Oklahoma native James Marsden joins cast of ‘Avengers: Doomsday.' What to know
Marvel fans have been burning a hole into their screens since 10 a.m. Wednesday as the franchise slowly revealed the cast for the upcoming "Avengers: Doomsday' movie through a five-and-a-half hour long livestream. Around 3 p.m., fans saw a familiar name to Oklahoma and the Marvel universe pop up:
'James Marsden' the chairback read.
Marsden, an Oklahoma native, was joined by other castmates from the original trilogy, including Patrick Stewart (as Professor X), Ian McKellen (as Magneto), and Rebecca Romijn (as Mystique).
Marsden was the debut actor portraying Scott Summers, better known by his superhero name Cyclops, in the 2000 film 'X-Men.' He would later return in 'X2: X-Men United' (2003) and 'X-Men: The Last Stand' (2006).
Though it had been nearly a decade between his appearances, Marsden did make a cameo appearance in the 2014 film 'X-Men: Days of Future Past.'
His announcement was made on the live stream, during which Marvel Studios slowly panned through a line of chairs with each actor's name on the back panel. At the end of the live announcement, Marvel officially announced that "Avengers: Doomsday" is in production.
Other names in the film include Pedro Pascal ('Fantastic Four: First Steps'), Letitia Wright ('Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'), Florence Pugh ('Thunderbolts') and Robert Downey Jr. ("Avengers: Endgame").
The film has a current release planned for May 1, 2026. It will be followed by "Avengers: Secret Wars" on May 7, 2027.
That won't be the only Marvel reunion in "Avengers: Doomsday," as the film also brings the X-Men gang back together.
"X-Men" stars Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen have both been added to the cast, presumably playing Charles Xavier and Magneto, respectively.
Stewart last played the role of Professor X in 2022's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," in which a version of the character was murdered by Scarlet Witch. But this would be McKellen's first time back as Magneto since 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past."
"Avengers: Doomsday" marks a reunion for the original "X-Men" stars Alan Cumming, who played Nightcrawler; Rebecca Romijn, who played Mystique; James Marsden, who played Cyclops; and Kelsey Grammer, who played Beast and had a surprise cameo in the credits of "The Marvels" in 2023.
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: James Marsden joins cast of 'Avengers: Doomsday.' What to know
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