announced For Avengers: Doomsday?
It Looks Like Marvel Isn’t Done Yet
It certainly looks like it. A recent interaction betweenRobert Downey Jr. and Marvel Studios teased that there was “Room for more,“as highlighted byCultureCravein a post on X.The Hollywood Reporteralso reports that a new wave of cast announcements is en route. This makes sense, as there are so many gaps in the already stacked cast that would be difficult for Marvel to explain. For instance, while Chris Evans' absence makes sense as Old Man Rogers is unlikely to participate in super-heroics, the same can’t be said for the still-operating Doctor Strange and Bruce Banner.
Chris Evans stated that he has retired from the MCU, but fans still believe he’ll reprise his role as a Steve Rogers variant inAvengers: Doomsday.
This could also be where the rest of the X-Men are revealed.Halle Berry’s Storm is a glaring absentee from the originalAvengers: Doomsdaycastannouncement, as are Famke Janssen’s Jean Gray and Anna Paquin’s Rogue. Thankfully, rumors suggest that a whopping 50-60 additional actors are due to return to their Marvel movie roles inAvengers: Doomsday, which stands to reason. It also means thatAvengers: Doomsdaywill be incomparably stacked with all-stars, and I can’t wait to see who else will contribute.
Avengers: Doomsday
Cast
Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom - played by the returning Robert Downey Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
Deadpool & Wolverine
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
