The upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ is shaping up to be more than just another superhero ensemble film, as it could be the long-overdue moment of redemption for Fox’s original X-Men lineup.
Seven of the franchise’s most iconic actors are returning. Additionally, with this, Marvel has the perfect opportunity to right some of the creative missteps of the Fox era. Now, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has a chance to course-correct.
Marvel Has The Perfect Opportunity To Give X-Men Their Iconic Costumes
If there’s one visual change fans have been begging for since 2000, it’s letting the X-Men wear their classic costumes. Fox’s decision to dress the mutants in black leather was understandable for its time. The 2000s were an era, still unsure if mainstream audiences would embrace comic-accurate superhero suits. However, over the years, it became a sore point for fans who wanted their heroes to look like they jumped straight out of the panels.
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Marvel Studios has already shown they can make faithful costumes work without sacrificing realism. ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ nailed Wolverine’s yellow-and-blue suit, and Gambit’s comic-inspired armor has been met with equal excitement. With that precedent, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ could finally give Cyclops his blue-and-yellow visor look, Magneto his red-and-purple armor, Beast his classic trunks, and Nightcrawler his sharp red-and-black ensemble.
This would be more than just a style upgrade. For actors who have been embodying these characters for over two decades, suiting up in their comic-accurate outfits would feel like the ultimate fan service and send-off. It would also visually cement that these characters are stepping into a bigger, more colorful Marvel multiverse.
‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Could Deliver The X-Men Battle Favs Have Always Wanted
While costumes are important, the real magic of ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ will come from giving the characters closure, and no two characters are more deserving of that than James Marsden’s Cyclops and the duo of Mystique and Nightcrawler. For years, fans have lamented how Fox’s X-Men films sidelined Cyclops. Despite being the team’s leader in the comics, Marsden’s Scott Summers was often treated as a supporting player.
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Wolverine usually took center stage. In ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’, Cyclops was killed off early, robbing audiences of the chance to see him lead in a meaningful way. Now, with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine unlikely to stick around after ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ could finally position Cyclops as the heart and mind of the X-Men. Then there’s the mother-son dynamic between Mystique and Nightcrawler. In the comics, their connection is a well-known piece of X-Men lore.
Mystique is Kurt Wagner’s mother, with the demon-like mutant Azazel as his father. However, in Fox’s films, this relationship was barely hinted at. Even though they appeared in ‘X2: X-Men United’, ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, and ‘Dark Phoenix’, there was no real exploration of their family bond. With both actors confirmed to return for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, Marvel Studios has a golden opportunity to at least acknowledge this relationship.
Another notorious shortcoming of the Fox era was its inconsistent and often underwhelming final battles. While there were exceptions (X2’s mansion raid remains a highlight), most of the other films ended with chaotic, CGI-heavy clashes that lacked emotional clarity or strong choreography. Marvel Studios, however, has a proven track record with large-scale, multi-character battle sequences. So, fans can hope for something unforgettable.
