Avengers: Doomsday Redeems Cyclops & Mystique After X-Men: The Last Stand

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The new Avengers movie, titled Doomsday, will integrate characters from the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, potentially giving two of those characters better conclusions to their stories. This event will bring together several Marvel teams – the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the Thunderbolts, and the X-Men – in one big crossover.

Although the X-Men haven’t officially joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet, Marvel is bringing in characters from the previous X-Men films. This includes well-known actors like Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, Kelsey Grammer as Beast, and Channing Tatum as Gambit.

As a longtime fan, it’s amazing to see some of these actors returning to their iconic roles – like Rebecca Romijn as Mystique and James Marsden as Cyclops – for the first time since X-Men: The Last Stand. Honestly, their characters never really got the endings they deserved back then, and I’m really hoping Doomsday will finally give them the satisfying conclusions they’ve earned after all these years – it’s been almost 20 years! I’m excited to see these flawed endings get fixed.

James Marsden’s Cyclops And Rebecca Romijn’s Mystique Deserve Redemption After X-Men: The Last Stand

The Last Stand didn’t quite stick the landing as the finale to the original X-Men trilogy. The movie felt messy, trying to combine the idea of a mutant cure with the well-known Dark Phoenix story. Many fans were left unsatisfied with how the characters’ stories ended, and the film’s events were later revised in X-Men: Days of Future Past.

As a huge X-Men fan, I always felt really let down by how they handled Cyclops and Mystique in The Last Stand. It just felt like the movie had too much going on, and these two characters really suffered for it. Poor Scott Summers, played by James Marsden, was just… killed off! And not even on screen – Jean Grey, after coming back as the Phoenix, did the deed. It felt so abrupt. And Mystique? After losing her powers, she understandably switched sides, but then Magneto just abandoned her. It was a messy situation for both of them, and honestly, a bit of a disservice to their characters.

Although Luke Marsden had a small part in Days of Future Past, his character wasn’t developed further and his story felt unresolved. Throughout his appearances, he often played a supporting role, with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine ultimately becoming the central figure of the X-Men films.

Cyclops, played by Marsden, felt like he deserved more focus as the X-Men’s leader, and a story like Doomsday could have given him that. Also, removing Mystique’s powers in The Last Stand didn’t make sense, and her betrayal of the other mutants felt out of character, even after Magneto left her side.

Mystique is a compelling anti-hero, and Jennifer Lawrence’s performance really brought her to life. While Famke Janssen’s portrayal didn’t get a chance to show growth, the Doomsday storyline offers a way to give her character a satisfying conclusion and bring her back together with Magneto, played by Ian McKellen.

The MCU Is Improving The Legacy Of Many Fox Characters

The upcoming Doomsday movie continues a theme started in Deadpool & Wolverine: exploring what it means to carry on a heroic legacy. Deadpool & Wolverine not only celebrated characters from the Fox universe, but also showed Wade Wilson and Wolverine trying to become the best versions of themselves.

The movie also helped to revive interest in Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, and Channing Tatum’s Gambit. Garner’s Elektra appeared in two poorly received films – Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005). Similarly, Blade: Trinity (2004) was a disappointing end to Snipes’ Blade series, and Tatum’s planned Gambit movie was ultimately canceled.

Seeing Elektra and Blade get a good conclusion to their stories felt really satisfying, especially if we don’t see them again. I’m excited to hear Tatum’s Gambit is coming back for a fight with Doomsday! I’m really hoping this movie can give Marsden’s Cyclops and Romijn’s Mystique the same kind of boost that Deadpool & Wolverine gave to the other Fox characters – a chance to really shine.

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2026-01-01 18:10